Grow in Faithfulness reminds us to be firmly rooted in our faith – our trust that “God is not a man that He should lie,” and that we can fully trust Him and allow our faith to be continually tested and grow stronger.
- Galatians 5:22-23 (TPT) But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit. Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.
- Galatians 5:22-23 (AMP)But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
- Numbers 23:19 (VOICE) God is not a man—He doesn’t lie. God isn’t the son of a man to want to take back what He’s said, Or say something and not follow through, or speak and not act on it.
A post by Meghan Williams from MeghanW.com is connected to this. It’s called “Substance of Faith.”
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
I’ve been meditating on this verse for a couple days. Then I read it again like this:
But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that:
- He is,
- and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Faith is essential. And you cannot claim to be a person of faith if you don’t truly believe He “is” – but also (and this is the one so many people struggle with) that He is a rewarder. Finally, part of faith is “diligently seeking Him.” That means not giving up when we don’t understand in our natural minds how He is going to come through. We don’t have to understand… we have to trust! Faith = Trust
That is why “…faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is all about believing when we don’t understand.
But here’s where it gets really interesting – “without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Ouch! Add to it “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38). Ok, so if we are “just” (righteous before God [Merriam-Webster]) we will live by faith.
But wait a minute, aren’t all those who have been saved made righteous through the blood? Yes – so what that means is that demonstrating a life lived by faith is proof you have received salvation. Uh oh – the converse of that is that if you do not live by faith… um, you might want to reconsidered if you are truly saved! Why is that? Well, it all comes back down to trust. Do you believe that “He is”? And have you truly received Him?
Faith is such a stretch for us. We get so caught up in people “thinking we’re crazy” and being “logical” or whatever. All the while our primary concern should be being obedient to God. What has He told us to do? What has He promised us? Act on those things. Wait on those things. “He is.” And He is faithful… we should be “fully persuaded that, what He [has] promised, He [is] able also to perform” (Romans 4:21).
Thank You Lord for being. Thank You for Your faithfulness and for being a rewarder. Help me to understand what “diligently seeking You” looks like. I want to be found “just”. Increase my faith Lord. I desire to be pleasing to You. I stand fully persuaded that You are who You say You are and that You will do that which You have promised. You are my strength and my firm foundation – I will not be shaken! I praise You Lord… may my life bring You glory!
A post and testimony by Meghan Williams from MeghanW.com is connected to this. It’s called “Above All.”
Ephesians 6:16 “Above all, taking the shield of faith…”
As I read these words a couple days ago, the words “above all” jumped off the page at me. Above all means more important than anything else. It means it is priority.
The Amplified says “Lift up over all…” In Greek the words are “epi pas” which means above all or before everything else – in other words – of the utmost importance taking all priority.
Let’s think about this in the context of Ephesians 6:11-18, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
So if I am understanding this correctly – God says we are to hold faith above truth, righteousness, the gospel, salvation, the word, and even prayer! Wow! That’s saying a LOT! He thinks faith is important!!!
Faith is all about trusting Him. Merriam-Webster defines faith like this:
- the act or state of wholeheartedly and steadfastly believing in the existence, power, and benevolence of a supreme being, of having confidence in his providential care, and of being loyal to his will as revealed or believed in : belief and trust in and loyalty to God
- firm or unquestioning belief in something for which there is no proof
- firm or unquestioning trust or confidence in the value, power, or efficacy of something
So if God holds it of such high importance, one should pause to reflect on why… I felt like He gave me some insight on that earlier today as I was interacting with a dear friend. This friend has been let down by the people around her a LOT. Because of that pattern she is constantly waiting for me to desert her or let her down. As I tried earnestly to convince her that I had no plans of following that pattern – I realized we are often the same with God.
Because countless people have let us down, we sit waiting for Him to do the same and He’s like “Come on… I love you! I sent My Son to die for you I loved you so much. Trust Me… have faith… don’t believe every lie the enemy is trying to convince you of!” You see without faith, we can’t stand (like verse 13 says).
