I’ve always loved hymns. When I was a child, I sang the words each Sunday and tried to memorize all the verses. It wasn’t until I was older that I really began to pay attention to the words and appreciate the message in the great hymns. In times of testing, it’s easy to turn away from God, and many people do. On the other hand, those times of testing can strengthen our faith. All of us have faced struggles and heartache, and the longer we live, the more we endure. Christians should never lose faith.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin of which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Jesus gave His life for us, and faith in Him gives us strength to keep going.
Faith is the conviction of the truth of something. Sometimes faith is misplaced, such as if we put our faith in the whims of mankind instead of the truth of God. For a Christian, faith means we believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We have faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven, and eternal life is ours. When we place our faith in Him, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.
“That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12-1 4).
This faith is not misplaced. Our faith looks up and finds peace with God.
Sometimes we get weighed down with the cares of life and forget to lean on our faith to see us through the trials. Have you ever come to the place in your life when you felt far from God? Have you felt as if your prayers fell to the floor rather than rising to the Throne of Grace? Faith tells us that no matter what we feel, God is always there. He hears all our prayers, and by faith we need to accept His answer, whether we understand His answer or not. God’s answers may not be exactly what we asked Him for, but He always knows best.
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2).
By faith we need to trust and accept His answers to our prayer.
“My Faith Looks Up to Thee” by Ray Palmer
My faith looks up to Thee
Thou Lamb of Calvary
Saviour divine!
Now hear me while I pray
Take all my guilt away
O let me from this day
Be wholly Thine.
By faith we believe that Jesus was God incarnate. He entered His creation and gave His life for us. He shed His blood for our salvation. John the Baptist recognized this fact. “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Jesus was crucified on the cross at Calvary as the perfect sacrificial lamb. Only God’s pure blood could take sin away. If you’ve accepted His death, burial, and resurrection, then your sins are forgiven. Your prayers are heard by God, but the answers may not be what you want. When God doesn’t do our will, we need to remember that God’s ways are perfect, and if your prayer isn’t answered in the way you want, it only means that God knows more about the situation than you do. Instead of getting angry with God, give yourself fully to Him and be sure that you are living within His will. By faith we need to trust Him to know what’s best.
May thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire;
As Thou has died for me,
O may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire.
Christians cannot let our faith grow cold. The world today is in a crisis. The headlines are bleak, and if you’ve studied Biblical prophecy, you know it’s not going to get better. We are moving quickly towards the end of days, and the Rapture is on the near horizon. As the days grow darker, Satan’s useless plan to undermine God’s truth seems to be winning. Remember, those of us who know Christ as our Saviour have hope.
“In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God” (Psalm 62:7).
Can the heathen boast of that?
King David lived long before Jesus walked this earth, but he still understood that his strength originated from God. In faith David looked forward to the promise of the coming Saviour.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:2-3).
When we begin to believe worldly lies instead of Godly truth, our faith becomes a dead faith. Our joy disappears, and our zeal for Christ diminishes. Many Christians are looking for worldwide revival of faith. Has this revival happened in your own life? Don’t wait for it to happen to others, but surrender yourself to Jesus now. Let the fire of the Holy Spirit shine through you and guide your ways. Study Scripture and conform your life to God’s guidance. You just might spark a revival in yourself and the people around you.
While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.
It’s easy to see that the darkness in this world is spreading fast. Satan seems to be laying traps for Christians in order for us to stumble in the dark. Temptations, disease, fear, war, death, natural disasters, and much more can cause us to lose sight of what’s important. Our faith in Jesus Christ needs to be our focus. Instead of getting lost in the dark, follow Jesus, who is the Light of the world. He will lead you along the right way.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
Follow Jesus and allow Him to lead you through the dark maze in this life and into the light of His presence. There will always be sorrows and distractions, but the more you place your faith in Jesus Christ, the easier it will be to find the joy of salvation even in tough times.
When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold, sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll,
Blest Savior, then, in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
O bear me safe above a ransomed soul.
We don’t like to think about death, but it will come to all of us one day. Every person is just one heartbeat away from death. Do you fear death? Do you fear it because you don’t know where you’ll spend eternity? If you haven’t accepted Christ for salvation, then you have every reason to fear. If you have truly accepted His sacrifice for your salvation, then you’ll spend eternity with Him, and you have nothing to fear. We all sin, but through the blood of Jesus, all our sin is forgiven. If you’ve been moving away from Him, then you need to ask His forgiveness and draw closer to Him. The grace of Jesus Christ offers salvation.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
It’s the righteousness of Jesus Christ, not our own, that allows us to find salvation. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do all you can to move away from the sin in your life. We sin daily, but His grace covers us. The way you live is evidence of your love for Jesus. His death on the cross is evidence of His love for you. Look up to Him in faith and conform your lifestyle to Him.
I never truly appreciated this hymn until I had faced many of life’s trials. It’s when troubles and sorrow enter our life that we learn to trust Jesus by faith. Events of a day, a week, or a year can test our faith to its limits, but peace in times of conflict comes only from faith in God. Instead of blaming God for the trouble we face, turn to Him in humble prayer. That’s when the trials of the day become easier to bear. We live in a time of great turmoil which can easily turn to fear. Confusion and fear are not from God.
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
Whether it’s within our worship services, world events, or in our own life, God has not caused the turmoil and confusion but has given us a way to find His peace. Faith in Jesus Christ will bring peace in such times. Standing upon His promise of salvation through faith will bring peace that only can come for God.
“According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death” (Philippians 1:20).
In Christ there is no fear. My faith looks up to my Lord and Saviour to see me through the dark maze of this fallen world. In Him there is nothing to fear. May that faith be real to you.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
ron@straitandnarrowministry.com
All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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