Gary Rich (20 July 2014)
"Strong Faith Pleases God"
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 ministry's. 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 deliever His faithful servant from prison ?
Yes, Jesus could have, but He didn't. There is an important message we
need to understand with what happened to John - things don't always get
better in this life. John was discouraged and in doubt, he sought help
from the Lord and didn't 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 bibical
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
A believers hardships are golden opportunities for us to prove our faith
in God. There is a sweet closeness to God that cannot be obtained
untill a person has suffered though great emotional & physical pain ,
loss, and loneliness. I know - that is not exactually 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 !
have a blessed day, Gary