Faith...
21/11/08 16:56
Faith...all who follow God claim to have it. God says we MUST have it, yet when you search deep down inside yourself, when you really look closely and examine yourself thoroughly, how strong is your faith? Is there a deep abiding trust and assurance that God is really there? Is there a confidence that God is in control and nothing escapes His attention? Are you really and truly ready to trust God with your very life?
These are things that we need to think long and hard about as followers of God. We can say that we trust God, but do we truly mean it? Where does our trust and faith really lie? Do you trust in your bank account? Do you trust in your 401(k)? Do you trust in your job? Do you trust in the things that you can do with your own two hands? We can deceive ourselves into thinking that we have faith, when in reality our faith is very shallow, or non-existent altogether.
Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” We can deceive ourselves, we can fool ourselves into believing anything that we want to believe, but we cannot fool God. Notice verse 10 of Jeremiah 17: I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
No one can deceive God. We can fool ourselves, we can fool those around us and we can put on the outward appearance of anything that we want everyone else to see, but God sees the truth...God looks on the heart.
People have lost faith, it is time to turn to God in repentance...we need to learn to rely on God fully and completely without any doubt in our minds. Those who follow God of all people should have an unwavering and abiding faith and trust that cannot be shaken!
In Luke 7 there is a story of a centurion who came to Christ seeking healing for one of his servants. It is an incredible story of faith, this man came believing in his heart that Jesus could heal his servant. He had evidently heard of the things that Christ had been doing, the miracles and the healings that were taking place, maybe he had even witnessed one of these things himself and he had believed.
He asked Christ to heal his servant and Jesus told him that He would come to his house and do as he had asked. The centurion told Christ that he was not worthy of His presence at his house, but he knew that if Christ just spoke the words that his servant would be healed. Christ was amazed at the faith of this man and said: “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.” (Luke 7:10).
Do we have that kind of faith? Do we as followers of God look to Him in full confidence and assurance? If not, we had better examine ourselves and find out why! There are times coming that will try us like never before. Now is the time to draw close to God, to nurture and develop a close relationship while there is time. Without faith and a close abiding relationship...without a deep trust and confident assurance that He will see us through whatever we face, we will surely perish in the coming storm!
Until next time...
These are things that we need to think long and hard about as followers of God. We can say that we trust God, but do we truly mean it? Where does our trust and faith really lie? Do you trust in your bank account? Do you trust in your 401(k)? Do you trust in your job? Do you trust in the things that you can do with your own two hands? We can deceive ourselves into thinking that we have faith, when in reality our faith is very shallow, or non-existent altogether.
Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” We can deceive ourselves, we can fool ourselves into believing anything that we want to believe, but we cannot fool God. Notice verse 10 of Jeremiah 17: I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
No one can deceive God. We can fool ourselves, we can fool those around us and we can put on the outward appearance of anything that we want everyone else to see, but God sees the truth...God looks on the heart.
People have lost faith, it is time to turn to God in repentance...we need to learn to rely on God fully and completely without any doubt in our minds. Those who follow God of all people should have an unwavering and abiding faith and trust that cannot be shaken!
In Luke 7 there is a story of a centurion who came to Christ seeking healing for one of his servants. It is an incredible story of faith, this man came believing in his heart that Jesus could heal his servant. He had evidently heard of the things that Christ had been doing, the miracles and the healings that were taking place, maybe he had even witnessed one of these things himself and he had believed.
He asked Christ to heal his servant and Jesus told him that He would come to his house and do as he had asked. The centurion told Christ that he was not worthy of His presence at his house, but he knew that if Christ just spoke the words that his servant would be healed. Christ was amazed at the faith of this man and said: “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.” (Luke 7:10).
Do we have that kind of faith? Do we as followers of God look to Him in full confidence and assurance? If not, we had better examine ourselves and find out why! There are times coming that will try us like never before. Now is the time to draw close to God, to nurture and develop a close relationship while there is time. Without faith and a close abiding relationship...without a deep trust and confident assurance that He will see us through whatever we face, we will surely perish in the coming storm!
Until next time...