Having FAITH, even when you don't feel like it

Faith is one of those things that is very hard to explain.  You either have it...or you don't.  It is one of the few things in life that is pretty clear cut.  Now, of course, there are varying degrees of faith to which people live by.  But believing and not believing is as easy to see as white verses black.  And the funny thing is...people who have faith in the Lord can't for the life of them figure out who people with out faith make it through the day.  But likewise, those who choose not to believe in God think along the same lines but in the opposite direction.  This is an extremely tough subject, and I am in no way the expert.  However, I will give you my spin on it, as I see it, and based on my personal experience, for what it is worth.

Faith is believing in something you can't see, can't touch, can't smell, can't have any tangible way of coming in contact with it, yet believe it is as real as the computer I am typing this message on right now.  When you stop and think about it, basically it defies all logical thinking.  Maybe think of it as a sixth sense for lack of a better comparison.  Something you feel inside your gut, and you know God is there, you sense it with all of your being...sometimes!  Then sometimes, for whatever reason, if you are grounded in your faith deep enough, you don't feel it quite so much, but because you have before so strongly, your mind takes over and helps you move past the fact that you don't feel Him as closely as you did last week, last month, or even last year.  This is where the title of this message comes from today...having faith even when you don't feel like it.  Sometimes you continue to move along in your faith, and walk with the Lord although you feel distant.  And if you have even been there, you know what I am talking about.  It is a very odd and unsettling time for someone who believes with their whole heart, and knows how they desire to feel close to God, but just flat out don't :(  Since everyone knows you are sold out to God, you continue to move along like always, but you can't shake the feeling that you almost feel like a fraud.  You go through the motions, but your heart feels like it is somewhere else.  You wonder if anyone can tell?  Do you think they notice you aren't quite feeling it? And this is what I call having faith even when you don't feel like it. Not a great place to be...or is it?

I have decided since I have been there a time or two, it is often a time of waiting for the next big thing.  I almost look at it as a time of quiet reflection and rest before God uses you in a mighty way.  Or maybe a time where you begin to miss Him so much, you build up a longing in your soul which builds and builds until you are ready to explode.  Then it could always be a slow building up, over many days, weeks, months, until you finally see the end of the long and lonely road you have been on for all this time.  Either way, once you get back to feeling God close, you are overjoyed at the sound of His voice and His feeling of presence in your life.  But, I wonder how many find themselves in this wilderness feeling all alone, and never make it back to the Lord? Could it be a bit of a test?  I don't know, I told you I totally don't have all of the answers!!! But what about those that choose to not believe...

I have a very short little bit to say about this because I have no idea how it feels.  I have believed my whole entire life since I was a small child.  It is all I know to have faith, and although my religion has changed along the way, my faith is still in the same one God of the universe.  My simple thought to those who don't believe, is I get it.  If you don't feel it, and you don't believe, then flat out you just don't.  So, if I am wrong and there is no God then the worst I did was profess to believe in something that wasn't real, and maybe wasted a total of several years of my life at church and studying God's word. But what if I'm right, what if there's more, and there is a God...A God who could have blessed you in ways beyond your comprehension if you would have just allowed Him to do so.  And if I'm wrong, then when I die, I will do just that, die and be buried, gone forever with nowhere to go.  But what if I'm right, then I will spend eternity with the Creator of the universe, and those that choose not to believe will be separated from the presence of God.  

To sum it up then, if you have faith (even if you don't always feel it) the possibilities are potentially limitless, and all you have to give up is pride that you and your way are best.  And if you don't believe, you are limited to only what you see around you on this earth.  It is quite a chance to take the way I see it.  If I'm wrong, I wasted a bit of my life on something that wasn't real, and in the end, I die and that's that.  If you are wrong, you lived your life as you wished, but your eternity after death will be spent wondering why I didn't have faith even when I didn't feel like it...

Out with the OLD, in with the NEW!!!

2 Corinthians 5:17

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here!

If anyone has had a child, specifically a girl within the last ten years who has watched Disney Channel, you know who the characters are to the right are.  The High School Musical cast is singing "I Want Fabulous" and it is a cute song, and I will admit I have watched this movie and the other two that go along with it quite a few times.  It is the Grease of this current generation, and to tell you the truth, I love the music and general theme of each movie.  But let's get down to the point of this weeks blog.  The song starts with the very first words being, "Out with the old, in with the new, goodbye clouds of grey, hello skies of blue." And of course, Sharpay is your typical spoiled rich brat who has everything and wants even more.  But that is not really my point, but rather the out with the old, in with the new part.  You see, when we die to ourselves and become a new creation in Christ Jesus, the old you is gone and the new you is here!  Clouds of grey or an eternal life without God is gone, and an eternity of blue skies in the presence of Jesus is yours.  

