Faith filled Christianity

God’s plan for our lives will always be better than any of our own, even though we won’t always see or understand this at the time. It is God’s ability to see things that we can’t see that reassures us that He is in all Control.

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I recently went to the 2016 Hillsong Conference in London and it was here in one sermon, by one preacher, among thousands of people that God literally spoke to me. Amongst these thousands of people it felt that there was a spotlight just on me and that the preacher and was speaking directly to me. The preacher was talking about faith and the power that we possess as Christians in the precious name of Jesus, which we are told throughout the bible. One example is Matthew 17:20 ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you’.

What specifically resonated with me was when the preacher said one simple thing; ‘the world is so full of need filled Christians and we need to be more faith filled Christians’. This got me thinking about how many times I have asked God for something but I never received it or the times when my prayers were not answered. I realized that it’s not that God is not there or that He doesn’t love me, in fact it’s the opposite. It is actually that He loves me so much and He knows that the thing I wanted or thought I needed is actually not in His plan or purpose for my life. This is awesome because the bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’. Amen.

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You see God works on a different time frame to us, what seems like years to us is a blink of an eye to Him; 2 Peter 3:8 ‘But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day’.  As I get closer to God and become even more of a ‘faith filled’ Christian I have learned to not be dismayed or disheartened when I don’t get the thing I really want or achieve an aspiration, or life doesn’t go the way I planned. Instead I rejoice because I know that God has ‘got my back’ and while ‘Humans plan their course, the LORD establishes their steps’ (Proverbs 16:9). Amen. God’s plan for our lives will always be better than any of our own, even though we won’t always see or understand this at the time. It is God’s ability to see things that we can’t see that reassures us that He is in all Control; Isaiah 41:13-14 ‘For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you, declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel’.

Have you ever noticed the amount of times the bible tells us to not be afraid and how we can find strength in the Lord?  If you haven’t realized this already this highlights to me that life is not easy!  We will fall, we will get tempted, we will clash with people, we will struggle at work and we will go through painful situations. Being a Christian does not prevent us from experiencing these situations and dilemmas, in fact the closer to God we are the more satan will try to attack us. This is why being ‘faith filled’ is so important. A perfect example of this is Peter in Matthew 14:27-30 who had complete faith and began walking on the water but then when he saw the wind he looked back and started to sink to which Jesus says ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ How many times does our faith waiver just like Peter’s? How many times do we doubt and prevent God from fulfilling His full purpose in us?  These are really good questions for us to think about.

Luke 17:5 ‘The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith!’ Let us pray these very words, to seek Him, to wholly trust in Him and to have complete faith that He is in control and not try to live our lives our own way. May we realise the power we possess and that we would be completely lost without Him. Our faith and trust in God reassures us that although it is tough at times we are on the winning team, and He will never ever let us down and we will soar on wings like eagles; Isaiah 40:31 ‘but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint’. Amen.

Author: Joleana O’Neill

May God bless and enrich your life

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