Why So Much Doubt? Where’s My Faith

Matt. 17:20 “And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to his mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

I am suffering right now. I have a lot on my plate. I have a lot on my mind. I am in God’s Word searching for answers. I am on my knees in prayer. Today, I am having a hard time writing. I am not energetic. I just don’t have the fire or desire to write anything not only today but for the past year.I already know this and I know it is not right. But I can tell I am suffering with my faith right now. Doubt is overwhelming me. God doesn’t want that. God is whispering in my ear to give everything to Him and then trust in Him fully. God wants to bless me with the desires of my heart. But first I need to trust in Him. Yes, He is working on me.Faith, as the Bible teaches it, is faith in God coming against everything that contradicts Him—a faith that says, “I will remain true to God’s character whatever He may do.”

I believe Job had the highest and the greatest expression of faith in the whole Bible,
Job 13:15 “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”(NIV)

Faith by its very nature must be tested and tried.

Faith…I Should Be On My Knees

Matthew 21:21 “And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen.”

I feel as if God is angered at me and can’t stomach my problem with my lukewarm faith. I am going through some incredible trials that are testing my faith. God has brought me down to my knees to speak to me to help me remove ALL the doubt in my life so I can trust in Him fully.

And I know is once I can learn to remove all that horrible doublt in my life and increase my faith and trust to where He wants it, and that is in Him fully, I know He has tremendous plans for me. He has something huge, big, and wonderful planned for my life. Something that will just amaze me.

But why is “doubt” one of my biggest problems? Why?

Of course when God wants me to learn something He sends me many different avenues in which He speaks to me. And one is from a book, And the Angels Were Silent : Walking with Christ toward the Cross, by Max Lucado.

Max Lucado writes:

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to this tree (denouncing the tree so it would never again have fruit) and even more. You will be able to say to this mountain, ‘Go and fall into the sea.’ And if you have faith, it will happen. If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer.”

Faith is not in the religion; the faith is in God. A hardy, daring faith that believes God will do what is right, every time. And that God will do what it takes – whatever it takes – to bring His children home.

He wants you home.

It is only in light of such passion that we can understand this incredible promise: “If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer.”

Don’t reduce this grand statement to the category of new cars and paychecks. Don’t limit the promise of this passage to the selfish pool of perks and favors. The fruit God assures is far greater than earthly wealth. His dreams are much greater than promotions and proposals.

God wants you to fly. He wants you to fly free of yesterday’s guilt. He wants you to fly free of today’s fears. He wants you to fly free of tomorrow’s grave. Sin, fear, and death. These are the mountains He has moved. These are the prayers He will answer. This is the fruit He will grant. This is what He longs to do: He longs to set you free so you can fly…fly home.

If Not You and Me, Then Who?

Matthew 9:37 “Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the workers are few.” (NASB)If not you and me, then who? If not now, then when?

My main occupation is furthering His Kingdom. Not only for me but I believe it should be every believer’s concern and desire to spread the Gospel also, whether it is witnessing or volunteering at your church in some way that helps expand His Kingdom.

We have no greater information to share with people than the gospel of Jesus Christ. All other information is temporal. The gospel of Christ is not only eternal, but it takes care of the temporal as well. The problem with many of us is that we have a hands up life style, That is, we are always looking to receive. Thus many folks are happy only three times a year: their birthday, Christmas, and maybe Thanksgiving. We need a hands down lifestyle. That is, we should find a need and meet it; and people need the Lord. If we grasp this simple image, our lives will be richer and fuller, not just three days a year, but three-hundred-sixty-five days a year. The fields out there are truly ready to be harvested. Someone is waiting for you to reach them.

 

Ghetto Gospel

Tupac – Ghetto Gospel

Let My Heart Be Broken

Last night I started to read “The Hole in our Gospel“  This struck me kinda hard and been thinking about it all day long. 

“Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.”  Is this something I should pray to God and ask for? Don’t we usually ask God to keep our hearts from being broken?

As I look at the life of Jesus I see that He was as Isaiah had described Him, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief.  Isaiah 53:3    He was despised and forsaken of men,  A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;  And like one from whom men hide their face  He was despised, and we did not ⁾esteem Him.

Jesus’ heart was continually moved to compassion as he encountered the lame, the sick, orphans, and widows.

As I continue to pray whether or not to take my street ministry full time, I want the same, to be moved by compassion as I encounter unchurched teens, gangs, the homeless, the poor.

Do We Have To Suffer

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (7) Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me–to keep me from exalting myself!  (8) Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. (9) And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness ” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  (10) Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Anyone wishing to be used greatly by God better be ready to experience some suffering along the way at some point in their lifetime. It is almost as if opposition awaits us around every corner. But remember when you are in the midst of suffering, it is the process of lifting you up to a higer spititual level.

This is a gift that is given to us by God for those who long for a more deeper relationship with Him. In times of need and trials that we are going through we learn to seek God for His help and guidence.

God has a purpose for all suffering. Some may not beielve this at the time of their sufferings but it is in the difficulties that discards the dross of our lives and sharpens us for His service.

So as Paul did in the midst of his heavy difficulties, we are also to offer to God our prayers in the midst of our heavy loads.

Listening to some Jesus Muzik

Jesus Muzik - Lecrae ft. Trip Lee

 

Goodness to Repentance

Goodness to Repentance by FLAME (Music Video)

 

Be Strong

Never pray for an easier life — pray to be a stronger person! Never pray for tasks equal to your power — pray for power equal to your tasks. Then doing your work will be no miracle — you wil be the miracle.  Phillips Brooks

We all need to remember that Jesus will not lead us to any type of greatness if we go through our  life easily or with a self-indulgent attitude. An easy life only will bring us down and not help to lift us up.

Some of us always try to avoid things that are costly or the things that require self-denial. We even avoid being self-resistant and even having self-sacrifice.

Instead we need to and be willing to sacrifice to reach that pinacle He has planned out for our life.

Heaven is ALWAYS above and we must always be looking upward towards it.

Praying For You

Praying For You – Lecrae