Faith does not come by trying harder, but by trusting in God. The following guest blog post was written by my husband, Gerald:
Based on the Scripture that says without faith it is impossible to please God, I condemned myself to a life of failure. Don’t seem to have much faith, so the Almighty must be displeased with me. I know the Master said it takes only a mustard seed’s worth, but it seems like a lot more is required.
According to another verse, He spits lukewarm folks straight out of His mouth. Two strikes against me, and it’s still only mid-morning here in South Central Florida (where you would certainly never describe the outdoor temperature in summer as merely lukewarm).
What I struggle with is the understanding that it takes a lot of faith to get things done in the kingdom of God. Heal the sick, cast out demons, set captives free, establish a base of health, wealth, and well-being right here in my own life and in the lives of those I love the most. It ain’t happening like I think it should, so I feel condemned.
On a recent morning, my wife and I prayed together and rebuked the spirit of condemnation out of my life. I come out of agreement with that junk, and I trust that God will continue to pour out his abundant grace on me, as He has many times in the past.
The clear decision I made was to stop trying to make faith happen, and instead simply look to the grace and mercy of God for my life. Sometimes we refer to that as surrender.
The Scripture says “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). So my job is not to conjure up faith by my own efforts, straining to make it happen. My task is to listen, hear, and receive the word of the Lord when it comes to me. Then I’ll have the faith I need.
If a new, increased sense of peace and joy is to be trusted, I have been launched to a better, higher level since that morning. I feel closer to God. I am not struggling to find faith.
I know that God will make it happen when it’s the right time—his time. Hey, you don’t suppose that’s faith, do you?
Gerald Doctor
Thank you Gerald for sharing your experience, troubles and your resolution. Your words came in a very appropriate and needed time for me.
God’s timing is perfect. As is his grace. Thanks for your feedback.
Awesome! So God! can I post this? Thank you for sharing. God bless you
Praying for you guys. Much love.