I wonder sometimes if I'm the only person who refuses to ask God for anything big. Not because I'm so deep & spiritual, but because I don't want Him to tell me, "NO!". Beth Moore calls it ATTEMPTING FAITHFULNESS WITHOUT ANY FAITH! Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without FAITH it is impossible to please God". I can think of many times in my life that I worked hard to prove my faith in Jesus through serving & doing instead of focusing on what was most important to Christ inside my own heart.
The Christian faith isn't tricky but our faith-less-ness in WHO JESUS REALLY IS in our lives causes us to play games with it. Things like holding grudges, not offering forgiveness and jealousy have plenty of room to roam around in our hearts when we are operating on a limited amount of faith. It's only human for us to fill up that empty space with something.
Today I accidentally came across a mean comment about someone I love dearly. My first reaction was anger and I wish I didn't have to admit it. I let my mind run wild with thoughts of — just what kind of person are you saying something like that? I felt hurt and then my hurt turned to wanting to react. Then God….reminded me that I'm different than that person. Not better, different. I'm new, in Him and I don't have to hurt others to make me BETTER or funny or whatever it is that this person was trying to do by saying something mean. I can't LOVE GOD & HATE OTHERS (1 John 4:20).
Which brings me back to faithfulness. I don't want to miss out anything God has for me. If I'm full of all sorts of other stuff, things that don't really belong in me….then I can't in any way possess the faith that believes that GOD CAN DO ANYTHING I ask of Him.
I believe that God can do anything and I plan to live a more faithFULL life by asking Him for the big things that I've held back from Him. If He says NO, then I'll trust He has something even better for me. Because…..He does.
He is FAITHFUL!
Lord,
Thank you for reminding me how much I need you and that I need your cleansing power of forgiveness in my life. I want to be faith-filled and I can only do that by obeying & trusting You.
Amen