I feel like He’s encouraging us – “Come on, get past this trust issue – it’s a basic – a fundamental. There’s so much more to do, but it is the foundation of everything!” Think about it – without faith can you actually have the helmet of salvation? And without salvation can you have righteousness? What good is prayer prayed without faith? This feels like an extension of understanding His unfailing love – we just need to believe. I don’t say that to be flip – I know full well how difficult it may seem, but we have to succeed at this to get to any of what’s next! All this is the substance of faith.
So I want to pause to testify of His faithfulness.
It’s been a tough week on a number of fronts. I have been feeling dry. This morning I simply reached a point where I needed a drink of the Holy Spirit right then!
Allen (hubby) had turned on the vacuum. I had paused and said out loud under the drone of the vacuum “God, I need a drink” – I could tell I was getting close to empty. I threw my head back and opened my mouth waiting for Him for a moment and then stopped, shook my head at my “foolishness” and sat down.
Allen turned off the vacuum and the phone rang immediately. It was Laura (precious missionary friend) calling from Africa (which she RARELY gets to do). As it turned out she had tried two times just moments earlier, but got a busy signal which there was no earthly reason for but if the calls had gone through I would have missed them because of the vacuum. He is so good!
She was calling to encourage me. Share a scarf story (Dyed4you testimony). Help me to understand that my hands made a difference halfway around the world. Wow. I literally got on my face after we hung up and sobbed uncontrollably because of the love of Jesus in that moment through my precious friend who was showing up for a divine appointment she didn’t know she had. I’m tearing up just retyping… He is so faithful. As we walk with Him and trust Him completely He really does everything He promises.
Thank You Lord. Lord, I will put faith “above all” – I’ll make it a priority to work to be like Abraham – a person of strong faith – to be pleasing to You. Thank You for making it clear what You want from us. Thank You for guiding us. Thank You for supporting us. You are GOOD God!
A post by Meghan Williams from MeghanW.com is connected to this. It’s called “What Does Faith Look Like?”
I feel like God’s been showing me our faith is not based on being unwavering in the ways that we typically think of – if it were, we would be in big trouble! God intimately knows our fickle hearts. I sensed Him reminding me of Abraham.
Romans 4:18-22 (AMP) “[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So [numberless] shall your descendants be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or [when he considered] the barrenness of Sarah’s [deadened] womb. No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God, Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised. That is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God).”
But here’s the thing about Abraham… Ishmael.
Genesis 16:2, “And Sarai said to Abram, See here, the Lord has restrained me from bearing [children]. I am asking you to have intercourse with my maid; it may be that I can obtain children by her. And Abram listened to and heeded what Sarai said.”
This word “heeded” is the Hebrew word “shama”, and it implies a certain amount of agreement. On some level, Abraham agreed Sarah. He did after all follow through and Ishmael was born… yet his faith was “credited to him as righteousness.”
I think God looks at our heart – like with everything else. And though we may have moments where we struggle with our thoughts and may even act on those thoughts – He knows are hearts and whether our hearts are in agreement with His and standing in faith. Make no mistake – I’m not saying it’s ok to go do whatever – I’m just saying that in His mercy He extends grace. Grace because I think He understands how much He stretches us sometimes.
For me in our present situation I definitely struggle sometimes with whether or not we’ve heard Him correctly – yet does that mean I am in doubt and lack faith? No. I don’t think so – because we have walked fully aware into what He’s asked us to – fully understanding the cost if we’re wrong, yet we trust Him and step in faith. Understanding we look foolish to the world, but knowing Moses looked foolish as he stood at the Red Sea before it parted and Joshua may have wondered as the priests stood holding the ark as miles of river passed before the Jordan dried in front of them and they were able to cross. Sometimes you have to step out – not fearing looking foolish, pushing past your lack of understanding – and then simply stand.
As for us, we have no back up plan, we’re waiting on Him. This reminds me of a point I noted in “Substance of Faith,” “Finally, part of faith is ‘diligently seeking Him.’ That means not giving up when we don’t understand in our natural minds how He is going to come through. We don’t have to understand… we have to trust!” (Note: this post was written shortly after leaving a full time corporate job for full time ministry. The numbers didn’t add up, and yet well over a decade later and still in full time ministry I can just say unequivocally God is faithful.)
A post by Meghan Williams from MeghanW.com is connected to this. It’s called “The Testing of our Faith.”
