God continues to challenge me in my faith - how real is my commitment to Him? Do I really mean it when I tell Him I will go where He sends me? I will do what He asks of me? Do I truly believe that He is good, that He knows what is best for me, and that He has the power to provide for me and my family? Do I trust Him? Where is my faith - really?
Here I am at yet another defining moment in my walk with God. I look back now to January to His request for me to give up my scrapbook spending. That was a big step of faith for me then. The Bible says God works in our lives line upon line, precept upon precept. He builds in our lives from smaller to bigger, as we continue to grow and progress. I can see that where I am now. He has placed something so much larger (at least in the natural) than scrapbook spending in front of me. And I must choose. Am I willing to go deeper? To get in over my head? Will I relinquish 'control' and allow Him to work, just sitting back and letting Him be God like only He can?
Human nature is to DO - to take care of things, figure things out, reason and analyze until all the pieces fit. Human nature wants to know how something will work out even before it begins...Human nature likes to be in control.
But God doesn't work that way. Faith requires that we don't have the answers. If we already knew the end, if we could already see the results, we wouldn't need faith. We wouldn't need to trust in God, depend on Him, rely on Him, lean on Him, cling to Him. God has designed this aspect of our relationship with Him to intentionally cause us to CHOOSE (again, seeing His respect for free will) to believe Him. He has also given faith a role of significant importance in our relationship with Him. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that faith is what pleases God and brings us close to Him.
- But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].
So if faith - belief - is what pleases God, then unbelief is displeasing to Him. And I can only do one or the other. Either I believe Him or I don't. There is no in between. My actions either please Him or sadden Him. I want to please Him. So I must choose to believe Him, and align my words, thoughts and actions up with that belief.
Several months ago I mentioned in one of my posts that I could sense that God was wanting to pull me into a deeper relationship with Him. While I could sense it, I didn't fully understand what that would mean. As I've begun to walk it out, I am beginning to see. And here in front of me stands a door of opportunity. If I go through it, I will certainly be in over my head...in so deep I can no longer touch bottom. I will be totally dependent on God. I must decide. I can choose to stay where I am comfortable, or I can choose to step through that door in faith, believing that He will be my life raft in the deep waters.
Just like Hebrews says, those who will come close to God must believe in Him. The real benefits of a relationship with God - the closeness and the friendship and all that comes with it - come only when we are willing to go deeper.
- ...He said to Simon (Peter), Put out into the deep [water], and lower your nets for a haul. (Luke 5:4)
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