I am on a journey designed by God. I sold my house and most of my worldly possessions and left.
It’s been two months since I set out. Initially, God challenged me to start believing the “tough scriptures.” My entire Christian life I’ve believed only a percentage of the scriptures. “Tough scriptures” to me are ones that are hard to believe, put in practice or ones I thought were unattainable for me. Here are the first scripts that God dropped into my brain.
Luke 9:1 He called His twelve disciples…and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.”
Matthew 6:25-26 25 “…do not worry about your life, what you will eat or…drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than. clothing? 26 Look at the birds…they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not...more valuable?
Matthew 6:33-34 …seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow…
I have read these repeatedly. If I’m honest, I never placed myself in a position to believe these fully. I have trusted God in so many ways with my life and my finances, but I don’t know if I’ve truly surrendered fully before now. I am in good company with Jesus’s disciples in that I struggle with my beliefs. God exists! God heals! God can be trusted! No doubt in my mind of these things; but will He (fill in the blank)? It’s okay to ask God questions, but to keep placing my trust in Him. It’s not good to let unanswered questions cause me to seek answers outside God’s presence and wisdom.
Jesus rebuked his disciples on occasion for their unbelief and hard heartedness, but each disciple would go to their death believing He was the long-awaited Messiah. That speaks volumes to me.
I am glad to know I am not the only one who has struggled with doubts. A man in scripture asked Jesus to heal his son, if Jesus could. Jesus replied in Mark 9 “‘If [ I ] can’? Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” I am right there with you brother. Just before I left Orlando, I explained my challenge to believe hard scriptures to my Pastor. He quoted this verse to me. My faith has deepened over the years, so I wanted to begin to press in and trust God, surrender to His will and live a life with NO FEAR and ultimate belief.
God then deposited this verse into my life. Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” This scripture and my growing faith have changed the way I look at prayer. Where I once had so many reservations about praying. “What if I pray for someone and they don’t get healing? What if I didn’t hear God correctly? What if? What if? WHAAAAAAT IF?” I now had a new confidence in God, in my relationship with him and my desire to be in His presence. I feel like the Holy Spirit led me to James 1:5 as well; “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
What I gleaned from this entire experience is that God is willing to pour out in abundance, if we are willing to invest time in scripture and trust Him. If we aren’t reading and devouring the word and allowing it to shape and mold our faith, we are subsisting on a diet of hors d’oeuvres, rather than feasting at the King’s table.
God is calling us deeper my friends. Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!