Where is your faith

Is your faith in your bank account?  In your job, your boyfriend, or girlfriend? Is your faith in the music you listen to?  There are some really powerful lyrics out there that if you listen to enough you will be faith bankrupt! 

Faith activates God ... Fear actives the enemy, where are you right now?  Are you carrying God’s burdens on your shoulders or are you trusting him to do exceeding, abundantly for you?  I know as a parent you hate to be the last one to know something your children is going thru.  They tried figuring it out themselves, then seeked their friends and family and guess who comes last… mom or dad?  How do you think God feels if the first person we seeked was ourselves and then friends and family. Go to God last?  Where is your faith?  When we get some news .the first thing we need to do is trust God and know that God has your back! Once we release our thought with doubt, the enemy has been activated and knows how to get in place doubt, disbelief and depression on you.  Then you have to fight more to dig up your faith since he has your mind all cluttered.  God says in Matthew 9:29. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.  That is a powerful scripture saying what your individual faith is what will happen.  If you think of that first, it’s easy to declare and believe knowing it will happen.   What are your feelings telling you in a troubled time?  Do you remember the story of Isaac blessing his sons when he became blind and was nearing his death?  When Jacob, the younger son wanted to steal his older brother’s birthright, his mother helped him to disguise himself as Esau.  Esau was a hairy man and Jacob had smooth skin.  So Rebekah wrapped Jacob’s hands in goat’s hair and brought Esau’s clothes for him to wear. 

Jacob went to his father, pretending to be Esau.  Isaac asked him to come near so he could feel him.  Then Isaac told him that he sounded like Jacob but he felt like Esau.  Isaac decided that he would trust what he felt instead of what he heard in the sound of Jacob’s voice.  It matters what you hear!  The bible says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God in Romans 10:17.  When you hear the truth, you need to believe it.  Isaac decided to trust what he felt over what he’d heard.  He made the wrong decision and gave the birthright destined for the firstborn to his second son.  He was deceived by what he felt.  If we let our feelings run your life, they will mess you up.  Stand on God’s word and not activate the enemy!  Sometimes I don’t feel God anymore, it doesn’t matter what you feel. Victory is not a feeling, it’s a fact of faith. Sometimes I feel saved and sometimes I don’t, but I am saved by faith, not by feelings. When you are in a situation, step back, remove the emotion, seek God so you can hear him clearly and you will receive an abundance of guidance.   We talked about feelings, so what about do you believe what you see?  I think that’s a great deceiver! 

Do you accept defeat by what you see?  Has a promise of God been aborted because you chose to believe what you saw instead of the promise God has given you.  In today’s economy, I believe that is becoming a huge hindrance as more and more people read the stats on unemployment and employment opportunities and give up before they start.  I have been truly blessed; I have headhunters call me weekly asking me to work with some fantastic job offers. I am no different than you, they can call you to.  I don’t believe what the media or newspapers say, I know God Almighty has what I need and it will come to pass.  Sight is a powerful “king” that rules through your senses.  When Jacob was an old man and his son brought to them the many colored coat of Joseph, he believed what his eyes told him.  The brothers had sold Joseph to get rid of him.  But they dipped Joseph’s coat in goat’s blood so that it looked like Joseph had been attacked by a wild beast. 

Jacob saw the bloody coat and declared that an evil beast had devoured his son.  That was the picture that the jealous brothers of Joseph had painted for their grief stricken father.  He said, “without a doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.”

Without a doubt, is that you?  Without a doubt means believing with perfect faith.   But it was not true, even though it was totally believable to Jacob’s eye.  Is that you today? Are your eyes deceiving you from God’s word?   Are you looking at your physical illness or injury and with the pain saying without a doubt I can’t do this anymore. Listening to the doctors report that this will be a difficulty surgery and a long recovery but we are hopeful?  God almighty is our Doctor, our surgeon and by his stripes we are healed!  Don’t let your feelings or eyesight run your race, God is running your race with you!

In your faith fight, you are also going to have to put your foot on the neck of what you hear.  You are going to hear a lot of discouraging words and accusations.  The enemy will whisper to you to quit, to give up because you can’t make it anyway.  He will speak fear to you:  “you are going bankruptcy. You need to take those pills, no one loves you, no one will marry you at your age, there are no good men or woman left out there. Does any of these come across in your head? 

2 Timothy 1:7 saying “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

With the economy the way it is, people losing their homes in foreclosure, job loss, downsizing in companies of 30 years, losing pensions, personal bankruptcy, what are you hearing?  What are you tuned into each day?  Is it waking up depressed and trying to put a smile on to face the day but screaming inside with fear and sadness?  Are you waking up trusting your faith and standing on God’s word that NO matter what it looks like, feels like or what I see around me going on, God has a bigger, bolder and more than you can imagine outcome for you.  It’s not what we can pray or believe, God always delivers something much more and much better, but is your faith at work?  You will never hear God’s word telling you doubtful words.  You will never hear God is not faithful or that he doesn’t care.  God does come on his time, not ours.  The bible teaches that in spite of what you are hearing around you, faith will believe God’s faithfulness and fight for your victory! Put your foot on the neck of what you have been listening to that is contrary to God’s word! 

When Jesus was praying for the Father to glorify his name, God the Father spoke to him from heaven.  He said, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again” scripture reference John 12:28.  Some people standing around heard Him and thought it was thunder. They could not recognize the voice of God; it sounded like a loud noise to their ears. Isn’t that amazing?  Someone can hear the Word of God and another standing right beside them can only hear a bunch of racket.

What you hear is important. You have to decide to put your foot on the neck of the racket you hear and listen for the word of the Lord over your life.  Don’t listen to suggestions of defeat.  I know as teens it’s important to know all the current hip hop music, however the underlying lyrics that are in there is all sex, drugs or disrespect.  Is that what you want to feed your mind while you are studying for that exam, applying for that job or hanging with your friends?  Really what positive encouragement are you getting to keep you going day to day. Praise, Praise, Praise is what you need to make it another day!  Keep those promises and dreams alive with encouraging words..   I heard for every negative thing, people will tell 10 people… for every positive thing that happens, they tell 2 people.  Which are you, passing the negative or the positive.  I know I want to be known as a warrior for God and any giant I face is under my feet and speak positive and encouraging words.

So I shall ask again… where is your faith? If you meditate on God’s word day and night, your faith will always come first, fear will have to work twice as hard to get to you.  I hope this has been a blessing to you.