March 17, 2021
Where Did I Put My Faith?
Mary Southerland
Today’s Truth
Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is real and that He rewards those who truly want to find Him (Hebrews 11:6, ICB).
Friend to Friend
Billy Graham once said, “Most of us do not understand nuclear fission, but we accept it. I don’t understand television, but I accept it. Why is it so easy to accept these man-made miracles and so difficult to accept the miracles of the Bible?” It’s a matter of faith.
Faith is the very foundation of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that without faith, we simply cannot please God. We must come to Him, believing that He is really who He says He is and that He really will do what He promises to do. That’s faith.
“Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is real and that He rewards those who truly want to find Him” (Hebrews 11:6, ICB).
There’s more!
God wants to reward those who come to Him with a seeking heart. God always loves a seeking heart, no matter how dirty or broken that heart may be.
Faith is the altar of powerful living. I often picture my Father watching with delight as I step into the unknown, walk straight through my fear, and trust Him to be there. I truly believe God loves dreamers, risk takers who are ready to take Him at His Word and walk by faith…not by sight.
When you get right down to it, our problem is not a lack of faith. Our problem is where we place our faith. Faith is more than just believing. Faith is acting on that belief.
The story is told of a woman who lived in a remote valley in Wales. When electricity came to the rural area, one of the first customers was a young woman with a large family. However, the electric company soon noticed that the woman was using a very small amount of electricity each month. Suspecting a problem with the installed equipment, they sent a repairman to check the meter. After a close inspection, the worker found the equipment was installed properly. Confused, the repairman knocked on the front door to give the woman his report. “We've inspected the meter which seems to be working properly. The only thing I can figure out is that you are not using the power that is available to you. Don't you use any electricity?" the repairman asked. "Oh yes" she said. “We turn it on every night to see how to light our oil lamps and then we switch it off again."
We often approach God's power in the same way, knowing it exists, but failing to appropriate all of the power God offers His children. Instead, we work diligently in our own strength until that strength is gone and we are left feeling empty and without purpose. That is not God’s heart. He wants to empower and strengthen us to follow His plan for our lives.
Faith is a constant challenge for me. Just when I think I have that lesson down, a crisis hits, and I find myself asking the same old question, “Where are you, God?” Been there? He knows. And He understands. Remember when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion?
“He (Jesus) fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will’” (Matthew 26:39, NIV).
I can only imagine the pain and loneliness Jesus was feeling. He didn’t want to be crucified. It was a barbaric way to die! But He chose to walk by faith and obey God. Notice that God didn’t rebuke Him for His faltering faith, but God did strengthen Him to be obedient.
If you long to be a woman of faith, just take that first step of obedience. Plant that tiny seed of hope. Choose to doubt your doubts and believe God instead. Now you are walking in faith!
Let’s Pray
Father God, I pray that my heart and mind would be childlike in the matters of faith. I choose today to accept Your plan without always understanding that plan. I choose to trust You and not my circumstances. I want to be a woman of faith, Lord. I want to please You by stepping out in faith.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
- Read James 2:14. Examine your life in light of the faith James describes in this verse.
- What steps of obedience do you need to take in order to unleash your faith?
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