Blooming Faith reminds of the importance of persisting in the face of trails, knowing that the Father has not forgotten us but is cultivating and increasing our faith in the process.

  • 1 Corinthians 12:7-9 (VOICE) Each believer has received a gift that manifests the Spirit’s power and presence. That gift is given for the good of the whole community. The Spirit gives one person a word of wisdom, but to the next person the same Spirit gives a word of knowledge. Another will receive the gift of faith by the same Spirit, and still another gifts of healing—all from the one Spirit…. 
  • Acts 14:8-10 (TPT) In Lystra, Paul and Barnabas encountered a man who from birth had never walked, for he was crippled in his feet. He listened carefully to Paul as he preached. All of a sudden, Paul discerned that this man had faith in his heart to be healed. So he shouted, “You! In the name of our Lord Jesus, stand up on your feet!” The man instantly jumped to his feet, stood for the first time in his life, and walked!
  • Hebrews 11:32-35 (NKJV) And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.

A Prophetic Nugget from our Dyed4you Ministries blog is connected to this. It is called “Allow Faith to Blossom.”

James 1:2-4 (VOICE) Don’t run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line —mature, complete, and wanting nothing.

Beloved, allow faith to blossom – bursting forth in strength and life – like a chick breaking through its shell, having found the strength required to go forth and live through perseverance gained by the hardship of the immediate challenge. Press in and persevere. 

Trust Me. Trust that I will be with you to strengthen and encourage you in your moments of need. Trust that I know what you can endure and what is needful for what lies ahead. I AM the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega, I AM always mindful of what is best for My children and for My Kingdom, and I use all things for good. 

So in the moments it feels like too much, focus your heart on Me. Allow Me to renew your strength, restore your joy, and give you peace. Allow Me to guide you into the fullness of all you were created and called to be. Refuse to shy away from trials, instead seeing them as tests to be conquered that your faith might increase. So allow your faith to blossom, beloved, and do so with joy.

Another Prophetic Nugget from our Dyed4you Ministries blog is connected to this. It’s called “The Currency of Prayer.”

Luke 18:1 (VOICE) He told them a parable, urging them to keep praying and never grow discouraged…

Beloved, refuse to grow discouraged if I seem slow to answer. Is that not the essence of faith? Continue sowing the currency of prayer, waiting expectantly for things to move and shift as a result. I will not be mocked, that which you sow surely shall you reap. So sow abundantly that you might also reap an abundant harvest. 

Resist the urge to be discouraged by the evidence of what you see in the natural realm. The changes you long for may have yet begun in the spiritual realm long before they manifest on earth. So refuse to give up. Refuse to lose heart. Be like the persistent widow, beloved, and persist! Act in faith and believe. 

A Prophetic Nugget from our Dyed4you Ministries blog is connected to this. It’s called “Ask But Trust.”

Luke 18:7 (AMP) And will not [our just] God defend and avenge His elect [His chosen ones] who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay [in providing justice] on their behalf?

Beloved, do you think I ignore your petitions when you don’t see the answers you expect in your desired timeframe? Do you think Me callous to your cries, or unmindful of your needs? If so, you malign My character. 

For I AM a good Father who deeply loves His children and is mindful of every plea. I hurt when you hurt, and I rejoice when you rejoice. Nothing within your sphere is beyond My notice. You do not have to plead for Me to care for your concerns because I care deeply even before you say a word. 

Beloved, remember I AM God. I see all and know all. I AM the first and the last, the beginning and the end. I know when the thing you seek will bring consequences you neither want nor need, so trust Me to be God. Trust that I love you and will exercise wisdom and move on your behalf. Trust that I have a good plan even in the midst of trials. 

And regardless of all, simply continue to ask. Ask in faith – trusting My judgment and will, but asking nonetheless just as a child does to a beloved parent, making their thoughts and desires known and submitting them to their parent for consideration all the while trusting they will be taken care of because they are loved. 

