Strength of Faith

How strong is my faith in God? That was the question I kept asking myself these past few weeks. When something unfortunate happens, does your faith waver? When there are questions we have that we can't find the answers to, do we start doubting our faith? Keeping your faith strong even in tough situations is what God wants us to do. Otherwise, why would it be called "faith"?

Here's what I read for this post: 

Genesis 42:18-50
Exodus 1-5:21
Matthew 13:47-18:20
Psalms 18:16-22:31
Proverbs 4:7-5:21

Genesis

Back to my question before, how strong is your faith? In Genesis 45:4-8, God used Joseph's brothers evil actions to bring good. When something bad happens to you or you hear of evil things happening, do you have trouble believing God is still in control? God doesn't like evil, but it happens. He does, however, bring good out of evil situations. Joseph's brothers, for example, sold him into slavery. But when Joesph grew up, God sent him ahead to save the lives of many. Next time you find yourself in a bad situation, turn to God. He will make sure that good things are coming your way.

Exodus

Do you let your fears hold you back? I know I do. There are great things that God wants us to do with our lives. Witnessing to people, sharing the word of God, volunteering to help others, or maybe even something bigger. When we let our fears overcome us, it holds us back from being all that God wants us to be. In Exodus 4:10-11, Moses was scared about his task God asked him to do. He said he's not good with words and gets tounge tied. God assured Moses that He would be with him every step of the way and give him the words to say. God is always there to give us the ability and strength to get through scary situations. For example, this blog. Sometimes I'll sit down to write an entry, and have no idea what to say. But, I always pray before I start and ask God to speak through me and send out the message He wants to send. And before I know it, I'm done writing. 

Matthew

In tough situations, do you walk or sink? In Matthew 14:28-33, Peter started to sink when he was walking on water toward Jesus, because he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the waves around him. When Peter realized what was going on, he panicked and his faith wavered. When the waves around you start getting rough, focus your attention on God, not the situation. He will walk you through it, one step at a time.

Ever hear the saying, "Careful what you say, it may come back to haunt you?" Well, there's some truth to that. In Matthew 15:16-20, Jesus is explaining the parable about words from the heart. "But the words you speak come from the heart-that's what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander." So, what you say can determine the kind of person you are, or what sin lies within your heart. Try to control the urge to sin-as little as it may be-or your words may give you away. 

Psalms

I was reading Psalms 19, and verses 1-4 stuck out to me. The way I took it was that God is everywhere. He is in the skies, the grass, the trees, the clouds, everywhere you turn, He is there all throughout the earth. Isn't that just amazing? Then I read Psalms 22:1-2, and I realized even when we feel like God isn't there for us, He always is. Not only in our hearts, but all around us. The air we breath, the music we hear, the birds chirping. He wants us to always feel His presence. 

Proverbs

We have to learn to control our desires within our hearts and try to keep sin out. In Proverbs 4:23-27, it tells us to guard our heart. What lies within your heart is what you most desire, so make sure it is pure. Concentrate on the desires that will keep you on the right path. It takes a lot of commitment, but God is always there to help us on our way. So whenever we run into temptation, we can turn our back to it.

The other night, I had a conversation with my brother. We were talking about questioning the Bible. He pointed out that if we don't believe even one part of the Bible, the whole thing is discredited. I agree with that. The Bible is God's word, after all. Don't confuse having questions about the Bible or God with disagreeing or not believing. Actually, I believe God wants us to ask questions. And were not suppose to know all the answers. That doesn't mean our faith isn't strong. In fact, I believe that if you have so many unanswered questions, but still have faith in God and believe in everything He has done and promised us, then your faith is stronger than ever.