Faith

Faith To Haave It or Not

by Brian Erwin
04/04/22
Not For Sale

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Faith - to have it or not?

All too often, we focus on where we have been. We focus on where we are from, and even how we grew up. We also focus on the poor choices we have made, and the setbacks we have experienced. Life is not about where we have been. It is about where we are headed. Think about it - the person we were isn’t the person we are today, or the person we hope to become right?

God - wants our attention to be focused on what is going in in the present. God wants us to focus on what is straight ahead - because what he has planned is not behind - but in front. The truth is, reminding ourselves of our past mistakes, does nothing for us today. We often get stuck looking back at the storms they’ve weathered that they don’t notice where their ship is headed. We look at all of our flaws and faults - when we should be looking forward at the greatness that God has planned for us. We spend to much time focused what the enemy is up to, and not focused on what God is doing in our lives right now!

Looking back is the same thing as dropping anchor. It is choosing to sit still, to be stagnant. To do nothing. Don’t drop anchor when God is telling you to open up the sails. Don’t let yourself focus on the negative when the positive is just within reach. Your best days are not to be left in the past. 

Faith is the light that shines in through the tunnel. It is the compass that points north when you get off course. Faith is what you have left when everything else seems so far away. It isn’t always easy to have faith, but it is always necessary. Faith is what gives us as Christians the strength to carry on despite our circumstances.

Faith is easy to find when you have calm waters and clear skies. It’s when the clouds come in that Christians begin to struggle with their faith. It is when the water begins to get choppy and the wind starts blowing that faith starts to falter.

Have unwavering faith! Know that whatever is going on in your life has already been planned out.

But how do we keep faith in the middle of a storm?

It’s easy to say that our faith won’t falter when life is going smoothly, but it’s harder to say so when you’re in the midst of a storm. Sometimes all you can do is stand tall and push straight through.

There is a difference between standing still and staying stagnant. Choosing to stand firm against your opposition is still a decision. Staying the course is a choice.

Standing is a move!

You can always give up. You can always quit. You can always turn your back on what you’re doing. Standing firm in your faith is often the most difficult decision that there is. It is also often the best decision there is.

There was an old phrase used among sailors back when most ships relied on sails; hold fast. This phrase would be shouted over the sound of thunder or of a battle from one sailor to the other.

When this phrase was used, it meant to stay at your position. To remain tightly secured in the face of adversity. When a storm is going over your boat, and the going gets tough, stand firm, and hold fast!

Life is full of waves. Sometimes you emerge unscathed, and other times you aren’t as lucky. The way I see it is that you are a survivor of every single storm so far. You have emerged victorious in every single hardship that you have been through up until this point.

When God is on your side, you’ll always have a winning record.

The biggest reason why people give up, why people slow down, or why people don’t reach their potential is fear.

Fear that they aren’t good enough.

Fear that they will fail.

Fear that they aren’t qualified.

But God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies those who are called. You see this in the story of Moses. Of David. Of Saul. Of Noah.

These stories in the Bible speak of people who were fearful. People who lacked faith. People who were nobodies that became somebodies because of God’s plan. 

Sometimes, life is tough. Sometimes we feel like Noah on day twenty. We’re stuck in the middle of the biggest storm of our life. We don’t know what else to do, so we hold onto the wheel and try to navigate to shore. When we place God outside of our circumstances, or we focus on what we want to do, then we find ourselves in trouble. When God isn’t in our circumstances, then things just don’t operate properly. The mechanisms don’t work.

We cannot allow our fears of failing to keep us from reaching our full potential.

Too often do we allow fear to paralyze us. We sit and wait until we are no longer afraid, when we could have acted long before. God has a plan in place for you, and it may require you to step out of the realm of your comfort zone. You may be uncomfortable. You may be scared. You may not feel that you are ready, but you will be when it’s time.

Fear is nothing. Fear is a mirage. It’s a temporary emotion based on a temporary situation. A tool that the enemy uses to keep us stagnant. Fear is a natural response to the unknown, but you can’t allow fear to control your life.

Often, fear is what comes before change, and change is necessary for growth. Your want for success and happiness must be stronger than your fear of failure.

Your faith must triumph over your fear. God puts us in situations of discomfort for a reason.

2 Timothy 1:7 says that The Lord has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and of love, and of a sound mind. Know that in everything you do in His name, you will be prosperous. Failure is a stepping stone on the journey to success. It is not to be feared, but to be learned from. Fear is only a setback if you allow it to be so.

God is greater than your fear of failure.