Faith, Doubt, and God's Plan

Lately, I've been a little stressed out. I keep praying and hoping that a problem I have will be resolved. Logically, I know that it is not even a major problem and I know that God will take care of it, but I keep fighting the attack on my soul. 

The problem, for those of you who are wondering, is that I have some people who are basically squatters living in a property that my aunt was using. Because she allowed one person to come into her home and stay for a period of time (without paying rent, or having a lease), I now have to go through the eviction process. At this point, I am hoping that they will leave before the 30 days is up, but it is not looking hopeful. To add to the problem, I live 6 hours away from this property.  

Ok, so like I said, logically, I know that it is not a big deal. We will go through the process and someday, somehow the problem will be resolved. Unfortunately, I continue to fight the the feelings that go along with the process. I am fighting against the unknown. I can't even plan my visit to see my grandchildren, because I don't know when I will actually need to make the trip to deal with the house. 

As I continue to fight the feelings that are taking a toll on me, I find myself questioning my faith in God's plan. I know that He works all things for good. I know that He has plans for me. I know that He will never leave me nor forsake me. But, something is still not right. I am doubting. 

Today, I read an article, How to Overcome Doubt, by Andrew Wommack. Wow, it hit the spot! I realized that I was relying on the physical world. I needed to see God working. I needed to see God's plan. The funny thing is, if I was really looking, I would have been able to see it. God lead me to the eviction lawyer and realtor who have been helping with the process. When praying, God has been constantly telling me to "be still." God has lead me to scriptures, which when I read, are truly helpful. 

The other thing that I realized after reading the article, is that instead of relying on the physical world, I need to rely on God’s Word. I need to rely on God's truths, God's promises, the unseen abilities of God's supernatural power. We know this, right? But it is easy to forget. Andrew Womack says, "You must come from a place to where God's Word is more real to you than anything you can see, taste, hear, smell, or feel. When you doubt, refer back to the Word of God..." Well, that is what I am going to do. Heck with the physical world. I am going to trust in Gods' Word. 

Here are some scriptures that I have been turning to:

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV 
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Isaiah 41:10 ESV
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

There are some others, but these are the ones I have been meditating on. I hope that you find them helpful as well. I pray that we all remember to be constantly in the Word and to rely on God and the spiritual realm, rather than the physical word. God has us in His hands, so I know that He will always be there for us. I don't want to ever doubt that. I don't want to give Satan that power over me. 

I pray for you and ask that God bless you always. 

Reference:

Overcoming Doubt, By Andrew Wommack

https://www.awmi.net/reading/teaching-articles/overcome_doubt/

Practicing God’s Presence

Lately, I’ve been coming across different reading and sermons that mention “Practicing the Presence of God.” After seeing it again yesterday, I decided to write a reflection about it. I tried to do some quick research, which of course means, I Googled it. What I found, placed most of the emphasis on seeing God in everything, and on doing everyday tasks for God. There were strategies mentioned such as, praying the first thing in the morning; surrendering to God; turning your complaints into praise; and more, but that really wasn’t what I felt God was impressing on me. 

What does it really mean to practice the presence of God? After reflecting on it for a bit, I decided that for me it meant really believing and realizing that God is truly with me. Yes, I do all the Christian things I should do (pray, church, bible, meditate, etc.), and I know that God is real, but do I truly believe that He is always with me? Do you truly believe it? What is the difference between knowing and believing? I would say that I know God is always with me, my mind knows this to be true, but what about my heart? What about my soul? What about the very deepest part of me? Do I truly believe? My answer could easily be “Yes!” But, as I reflect, I have to say that if this were really true, my actions and/or life would look a little different. Not that I think I’m a horrible person, or living a life displeasing to God, but I think that maybe I would do more, be more. 

These thought circle back to practicing the presence of God. In order to believe that God is truly in our life, we need to go back and see what He says about it in the bible. That makes it easier for me, because I trust in God’s promises. I believe His words. There are several scriptures that I found which make it clear that God is always with us. Here are some that I thought I would share. I’m sure there are plenty more, but this is a good start.

SCRIPTURES - God is with us always. 

Isaiah 41: 10 (ESV) - Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Joshua 1:9 (ESV) - Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV)Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV) - The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. 

Matthew 28:20 (ESV) - Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Hebrews 13:5 (ESV) - Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Psalm 23:4 (ESV) - Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Matthew 1:23 (ESV) - “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

SCRIPTURES - Don't forget about the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. 

John 14:16-17 (ESV) - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

 

1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV) - Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?

Now that I have read God’s word and have a better realization that God is with me, I need to acknowledge this in my daily life. I need to stop and talk to God; thank Him; ask Him for advice; trust Him; sit quietly with Him; and in all my ways acknowledging Him. This is not always easy to do. We are taught that seeing is believing, but we can't see God. How do we learn to believe? It can be done with practice. For me, this is called, “Practicing the Presence of God.” I can call out to God. I can think on all the times that had he not been with me, things could have gone horribly wrong. I can clearly and confidently say, “God is with me! He is right here! Right now!" I can trust! My hope is to truly, with every part of me, believe the fact that God is with me. My prayer is for it to be the same for you. 

Good Bless you always! 

*Resource: God Being With Us - Topical Bible - https://www.openbible.info/topics/god_being_with_us

Don't be so Afraid of Dying that You Stop Living

I was watching an old episode of Survivor the other day. One of the players mentioned that he had been so afraid of dying that he had stopped living. This comment really struck me. I reflected on it for some time. As I approach my 60th birthday, my immortality has been more on my mind. I think about how much longer I will live, as if I truly have any idea, or any control over this. This thought runs two ways. One way is to be prepared, making sure everything is in place, but this really holds true at any age. We don't know how long we are going to live, so having a Will; our wishes for a funeral; life support wishes; or any other desires made known, seems like a logical thing to do. 

My second thought runs towards the illogical. It kind of runs towards the being so afraid of dying that I stop living. Crazy, I know! My fear doesn't really come from being afraid to do things because I might die, or does it? Here is what I find happening. I start thinking that I'm not going to live much longer, so maybe I should start getting rid of some things. Why have a big house (my house is not big), or so much stuff that the kids will just have to get rid of, or deal with? Maybe, I should stay home, because I definitely don't want to get sick. Of course, many of us are staying home more because of COVID, but it is the worry behind it that can become extreme. 

Listening to the guy on Survivor made me realize that maybe, in a sense, I am living life the way he was. Maybe, I am thinking so much about dying that I am not living. That is not the way God wants us to live our life. First of all, God does not want us to be afraid. 

In Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) we are told not to be afraid. 

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) tells us about the fruits of the Spirit that we as believers can have in our life. While the topic of this passage refers more to warding off the desires and passions of the heart, I can see that my fear has kept me from truly having the peace and joy that I pray for.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

I realize that my feelings stem from fear and lack of control, so I cling to 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV).

7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

I don't want to stop living life because I am afraid of dying. I want to live each day to the fullest and appreciate the blessings that God has given me. And, when the day does come, I have the comfort of knowing I will be with my Father in heaven. 

I pray that you too will work on living life to the fullest. Live the life that God has planned for you. Don't give into those fears. 

God Bless!