Reflections4Life™ June 4, 2023
“Have a Little Faith”
“Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17
Scripture Contemplation: Genesis 9; 15; 37; Numbers 19:23; Jeremiah 32:17; Matthew 16; Hebrews 1;
©Ruthe McDonald.
There is not much that can compare to the wondrous feeling that fills our hearts when we receive an answered prayer. Something life-changing happens inside our beings when we have faith and realize that it was not all in vain. That, our believing God in spite of the circumstances and situations has its rewards and an undeniable feeling of gratitude and I would venture to say power.
I decree that this week’s Reflections are a continued source of encouragement and inspiration for your heart, mind, and soul. Remember all the promises of God. Write them down. Write down this week all that you desire for God to do in your life. Then pray. Communicate with the Heavenly Father. Pray, study, and meditate fervently, believing that God has heard you and has already answered. I challenge you this week to have a little faith…faith no bigger than a mustard seed. Ask God for one thing, just one thing, and then believe Him to do it. Have faith, just a little, and watch God move on your behalf.
There Will Be Tests…Hard Ones!
James 1:2-4 Let it be all joy to you, my brothers when you undergo tests of every sort; Because you have the knowledge that the testing of your faith gives you the power of going on in hope; But let this power have its full effect, so that you may be made complete, needing nothing.
You are right, absolutely right. About what? You are right about life being difficult at times, and it seems like there are tests one right after the other. So, how is it that James—a faithful servant of God—would tell us to count (tests of every sort) it all joy? Was he delusional? How could we possibly count all of these hardships, difficulties, trials, and upheavals in our lives as joy? There is no way!
Ah! But James had come to understand that when our faith is tested, it is also being exercised, giving it and us an opportunity to grow stronger in our walk and belief in God. Faith, like a muscle, must be exercised in order for it to gain strength. Think of the saying: No pain no gain. When you want to increase the stability and strength of your muscles, you exercise. You push it beyond its comfort zone of a resting stage so that the more you use the muscle, the easier tasks get. Yet, at first, there may be pain and stiffness, a little soreness, until the muscle gains strength and the exercise becomes easier.
Our faith is a muscle that needs to be worked out. Sometimes the workout is difficult and painful, leaving us sore, and not sure if we can go on. Yet, the longer we put faith into use and believe in the promises of what we believe for, we gain strength and stamina, and power to keep hope. And when our faith is strong, doubt and unbelief will have no space. And we will know in our hearts with complete conviction, that no matter what we ask of God; no matter what things appear to be—we will have need for nothing. The strength of our faith eradicates doubts and fears and assures of that we have a need for nothing because God has answered before we even called.
Be Confident and Convinced
James 1:6-8 Let him make his request in faith, doubting nothing; for he who has doubt in his heart is like the waves of the sea, which are troubled by the driving of the wind. Let it not seem to such a man that he will get anything from the Lord; For there is a division in his mind, and he is uncertain in all his ways.
When you go before the Lord, ask in faith, believing that you have already received what you have asked for. When you ask, do not doubt, or change your mind. Be stable in all things. Have you ever gone to a restaurant or somewhere with someone who could not make up in their mind what they wanted? They want one thing and then quickly change their mind. Often times these same people ask the opinions of everyone before they make a decision, and quickly change their mind based upon what someone else has said until someone else comes along, and what they say sounds good also; now, they have a hard time deciding.
Indecisive people are often unstable in all of their ways, not sure of what they want or where they want to go and have a tendency to cause a lot of chaos and confusion. James admonishes us to have faith, having no doubt about what we want, and that God will answer when we submit our requests to God. We will not receive what we ask for from the Lord with a mind and heart that is constantly changing and straddling the fence between faith and doubt.
Have a Little Faith and Work it Out
Luke 17:6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
Luke 17:19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
Here is the deal, Beloved; it does not take much faith to make things happen. Literally, Jesus said that all it takes is faith the size of a mustard seed to move situations out of your way. It is about releasing what YOU cannot do or cannot see and trusting God to be who He is and do just what He said.
It is also not just about faith, but also about putting that faith into action; exercising faith; doing, and following the instructions of God. Faith is reactionary, as well as active. If we believe in what we have asked for then we should move accordingly in that faith and not treat it like fine china that never gets used but is pretty to look at.
As well, our faith requires work. How can we say we have faith but never put it into action? How can we say we are believers in God and have faith and see someone in need and send them on their way when we have the ability to meet those needs? This is clearly seen in the second chapter of James.
James 2:14-17 What use is it, my brothers, for a man to say that he has faith if he does nothing? will such faith give him salvation? If a brother or a sister is without clothing and in need of the day's food, And one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warm and full of food; but you do not give them the things of which their bodies have need, what profit is there in this? Even so, faith without works is dead.
I’m going to be even more transparent here with you today. It grieves my heart and angers me when I see people who are in need come to the house of God or to a person of God who professes to have faith, and they express their need for assistance. Instead of getting their physical needs met, they are told, “We’re praying for you. Just have faith and God will make a way for you.” This blows my mind! How can we teach anything about faith and the love of God, and lack in our works to bring others into the knowledge of who God truly is, if we ourselves, do not follow the very example of Christ, and attend to the physical needs of a person?
I don’t know about you, but I find it difficult to concentrate on anything when I am hungry and thirsty. I definitely would not be able to pay attention to a word that promises God will deliver and answer prayers when I cannot get past the physical hunger or the destitution I may be experiencing. We are to meet those physical needs. Often, we do not even have to mention what we believe when we are tending to the concerns of others because our actions will speak for us. It will tell the tale of what we believe.
My Beloveds, May the spirit of peace and prosperity finds permanent rest in your lives. I decree that every good thing that God has ordained for your life will become evident to you. Works and faith go hand in hand. All it takes is a small amount of faith to make a monumental difference in someone’s life; forever changing themselves and ourselves. One act of believing God can change a lifetime of events; ushering us into a continuous flow of manifest blessings and answered prayers…if we would believe and put action into what we are professing. You are blessed. Now go…and be a blessing.
©2023. Ruthe McDonald. All Rights Reserved.
