MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

As I dig deeper into the Word and seek to know the character of God, my faith in His faithfulness has increased. I believe this peace I have now is connected to my increase in faith. I have always known who God is and believed His Word. I know that He is a God who redeems. I know that He is a God who provides. I know that He is a God who heals. I know that He is a God who restores. I know because He has been my redeemer, provider, healer and restorer. The difference now is, even if He does not do what I or this world expects Him to do in the way we expect Him to; I know He is still God. I still trust Him. And that is where my peace comes from.

 This makes me think of the story of the three Hebrew boys; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They faced death and remained committed to their God. We know that God showed up and we see His undeniable power. They stood up to King Nebuchadnezzar. These boys chose never to serve any other god except the one true God, now get this, even if God did not save them. (Daniel 3:17-18) They knew God could and they believed He would, but even if…They really had a firm foundation in their faith and their commitment to God.

 I’d like to believe I have that even if he doesn’t kind of faith. I do know for sure it’s not like it used to be, my faith was strong when God answered all my prayers. What about you? Can you say, even if He doesn’t save my marriage, even if He doesn’t give me this job, even if He doesn’t heal my child, even if I lose my loved one, whatever your even if He doesn’t might be, can you say you will still trust him and stand strong in faith? I was worried that if it came down to the fire, would I have that even if He doesn’t kind of faith. But in my studies, I have learned that if you don’t have even if He doesn’t kind of faith where you are right now, it’s ok. Daniel and his friends made a decision when they were taken captive in Babylon not to defile themselves with the rich foods of the Babylonians. (Daniel 1:8) They were committed to God, to following His ways, to living the way they had been taught from childhood. They didn’t start building an even if He doesn’t faith when they arrived in Babylon; they had been growing an even if He doesn’t faith from their childhood.

 The more we walk through the fire, the more we see His faithfulness. The more we experience His faithfulness, the more confident we become in His ability to rescue us. The more confident we become in His goodness, the more likely we are to have an even if He doesn’t faith. To have even if He doesn’t kind of faith, we must know God’s character, that He is a good Father who loves His children and does what is best. It’s a process of walking through the painful circumstances and seeing Him bring beauty from the ashes. It’s about allowing God to be God instead of expecting Him to act as we think He should. When we give our life to God; we must learn to leave the results of our lives in God’s capable hands. When we believe God is who He says He is, then we trust Him to accomplish His purposes even when they don’t make sense to us. Someone said common sense does not always work when trying to understand God; we have to use spiritual sense. I believe it means trusting in our Father’s ultimate plan. I believe the more we stay in God’s Word and the closer we get to Him; we will find ourselves learning to say, “even if He doesn’t” more often. Read today’s Scriptures in FOOD FOR THE SOUL. Love and Blessings…