Do not forget

It is hard to stay positive and keep the faith when it seems like you are stuck in a wilderness season, more so when that season has been continuing for months or years on end. You trust. You wait. You believe. You cry to God, as David did. With honesty, emotion, and help only God can provide. At times, it feels as if God is quiet, and you start doubting if He really cares. You start asking questions like: ‘Why God?’ ‘When will this end?’, when wave upon wave of challenges come your way. Is there anyone who can relate?

It is in the thick-of-things that the depth of our faith, trust, and character are tested. I had a week like that. I had to ask myself the hard question: ‘Do you really trust God and His way of doing things when you cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel?’ Sometimes, there isn’t that encouraging word from a friend or family member when you need it. I had to dig deep and pull myself together, ready to fight another day. I had to encourage myself with the truth of the God that I know. All other feelings and thoughts had to be set aside. They were lies from the enemy, weighing me down, trying to discourage me and get me to give up emotionally and physically. I could not remain in the valley of discouragement but had to decide again to stand up. I had to look back and I had to look up at Jesus.

The Israelites were quick to forget how God had delivered them from the oppression in Egypt and was leading and preparing them for the Promised Land. He had parted The Red Sea, provided manna from heaven, healed them from sickness, gave water from a rock, etc. But, they complained and longed to go back to Egypt, when things got tough. We do the same. The Israelites had to be reminded of God’s faithfulness, provision, and miracles during the wilderness. I had to look back on my own life and remember.

I had to remind myself that God is taking me forward to something better and bigger in Him. I have to leave my figurative Egypt behind me (the old, familiar, comfortable) and trust God to be with me in the wilderness as He leads me to my Promised Land. It might be a winding road, but it is all for a purpose, only to be revealed once on the other side.

I had to look back and remember how God has always been good to me and by my side. God has never left me, and there are many examples of Him providing amazing opportunities, help, support, provision, and comfort all through my 40 years. He is the waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper, and light in the darkness. How about you? Do you need to remind yourself of the faithfulness of God in your life?

I am a firm believer in the saying: The best sight is hindsight. It is difficult when we are in the process and do not yet see the promise fulfilled. But, once we can look back on how far we have come, we realize and appreciate God’s divine plan and timing. God does not shine a spotlight on our future but promises that His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. He illuminates our journey step-by-step. Why else would we need to trust in God? We need to believe His Word to build our faith.

Psalms‬ ‭119:105‬ ‭AMP “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

Hebrews‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭TPT “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.”

Thank you also to fellow blogger, Cindy Dawson, for your blog post, https://realchristianwomen.blog/2020/10/03/put-faith-in-action-during-a-crisis/ this week. It was a confirmation to keep on praying, keep on trusting, and to keep on proclaiming God’s Word and promises over my life. Cindy’s post was another reminder of God’s faithfulness and involvement in my life.

We sometimes feel that proclaiming God’s Word is in vain when we do not see the physical evidence yet. Still, I was again encouraged to keep on praying Scripture and writing it down. I have to keep building and flexing those faith muscles by following a healthy diet of God’s Word and exercise of applying it in my life. To not give up, to not lose hope, but to keep at it. Change is happening in the spiritual realm, and it is only a matter of God’s perfect timing on when we will witness it.

God wants us to trust Him and not to fear. I do not know about you, but I want to keep my perspective of faith, as Joshua and Caleb did. The other ten spies looked with physical eyes at their circumstances. They only saw the magnitude of the obstacles and forgot the omnipotence of God and His promises to them. This cost them dearly regarding time, purpose, and reward. Let’s not complain but remember how powerful, capable, gracious, loving, and willing God is.

God uses the wilderness to shape you so the promised land doesn’t break you. Don’t try to get out of that process prematurely. Press into God, learn surrender, develop trust, and allow Him to form you into someone capable of walking in a powerful anointing without being destroyed by it. – John Bevere

Let’s take John Bevere’s advice. Let’s be bold and courageous because God is with us. Pick yourself up today. Remember to look back on your life and recognize God’s faithfulness and love. But, remember to not long back to your past, but to move forward. Face the world with courage and determination and hold on to faith. Trust resolutely in your Heavenly Father. Your next step, how small it might seem, is a step farther from where you’ve been, and closer to where He is leading you. One day at a time.

Stay resolute my friend.

Talita

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