So, let me get this straight. You're worried that God isn't going to do what He said He would do because a few months or several years have gone by and it still hasn't happened yet?
Or maybe you're convinced that He's forgotten about you and that He's busy blessing everyone else while you've been patiently waiting for Him to pour out blessings on your family like He's doing for theirs?Ā
Or maybe you feel like your good works don't seem to be working out all that good for you?
Before we go any further, let's agree that from this point forward, we're only going to focus on the truth. Ready? Let's go!
āGod is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" - Numbers 23:19
God is faithful and He's been faithful to us in more ways than we often give Him credit for. Unfortunately, as soon as a problem arises or a difficult season rolls around, it's like we get amnesia about all the ways that He came through for us before and we complain & murmur just like the children of Israel did in the wilderness. Some people even isolate themselves under the guise of "figuring things out" even though Proverbs 11:14Ā tells us that there is safety in a multitude of counsel. In other words, we can get so worked up about what we assume God is and is not doing that we reject wisdom and embrace worry.
According toĀ Galatians 5:22 though, one of the fruits of the Spirit is longsuffering yet we throw a tantrum when things seem to be taking too longĀ not to mention thatĀ we balk at any sort of suffering despite the fact that Jesus Himself told us we would go through trials & tribulations (John 16:33). It's as if we want all the benefits of being saved by grace but none of the faith in God that's required for us to sustain our gift of salvation. Instead of proceeding in endurance, we become frustrated or discouraged often refusing to take the time to study the Holy Bible for instruction and engage the Holy Spirit for guidance on how to live as sheep that were once lost and have now been found.Ā
And please don't tell me that you're one of those people who believes you can flip flop on God whenever you want and think that you're somehow still covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. You really believe that what Jesus did on the cross at Calvary gives us license to knowingly play in God's face only to later stand before Him at the end of our life on earth and assume that our Savior is going to pat us on the back for purposely doing evil? Even unbelievers expect there to be some kind of punishment for people who break rules and God's greatest rule is that we love Him with all our heart, mind, and soul (Matthew 22:37).Ā
Contrary to whatever false teaching is out there, doubting God is not acceptable because it is the opposite of having faith and Hebrews 11:6 makes it clear that it is impossible to please God without faith. Suggesting thatĀ God is somehow unfair because we might be struggling right now or because we don't like how something turned out is foolish and demonstrates a fickle devotion to Him. If this is how you feel, with all due respect, you need to grow up. Spiritual maturity can't happen when stubbornness is present, which is why we must establish a lifestyle of praying, fasting, studying the scriptures, and worshiping the LORD in spirit and truth. There are so many people that can attest to how following these principles enabled them to safely pass through any storm they found themselves in and how they came out on the other side more fortified in their faith.
Just so we're clear, I'm not denying that there are real heart-wrenching battles that followers of Christ face in life. I am simply a disciple who recognizes that because of who God is and who He always will be, we've already won.
