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Faith?
by Emmanuella Ellis Is faith only a one way street? Are we to have faith only in God for the stuff, for earthly things HE can give us? Are we to have faith in God only because HE comes through for us when we need HIM to? Are we to have faith in God only for the things we can get? Is faith only in relation to receiving? What about having faith in God to give to HIM? What of having faith in God to offer ourselves wholly to HIM? Faith in God not to receive but to sacrifice everything we have, hold on to and cherish to HIM. Is not possible to have faith in the God we serve to obey HIS every word? Is not possible to have faith in God to live solely for HIM and serve only HIM? Can't we have faith in God to stand for HIM when everyone else in the world including Christians who are "siting" or "squatting", totally ignoring the Lord? Can't we have faith in God only for who HE is and that alone, even when we have nothing or receive nothing? There are times when that faith is all we need to have. Are we not to have faith for spiritual blessings and not earthly blessings alone? How easily and quickly we go on our needs to pray and have faith for physical belongings but have no desire to have to fall on our needs, praying and having faith for a life not defeated by sin. Are we not to have faith in God to transform us, change us, help us overcome sin, to love HIM, love others if when we think they don't deserve it? Are we not to have faith in God to show HIMSELF in our weakness, glorify HIMSELF in our strength, give us victory over anger, envy, love of money, jealousy, ungodly thoughts, lustful imaginations and every form of sin? Are we to have faith in God only for "good" things and not for things we do not like? Is God only to give us the things we want or the things we need? There are times that we go before God praying for snakes thinking we are praying for ropes to climb out of certain things or climb unto higher grounds. Is our faith in a God who created us, knows and wants what's best for us or a God who is clueless as to what we really need? Why not have faith in God because HE is God, because HE is good, because HE does everything out of love for us? I am a Christian who "prides" in my faith. What really is the definition of my faith? My life is a representation of my faith, a proof and an evidence of my faith in the God that we serve. If my faith is in a God who can forgive me of my sins but cannot help be live a victorious life over sin in every area of my life. Then my life will still be full of sin because my nature has not been transformed by the Holy Spirit into that of Christ who lived a victorious life. My life will be "perfect" on the outside following Church doctrines but disobeying God in the inner part of my life where people cannot see. Is my faith in HIS miracles alone or in HIM as a miraculous gift to me? Is your faith in God because you love HIM and would want to live for HIM knowing that HE is the only one who can make that possible? My life tells about my faith, every part of it. Let your life do the answering. Why are you a Christian? Is it because you believe in God and want to live wholeheartedly for HIM by pleasing HIM every day OR because you want to live a good life on earth and somehow make it to Heaven? By faith Abel didn't receive from God but sacrificed a better offering to God. By faith Enoch was taken up to heaven because he was pleasing to God, a picture of our end as Christians. By faith Noah obeyed God concerning things not yet seen by which he condemned the world. By faith Abraham obeyed God by leaving his home to a foreign country and sacrificed his only son. By faith Moses refused to be called the son of pharaoh's daughter (a son of the world) and enjoy the passing pleasures of sin but wanted to endure the ill treatment with God's people. By faith these men lived for God, sacrificed to God not eagerly yearning to receive from HIM, chose God's will over theirs because they desired a better country, a heavenly one (Hebrews 11:16). By faith what are we doing for God? Let's make our Christian faith about God and not about us. May God Almighty grant us the grace to live for HIM, to give ourselves to HIM and not to eagerly get from HIM. Emmanuella Ellis currently resides in Montreal, Canada. Emmanuella has a passion for writing and encouraging others on their walk with Christ. 2015 Emmanuella Ellis Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |