A Message To A 'Young' Believer
Faith is a deeply personal thing which revolves around our
individual relationship with Christ.
The bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Just
because we pray doesn’t mean that God is going to pull out His magic wand and “poof” everything is alright, bodies are
healed, money is suddenly in our bank accounts and all is right in the land. Au
contraire….my God don’t work dat way.
When I first came to the Lord I wanted
everything to work out right immediately in my life. I wanted all my trouble
and my mess to just disappear. I cried, I screamed I fell on my face and begged
but, baby, God was not moved….or so I thought. He was moved alright but not the
way “I” figured He SHOULD be moved. God was in the process of cleaning me up and
getting me to look at my stuff - the good and the bad and He was maturing me in a manner that made me stop looking for an easy way through
everything. With all the mess that I have been in throughout my life I have been fairly "lucky". God was letting me know that He was my sheild from so many things that could have happened. Chil', I shoulda been dead. If it had not been for the Lord on my side....
Think about it and ask yourself, was it easy for Jesus to carry
the cross up that hill and be nailed to it and to be spat upon, whipped and
bruised for me? The first thing you have to understand that that’s exactly who
He did it for …. YOU so that you can live a clean and decent life without worry. A life without the burden and sin of your past. A life full of faith.
At one time I found myself thinking that faith is something
that I could put on like a coat or better yet an attitude. But you see, faith is a “substance” – a tangible thing that can be touched and held. It is
substance that is also a growing, living thing ever stretching and expanding through
every good and bad circumstance of my life. Faith ebbs and flows, pulses and vibrates. Faith breathes.
There are days when I just know that I am close to God. I am
walking in purpose, His anointing is on me, I am blessed and a super saint. Yep,
I am full of faith, walking in it and talking about it. Then there are days (many
days) when I am like David in a cold, dark cave, hiding from the enemy.
After being cast out
by Achish, David fled to a cave in Adullam [1 Samuel 22:1-3]. He is overwhelmed
because of the desperate situation he was in. He was obviously lonely, but he
found refuge in the Lord. He felt that this cave was a prison to him. It was in
this place, it is said, that he composed Psalm 142:
I cried unto the Lord
with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before Him; I laid
before Him my trouble. When my spirit
was overwhelmed within me, then Thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I
walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand and beheld, but
there was no man that would know me. Refuge failed me; no man cared for my
soul. I cried unto Thee, O Lord; I said,
“Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. Attend unto my cry, for I am brought very low;
deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise
Thy name; the righteous shall compass me about, for Thou shalt deal bountifully
with me.” (21KJV)
By-d-way, anyone that says they never felt like this is
lying….don’t trust them.
So my point is this.
Faith is 'the' substance and it is also a process. The more I trust God in his
timing the greater and deeper my faith is. The more I believe what He says in His Word that He does indeed hear my cry and He is faithful to me as I am
faithful to Him, the deeper my faith is. The more I consult Him on everything in my life including
what am I going to eat today because of my diabetes – the deeper my faith is. The more I am confident that He will heal me - the deeper my faith is. Before I develop a major creative endeavor, I
go to God. Through error, time wasted and money lost I have learned over the
years that when I don’t go to God first I am generally operating outside of His
will and that project is doomed for failure.
Maturity is faith. I am not afraid and I am willing to
accept the exact answer I need at any given time. I trust God will never
harm me, leave me or lie to me. Many times His answer is not now or just a plain and simple no and I am ok with that. I have some great and
wonderful projects in my heart that I want to accomplish in my life time. I am a creative spirit and I cannot sit idle
for too long. Faith comes in when I realize that my creative and splendid ideas
may not be God’s intention for my life THIS day. Every morning I ask God to
show me what he wants of me THIS day. Show me who is it that I am to share the gospel
with THIS day. Who can I pray for THIS day? What poem, sonnet, blog posting
can I write THIS day that is going to encourage somebody and let them know that
they are greatly loved and cherished by my God? I stopped telling God what I am
going to do and have learned to let God tell me. And if I am not to compose that
thing, so be it. It is God's will and not my own. I still want to write the great American novel some day and that is coming because my Daddy said so. I still want
to establish the Oby House but I will only do those things when it is God’s
will and He has made the time right. God told me one day to not get it twisted.
He does not serve me and He is not at my beck and call. All I could say was “Yes,
Lord!” Who am I? Did I create the
heavens and the earth and all therein?
No one ever said that a walk of faith was easy. But the
rewards are splendid. I never in a
million years thought that my family would come to me for prayers and
encouragement or to just sit and talk over life’s difficulties. I never thought
in a million years that I would know peace and joy unspeakable in this
lifetime. I really never understood or could see my life without turmoil in one form or
another. I have peace and I know real love and more now. I am truly blessed. I may not have a fancy house nor do I drive a
fancy car. The miracle is that I have what I need and I am satisfied.
Let me share with you a devotion from Dr. Charles F. Stanley
as printed in the In Touch Magazine (July)
The Power of Patience
Picture waiting in a checkout line that hasn’t moved for 10
minutes. Many of us would feel frustrated. We live in a generation that expect
instant results.
Everyone struggles with some degree of impatience. We’re
born with this trait – think about a 3 month old who wants milk in the middle
of the night. The inborn reaction is to fuss at the first hint of discomfort and
keep at it until the need is met.
Patterns from our old flesh nature, like impatience, make this a
continual battle for most people, but one that is very worthwhile to fight.
Let’s consider the biblical definition of patience. The word can refer to both longsuffering and
perseverance – that is not giving up or yielding under pressure. It reveals itself when we are willing to wait
without frustration while suffering or experiencing some strong desire. What’s more, patience means accepting whatever
the Lord chooses to give (or not give) and willingly receiving it on His
timetable. In the meantime, we should
pray, obey, and persist as we seek God’s direction.
The danger of impatience is that we might miss the Lord’s
perfect plan and blessing. But when we trust our Father’s will and timing, we’ll
know inner peace.
What causes you stress? Carefully examine whether you are
taking matters into your own hands or releasing the circumstance to almighty
God. Follow Psalm 37:7, which says, “Rest
in the Lords and wait patiently for Him.” Seek His way and His timing. (Chil’)
anything else can be destructive.
#oakager #soulwriter
Books by Debi Mason:
What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace
Amazon.com (paperback)
Amazon.com (Kindle edition)
Barnes & Noble (paperback)
Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)
ISBN-13: 978-0692236475
Release: June, 2014
Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery
Amazon.com (paperback)
Barnes & Noble (paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781606964880
Release: June, 2009
Follow me on Twitter: @DebiOak
