It's All a Matter of Faith

"Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" Luke 1:45

For what are you believing God? Does it seem that He doesn't hear you? Or, better yet, is it hard to believe that He has chosen you for the life that He's entrusted to you?

I struggle on a very frequent basis with all of these questions. It is so hard to believe in something that you can't see but are so certain of. I am not only speaking about believing in God, I am talking about believing in His love and the plans that He has for us.

Recently, I had a very peculiar encounter with a date. Let's just say it was a blind date gone bad....REAL BAD. I will leave it at that. The timing of this date was kind of hard for me. And when it comes to boys, I just seem to be disappointed each time a new prospect comes along. It is not necessarily the person that I am disappointed with ( except the blind date ) it is that nothing seems to work out for me in the relationship department. After each "date gone bad" I always wonder why God allows me to have these experiences. Why do I have to go through the process over and over again to only feel defeated in the end when nothing works out? Yes, I call this a pity party. However, I feel like so many of us can relate to these feelings just in very different areas of our lives.

Needless to say, I was mid-pity party when I stumbled upon the verse above in my quiet time the other day. God taught me several things in that moment:

1. He hears my heart. He knows my heart so much better than I do. He loves me immeasurably more than I can imagine.

2. His ways are above my ways and His plan is perfect. This verse comes from the story of Mary's conception. If you will remember, Elizabeth, Mary's relative was six months pregnant with John the Baptist. Elizabeth was advanced in years and had resigned to the fact that she would not have children. I am sure that it pained God as she cried out to Him over and over again. I imagine that He was heartbroken each time His child approached His lap with a heavy heart because she just could not understand why He would withhold such a great thing. But, just like a loving Father, He knew what was in store for her and that His plan would exceed any and all expectations that she had ever placed on her life or her God. Because Elizabeth never lost her faith in her Abba Father or tried to manipulate His plan, He blessed her with a two-fold miracle: conceiving at a ripe age and the privilege to carry and mother John the Baptist who would prepare the way for our Savior. Wow! Let God's timing and perfect plan sink in. Where would we be today if Elizabeth had settled for anything less than what her Heavenly Father had for her?

3. This verse in Scripture is so feminine. "Blessed is SHE..." Girls, it is time that we LIVE out our faith. We need to be women who believe in a God who is capable of all things and pass this legacy along to the generations to follow. Oh, how my choices would have been different if only I had believed in God then like I do now.

4. God honors our faith in Him. Faith is the number one thing that pleases God.

So, let me ask you again...what is it that you are believing your Abba Father for? What is it that God is asking of you to move you closer to Him? I used to think that I would only ask these questions of God on occasion. Now, I try to ask Him this everyday. Each day I ask Him to reveal what I need just for that day and sometimes, moment. This discipline has revolutionized my relationship with God. I see everyday answers to prayers that I otherwise would have missed and when I begin to think - why me? why again? - I am quickly reminded of His faithfulness, His favor, His protection and His love.

To Loves Others as Jesus....

I don't know about you, but sometimes loving others the way that Jesus loves us is not my best thing. Christ's love for us is out of heart of submission to the Father and one of humility. I love the lyrics of the song below. I find peace in the love of Jesus and pray that He will give me the strength to love like Him!

Love Never Fails
By Brandon Heath

Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most
Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside
Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you
Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time
Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you
When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this
Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life
Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you