John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!”
We will face times in life when we are worried and anxious. There are so many ways these strong emotions can be provoked. Family life, jobs, bosses, living situations, loss of employment, illness of ourselves or loved ones are certainly all difficulties we wish we could avoid. But God has promised us that we will experience tribulation in this world. There is nothing new under the sun, and these things have always been with humanity in one form or another.
We can take comfort in knowing that all the generations before us, and to this very day, have gone through similar experiences. We are not singled out by our trials, and most importantly, we are not alone. God says He is with us and He wants us to trust Him.
If we are fearful, it is not of God! Satan is the father of lies, and he is always trying to lead God’s children away from Him and His peace. Satan wants us to think that our problems are unsolvable, we are unlovable and most of all our situation is impossible. Does any of this satanic malarkey line up with the word of God? It does not!
It is important to build our faith. Notice that we often hear the word “faith” with the word “build”. Building is suggestive of a laid-out plan that is executed over a period of time. Cities are built during the course of decades or even centuries. Homes are built in many months. Why wouldn’t it also be true that we are responsible for building our faith? This will not happen in a day but over the years as we walk with Jesus.
We build our faith when we trust God. He said he gives His peace to us in a way that is uniquely separate from what the world gives. Then, He says that we must not let our hearts be troubled. We have a role to play. Let’s not be lazy Christians and expect God to do all the work. We have an important role to play in cultivating peace and freedom from anxiety in our lives.
Some of the things we can do to build our faith are simple disciplines that we make part of our routine. Frequent bible reading is important. The more struggle you are experiencing, the more I would encourage you to be in your bible, looking for God’s perspective. You will find amazing nuggets of truth waiting there for you. Imagine yourself as a miner, seeking God’s nuggets of gold and fine gems. Search the word to see what God thinks about the kind of problems that you are facing. You will discover such a sensation of peace when you find the verse the God has placed there for you to find on this very day!
Bible reading can also be bible listening. It is easy to listen to the bible in audio form. You can listen while preparing for sleep, driving or doing other tasks. Another discipline is to make time to pray, tell God all your secrets. He already knows them anyway and it will help you feel more at peace if you have been honest with God. Also, it’s an exercise in being honest with the man or woman in the mirror. Once you find those flaws, take the next step to own them and begin to make improvements. Self-examination is the beginning of self-improvement. God will help you and you will begin to enjoy a life with more peace. Stay active in building your faith by participating in God’s refining work in your life. You will reap benefits that will be absolutely beyond anything you could imagine.
Dear Lord, I am trying to build my faith. Please help me with my unfaith. Help me work with you as you refine me in life’s fire. Help me turn to my faith and trust you when I am struggling with worry. Worry and anxiety are feelings. Feelings cannot harm me. You are with me Lord, help me to be strong in my resolve to trust you when I’m fearful. I know I can please you the most by trusting You and believing You are in control. I choose to let go of my fear and anxiety and hold on to my faith and trust in You. Be with me always, Lord I pray as I seek to follow You.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Suggested Song: The Things I am Afraid Of by Josh Wilson
