A few weeks ago I was challenged by a friend on Facebook to do the grateful challenge. 5 days of posting 3 things in my life I am grateful for. Although I did not begin the challenge at the time, I quickly brought to mind a few things I was grateful for. Over the last few weeks I completed my FAITH challenge and boy was I challenged! Now in the last 2 weeks I have found myself is a very challenging situation that has caused me to dig deep and rely on the same faith and gratefuless I wrote about. Today one of those challenges is coming to an end and although I do not yet know the outcome, I am ENCOURAGED! At times I felt like this thing was getting the best of me. I was in my emotions and I felt like I was going under but even through my tears I would cry out to God. I know He sees and He hears. He is in control. He has a plan and although this does not feel good it will work out for my good.
A coworker shared a message with me and the Pastor was saying even the disciples who spent the most time with Jesus sometimes seemed to forget the Awesomeness of who He was. Miracle after miracle He did Amazing things and yet when they found themselves in trouble they were really troubled! The Pastor went on to remind us to recall those things that we know He can do based off what we've seen or heard Him do before. If He did it before He will do it again! Another thing He said was if God doesn't bring you through, He will get in their will you and He has been with me through it all.
Friends, it's how we shift our focus that helps determine the attitude of our circumstance. We can let fear and doubt set in and rock us to the core or we can look to JESUS the Author and Finisher of our Faith, our Redeemer to bring us through. We may struggle with this but our faith is being exercised and renewed. I know for me this has been a learning experience and a character builder. I pray I am made better because of it.
Many people have been praying with me and for me but my mom has been my biggest supporter and prayer warrior. Her instructions were for me to gird myself up in the Word and a passage that I have been standing on from the Message Bible in Romans 8 is this:
"So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture"(Romans 8:31-35 MSG)
So this morning I am GRATEFUL for God's GRACE, POWER and PROTECTION. My flesh may have been weak but my FAITH in HIM is STRONG. He is my STRENGTH!!
#FAITHforward #BeEncouraged
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