Relationship REQUIRES Faith

I was reading the other day the story of Jesus and His disciples in Luke 8 . Think of this: a rainy night, a boat filled with a few men and God of the universe. This, right here, is a setup for a miracle and a hard lesson to be learned. During the storm, three burly men cried out to God by questioning, “Lord, carest not that we perish?” Jesus, with assurance and authority rebuked the wind and the raging seas and asked these men, “Where is your faith”.

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Let’s talk about faith for a moment. First off, we know that without faith it is impossible to approach Him, let alone please God. Faith is an important factor for every area of our lives, and whether you are a big burly man or small child, we all have a measure of faith. Some of us have the faith to move mountains (aka situation/circumstances), some of us don’t. Whichever category you identify with I ask the same question Jesus asked His disciples, Where is your faith?

Many times we go about life working. We make things happen. We make the deal, the grade, we even get the job or promotion; and all these are done without consulting or seeking God for the right path or direction. To have faith in God is to understand that God can. Period. He absolutely wants the best for us and has our “expected end” already in mind. We don’t have to “strive” for the “expected end”. God ALREADY has OUR expected end. So we continue to seek God FIRST, lean on his wisdom and strength FIRST, THEN we get it done. The work must always come second to seeking. The disciples were never going to die. They just had not sought Jesus in the proper manner. The disciples started working as a response to fear instead seeking God in faith. Frantic and in distress, the disciples worked to fix a failing ship, paling water out of the flooding structure they tried to find the answer and Jesus, their answer, was there resting the entire time. Jesus was their salvation.

Have faith in God!

Ephesians 6 speaks of the armor of the saints and how we should use faith. Figuratively, Ephesians 6 spoke of the Roman soldier’s shield. We usually see this shield as a 4×6 or 2×3, but the shield the Roman soldiers used was a full body shield. It was able to cover every aspect of their body, from head to toe. Not only that, but this type of shield could be used as a defensive or offensive weapon, protecting or defending…think about THAT! Faith can be used as a weapon, to protect or defend. The power of God keeps us through faith (Psalm 5:11) Like the disciples in the ship, we will be faced with tumultuous circumstances; however, we can stand with our shield of faith knowing that our faith is in the almighty, all-knowing, very present God. Refuse to waver on this fact. King of kings and Lord of lords is on your side. Like David facing Goliath, or Moses facing the red sea, the same God is with you. Hide this fact in your heart. The more faith you hide in your heart, the stronger your shield will be, and the greater exploits you will do for His glory.

Have faith in God!

The enemy’s job is to steal your faith. He knows that it is the most precious commodity you have. He will use fear to deflect what you KNOW God can do and has already done. When this happens, pursue faith with strength and fortitude. Say what God says (the bible). The enemy may bring thoughts that might sound like this…

“It will never work”

“I can’t ever get a break”

Or like the disciples, “We gonna die!!”

YOU MUST begin to tear down

those thoughts and words.

Instead of…

“It will never work” …

NO! God says, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding, abundantly, above all that we can ask or think”. Ephesians 3:20

“I can’t ever get a break” …

NO! God says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11

“We gonna die!!”…

NO! “Lord, we’ve seen you raise the widow’s son and heal the centurion’s servant, Save us Lord”

God CAN! Have Faith In God.

God loves when you believe in His power, love, and plan; walking, trusting and knowing…trusting and knowing, trusting and knowing.

The word of God is the means by which we acquire faith; faith to act, faith to believe the impossible. God can and wants to do the impossible in us and around us. Get in the Bible. Use scripture to meditate on, and build yourself up in faith. Also, think about what God has already done for you and for others. God is no respecter of persons, you could be next in line.