“Even though you were once distant from him, living in the shadows of your evil thoughts and actions, he reconnected you back to himself. He released his supernatural peace to you through the sacrifice of his own body as the sin-payment on your behalf so that you would dwell in his presence. And now there is nothing between you and Father God, for he sees you as holy, flawless, and restored, if indeed you continue to advance in faith, assured of a firm foundation to grow upon. Never be shaken from the hope of the gospel you have believed in. And this is the glorious news I preach all over the world.”—Colossians 1:21-23 TPT
This morning, as I was talking with the Lord about some things on my heart—some things I have faced over the last couple of years. I heard a phrase, and then I heard a question…
“Faith that is unshakable!”
“Do I have a ‘Faith that is unshakable?'”
No matter how dark the darkness is around me…
No matter how painful the pain is or could be…
No matter how uncertain the unknown might seem…
No matter how bad things appear to be around me…
“Is my faith unshakable?”
Do I have a resolute faith in MY GOD, that none of these kinds of things can shake me or sway me away from Him?
That no attempt or attack of the enemy can tempt me to give up hope in my God, and in His promises…
Is my faith BOLD and STEADY?
Or does the littlest thing shake me out of standing in faith?
Does the littlest bit of inconvenience or discomfort cause me to “curse God” and lose all hope in Him?
Our Heavenly Father wants to strengthen and BUILD a resolute faith within us.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” —2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV
Our Heavenly Father knows us… He KNOWS each of us… He KNOWS our hearts, and He KNOWS what needs to be BUILT within us so that we will be able to STAND!
He knows how important it is for us to be able to stand strongly and firmly in FAITH, as His people who were created to live in this challenging, tumultuous season of time.
…and sometimes…
…because of His love for us...
He allows things to happen, He allows us to go through things that test our faith.
Scary things…
Painful things…
Frustrating things…
Times of unknown…
But do you know, that as we endure through… THROUGH—these kinds of times, He has never once left our side?
And He is the one who takes us through, and as we walk through it with Him… He’s building something incredible and beautiful inside of us in the process…
And we may not be able to see it or understand it or grasp it just yet…
But in this process…
In the midst of all of the hardships and all of the pain and all of the attempts of the enemy, all of the schemes that he attempts to tempt us to give up, or shut down, or lose hope, or turn from God…
God knows that it’s gonna backfire… ???
So I say to myself, and I say to you…
“HANG ON!“
“…But God.”
And He knows what He’s doing, and He is aware of everything that He allows for a season…
He sees the bigger picture. He sees what is finished and perfected by His own two hands.
He loves us enough to build what needs to be built up within us…
“And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”—Mark 11:22-24
“That your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. “—1 Corinthians 2:5
And do you know what He is also doing?
He’s making us ready.
He’s positioning us.
He’s perfecting us.
And when the time comes…
We are ready, in Him.
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous hand. —Isaiah 41:10 NASB
“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. —Isaiah 40:31 NLT
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”—2 Corinthians 5:7
Thank You, Father. ? Even in the times I don’t understand what is going on, when I don’t understand what You are doing, or what You are allowing… I will cling to You even harder, and I will remain standing. And I know… that in all of the challenging things You take me through, You are BUILDING something in me… You know what I’ll need to do what You have for me to do, and You are preparing me, You are strengthening me.
-Heather ?