We are in a season where so many are having their faith tested. Many are weary and struggling with giving up and losing hope. At moments like this it’s easy to ask God why He allows our faith to be tested.
Tonight in a moment of struggling with my faith He brought me to James 1:3: “…when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”
I was curious what that word endurance meant in the original Greek, which is the word “hypomone.” It means, “steadfastness, constancy, endurance, patient enduring, sustaining, perseverance.” It also specifically said: “In the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.”
Loyal to faith even in “the greatest trials and sufferings.” Suddenly my own tests felt small compared to some seen in the New Testament and as my trials were rightly sized in my mind, peace came as I remembered the Lord has dealt victoriously with far more difficult situations than mine. I thanked God that He is gracious in our little faith hiccups and allowed my faith to be stirred up and my hope restored… He is faithful.
Thank You Lord that You are patient with us as You allow us to be tested. And more so thank You for allowing us to be tested! Even though it is painful – it is good. Thank You for giving opportunities for steadfastness to grow. So again I just say that I believe You at Your word. And I wait as expectantly as I know how for You to fulfill that which You’ve said You will do. To You be the honor and glory!
A Prophetic Nugget from “Daily Downloads from Heaven” by Meghan Williams is connected to this. It’s called “Let Your Actions Declare My Faithfulness.”
Galatians 5:22 (AMP) But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is…faithfulness,
Beloved, I AM forever faithful, setting the example for My children. Allow My Spirit to bring forth faithfulness in you. That you might be focused and singleminded, a picture of loyalty and steadfastness – displaying My character and nature as you reflect Me.
Bear sweet fruit, beloved. You are made in My image, empowered by My Spirit, this character is not beyond your reach. It requires trust in Me – a trust that demonstrates to the world that I AM good and worthy of trust. Your actions will speak far louder than your words ever could, so declare My faithfulness by surrendering your all to Me knowing I AM full of love and worthy of your heart. Be at peace, I will meet you there for I AM good.
James 1:8 (VOICE) The splinter of divided loyalty shatters your compass and leaves you dizzy and confused.
A final Prophetic Nugget from “Daily Downloads from Heaven” by Meghan Williams is connected to this. It’s called “God of the Impossible.”
Numbers 23:19 (VOICE) God is not a man—He doesn’t lie. God isn’t the son of a man to want to take back what He’s said, Or say something and not follow through, or speak and not act on it.
Beloved, am I not God? Refuse to try to contain Me within the confines of your limited understanding, or limit My abilities by the breadth of your imagination. I AM greater than you can understand, and My authority exceeds any expectation.
I AM faithful and I AM good. My Word is bedrock. You cannot manipulate or control Me, but you can trust Me completely. I have perspective you do not, so trust Me to know what is best and trust Me to keep My promises, for I AM the God of the impossible because nothing is impossible with Me.
{artist note} Before I started this piece, I immediately knew it would be the next in my unplanned series of the Fruits of the Spirit. Then I heard “faithfulness.” And as I pressed into that, I saw a cedar tree because cedar roots go down deep so that when winds and storms come, the cedar will not be shaken. Our faith should be like that – we should be so rooted in the Lord that when winds and storms come, we will not be shaken.
As the piece began coming together, I “saw” fruit – and so the saturated cherries were incorporated. It was interesting to discover later that cherries symbolize blessings and goodness coming to you – future happiness. This is the promise of a life of faithfulness. This doesn’t mean a lack of hardship or challenges as much as it does a promise of joy and blessing through it all.
Finally, I sensed cherry blossoms. The cherry blossoms are known to symbolize the fleeting nature of life, which creates an interesting dichotomy with the steadfast nature of the cedar, but I believe they represent ‘suddenlies’ – how God will seem to tarry in bringing His promises to pass and then does them quickly. To quote a Daily Download, “Beloved, often when I bring increase it comes swiftly and unexpectedly. Though the vision may seem to tarry, it tarries not, for I will bring it to its fullness in due season. So be prepared to wait patiently but expectantly just to see Me move suddenly.”
Father, we believe but help us in our unbelief. Thank You for Your faithfulness, a model of steadfastness for us to follow. May we trust You without wavering. May we be at peace as we wait on the fulfillment of Your promises. And may our faith always testify of Your goodness.
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