Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.”    
  
1 Corinthians 16:13NLT


Today I want to continue a series we started last week that is based on 1 Corinthians 16:13!

God, please speak to us through Your Word and open our hearts and minds for Your Spirit to work in us! Thank You! In Jesus name, amen!

 
Stand firm in the faith.

         My faith has definitely not always been firm. In fact, to be honest, I used to have periods where I even doubted if God is real.

         More recently I have actually had a very strong faith. Where as I used to doubt if God is real, I now simply look outside (at nature) and can be fully amazed & full of faith that God is real. That is one of my “standing” points – the Creation we live on.

        What about day-to-day trusting in God? Day-to-day faith? When I look at myself, I honestly can’t say I consistently stand firm in trusting God day-to-day. Recently, I felt Him asking me to step outside my comfort zone and walk up to a homeless man and pray for him. I didn’t…it felt really uncomfortable to me to even think about it. I missed a great opportunity to serve God and someone else because I felt uncomfortable – I didn’t trust God’s leadership enough. Isn’t that ridiculous?

What we must do is trust God. The Greek word for “faith” used in the phrase “stand firm in the faith” also means, “trust” and “belief”. Stand firm in the trust. Stand firm in the belief.

We must, even when we feel uncomfortable, stand firm in our belief that God is bigger than we are. His ways are higher than ours are. He has a plan that reaches far beyond our discomfort. We must trust Him and that truth.

Day-to-day, year-to-year; task-to-task, event-to-event; request from God – to – request from God, we need to stand firm in the faith. Trust. Belief. The belief that He is who He says He is. The belief that He really did send His One and only Son to die in our place, and that after he died, three days later he rose to life. We need to stand firm in the faith. Pray for it, I do!

Because “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”   Hebrews 11:6

This week, how are you going to make sure you stand firm in the faith? Consider making a wrist band or phone alarm or post-it-note that says, “Jesus died so I could be with God” and/or “God is who He says He is” and/or “God’s ways are higher than my ways” or “God has a plan that goes way beyond my discomfort.” Need prayer for this? Leave a comment below and I’d love to pray for you!

Take a step of faith this week as you listen for God’s voice & guidance. No matter how uncomfortable it may be – and understand that God has something in mind that trumps our 1) discomfort and 2) expectations!




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