Living by faith, not sight.

I always read the little messages that churches put on their signs because they are either entertaining or have good advice. Right now, my family is in a state of unsurity. We are looking at a change that will have serious impact on us and, although I feel it is the right thing and God's will, I still have the "what ifs".  I am praying that this post will help me to get past those "what ifs" and some other concerns I have.

Every day I pass a church sign that has had 2 Corinthians 5:7 up for a while.

For we live by faith, not by sight.

I know that it has been up for so long because God is using it as a message for, at least, myself. This scripture gives me two immediate messages, the first is that worrying about our worldly things such as bills, homes, vehicles, etc is living by sight; I am focusing on the things that keep popping up in my face daily and can be used to come between God and myself. These are the things that we each see every day over and over and we must learn to put them in their place, which is in God's hands. 

The other clear message is that I need to let God show me how to live by faith. Which is to believe that He will provide a way and means to make things happen. If I let Him drive then anything in life He desires to bless us with will happen. All doors will open and all hindrances, will be removed. It is just a matter of not only having, but keeping the faith that He not only can, but wants to bless my family and all I have to do is allow Him. 

It is hard to comprehend, sometimes, to get past the "The only one you can truly count on is yourself" philosophy and get into the "The only one you can truly count on is God" philosophy, but that is the correct mentality. Counting on myself will still cause me to be let down, I am not perfect and cannot see every ramification of each action I take, God can. Letting Him lead and counting on Him, will let all details work themselves out to the best, according to His will.

'But I have no right to expect God to solve all of my problems (financial, residential, emotional, etc)." 
That is true, but what we do have is a God that loves us and wants to do this. All we have to do is believe in Him, follow His ways, and accept His son as our saviour. Matthew 10:29 - 31 lets us know that nothing in our lives is to minor for God. 

Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

If He knows and cares about each time a sparrow falls or something as minute as the number of hairs on our head, for some us He doesn't have to count that high. What gives us the right to think our finances, jobs, or anything else should not matter to Him. Through grace our concerns become His concerns and there is nothing too big or too small. 

I just want to thank God for the any changes we are about to undertake because they are His will and pray that He will give me the wisdom and courage to serve Him and do His will both publicly and privately in my life. 

Romans 8

We all have struggles and hard times during our lives. We even see this during points when there should be no financial or other reasons. What causes us to have to work so hard when there should be no struggle? We should look spiritually. Most people do not equate spiritual well-being with the other parts of our lives,even Christians will overlook this aspect.  We,as humans, get focused on the earthly things and try to measure our successes and failures on this. 

Romans 8:1 KJV

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

This one verse says quite a bit to me.  Who is our harshest judge? Is it the spouse, the boss, or our friends or family? No it is ourselves.  We have to learn that as long as we are trying to live as we should we need to let go of our personal condemnation of ourselves and accept God's forgiveness on ourselves. Once we can let go of our own judgements on ourselves it will be easier to let go of others judgements and realize there is really only one that is able to make a judgement on us and He has forgiven us our mistakes. 

This will open the door to His blessings that nothing can interfere with. We will see all of our"problems" fade away and be replaced with good. We just have to let go of our way of thought that success and failure are achieved through world.

Romans 8:1-39 KJV

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.