There is a link between faith and pain…
We do not try to put ourselves through pain…
I want to make that quite clear – but as we endure pain – pain which has been initiated by the Lord – we find our faith ‘coming to the fore’…
‘Coming out of us’ – ‘rising to the surface’ so to speak and being solidified…
Deep held beliefs are hard to shake except in the presence of pain…
So the Lord allows pain…
If we say, ‘I’ll put myself through some pain so my faith will grow stronger’, then that won’t work…
But if He allows things to happen so that we go through pain then He will make our faith grow stronger as we surrender to Him…
Whether we surrender to Him or whether we don’t is really up to Him…
He has a plan for each of our lives – but we know one thing – that if we surrender to Him He exercises His Authority over us…
And part of His Authority exercised over our lives is to remove everything from us which inhibits faith…
For faith is our life…
So the pain that we endure is necessary to establish faith – the rule of faith – in our hearts…
We are beings who live believing what we cannot see…
We believe the future before it happens…
We are not ‘positive thinkers’ – we are ‘positive knowers’ – when He releases the fulfilment of His word to us – and we know – we know that we know – when we have that gift of knowledge – knowing His will – then we cannot be shaken…
Anything of flesh will fold…
If it’s not faith we’ll soon know about it – it will ‘fall off’ – it can’t stand the heat…
There is nothing to be scared of in going through this process…
We can be absolutely honest like little children…
Like little children with their Daddy…
I have a picture of the Lord – and it’s only fairly recently that this has been really ‘growing on me’ – of the Lord – probably the last couple of years in a deeply practical way – as a Daddy just waiting to listen to me – I don’t think, ‘but He wouldn’t want to speak to me again’ – I think, ‘I can’t wait to talk to Him about this’ – because He’s said I can cast my anxiety on Him because He cares for me – in fact He’s even commanded me to do this – so I can come to Him in any state and ask Him my questions knowing that He’ll answer me or even if He doesn’t that there’s a very good reason and knowing that I’ll ask again (I’m cheeky with the Lord 🙂 ) – until His Peace comes…
So when you have this attitude towards God as your Daddy – who will listen to you and loves you – then you see that you can inquire of Him about anything…
This builds your faith…
What He shares with you – in this place of trust – builds your faith…
If you come to God in a place of unbelief then no matter what ‘sweet’ things He says to you, you will not be able to receive them – you will only be able to receive ‘negative’ things – things which have not been spoken by His Voice but by another voice…
Faith inhabits trust…
But Andrew faith and trust are the same thing I can hear you saying…
No, I don’t believe they are…
Trust is the backbone of faith…
Confidence in the Goodness of God is the backbone of faith…
When you believe that God is Good and come into His Presence and hear words from His Mouth you have your faith activated to believe those words which you have heard…
Faith comes from hearing…
God speaks directly to you in that place – not a bitter place, not a resentful place, not a place of rejection – but in a place of acceptance – like a little daughter with her Daddy…
Like a little son with his Father…
In this place of trust – faith can speak…
God can speak faith into our hearts…
Why do we doubt God?
Rebellion, yes, rebellion but there is another reason…
Another lie…
Disappointments…
We blame God for the times when we listened and He ‘didn’t come through’ – ‘let us down’ – ‘left us ‘high and dry” – but these times are not His fault – He is Faithful…
If we define Him as anything but Faithful – we are wrong – He – by definition – is Faithful…
Any ‘unfaithfulness’ which we are attributing to Him is a diminution of His Character…
I am speaking in His Authority when I say that He is Faithful…
He is…
We cannot limit Him to our experience or even to our ‘supposed’ experience of Him…
So many voices…
So many voices…
Even when we are sincere…
So many voices – and He will let us go through seasons of being deceived – even though we don’t want to be – or don’t think we want to be – because of the ‘remains’ in us – to expose them through the pain of being deceived and fed ‘false promises’ by the evil one…
‘False promises’ are things which we want but which God has not spoken…
They are empty…
They will not come to pass…
We cannot decide God’s will for Him – He needs to do this ‘all by Himself’…
And He does…
When we don’t like this and ask for ‘alternatives’ we open up ourselves to a world of pain and hurt…
Other voices…
Harder voices…
‘Try harder’ voices…
The only place of safety is in that childlike rest with your Father – your Daddy…
You can learn this with the Lord…
You don’t have to have had a perfect earthly father…
You do need however to have forgiven your earthly father (He will help you with this 🙂 )…
Bitterness blocks faith…
Resentment blocks faith…
Come as you are and come as a little child before your Perfect Heavenly Father and receive from Him what He has to offer you…
Know in advance that He is not on trial…
He is Faithful…
Whatever happens keep coming… 🙂
Love you,
Andrew
a house of prayer for the nations 