saltandlight

What’s on my heart this morning is FAITH! That seems like a general term but I’m talking about serious faith. Faith that God is going to take care of you. Faith that God has things under control. Faith that whatever situation you are in, even when all hope seems lost, that God is going to see you through! Faith that says ‘Lord I don’t know why this is happening but I trust you’.

I’ve been studying Job the last few days. Now I use to think that I didn’t like the book of Job. I actually told a friend that one time and she said, “then that is the book you need to study”. I just didn’t like what Job had to go through. I didn’t appreciate that the Lord was allowing all of this to happen to a good man. And I talked to my Pastor husband about it and came to the realization that God allowed all of that for a reason. And my husband pointed out to me that Jesus went through a lot too, and he was perfect! I don’t like to think about Jesus’ suffering either. But both Job and Jesus’ stories happened for a reason, a bigger purpose. If for nothing else, these stories (as with all of the Bible), are there to teach us.

I’m learning so much going through the Bible Recap in the book of Job. I can’t imagine the suffering that he felt. The pain that Job experienced seems unbearable. Not only what all he went through, but then his “friends” were no help. Even his wife wasn’t helping. Job suffered, a lot. But he learned a lot through all of his suffering. And he was blessed tremendously afterwards. One thing that I think everyone knows about Job is that his faith in God, never waivered. He questions God, and he questions himself but he doesn’t give in to losing his faith.

I’ve noticed that some people will say faith is believing God for the blessings and the overflow! But I will say that faith isn’t always believing God for blessings. But it is believing that God will see you through no matter what. Because sometimes God is allowing us to not be “blessed” for a reason. (“Blessed” meaning our version of blessings.) Our version of a blessing and God’s version of a blessing might be different. We have got to decide to be on the same page as Him. Decide that if God’s answer is no, then He has something better for you. He is going to see you through either way. God knows what is best for you.

Sometimes our suffering is for someone else’s benefit. I believe that most of Job’s suffering was for the benefit of others. Do we love God enough to be willing to be used by Him, even if it means we may have to suffer in some way? Most of us can probably look at our lives and find a lot of blessings there. Even if we have suffered in our own way, we can find the blessings that have come from it if we look hard enough. If we look at our lives through a spiritual lens, we could see a lot more blessings. Just the fact that God has been so patient with me, is a huge blessing! And if someone else can benefit from any of my suffering, then praise God.

The more we read and study God’s word and spend time with Him, the more we can see things through that spiritual lens. And the more we talk to Him and trust Him, we will hear from Him. You can’t be out here running after the things of this world that are sinful and expect God to bless you. Don’t chase the devil and then expect a blessing from God. I can’t tell you what it is in your life that might be coming between you and God. I can only answer that for myself. And if you ask Him, I promise He will show you what that is! Work on that and then expect God to show up in your life. Not the other way around.

Those of you that know me, know that I don’t have a lot of money. And when I talk about blessings, money is the last thing I’m thinking about. If God didn’t do anything else for me, he gave me the free gift of salvation through His son Jesus Christ!! But He has done so much more than that! I can think about things that didn’t feel much like blessings, and I could dwell on the negative, but what good does that do? Shift your mindset and realize that God has done more for you than you even realize! And even the things that we don’t think are blessings at the time, are actually God looking out for us then too.

This might sting a little bit and I’m so sorry if it does – Even losing a loved one can be a blessing. No it doesn’t feel like it and it’s not what we want, but we also don’t know the bigger picture like God does. I know what it is to lose someone close to you. I don’t say that lightly at all. But we only see what we can see. Our perspective is very small compare to God’s. God sees a much bigger picture that includes the future. He knows what is best when he takes someone from this earth. He might be saving them from future suffering. We don’t know. We can only trust Him and his sovereignty.

So y’all, all of that to say this – have faith so big that Satan can’t even make you doubt God. Be like Job. None of us want to suffer like Job did, of course! But, faith can move mountains! It doesn’t even take that much. Jesus said you only need faith the size of a mustard seed! But if you don’t have any faith right now for whatever reason, you can borrow some of mine. And talk to God about it. Ask Him to help you have more faith. He will do it!!

‘For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, ‘ Job 19:25-26

‘The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. ‘ Luke 17:5-6

~ Cheryl