Faith. Such a deep, meaningful word.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1
Things we hope for, not because of visual proof, but because of a promise or hint whispered in our hearts.
Moving Forward in Faith
I want to have remarkable faith in God’s plans for my life. The kind that doesn’t falter or question Him.
It is a constant work in progress. But little by little, I’m developing new aspects of faith. Little by little I am able to take a step forward into the unknown and trust Him for the details. Sometimes it is in small, what others might see as insignificant, ways. But the truth is, to each of us personally, most every struggle is significant!
And as I’ve said many, many times, the little by little adds up! A little faith here and a little faith there adds up to remarkable progress and remarkable faith!
Faith isn’t a switch you flip or a decision you make once. You have to constantly choose to have faith. To trust God with the details. To look to Him for your next steps. Find it again when you fail and forget.
And know this, you will fail and you will forget. But do not let that stop you from getting back up and reclaiming the promises that God has given you! This might just take the most faith of all!
Looking Back in Faith
When I look back, in my memories and in my journals, I read and remember the struggles I have faced. The opportunities that I was uncertain of how to pursue, the attitude struggles I was dealing with, and the perspective of what I considered hard and difficult.
Reading about the past, I can see how far I’ve come (and I certainly don’t mean this boastfully!), and I just ponder how I could have considered some of those struggles difficult!
On this side of it, seeing the struggles, knowing the details, faith is far easier to claim! Now I know this might not seem fair (I mean, faith is the evidence of things not seen), but it is interesting to look back.
When you look back, what do you see? Do you see provision, care and direction from God? Or do you see struggles, defeat, and discouragement?
We get to choose what attitude that we walk away from every situation with. Whether the situation is petty or vital. Our evaluation of the situation is our choice.
Let me encourage you to consider your past experiences. Many, many of them you won’t remember – they just don’t stand out in your mind and that is fine. But the ones that do stand out in your mind, think about why they stand out. Is it because you recall remarkable provision or because you remember disappointing hardships. Reevaluate the disappointing, negative memories you have.
There is no use remembering something that depresses you – it will only wear on you and get you down. True, we have all been through hardships, but we must view them through eyes of faith, not fear.
How to Choose Faith
You must make the conscious decision to choose faith every moment of every day. Past, present and future circumstances are brought to new light and a new remarkable peace when viewed through eyes of faith.
I once read that fear is the negative form of faith. When we live with fear, we worry about so many things not seen, not actual. Fear may even be a natural reaction. But we can always learn new things! Learn to live full of hope and trust, full of wonder and amazement, full of faith!
Faith says “I trust You, God. You know what’s best for me.” Fear says, “Ooh, look how I failed. I didn’t measure up here, here, here, or here.”
When worries and concerns pop up, instead of becoming discouraged, seek out the good. I promise you this, as long as you seek God and do your best to live life to please Him, there will always, always, be something – even many things – good in every situation. We might not be able to see why something is, but God knows. And He is faithful!
It’s so important to put these ideas into action. Grow your faith and you will grow your relationship with God! And do you know the most exciting thing about growing close to God? We will never ever reach the end of that relationship – we will never get as close to Him as we can! There are always new depths, new details, new aspects to our relationship with Him!
Choose something, one situation, one memory, one upcoming opportunity and instead of cringing or feeling put out about it, look for the good! Look at all the different ways that God is bringing/has brought this about to grow you and to help you step up and be more fully who He has created you to be! I know I can think of several situations right off! Feel free to share yours below. I’d love to encourage you and cheer you on your way!
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. In order to move forward in faith, we must surrender and let go of our fears. I shared about Surrendering Our Fears in this post: https://www.theamericanlady.com/2017/09/27/surrendering-our-fears/