Walking The Talk

The days are easy when everything seems to be going my way.  Seriously, when the fridge is full, the bills are paid, the bank accounts have enough funds to cover what is out there, and perhaps a bit more, my husband and I are getting along great, and the dogs didn't poop or regurgitate on anything.  Yeah, those are easy days.  I am faithful, praising, worshiping.  God is so good flows from my lips.

Maybe a little harder but still able to cope, are days when one or two of these things don't quite fall into line.  Yet, I still am able to say I'm blessed and speak to His faithfulness.

But, let the majority of this stuff go sideways and where is my faith?   I don't know, maybe that's why I'm asking.  I found out that the true test of faith is not when things are going well or moderately well.  No the true test of faith is when all is going to Hell in a hand basket.  When I can't seem to get anything under control.

Here's the question...  Is God any less faithful in those times?  Nope, He is still right here with me, so who is having a faith crisis?  Me.  Why?

Because I'm walking backwards, by sight not by faith.  The word of God says for us to walk by faith not by sight.   As long as I can see His hand working, as I can see His fingertips holding on to things, I am the most faithful person around.  The days, weeks, months when that is not so apparent though I wander around in a fog.  Asking what did I do wrong.  Did I do something bad?

The answer, no.  I didn't do something wrong, I am doing something wrong.  I am reacting to the circumstances instead of to who He is.  He is bigger than any problem or concern I may have.  I know that, with all my heart I know that.  My head on the other hand....  Well, it has a mind of it's own so to speak. 

So, I open the door for Satan to come in and start planting his ugly seeds of negativity.  Memories of bad stuff that I had forgotten about start coming back up.  Bombarding, slamming, pushing me to look at the wind and the waves, cause let's be real here, I can feel the sea spray on my face as the waves crash around me and he knows it.

The bible tells us to look neither left nor right, but to keep our eyes on Jesus.  Why did Peter start to sink when he was walking towards Jesus on the water?  Because, he started looking at the circumstances.  He wasn't able to get himself back on top of the water by his own power either, he finally had to call out to the Lord.  He came over pulled him up and said, "Where's your faith?"

I find He asks me the same question when I start whining and complaining about my circumstances.  "Cyndi, where's your faith?"  You see the only thing that I can hold on to that Satan can't steal from me is my faith.  I can give it away, throw it away, refuse to believe in it, but it can't be removed from me without my consent.  Faith is why I am saved, faith is why I believe, faith is why I receive.  When I start to doubt this, He is faithful to remind me that I am forgetting who I am in Him and I belong to Him through what...faith.  Faith requires action, "Faith without action is dead".  So what does this mean?  It means that I must do in spite of.  No matter whether the fridge or bank account are full or empty, I must still step out and do what He tells me to do knowing He will provide the resources to fulfill my faith and keep me afloat.  See, He provides them all anyway.  It's all His from the beginning to the end.  Always was, always will be.

So I can walk the talk, or talk about the walk.  Only one way gets results...  I'm sure you can figure out which one it is.