#WhereIsMyFaith?
a lot has happened over the weekend... the attack on Israel was quite the surprise to wake up to on saturday... and adding that on top of the war on Ukraine, and the pressure building with Taiwan, it has me worried as a father of a college-age son (and uncle to a 20yr old). ever since becoming a father, i have stoked my worry with the thought of any war our country jumps into, and drafts my boys. i'm sure that this is a common thought with any parent...
and yet, i know that all of this isn't happening by coincidence... none of what's happening is too surprising.... man-made governments at odds with one another, countries invading other countries, man's inhumanity towards man... they all speak of peace... and yet their actions are are confusingly obvious. i honestly believe that there is a greater, darker force that's in control... | ||
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i've always been a worrier... guess it comes from being a control-freak who never had anything under control. we're human... imperfect... nothing will ever be in our control, so why bother putting any energy towards it? it's best to not even give any thought to it, so it becomes harder for that worry to build. | ||
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
John 14:27 | ||
it i s amazing how, we really shouldn't worry because God is in control... He's told us that He is not like what we are used to... He's giving us peace... He doesn't lie... He won't let us down... | ||
"yeah, yeah... but you drank the kool-aid... i'm def not there!" | ||
ok... but where are you? If you believe in God, and you want to get to the "kool-aid" level, strengthen your faith using these 5 points. | ||
Trust | ||
yeah, yeah... this seems obvious, but sometimes it's the hardest to execute (and the easiest to weaken). faith is the remedy for worry. when you begin to worry, what do you fall back on? do you feed that worry... or jump into prayer? with any level of faith in God, prayer isn't too far removed from your toolbox. just because we're christians doesn't mean that we will never worry. in fact, because of our faith, we're targets for the devil... (relax, this is meant to build you up)
the devil knows that if you worry, your mind isn't on God. the more you focus on things not related to God, he's working on depleting your trust in Him. it's a slippery slope, but you need to remember something - God is there for you, and will help you.. you just have to make the first steps. | ||
Pray | ||
when the tough times hit, when someone cuts you off in traffic... who do you talk to? do you talk to God in some structured sermon, or do you talk to him like a friend? your BEST friend? mark 11:23 tells us to not only pray, but to pray without any doubt in our heart. when we "react" with prayer, intense & sincere prayer, watch how fast your faith will grow. that same verse tells us that if you truly believe what you're praying about will happen, it will happen! (and God does not lie!) how would you feel if your child only spoke to you infrequently & quickly? quickly telling you about what's going on, but knowing that you couldn't (or wouldn't) do anything about it?
or is it that you pray, but you feel like it's a waste of time? (forgetting the fact that God hears all of our prayers...) you have to understand that every prayer may not be answered in the way you want, or in the timeframe you would like... but God is working things out for you. you may not believe that 100% right now, so believe me when i say that it's true. | ||
more to come in tomorrow's post! | ||
