Week 12 of 52 Faith is knowing that trials and temptations can only make us stronger if we trust in Him

Faith is knowing that trials and temptations can only make us stronger if we trust in Him - Lord increase our faith

The Word of God talks about this topic from two sides. In the Lord's Prayer we ask God the Father to keep us from falling into temptation. Jesus tells us that He has given us his peace, yet blessed are those who face all kinds of trials and attacks from people. The Apostle Paul tells us in one of his letters to the Corinthian church that the temptations that we face are merely common to humans, but we are to persevere and He will give us a way out of it. We are also encouraged in the Word of God that when we face all kinds of trails and temptations that this builds our patience, but we are also encourage that the trials we face will not be eternal, they are just part of life.

When we face trials and temptations, we can either complain or petition God and believe for His help. God's desire is for us to become more and more like him. He wants us to put off the old person corrupted with its evil desires and put on a new persona - one like Him in Righteousness and Truth. Further, God has give us his Holy Spirit to both help us and remind us of God's Truth.

But this isn't quite like lifting weights where we make our self stronger through repeated excising of our muscles. rather it is accomplish by our surrendering to God, embracing the circumstances and obeying the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes that means "Stand," girded in God's armor and sometimes it means flee from temptation. The end result is that we gain strength in that we become more dependent upon God.

I know that I am human and prone to failure but God is eternal and perfect. The more I have of Him in me and the more I trust in Him, and the more I am capable of doing through Him. The Apostle Paul says, "When I am weak, He is strong". As a Christian our strength comes from God and not just personal resolve or fortitude. We are fallible, while God is infallible. When we face these difficult situations and listen to his Holy Spirit, we are made strong IN HIM.

Lord, we know that you cause all things to work to the good of those called by You and who love You. Lord, may the trials and temptations we face make us more dependent and thereby stronger in You Lord Increase our faith.

Week 11 of 52 Prayer's of Faith - Faith is Knowing God puts People and Situations in our life to help us become like Him

Faith is knowing that the circumstances and people God allows in our life help us to become more like Him - Lord increase our faith

By now this should be part of your routine. Read the prayer out load, pause, consider it and then ask "Lord, increase my Faith" Continue to repeat the prayer and ponder it as the week goes on; journaling your thoughts and impressions and as the Holy Spirit works in your heart.

Many people just want to live a peaceful life. They want to avoid confrontation, difficulties and worries. In some respects they would just like to be left alone. But God is unwilling to leave us in a sinful slothful state of being. He permits difficult situations and people into our lives to encourage us to seek Him and to give us opportunity to live out godly character.

Graham Cooke refers to those difficult people that God allows in our lives as "grace growers" Graham claims that the fruit of the spirit only grows in poor soil. It is in the daily struggles with our neighbors, fellow workers, peers and family that God gives us opportunity to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Graham goes on to say that if we try to get away from these people that He will, at great expense, fly in a whole new group of "grace growers" to ensure that we are being made more and more into His image.

My personal experience of this was when God put me between the two people that I disliked the most. In fact if you had asked me at the time how I felt about them I would have used the word "hate" to describe my feelings. It was only a few years after my conversion that God put me between these two men, but as soon as I realized my position, I recognized that hand of God at work in my life. So instead of fighting it and complaining about my situation, I embrace it. I was never more happy when that happened. I learned about the better side of these two men, and God gave me a heart for both of them, to pray for and encourage them. As a result my wife and I got to counsel and encourage one of them and to see him reunited with his estranged wife.

My prayer now when I encounter difficult people or circumstances is "Lord what do you want to teach me here?" As a result, every thing we face need not be something to be avoided or fought, but rather these people and circumstances are opportunities to see God move and to grow more and more into his Image.

Lord we thank You for the people and circumstances You put in our life because we know that You cause all things to work for the good of those called by your name and who love you. Lord increase our faith.

Week 10 of 52 - Faith is knowing that Jesus Christ is our Healer

Faith is knowing that Jesus Christ is our Healer - Lord increase our faith

Often when we think of Jesus, we think about the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. He died for our sins that we might experience eternal life with God the Father. But there is other significance to Christ's death. When He takes away our sin, He is also taking away the source of much of our pain. This is a healing work. Many people are burdened down by the consequence of either their own sin, or the sin's committed against them. When we accept Jesus' salvific work on the cross we receive healing.  

The prophet Isaiah tells us that we are healed by his stripes. Basically saying that we have been healed through his torture. On one side that seems cruel, but for us it means relief from all kinds of pain: emotional pain, spiritual pain and even physical pain. To quote the old hymn "There is wonder working power in the blood..." What Christ has done for us is not just granted us a ticket into heaven, He has made away that we might lives lives here on earth that are more heavenly in nature. "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Jesus has made a way for us to experience the more abundant life that He came to prepare for us.

When we accept God's forgiveness through the blood and sacrifice of Christ, we are empowered to forgive others. Being able to forgive others heals our hearts in ways we could never have imagined. Yet while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. In his example we can see how forgiving others frees us from emotional and relational pain and also sets those whom we have been unwilling forgive free from our unforgiveness. Consider the "Lord's prayer" - we are asking God to only forgive us as much as we are willing to forgive others.

In accepting God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ, we also accept (or are required to accept) his Lordship - His rule and reign in our lives. That grants us spiritual freedom. As long as we resist Christ's authority in our lives, we make room for other spiritual forces to create havoc in our lives; powers of wickedness in the heavenly realms. This also we must take by faith, that Jesus is Lord of all and though his Lordship we receive freedom from oppression from those dark spirits. Looking at Jesus example, He healed many people by casting out unclean or demonic spirits. His followers have been give authority to cast out spirits that are harmful to us.

Jesus has also made a way for us to receive physical healing. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit gives gifts to men and women so that we might help one another. One of those gifts in the gift of healing. We are promised that one of the signs of those who are his true followers will be that they will lay hands on the sick and the sick will recover. Jesus doesn't want us to live a broken defeated life. He came that we might have abundant lives. I personally have experienced miraculous healing and have felt things leave my body while being prayed for.

Lord Jesus, you are our healer you are the one who heals his children and who gives authority to heal to his followers - Lord, increase our faith.