A CRISIS OF FAITH ALWAYS DEMANDS A RESPONSE– AND GETS ONE!
I awoke this morning and was thinking of “CRISIS of FAITH..” It takes energy not to trust Him, to dwell on discouraging things, and it is sapping of emotional and mental energy when we do so. The fight of faith is to take Him at His Word and Praise Him, when all around and our emotions would seek at times as we choose to lean to our own understanding, though it is explicitly forbidden by God, for it is not for our best and leads away from faith in Him, we at times ignore through ignorance or arrogance, and lean to our own understanding and the emotions seek to “lead” us and not into truth, and take us down into despair, as the enemy and often ourselves “choose” to live by sight and not by faith in a faithful God, who is always in control and has our best at heart, and the making of men and women of faith.
It takes faith to praise HIM- A CHOICE OF OUR “WILL’S” and focus on His character… the evil one seeks to attack, like in the garden of eve with “doubts” about what God said and does He mean it, surely He doesn’t ? Seeking entrance through a “doubt” a “lie” to create doubts and divorce them from Him and the truth of His love. wisdom, goodness for them, to tempt them to act independent of Him by a “choice of their will’s”… The attack was on His character and Word…it always is, if you think about it!
Dear Habakkuk in the midst of perplexing times said -“Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. “- Hab 3:17-18, *** is this in the verse -I will trust him
NOTE he said ” I WILL…I WILL,..” He was not oblivious to the circumstances BUT he did not end with those but with GOD… and in light of His knowledge of God said “I WILL, I WILL…” Circumstances would not dictate to him what his response would be in the CRISIS but his knowledge of God!
He made a choice of faith in the crisis- to PRAISE HIM-“I WILL…”
Job likewise in his own crisis, said, “though He slay me yet I WILL trust Him” {Job 13;15}. Habbakuk and Job, both made a choice of their “will”…. in the crisis, the storms of life, always call for a reaction a choice to be made an- “I WILL” to be done,…A DEFIANCE OF FAITH in the CRISIS, AN ALIGNING UP WITH HIM! “I WILL…I WILL…I WILL.” Whatever about others, whatever I “feel,” “I WILL…Praise …I WILL TRUST/HOPE in Him…” The CRISIS are often defining moments for us, certainly revealing moments, concerning …us!
I pray for us all today in our own respective “crisis”, that we will choose by an act of our will to trust Him, and praise Him, because He is worthy. I love 2 Chronicles 20 – “we don’t know what to do…. but our eyes are on You!”
Dear David, after struggling…and his own crisis which he failed in, did not let that finish him off as the enemy would desire to remind and keep him pinned down with despair, but arose and said “I WILL praise the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.”- {Psalm 34:1}. His failure was not his focus but the LORD and His mercy and deliverance. His response was “I WILL..”
FAILURE IN THE CRISIS, be it his, yours, mine is not our final destination, we are NOT discarded by God, for His Son’s precious blood cleanse and enables us to arise a fresh and begin afresh with a declaration of faith “I WILL…” in dependence upon Him who empowers us, {Read 2 Pet 1:3-4}. We arise and go on, one step at a time.
Keep your head up, the LORD loves you and your testing of faith is far greater than gold and He has promised, “He who began a Good work IN YOU will perfect it”-{Phil 1:6}… and “these momentary light afflictions, IS PRODUCING for us a GREATER WEIGHT OF GLORY”.PAUL says momentary versus eternal… light versus Weight… and the afflictions versus THE GLORY, ETERNAL SO That awaits us…..{2 Cor 4:16-18}. What a promise!!! He is our Hope in our crisis of faith. like Habakkuk, Job, David, Paul, they are part of life and this moment is a new beginning for you. Your crisis does not take Him by surprise and as overwhelming as some can be, in it we have an opportunity to express love to Him who first loved us, }Read James 1:12}. And at times through tears we say, as we speak to ourselves and the hordes of the unseen realm, “I WILL….PRAISE HIM… I WILL TRUST/HOPE…IN HIM! For He has promised ” I WILL NEVER LEAVE NOR FORSAKE YOU!” His Will trumps all…
JESUS UNDERSTANDS
He faced crisis when tempted as a Man by satan in the desert{Read Matt 4} and in the GARDEN when He had a PREFERENCE, “If this cup can pass from Me let it pass” but He chose BY AN ACT OF HIS WILL TO SUBMIT TO HIS Father’s PRIORITY for HIM and your benefit…when He CHOSE, “Nevertheless Not My WILL But YOURS BE DONE” and He CHOSE to proceed ultimately to the cross!!! He Understands….
He doesn’t promise to always deliver us from the crisis, though at times He does, but He does promise He is with us, and the call to trust Him in the crisis!
In any and all Crisis- we never face alone, for He is with us, for us – “…and so we can confidently say- He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?” – {Read -Heb 13:5, Rom 8:31}
The testing of your faith is more precious than gold, and our faith is tested and strengthened in the fires of affliction and the crisis of our faith as we choose to submit to Him, His revealed Word and rely on His Word!
YOU Never face a CRISIS ALONE, you have the POWER, and PERSPECTIVE to Choose…”I WILL PRAISE HIM…I WILL TRUST HIM…” and in doing so it is pleasing to Him, for faith in Him pleases Him – {Read Heb 11:6}
God bless and encourage you this day with Himself, His promises and strength to look away to Him! Your CRISIS” is an OPPORTUNITY to CHOOSE…LOYALTY to…. HIM!
{PS- part of this I wrote and sent to one of my children to encourage them, that they be encouraged and know they never face a crisis of faith- alone}