A portion of a prophetic narrative from Naudia Willbroad is connected to this. 

The path felt so dry and weary. Day after day of battling old thought patterns, feelings of hopelessness, unbelief and grief over dead dreams. Pushing forward trying to dream again but failing to stir up joy, to fan the flame. Seeking the face of God and His comfort. Clinging to His truths while struggling to overcome the embedded lies.

 “Oh ye of little faith!” I cry in desperation longing for a steady faith instead of the fits and starts of the tiny flame in my heart that has been so dampened by the oppression of battle, of life. 

“Look back beloved,” My Father whispers in my ear. As I look back upon the path I trod I see the road with all it’s winding curves. I see the dead, dry, brown ground-the parched land. Then I see a river flowing under a setting sun-flowing down my winding path. A river that flows in wave after wave that pours down my path with fervor and passion. With it brings new life and fresh growth. Those fits and starts of faith, the intense struggle to grasp truth and never let go, to overcome the mountain of guilt, lies and shame brought the flow. It made a way for the river to go. It broke the ground for God’s spirit to bring life giving water to the dry and weary land.

“Look My beloved. Taste and see that I am good. I bring refreshing water to the dry and weary land. I bring fruitfulness out of the soil you have relentlessly toiled over. I am the One who gives you strength to complete the task. I bring truth. I bring the seed, the sun and the rain to make your garden grow. 

You are My beloved. You are My beloved. You are My beloved. Earnestly I take your hand and whisper to you by name, “Run the race I have marked out for you. Keep running. Keep persevering for I am with you. I hold your hand and keep you from falling as you keep your eyes fixed on Me. I strengthen you and fill you with joy. Keep pursuing Me and all that I am and all that I have for you. You are My beloved and My desire is for you.”

{hearing} Heaven does not see problems, it only sees solutions.

There are times when God may give us a word or promise but that word tests us until the time it comes to pass (Psalm 105:19). The promise may lead us into circumstances where the odds are impossibly stacked against us. The more we try to accomplish God’s work, the more those circumstances seem to prove God’s Word wrong. Our circumstances may scream that we are ill-equipped for the commission at hand. Or it may seem that the promised land we have entered is not capable of producing the results as God has spoken. 

Yet God’s Word will not return to Him void. From His heavenly perspective, victory has already been secured. Meanwhile, from our earthly perspective, these challenges test our ability to remain certain of what we do not yet see with our physical eyes. If we refuse to give up, these challenges will draw out the gift of faith.

The testing of our faith stretches us. And while that stretching is never enjoyable in the moment, we may not realize that the gift within us is capable of drawing God’s dynamis power into our circumstances like a lightning rod. The barren desert around us may seem harsh and unforgiving, but we have the choice to affirm the present chaos of our problems or shift our gaze towards heaven. We can choose to hold onto God’s vision for our circumstances—the promise of beauty for ashes and the miracle of resurrection life overcoming death. When what we hoped for and what we didn’t see finally materializes, it is only then that we realize the value of the gift that has been given to us by God’s Spirit. Faith helps us to endure and overcome those impossible odds.

The lyrics from Jonathan & Melissa Helser’s song “You Came (Lazarus)” are connected to this. It reminds us that our faith in God is never misplaced. Even death is not a circumstance that is too hard for Him to overcome. At the right time, He will appear with His miracle-working power.

The name of the silk in this image is Dayenu (It Would Have Been Sufficient). The colors in it are brandy representing rich life coming forth from the dry places, coral representing deep abiding joy, magenta representing divine provision, cream representing milk and honey, smoky blue representing continual sweet aroma from a heart filled with gratitude and praise, and gold shimmer representing glory and the power of God.

Father, thank You for the gift of faith that you have given to us by the Spirit. Thank You for the trials that purify our faith and increase our ability to believe the amazing promises You have set before us. May we never forget that You are ever faithful, Father, and so worthy of our trust. And may we lean upon the strength that You provide during the waiting process. Amen.