There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
1 John 4: 18 NKJV
I decided to go old school this morning and write on a topic which many believers may look upon as a touchy subject. I'm talking about faith. Or, as some may call it, trust. Why am I speaking to this? Well, because this week my own faith took another hit as our illustrious do nothing governor Lockdown Kate Brown once again decided that it was much better to shutter businesses and keep people at home than to allow them to work and earn a living. Now, I really don't care what side of the political spectrum you're on at this point as it makes zero difference to me and my situation. For although I am blessed to still be working, there are now parts of my life which are once again for the umpteenth time put on hold. This is where my lack of trust came in. Yes, I know that we were slowly getting everyone back to work before this latest hiccup. However, my very first thought when the closures were announced was that we were once again headed for a five to six month shutdown. In reality, data in Oregon is evaluated each week to determine the course of fighting the Democrat politically motivated virus. So, next week we could very well be back to where we were once again. However, the card not played on the table is the governor and what she will decide to do. That is where the lack of trust comes in. Yet last night I thought about this situation a little deeper, who is it that we have our trust in? Is our trust in a person, or in God to work the situation as He will? Now, I don't claim to know all there is to know about God and His motives, but He most certainly has a objective even in these anxious times. What may ease our hearts from time to time is asking the Father what His intentions are. For those who feel that their relationship with the Father isn't that close that we can have a heart to heart talk with Him I refer you to the words of the apostle Paul. For it is Paul who, in the book of Galatians, introduces to the reader the truth of Christ Jesus in us {Galatians 2:20}. That is, it is Jesus who lives in each of us, and He is more than willing to talk with us any time of the day. Will we listen?
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11: 1 NKJV
Does anyone besides me feel as if their own faith is weak sometimes? Back in the day, I was told that a weak faith meant that something was in the way of my seeing God. That something being sin. However, I think there's something different in play here. When is it that our trust is shaken the most? Do we feel as if we can trust someone we are happy with? Of course. Yet, when we become afraid for some reason all bets are off. I suggest, therefore, that a big reason for our lack of trusting is our own fears. Fear of a outcome we do not want to see. What it all boils down to is our fear of something unknown. We do not know what tomorrow will bring, so we hang on to rumors and the lies of the enemy which distract us from what we know to be true. A few years ago, my friend Dennis and I were pretty big into the hiking scene. There were more than a local trails we conquered. I still recall one of these trips where the trail brought us to a razor thin bend in the trail about 600 feet above the Clackamas river. My friend stood in front of me as my fear of heights began to take over. In a moment of panic I confided that I didn't wish to die on this trail. Of course, Dennis laughed and assured me that I wasn't going to die. Guess what...I didn't. Yet that is the fear of the unknown which many believers face in their relationship with God. Will He help me? Will He be there for me? The answer to these questions is, of course, YES. The writer of Hebrews describes faith as our assurance that what we will hope will come to pass. We all too often cannot see it, but we know in our hearts that it is real. The same assurance which tells us that a tree or a rock is real is that same assurance which tells us that what we hope for will come to pass.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith.
1 John 5: 4 NKJV
~Scott~
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