Where’s the Faith? Part Two

In my last blog, “Where’s the Faith?” I confessed a crisis of faith and literally worked through it as I was writing the post. I guess that’s why they say writing is cathartic. I laid out for you how my brother in law, Joel, insightfully told me that my lack of faith wasn’t in God, but myself and he gave me Moses as an example. As I read the Moses and Pharaoh account for the umpteenth time, I was struck by something that I’d never plucked out of the Scriptures before. To paraphrase, Moses was informing God that He had chosen the wrong guy to approach Pharaoh about releasing the Israelites. He asked God, “Who am I…?” and God didn’t respond by saying who Moses was; He replied by saying something about who He is. “I will be with you.” It’s a promise and character trait about Himself. As He’s told us, He will never leave, nor forsake us. That’s what He told Moses. So, this led me to the conclusion that I shouldn’t be concerned about confidence in myself. It’s all about confidence in God; confidence in who He is, what He’s done and what He’s promised to do. I can read the Bible for these things, but I can also reflect on my own life and see miracles He’s done. The same God who performed these miracles for me, saving the life of my child and healing another child, also loves me enough to provide day to day for them and me. God has done miracles for you, too. Your next breath, yes, that very one right there and that one and that one, those are all miracles. Every child you’ve ever conceived and birthed is a miracle. Every shooting star you’ve seen is a miracle. That hole in one last fall on number 9 was definitely a miracle. But if you still aren’t convinced, I’m going to outline for you through the Scriptures why you can release all of your self-confidence issues and count completely on God.

A quick rundown: God created you. God loves you.  *God adopted you.  God backs you up. God provides for you. Now one by one.

1. God created you. Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Psalm 139:13, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” ³¹ Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”  God was pleased with His handiwork and that includes you and me.
2. God loves you. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  You and I are the world that He loved so much to send His Perfect Son here to suffer for, die and save. Who do you love that much? “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
3. God adopted you. This one is tagged with a * because it is conditional upon you accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Ephesians 1:4-5, “In love ⁵he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ…”  Galatians 3:26, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus…” The cool thing about being adopted is that an adopted child is chosen. We are God’s adopted kids and any good father will take care of his kids. I’m reminded of the scene from Cinderella Man in which Russell Crowe’s character, a depression era dirt poor boxer, is about to eat a piece of bologna for his breakfast. That’s it; one piece of bologna was the only thing on his plate and his toddler age son says he’s still hungry and wanted to know if he could have his dad’s bologna. Crowe, obviously starving, looks down at the plate, then looks at his son and says, “I’m not real hungry. You take it.” (paraphrased) That’s a good father, but God owns everything and can give and take as He pleases. As a great Father He will provide for His children.
4. God backs you up. Romans 8:31-32, ”If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” God is for us! He’s got our back and nothing can stop Him, except us. He wants us to succeed. We have to show up and allow Him to work through us.
5. God provides for you. Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”.  Maybe the reason we sometimes get down on God is because we have lost sight of the definition of “need”. Cable TV, a 3000 square foot house and your daily Starbucks are not needs. Psalm 111:5, “He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.” And my favorite of all, “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:28-33. God knows what we “need” and when we put Him first, we will have all we need.

That’s it, my 5 step plan for all of your self-confidence issues and your worries over providing for your family. No need to rush out and buy the latest and greatest self-help book. The best self-help book ever written was the Bible and in it you will learn that your help comes from the Lord. Amen, brother. (That was me amen-ing myself).