But not just in heaven...before that, on earth things will and should be different. We want fabulous, and God does want to fill our hearts desires, thus giving us what we want, within reason of course.  Does this mean once we are  saved by the blood of Christ we should expect to be like Sharpay, and demand only the best of everything and God will miraculously make it appear? NOPE!!! And there is a difference between God fulfilling the desires of our hearts, and just making us spoiled brats.  Life as a Christian doesn't mean money, fame, and rose petals falling from the sky...but rather a more purpose filled life. A better life can often actually be one that is striped of all the worldly things that distract us from the God who loves us beyond our comprehension. Often fabulous, is simple and uncomplicated, so when God shows up, we aren't preoccupied with "stuff" and miss seeing Him and the work He is doing in our lives.  

Seriously, busy does not equal better...but often just that busy.  Kind of like seat work at school, and I always hated seat work because in essence, it is just busy work with little to be truly gained by doing it.  And Satan loves it when we are busy, even if it is with "church" stuff.  Even he knows when we are distracted, we aren't at our best.  We want fabulous, and our Father wants fabulous for us too, but in a different way than we often think.  He wants lives changed, lives fulfilled with the new us, not a newer version...literally a whole new you.  One with a new mindset, new world views, new standards, new prospective on everything, and we like new.  But new is scary, because we don't know exactly what to expect, and we like to know what comes next. Which is why I like to go to the movies with someone who has already seen the movie.  Then, I can ask them what is going to happen next. This is where FAITH comes in...God is like that person who already knows what is going to happen, and we have to walk in faith that He will help guide us to the most purpose and fulfilled life, the one He already knows can be ours.  We just need to listen, pay attention, and then obey. 

So, might I suggest we all take a long hard look at our lives, and our kids lives too.  What in our lives is just busy work, that seat work that has little to do with living our lives for our Savior.  Things that distract us and our families lives from pursuing the true desires of our hearts, and making us the new in Christ we should be showing the world.  If the new you is here, chances are there are things from the old that still need to be taken to the curb and tossed out for good.  Pray about it, make a list maybe if you are like me and like seeing things on paper, and I challenge you to remove at least one thing that is keeping you preoccupied with you, and focus more on Him.  Simplify, slow down, and live the new.  I think you will be amazed at what was right in front of your face, but you failed to see because the busy was blurring your vision.  

Surrendering to God

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you;

he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22

 Surrender:  “to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand; to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another; to give (oneself) over to something (as an influence)” 
– Merriam-Webster Dictionary


I feel for the most part people are built to either easily give things over to God, or they hold them so tightly in their hands they have white knuckles!  And of course, there are always those that pick and choose to give over or hold tight...but usually it is a personality thing.  I am for the most part a control loving kind of gal!!! I like order, tidiness, don't mix the play-doh colors, and predictability if at all possible (unless of course I decide to change things, that is different :)  It has taken many years for me to be able to give things over to the Lord, and especially things that I revere as important.  It's easy to give little things over to Him...but way harder to give over those we might call the big kahunas! You know, things like getting that job, buying a house and where, having kids and when or how many, and all those others we feel we have a better handle on than... Ummm God! And let me just say for the record, that is probably one of the biggest jokes of all time.  We don't know what is often best for our lives...we often can't even make healthy choices on what to eat for lunch for Pete's sake!!! So why is it so hard for us to give it up, to surrender, to lay it down at the Cross, to let go and let God? 

Well, first let me comment...none of us are alone!!! We all do this, not wanting to give up control over our lives that is.  So, don't feel like you are the only one who struggles with this, it's a biggie!! We often struggle because we simply don't completely trust God has it taken care of...pretty funny since you know, He made the heaven and earth, is beginning and end, and knows all, is everywhere, and ultimately could control everything but chose to give you and I free will! Go ahead and laugh, it is pretty ridiculous when you think about it really.  And my life is a living testimony of how God can bend you, break you, glue you back together, break you, glue, break, glue, break...you get the point! Yeah, that's me and my life in a nutshell, and after all that bend, break, glue routine I have finally figured out to just give it over and skip all the bend, break, glue stuff because that quite frankly is way too painful!!!  Trust me, skip it friends!!! Pray about things, give it over to Him, and then trust whatever happens is going to work out best if it is in God's will.  Plus, it takes a little of the burden off of us having to deal with the consequences since if we are in God's will it comes with benefits :) God does have the ability to show favor over our lives, our finances, our jobs, our everything!  Now that is what I call some nice benefits, but you have to trust and surrender.  

So, think it over...wrestle with it if you must.  But I will tell you with some serious experience under my belt, trust God even if you don't understand.  Find peace when life hands you disappointments, as He has a plan...it just looks different than yours because of your prospective.  That disappointment could possibly become your greatest gift in the end once your prospective becomes aligned with that of Gods will.  Surrender, yield to the power, give up completely, give over yourself...and it won't come naturally, but with a little practice and learning the hard way a few times...you will come to the place where you finally get it, and oh how sweet it is.  Trust me, I'm living it every day :)