![]() ![]() We read a book called “The Life You’re Fighting For” by James Robison, and it might be applicable, though I’m not - I’m sorry to hear about the current situation with you and Judy. Refinement? Spiritual warfare? God bless you sister. ![]() I’ve heard of people going through extremely trying times and growing closer to God in the process. You might also like Keeping Faith in Trials, Temptations and Hard - Thank you for sharing this. What’s the hardest part about keeping faith in tough times for you? “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (Luke 8:15) The tough times will hit us, but we are living for something bigger. As my husband tells me, stay in the Word. Surround yourself with loving friends, pop into a church before starting the day, read the Bible, put some encouraging messages where you can see them, attend a service, watch an online sermon, ask someone you love to pray with you or meditate on positive thoughts. When you feel the struggle heavy on your back, bury yourself in more good soil. Keep choosing God over and over and over. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)Īnd if you fall for it… which we all do at times… start again. “Watch and pray, so that you will not fall into temptation. Temptation will sway in and out to mislead and falsely appease you, but pray right through it. “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12)ĭuring the discomfort, pray that God guides your steps and keeps you strong. You will feel (and eventually see) the difference. Think of a yoga stretch or new skill getting to the next level requires a time of discomfort while pushing forward. It’s not taking a risk–it’s strengthening your faith. Lean into it and bear through the discomfort that comes from trusting in what you cannot see. 3 Ways to Keep the Faith Right NowĬhoose to remain faithful when there is no visible finish line and no feeling of relief. Taking that forward step is your faith in action. We take forward steps and backward steps (and side steps and missteps), but we’re growing when our number of forward steps become greater. Sometimes we can see the temptation at work in these moments sometimes we can’t. Will we believe anyway–cultivating a more mature faith? Or will we decide He’s not there, falling back on all the voices we’ve heard in the past? When we ask, “Where are you, God?” and hear crickets chirping, that’s when we’re left to decide. Our faith isn’t always tested in the good times our faith is tested during trials and times of challenge. Why wasn’t He answering my prayers? Why wasn’t He showing Himself? And then I remembered something: We grow in our faith, and it takes time. I felt discouraged, depressed… and impatient. I prayed over and over for Him to bring relief and change the scene. After a long stint of peace and tranquility, yesterday proved challenging with flaring emotions, less-than-graceful communication and the temptation to - yet again - go over details.Įven with all the reading, all the praying and all the practice of trying to stay peaceful, yesterday was overwhelming, and I found myself begging God to drop me a line. But what about periods of prolonged suffering or surprise attacks? It’s easy to see why we believe and encourage others to “keep the faith” when they’re feeling down. Although it seems impossible right now, there is a way to cling to God even when He is silent.In good times it’s easy to talk about faith. If you have ever been in a situation where you feel like you have lost everything, you are not alone. I clung onto my relationship (albeit distant) with God with everything I had because it was the only thing I had. I was mad at God, but all was not lost (even though it seemed like it at the time.)Īlthough that sounds like the worst moment in anyone’s life, I had been through worse. Our children were torn up over leaving their friends and their childhood home. Our marriage was strained under the weight of all that responsibility. We had to sell our home due to the church not making it financially and move to a different state so my husband could take a job at an established church within our denomination. ![]() After five and a half years of church planting, our time had come to an end. Today was the last time we would ever open those doors. The insurance office we had transformed into a church was eerily quiet after months of laughter and sermons preached. Turning the key to the glass door, we opened it to survey the now vacant church building that lay before us. ![]()
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