Growth in Christ IS a process… As long as we have breathe in our bodies and are open to Holy Spirit’s guidance and instruction we will continue to grow… Being 34 years in my walk with Christ there are times when I look back on ALL He has brought me through, ALL I have learned that in the looking back, encourages me to continue on by faith, in my walk and it becomes a faith-builder, proof that I can trust the Father, or as Paul says in Philippians 1:6:
“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
It hasn’t been easy – I won’t lie to you! Sometimes I cringe when Holy Spirit shows me the parts of me that need work! This year has been one where the conversations with Holy Spirit has been like this:
Holy Spirit: Kelly, do you trust Me?
Me: (Cringing because I already know this is a sore spot for me) I’m trying to walk by faith and not by sight, Holy Spirit. This year definitely hasn’t been easy.
Holy Spirit: I want to show you the kind of trust I want you to have… (And then He pointed me towards Mark 12:41-43):
“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” “
Holy Spirit: THIS is the kind of trust I want you to have for Me. I want you to place ALL your concerns, ALL your worries, ALL your needs into the Father’s hands. I want you to stop trying to “solve it” yourself. I want you to take your eyes off your situation and put your eyes on the Father. Keep them there. Trust unwavering, unhesitatingly, even if in the eyes of your loved ones, colleagues and family think you are foolish for doing so. TRUST IN ME and watch and see what I can and will do. In EVERY area of your life – from health, to finances, to relationships and situations – give it ALL to me. TRUST ME TO DO WHAT NEEDS DOING. But it has to be acts of faith – just as the widow above acted in faith. Faith is foolishness to the world, but you are NOT of the world, though you are still in the world. There are times, just like in the physical when you were a toddler and went from crawling (all though you won’t remember this), you went from being on your belly, to getting on your hands and knees and before crawling, rocking back and forth) then you started to hold on to something, to rising to taking your first step – all which was a process and as you gained confidence you continued from one point to another until you were running! And now, as an adult you don’t even think about what it takes for you to get form point A to point B. As it is in the physical I want you to get to the same point in the spiritual. Baby steps which will, as you step out in faith, grow your trust in Me as I show you what I will do WITH that faith. It will continue to be a lifetime process, an area of growth that continues on as long as you have breathe in your body. There will be times when the enemy causes you to doubt Me. Times where you will hesitate in your stepping out in faith and trust – but I will be there to encourage you, guide you and help you and as long as listen to my voice (as a child learns to listen and recognize the voice of his/her parents) you WILL move forward, you simply have to continue to trust. NOT as the world trusts – their foundation is not built upon the rock. Their foundation is built upon what their physical senses rely upon or what others dictate. You choose who you will believe – your situation, the world, the people or around you or ME. The choice is ALWAYS yours.
Me: (Inhaling a deep breath as I chew upon the Words of Holy Spirit). “You didn’t say it would be easy, and I’m sure to make mistakes and falter along the way, but I choose to trust in YOU. I CHOOSE YOU. Please help me Holy Spirit, for there are times when I feel exposed and very vulnerable and I can hear the voices of the doubters ALL around me. Please give me the courage to do what is in my heart, even when the voices around me are mocking me for my acts of faith. I want to trust YOU.”
Your walk with Christ is personal for a reason, there are different areas that need work within you that are different from those that need work within me, but we are ALL works in progress! Some people think that they need to get themselves together BEFORE they choose to communicate with God – but that is an impossible thing to expect from yourself, because we are an imperfect people in a relationship with a perfect God! God does NOT expect perfection from you, He just expects submission! The whole reason why He left Heaven and came down in the form of man (Jesus) is because He wanted to meet us RIGHT where we are! It truly IS nothing but God’s grace, His mercy and His love that enables us to be able to enter into a relationship with Him. Jesus lived a sin-less life and died on the cross for forgiveness of our sins (i.e. “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”). He doesn’t EXPECT perfection from us – but that doesn’t mean we are not to listen to Holy Spirit and be open to those things within us that He desires us to change… For me, acts showing my trust and my faith in God and in His Word has been one where I’ve determined in my head that I AM going to walk in. What areas is God showing you to grow your trust? What is Holy Spirit asking of you? Is He speaking to you about using the talents that God has created you to share with others? Is He talking to you about tithing? Trusting your finances to the One “Who owns cattle on a thousand hills?” Is your trust in your money BEFORE it is in God? Sometimes we need to put our money where our faith is… The Bible says in Luke 6:38:
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 says:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Perhaps God has revealed to you what it is He has called you to do with your life and it is something that would TOTALLY take you out of your comfort zone… Is this an area where He is calling you to trust Him?
I can honestly say, when I step out on trust with the Father, I may hesitate at first and then do it quickly – whatever it is He is calling me to do (before I begin to think too much and then to question, which leads to doubt) – and when I DO step out in faith, although I may not see the worldly outcome – I can SEE and TRUST the spiritual outcome! God rewards obedience! You CANNOT out give God! And it may come back to you in a different way than how you gave! But God IS trustworthy and He wants us to trust Him. There truly is NO greater joy than being obedient to whatever it is Holy Spirit is showing you that needs you to step out in faith and trust. Oh how tickled I become when Holy Spirit shows me after I step out in faith that He SEES me. He SEES my acts of faith and like a toddler who looks at their parent for praise in the standing up and taking that step – I can see my Father’s smile of approval and love. Can you hear Him speaking to your heart right now? Asking you to walk in trust? How will you respond? He’s calling your name and encouraging you to step out in faith in whatever it is Holy Spirit is speaking to you about even as you read these words… God IS trustworthy, sometimes we just have to quiet ALL the voices of opposition around us and listen to what He is saying and step out IN faith and watch and see our Father respond, in love and faithfulness, because HE IS FAITHFUL. He TRULY is.
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