“God never said that the journey will be easy, but he did say that the arrival will be worthwhile.”
~ Max Lucado
Life is never easy. It does not take us long to figure that out. More and more of us are going through seasons of difficulty that almost break us into pieces. Some of us even do break, a little; some a lot. It is not hard to look around and find broken, hurting people who need to find a little bit of hope, and faith.
“We see the small things as big things, and we see the hard things instead of the holy things.”
When life gets tough, it is so easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. We see the small things as big things, and we see the hard things instead of the holy things. If you are like me, when the going gets tough, you need someone to come alongside you and encourage you to keep fighting the good fight of the faith. Someone who will remind you that there is a bigger battle going on in the spiritual realm, and you do not fight alone.
I want to be that friend.
I want to be here, cheering you on, encouraging you to keep the faith, and helping you make it to the finish line with your faith intact and your spirits high. It might not be easy, but it is so worthwhile.
“The best test of faith is to look back and see how far you have come from where you started.“
I have been in a lot of hurting places over the years, and the one thing I have always been able to fall back on is my faith in Jesus. There is nothing He cannot bring you through. I may not always come through unscathed, but I do come through. This can be true for you, as well. The best test of faith is to look back and see how far you have come from where you started.
“There is so much room for you here, and you are here for a purpose.”
Maybe you started yesterday. That is okay, you probably moved a little bit since that fateful event. Whatever you do, do not give up. There is so much room for you here, and you are here for a purpose. There will be days when the darkness seems to win, but remember, there is always victory in Jesus.
“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”
Oswald Chambers
Deliberate confidence is a choice. We have so many choices before us each and every day. But the one choice we need to make is to follow Jesus. All the other choices will fall into submission under this one choice. Mary found the right choice, and the Lord said it will not be taken away from her: “But few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42 NIV)
When you and I choose to put our faith in Jesus, that choice cannot be taken from us. We can walk away from that choice because God gives us the freedom to do so, but it can never truly be taken from us. I find that reassuring. It may not always be the easy choice, but it most certainly is the best.
So, how do we find faith in hard things? How do we find the faith to choose Jesus every time?
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
Romans 10:17 (NIV)
You and I need to be in the word of Christ, reading about the message of Christ. This is how we find our faith, how we maintain our faith, and how we can also share our faith with those around us. When we read God’s word, it implants seeds into our hearts. If tended well, those seeds will grow and the fruit of the Spirit of God will grow. And we can share that fruit with the people around us. This is how our faith grows and how we can find it when we need it in hard times, and how we choose Jesus every time.
“When we read God’s word, it implants seeds into our hearts. “
Life might not be easy, but when you read the word of God, you find out that life was not easy for Jesus, either. Life might knock us down, and we might go through battles, but Jesus got knocked down and fought battles we know nothing about, except that it is recorded in Scripture.
As we grow stronger in our faith we are better able to face the hard things when they come, because faith will not prevent them from coming. We can also find the faith to choose Jesus every day by practicing to make that choice each day. Soon enough a time will come when we are standing in faith and watching the world unfold before us without breaking us apart. The time will come when all fighting ceases and Jesus, our Prince of Peace, will come to bring us home with Him. Until that time, we can find the faith we need by reading His word and choosing Him every time.
I would love to hear what ways you practice finding faith as you go through hard times, or difficult battles. Leave a comment below and tell me what helps you find the faith to follow God!