Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God . Having faith pleases God. So it makes sense that we should pray for a stronger faith if we want to please God It takes faith to pray, but it takes a stronger faith to keep praying when your life is falling apart. Most christians have enough faith to receive Jesus as their Savior, but not enough faith to trust God to take care of them in hard times Unshakable faith comes from having your faith shaken. Once we are saved, the testing of our faith begins. The first 12 disciples had no idea of the hardships which were to follow them in their ministrys. It would be those very hardships which would strengthen their faith. If our faith is to grow, it must go thru hardships and our own mistakes & failures. There is no other way John the Baptist had his faith tested when he was in prison, John was discouraged. Could not Jesus deliver His faithful servant from prison ? Yes, Jesus could have, but He didnt. There is an important message we need to understand with what happened to John - things dont always get better in this life. John was discouraged and in doubt, he sought help from the Lord and didnt get it - he was instead beheaded. Sometimes as Christians we will have to pay a high price for our faith Amazingly though, Paul rejoiced while going through hard times. Paul said- bring it on devil, do your worst. Its just one more opportunity for me to show my faith in God and earn more eternal rewards in Heaven. Problems are a blessing, i know this sounds strange, but it is biblical. You cannot please God without faith. God wants our faith to mature, therefore, our faith must be tested to see if its real. Faith pleases God. It takes much more faith to continue living for God when the sky is falling in your life and the walls are closing in around you. The trials and hardships in your life will perfect your faith if you will not give up. You have to hang in there, living by faith. Joy comes in the morning, but first you have to go thru the dark night of torment and hardship 1 Peter 1:7 - The testing of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ As believers hardships are golden opportunities for us to prove our faith in God. There is a sweet closeness to God that cannot be obtained until a person has suffered though great emotional & physical pain , loss, and loneliness. I know - that is not actually a heart warming thought to consider, but know that you will have Jesus by your side through it all A faith MUST be tested. And like it or not, your faith WILL be tested. The test is not the problems in your life. God just uses the problems to test your faith. The test is about your faith itself It does require a greater degree of faith on our part to continue serving the Lord when hardships and burdens arise. Anyone can serve God in good weather, but when the storm clouds rise and all the hordes of Hell come after you, it requires much stronger faith not to give up or quit Unshakable faith comes from having your faith shaken ! If you ask God for more faith, you are actually asking God for more troubles and problems to come your way. Because that is how God increases our faith. To want a stronger faith means you must be tested thru severe hardships If you are going thru some hard times right now and you feel as though your very faith walk with God is being shaken to its core, hang in there. Keep trusting that God has a purpose for what you are going thru. Remember - He is and always will be in control of your life !
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 19:50:42 +0000