Within The Struggle: What Do You Believe About God?

By Gracie

By The Grace of God M/M

Matthew 9:27-29 "As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"

What do you believe about God? Do you believe Him to be a harsh judge or a just God? Is He untouched by your pain and grief or actively involved in redeeming it? Is He far away or closer than a brother? Is He in control of nothing or of everything?

How you answer these questions will determine what your belief system is and will determine what your actions will be when things get rough. Understanding what we believe & don’t believe about God, His abilities, who He is, and who we are in Him can gird us or cause us to be tossed to & fro. James 1:2-8 &12 "Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."

We are constantly caught between our flesh and our faith. No one says it is easy when we try to walk in faith. Especially when, what we are going through seems so overwhelming. Yet, we need to find our place of faith in the midst of our trial or desert. We need to find something good about God that we are convinced of. And there are alot of good things about God to choose from! It is the only thing that will ground us, anchor us, give us our bearings, bring courage to our hearts & set our feet in the direction God wants us to head in. Part of our struggle is to remember those things that we are convinced of about God. There are 2 big things I am convinced of, (there are others, but these are the biggest) His faithfulness & that He is *never* caught unaware or off guard. I confess that I don’t always automatically go to those points of faith. I have struggled through some really hard things and it was through those things, that the depth of faith God has given me has grown. As I have struggled, grown, and learned to trust these things, I became convinced that He is in control, has my best interest in His heart, never allows more than I can handle, and the final result is that I come to a place of faith alot quicker than I did before. 1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." Romans 8:31 "If God be for us, WHO can be against us?"

We need to realize that everything we do witnesses to those around us, believers & unbelievers. If within the struggle, I evidence my faith in the Living God, then believers around me might be encouraged to fight the good fight, be challenged to pull up their boot straps and be championed to become convinced of who God is. Of course, there are some who will chose to feel defeated by that kind of show of faith, but that is the enemy feeding unbelief, discouragement, and other things that are not from God. We need to remember it is a choice and something that needs to get set right before God. Unbelievers may see that my dependence upon God is not a cop out, but a vibrant, active relationship and cause them to desire what is within me - Jesus! This is about being real in our faith as well as real in our struggles. When we find ourselves in a trial, test or the desert, we need to grab hold of ourselves & ask, what do I really believe about God in this? Is He able or not? Isaiah 50:7 "Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame." We need to understand that our choice of flesh or faith will be evidenced by our behavior."So as a man thinks, so is he". (Proverbs 23:7a) We also need to acknowledge that this is not about "making" God bend to what we think should or should not happen in our lives, this is not a name-it-claim-it formula, it is about resting in faith that God is in control and desiring *whatever* His will is for your life. Now understand, we all struggle, no one gets this principle of truth perfectly. Yet the principle calls us to find our place of faith in every situation and walk in that faith, so that we are not tossed to & fro. It gives God opportunity to move, answer, redeem the place we find ourselves in and set our feet firmly in what we are fully convinced of about God. Romans 4:20-22 "Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything he promised. And because of Abraham's faith, God declared him to be righteous.