Test Positive For Faith
I hear so many people feeling down, depressed, scared, hopeless, and burdened. It is no wonder if we turn on the news. I say, all the time, how thankful I am for my commitment to God to write a blog five days a week because I have to be in His Word daily. I have never been so thankful for Him putting something so big on me. Honestly, I do not know how I would do this life right now without His encouragement. Turn off the news, put down the screens, and read the REAL news, the GOOD News! On Facebook, I saw a post that said, "Make sure you test positive for faith. Keep your distance from doubt, and isolate yourself from fear. Trust in God through it all!"
David knew about fear! He faced attacks from wild animals as a boy, and he faced Goliath, the giant, as a young man, and the armies of Israel’s enemies. He faced the wrath of King Saul, who wanted him to be eliminated. In every situation, David found that when he trusted God, his trust took his fears away. Psalm 27:1-3, "The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident."
David sees God as his Light, his Salvation, and his Stronghold! Light represents all that is pure, right, and just. He is The Light in this fallen dark world. Through our salvation, even when it seems that evil is winning, the Bible declares that evil will not succeed. There will come a day of no more sin or death! The definition of stronghold is "a place that has been fortified so as to protect it against attack." God is our Shelter and our Protector.
As Pine Valley United Methodist Church Pastor Tim says, we are in a spiritual battle, which makes us feel vulnerable. Remember, we are not fighting these battles alone! Or with our own strength. David praises God for this in Psalm 144:1-2. "Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold, and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me." Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us to wear a six-piece armor that is our spiritual defense against the enemy. While the Armor of God may be invisible, it is real and better than any military equipment. Even better than the Armor on the stage of the CLC!
You may not be feeling discouraged right now, and that is great, but we all feel it at some time. We will all face tribulation. That is Biblical. John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Read that again, "But take heart! I have overcome the world!" When we go to God, He gives us the right perspective on life. When we hear the news, and it is all negative, we need to say out loud, so we can hear it, "I trust YOU, God.” God is in charge. Don’t trust the news - trust God! As we trust in God, He will light our path and provide everything we need. Let's not focus on our problems but our Problem Solver! He will give us strength and take away our fears.
As we heard Sunday, the enemy uses pride and worry. But we can fight pride and worry with humility and trust! Satan loves to use fake news, making us doubt who we are and Whose we are. The devil doesn’t come dressed in a red cape and pointy horns. He comes as things you have wished for; he uses people, Hollywood, and even the church! We must pray for wisdom and discernment. We must be in the Good News, the real news! Sunday, we read Psalm 139:14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” That is who we are! We sang Sunday, “I am who You say I am!” I loved the quote Pastor Tim shared and came up with himself! “We are made for good stuff because we are made of God stuff!
Pray for signs of hope and victory and remember, "Make sure you test positive for faith. Keep your distance from doubt, and isolate yourself from fear. Trust in God through it all!" Be the kind of Christian that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says, “Oh no, they’re up!”