Living God’s Will…
Friends, there is a peace to be found in this faith. Think of it… aren’t there times when we think, if only I didn’t have to figure this all out myself? If only I could do it this way? If only I….you fill in the rest. Who’s putting that pressure on you? Family, friends, not necessarily… yourself – more likely…Satan most definitely.
There were many times in my life where I put the pressure on myself (for reference, read my testimony page). I needed to find a way to do this, I was the man of the house, the bread-winner. I could take care of everything, I’ll juggle the finances to make sure we have what we need. This plan was going fine, I thought, but I wasn’t really using my abilities to forward God’s plan. Then, God had enough, he was going to test me, test my faith. He threw a major illness into the “plan” to see how strong my faith was. Shaken? You better believe it! Learn from it? Over a period of almost 15 years, most definitely. You see, thank you God, I did have faith, maybe not the strong faith of someone like Abraham, Daniel or the Apostle Paul, but faith was there. He gave me much insight into His mighty power over those years and also put many angels in my path along the way, but eventually that faith has become rock solid. Did I stumble and fall along the way? Most definitely! Almost to the point of destruction, but my faith saved me. My surrender to Jesus Christ and to the will of God over my will is what really mattered.
I’ve found that by getting closer to God, praying, reading the word, worshipping, I’ve learned how to, how’s that phrase go, “Let go and let God”. He will take the burden off if you let Him. He will carry the load… if you let Him. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest….For my yoke is easy to bear and the burden I give you is light.”: Matthew 11:28 & 30.
Just look back into time in the Bible, look at how many times Israel and her leaders tried to do things themself. They were fine as long as they kept their eyes on God, but whenever they took their eyes off him and tried controlling things as man, they fell apart and several times God was about to destroy them forever, until they begged and prayed for forgiveness. And God in his almighty power always forgave and picked them back up. The same hold true for us today. God is always there, He always forgives as long as we keep our eyes on Him and we believe that we were saved by the precious blood of Jesus. In the New Testament there are so many great examples of the power of faith. Many times Jesus performed healing miracles because of someones faith.
Matthew 9: 2-8 Jesus heals the paralytic – 2 Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” 4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . .” Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 And the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.
Mark 5:25-34: 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
When we lose our faith we begin to live in fear and anxiety, and when we live in fear, we are leaving openings for the devil to work. He loves fear because fear brings doubt, and doubt clouds decisions and clouds our view of God.
Look at Peter in the New Testament during the storm!
Matthew 14:28-31: 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
This is something to pay attention to, work to strengthen your faith! It will give you a peace that will enable you to withstand anything this world will send at you! When you have faith and stop controlling, you start to see more clearly the plan God has for you, you stop living in the “you” and start living in the “He”. This is what He wants for us, let Him work his plan. If we keep our faith and we pray and give worship to Him, he guides us to the right path.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
His peace is the peace that I wish for everyone, for with His peace we can become more like Jesus. His peace makes us so much more Christ-like, we are slower to anger, more compassionate to others and we are fulfilling our mission of bringing the message of the Word to life through our actions.
May Christ’s peace come over you in this coming week and may it be a beacon of His love and example to others you meet. God bless you!
thecatholicdropout 