Proven Faith by: Charles Stanley

1 Peter 1:3-9 says;

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

Faith is perhaps the most central element in the Christian life because it is the means by which we enter into salvation. But that’s only the beginning. From then onward, our faith—or lack of it—shapes our lives and determines what happens to us when the winds of adversity blow. Some Christians never lose their footing even in hurricane-force winds, but others are toppled by the slightest gust. To understand why this is true, we need to examine the source of our faith.
Inherited faith: If you grew up in a Christian home, you probably adopted some of the beliefs of your parents. This kind of godly foundation is a wonderful gift from the Lord, but eventually, each person must assume responsibility for his own beliefs.
Textbook faith: The Bible is the ultimate guide for establishing our beliefs. But that’s not the only source of influence. Books, preachers, teachers, and friends all impact our convictions. Our theology may in fact be sound, but faith is merely mental acceptance until it’s put to the test.
Proven Faith: Only when we trust the Lord through the fires of adversity will we have faith that can stand. It is no longer based on what others have told us or what we’ve accepted as true but on our firsthand experience of His faithfulness.
To evaluate your faith, consider how you react to adversity. Do you cling to the Lord or get angry at Him? Is your attitude one of rejoicing because He’s making you more like His Son, or are you bitter? No one can escape adversity, but those with proven faith will benefit from it.

 ~Taken from Charles Stanley email: Your Daily Devotions for August 7, 2012~

If you would to read more by Charles Stanley, go to the In Touch Ministries to read more uplifting devotionals!


God Bless!

Matthew 6:33

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you." Matthew 6:33

I think we as Christians tend to misunderstand this verse often. I know I have many times. When we seek His kingdom for something we want for example a good job, we can't just seek Him only to give us a good job, but seek Him everyday with everything in our lives. Then all these "things will be given to us." God rewards us when we seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 says, "And 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." 

Now when God doesn't want this certain thing for you, don't give up and stop seeking our Heavenly Father because He didn't give you what you wanted. He has a different plan for you and wants you to find it. He will began to open the doors that He wants you to go through when you ask. I have done this many times and feel bad for giving up on God because He wouldn't give me what I wanted. But now I look back and I am glad God never opened the door for me because I would not be seeing the wonderful things He is doing in my life right now. The doors He has and still is opening for me. So today, seek God in everything circumstance and ask Him what He wants in your life. And He will reveal His wonderful plan for you.

Romans 4:16

"So people receive God's promise by having faith. This happens so the promise can be a free gift." Romans 4:16 NCV

If you can't tell, the book of Romans is my favorite book in the Bible. I had to ponder this verse for awhile asking God to reveal to me what He is trying to tell me. How can you get the promise from God for free? I mean going through all these test and trials, how can you get God's wonderful promise for free? It seems to me that I practically have to work to get the promise from God. But that isn't what He is doing to me or you.God takes us through these test and trials to make our faith stronger. So in turn, it builds our faith to receive the promise from God for free.


"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

"We live by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves." 2 Corinthians 13:5

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

Romans 4:18

"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed." Romans 4:18

I read this verse the other day and God truly spoke to me. Against all hope, I need to believe in what God says. No matter what the world, circumstances, emotions, or people might say or do, I need to put all my trust in God. Even if He has told you to be still and wait before Him doesn't mean that He is done with His promise. At that moment, He wants all your focus to be on Him until He tells you to move again. But He will still want your full attention to be on Him as you move ahead too.

I can say God wants me "to be still and know that He is God." There must be something that He wants me to strengthen in my daily walk with Him. So to find out, I need to spend everyday in His word and ask Him to speak to me. He will. Either through His word, speaking to my heart, or in a vision or dream. 

Whatever promise He has made to you, don't give up hope when life seems to take you in a different direction. God knows what He is doing. He may lead you somewhere far away from His promise. But don't worry, He obviously wants something done first before His promise happens.

I read this phrase somewhere and would like to share it. "Replace worry with faith." How powerful is that. I ask God to help me live like that daily. For when you worry, it doesn't make things any better. Replace your worry with faith while you sit back and watch God work.

 

 

 

"God always keeps His word. When He makes a promise, He fulfills it in His timing and in His way." Taken from the book: In Step With God by: Charles F. Stanley.