Gary Rich (3
Sep 2017)
"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
yfc77jesus@aol.com