Week 166: The Abraham Kind of Faith

                             The Abraham Kind of Faith

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. Hebrews 11:8

• Adventurous. . .

• Fearless. . .

• Bold. . .

          No question about it, Abraham was a special man—with a special kind of faith. When Abram was an old man, God told him to pack-up his family and leave his country for an unknown place. Even though God told Abram that he would bless him and make him a great nation, how many people do you know would step out on that kind of faith?

    Do we bypass our blessings because they seem to be attached to a

                                                     ridiculous price tag?

Abraham’s faith was tested again when he was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac. If we did anything like that, we would be under lock and key. 

                           Can your faith pass an Abraham kind of test?

Does life require everyone to face a custom-made Abraham type test? What circumstances could make you blindly trust and follow God’s directions to the extent that Abraham did? In Hebrews 11:8, it says when Abraham was told to leave his country, he didn’t trouble his mind. (AMP) How many of us can remain at peace in a situation like that? 

         If Abraham had that kind of faith in God, we can too. His story is told for our edification. I know it’s hard to imagine, but our walk should be easier than Abraham’s because we have Jesus and the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us.  

                   We need a full tank of faith for life’s journey.

  In order for Abraham to have trusted God like that, he had to have had a personal revelation of Who God is. If we don’t already have that kind of closeness with God, then we should make that our aim. It’s like buying insurance. You need to have it, before you need it.

                                The Abraham Kind of Faith

© 2016                    See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith

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Week 165: Done Worrying About It!

                            Done Worrying About It!

For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. Psalm 119:89, 90    

• Nerve-racking. . .

• Gut-wrenching. . .

• Nail-biting. . .

                          

Have you ever worried yourself to the point you didn’t have the energy to think another minute—but kept on thinking anyway? Can you remember a time when you stayed up all night tossing and turning trying to figure out a solution?

Worrying is like an addictive drug—the more we feed into it, the cravings become more intense. Its aim is to keep our minds occupied while it steals our faith in God.       

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22 (NIV)

                                                The challenge is: How to cast our cares? Hmmm!

During stressful times, we should redirect our energy towards developing a closer relationship with God by: (1) Searching for Scriptures that reflect on our situation. (2) Spending more one-on-one time with God. (3) Thinking about God’s faithfulness during past trials. (4) Listening to relatable godly teachings. (5) Thanking God for His love, mercy, and grace. (6) Using the gifts and talents that He has loaned us to help others during their challenging times. Whew! If we do all that, we won’t have so much time to worry.

God has proportionally given us just enough grace, His undeserved favor, for each day. However, the adversary will try and lure our thinking over into future problems. Tell the enemy you’ll think about that matter when your shipment of grace comes in.

         Today’s grace won’t stretch to tomorrow’s problems.

                                                

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:33, 34 (NIV)

The good news is we don’t have to pretend our faith is on a level that it’s not. God knows our strengths and weaknesses when it comes to casting our cares. It’s refreshing to be able to stop the pretense and speak honestly to God. 

The more time we spend in fellowship with Him, the easier releasing our problems becomes. For sure, there’s always something that we can worry about. Nonetheless, we must do our responsibility in the situation, then take the attitude:

                             Done Worrying About It!

© 2016                    See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith

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Week 164: Sunny Side Up - Please!

                          Sunny Side Up—Please!

Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. James 1:3 (AMP)

• Over easy. . .

• Poached. . .

• Boiled. . .

To make a good sunny-side up egg you need a cast-iron skillet; not some modern nonstick doohickey. Add enough oil to coat the surface of the pan. Then heat the oil until it sizzles. Once the oil sizzles, carefully break the egg and add it to the hot skillet. Finally, lower the heat and cook the egg until the white and yolk reach the desired consistency.

We can parallel the trials we face in life with cooking an egg sunny-side up. The egg represents us. The sizzling hot skillet symbolizes our lives under siege. The Holy Spirit is the Oil that adds flavor, while keeping us from sticking and burning. 

Don’t worry; God knows exactly how much heat we can take. (I Corinthians 10:13) James 1:1-3 tells us to rejoice [sunny side up] during difficult situations for such is the proving of our faith. In the meantime, we can either succumb to a browbeaten state, or we can strive to keep a sunny outlook knowing that God is in control.

                The flaming fires of hell will turn us into burnt scrambled eggs

                                                         without the Oil.  

Even though it’s hard to keep a sunny disposition when our children, our health, or some other pressing matter is frying us to a crisp; we have to remember that our faith in God will sustain us. We can’t bypass the skillet experiences, because Jesus said that we will have tribulations. However, He told us to cheer up because He has overcome the world. (John 16:33) In Hebrews 13:5 it says, God will never leave nor forsake us.  

God never intended for us to be thrown into life’s scorching skillet without the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is keep the faith, be obedient to His Word, and we will come out:   

                             Sunny Side Up!

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)

© 2016                    See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith

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