2 Corinthians 12:7-9
7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me.
To walk through grief the Lord has been teaching me that it is not my strength that carries me through, but his grace and his strength that is made perfect in my earthly weakness. But something else is needed and it’s what I would like to call Radical Faith. The same type of faith that Abraham had when he placed Isaac on the alter (Genesis 22:1-19), the same faith that gave Moses the ability to know that he was not going to be harmed when he returned to Pharoah and told him that the God of the universe said Let me people Go (Exodus 4:22-23) the same type of faith that raised Lazarus from the dead. (John 11:38-44).
Lord, I pray in the name of Jesus that this word will open the hearts of your people giving them the ability to know that you are all that is needed when dealing with hard situations.
I have been learning different ways to leave the past behind and letting go of the hurt that came with the passing of Joshua. One thing that God has been talking to me is about having Faith and not just saying that I have faith but turning a blind eye to what has been placed in front of me and following him regardless of what I am feeling and thinking at times. One place that the enemy loves to target is the mind and he does this by making suggestions just like he did to Eve in the Garden. You see he has no new tricks up his sleeve he comes with the same old scheme but if our minds are not being renewed daily by the word of God, unfortunately, some of us will fall to them. But do not get discouraged the spirit of God is stronger than any lie from the wicked one and nothing that he does can stand in the presence of the Almighty Father.
Genesis 3:1-6
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You[a] shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
One way that I train my mind to refute the lies of the enemy is by reading the word of God and when I feel like I can’t read I play it on one of my devices. David said that he meditates on it day and night because he knew the power that God’s word had and I pray that we will all come to a better understanding of this. Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. And what this does is it creates a wall of truth that automatically shuts down the lies that might want to fill one’s head. The battlefield is the mind and we must protect it at all costs with the word of God. You see our fight is not against flesh and blood as it says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 but also in Ephesians 6:12-15
2 Corinthians 10:3-6
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Ephesians 6:12-15
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
But one might ask where and how faith comes into play. At the very beginning, we have to take God at his word no matter the circumstances. There are promises that God made but I think that we get mixup with the understanding that they too might go before we do. Yes, God said to be fruitful and multiply and that in blessing he would bless me. But he did not say that in my life span, one of my blessings would not go home before me. But he did say that he would never leave me nor forsake me Deuteronomy 31:8 and that his word will perform that which he sent it to do Jeremiah 1:12. I got the child but there was no timeline given on how long he would stay and I think for me that is where my disappointment came in.
What is faith? The King James Bible Dictionary says to trust, to be persuaded, to believe, and to obey. Hebrews 11:1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for: it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Joshua is gone but I have to believe and know that better days are here and going to stay because I have experienced them. Learning to let go of the past doesn’t been that I am forgetting him, it means that I trust God enough to know that this is not how his story/mine is going to end. Is there something that you have been waiting on the Lord to see but you feel like maybe you don’t have enough faith to wait patiently while it comes to pass? It could be something like even having peace or joy I would encourage you to pray this prayer when necessary. Lord your word says in Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Help me to no grow weary and have the spirit of patience as spoken of in Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Because it is in the waiting that we grow in faith and become strengthen.
Is waiting easy? No, but we much decide; trusting every word that God spoke from Genesis to Revelation shall come to pass. God only wants good things for his children and everything he does is out of love. I have to believe that the peace, Joy, and happiness that I once had will become a part of my life again.
When Joshua died, I questioned all things, I could not understand why God would allow this until I went back to his word and grasped what it meant when he said that he gives man their own free will. My faith was tested was I going to believe the lies that I would also my son was gone and things would never be the same. Or was I going to trust God that despite what has happened that he was still going to honor what was spoken in Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.?
My church and pastors play a huge role in getting me to where I am now and this is why I say that it’s important to be rooted and grounded in a great place of worship. God lead me and my children there I believe it was about 6-8 weeks before Joshua passed.
Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
I have a purpose and through my church, I have found a new sense of that Ephesians 4:11 says that Some of us have been given special ability as apostles; to others he has given the gift of being able to preach well; some have special ability in winning people to Christ, helping them to trust him as their Savior; still others have a gift for caring for God’s people as a shepherd does his sheep, leading and teaching them in the ways of God. Through this, my faith has grown through the teaching that I receive on Sundays. God’s word is living and active, but it is also there to teach us how to deal with hardship. 2 Timothy 3:14-17 14 But you must keep on believing the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know that you can trust those of us who have taught you. 15 You know how, when you were a small child, you were taught the holy Scriptures; and it is these that make you wise to accept God’s salvation by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. 17 It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.
By re-reading the story about Abraham and Isaac, I could see something about his posture that I did not notice before. In Genesis 22:5 Abraham told his servant to stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then will be back. His confidence and faith in God kept him strong but focused even when he did not know the outcome. He trusted God to know that God would provide another one, create another ending that would still leave him the father of many nations. Genesis 17:5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.
I started thinking to myself what type of faith he had after being told that he would have to offer up the son that was promised to him that he was still able to get up each day, wash his face, get dressed, and do the very thing opposite of what he may have been feeling? and that is where God has been calling me to get back to, calling us to seek him for.
Deuteronomy 6:5
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
I believe that when we live out the verse mentioned above God will help us each day by providing what it is that we need. And faith is needed not only to endure death but to walk out the rest of our life, without it, we can become complacent thinking that the situation will always be like this. September 24, 2021, changed my life to the point that I can never express it in words but Faith in God has kept me going because I believe his word and know that he is faithful. So, I am going to ask you again is there something that you have been waiting and trusting God to do? And would you step out in faith leaving this request in the comment section tackling it at the root in prayer?
Giving up sometimes seems best but God has given us the tools to get through life and then have eternal life in him.1 John 5:13 11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.
Closing Prayer
Father, give me faith not only enough for me but my children to know that we will continue to grow stronger and wiser in your word. Help us remember who you are even when things get tough and when we do feel weak remind us that your grace is sufficient enough for us. Genesis 15:6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Help us believe that things are getting better and not focus on what we see but on what your word says that you are making all things new Isaiah 43:19; I seal this prayer in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The song of the week is called Give me Faith sung by Chris Brown from elevation worship.
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