• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Display Search Bar
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Facebook Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Twitter Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Pinterest Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Instagram Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on YouTube Follow 5 Minutes For Mom via RSS

5 Minutes for Mom

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Course
      • Breakfast and Brunch
      • Snack
      • Lunch
      • Appetizer
      • Dinner
      • Dessert
    • Ingredient
      • Apple
      • Beef
      • Blueberry
      • Chicken
      • Chocolate
      • Cranberry
      • Peach
      • Pumpkin
      • Squash
      • Strawberry
      • Tomato
      • Vegetables
      • Zucchini
    • Method
      • Air Fryer
      • Baking
      • Grilling
      • Instant Pot
      • No Bake
      • One Dish
      • Slow Cooker
    • Type
      • Breads and Rolls
      • Cakes and Muffins
      • Condiments
      • Cookies and Bars
      • Drinks
      • Food for Kids
      • Gluten-Free
      • Main Dish
      • Pies and Crisps
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches and Wraps
      • Side Dishes
      • Smoothies
      • Soup
  • Crafts & DIY
    • Crafts
    • DIY
    • Kids Crafts
    • Printables
    • Scrapbooking
    • Sewing
  • Family Life
    • Giveaways
    • Lifestyle
    • Marriage
    • Motherhood
    • Parenting
    • Pet Care
    • Special Needs
    • Time Management
    • Travel
  • Holidays
    • New Year’s
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Mother’s Day
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas

Living Beyond Yourself – Week 8

May 19, 2006 by Janice

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

ShareTweetPinPocketMail

Does faith come easily to you?

Well, I suppose we would have to first start with, “Do you have faith and in what or whom do you have that faith?”

I imagine if we polled the world, we would get some interesting answers to that question. (Please feel free to leave me your answers in a comment.)

As you have gotten to know me in this blog, you have probably noticed that I am a fearful person. I worry a lot. Gosh – I even have a diagnosed anxiety disorder.

But I have a firm faith that keeps me from going under. I believe in the one and only God of the Bible and that He has saved me and anyone who calls out to Him through the life and resurrection of Christ. I believe that God is good and merciful. And I believe He is faithful in His promises.

“The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.” Psalm 145:13

For me, this foundation of faith is so concrete that it cannot be torn up. Satan will try and get me going with doubts, questions, fears and concerns, but ultimately I have committed to this faith and I am safe in it. And ladies – I am so very, very grateful for it.

Without that bedrock of faith, I would be subject to the twists and turns of this world and all the terrifying things that my mind conjures up. But no matter how far down that road I let myself wander, I cannot be lost because this faith is not going anywhere and I will choose it again and again. I will cling to it and I will not give it up.

But this faith does not mean life will be easy…

Nor does my faith mean that I will understand what is going on around me. But this faith allows me to trust in God and His mercy and promises.

In Beth Moore’s look at faithfulness, the seventh quality of the fruit of the Spirit, she begins by establishing that faithfulness is believing in the reality of a sovereign God. She says:

“Faithfulness is resting in His certainty, being persuaded by his honesty, trusting in His reality, being won over by His veracity…being sure that He’s sure and believing He’s worth believing.”

What kind of faith do you have?

I have seen two different approaches to God and faith. One leads to disappointment and despair and the other to peace and deliverance. Beth describes them in this week’s study…

“Faith based on what God does.”

Now this belief system is not dangerous because God doesn’t do wonderful things. He does. But inevitably life will bring hardship, pain and trials that we will not want.

As God says in Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” We will not agree or understand with many things that happen in this world. And if our faith in God is determined by our understanding of what God should do, then we will be in trouble.

“Faith based on who God is.”

Beth says, “Genuine faith walks steadfastly with God for the pleasure of His company not for His results.” Another old saying is, “Love the Giver not the gifts.”

Does your child love you only for the presents you give him? Every time you tell him “no” and discipline him, does he stop loving you? Well perhaps some children might, but we would hope that our history of love and protection of our child will have given them a foundation of faith in us and of love for us. So whether of not we have candy in our hand, they still want to be with us because they simply love and trust us.

I trust God. I love Him. And I believe in Him. When I am questioning the agonies of this world and the cruelty of man, I don’t have to fear losing my faith in Him. I have secured my faith in who He is. And for every bit of mercy or compassion I have toward the lost or the suffering, I know that He has more. He is the source of mercy, love and compassion. I may be tempted to wonder and doubt, but I will not give in. I know that He is trustworthy and I can have faith in Him.

But it takes faith…

So often I just wish God would make it all clear. Just show the world who He is. Let them see sin and evil for what it is. Let everyone know that He is the very source of mercy.

But he doesn’t. He requires “belief.”

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

Beth says that he leaves some questions unanswered to force the issue of faith.

It may frustrate me sometimes, but it will not erode my faith in God. I need to believe in what I cannot see. That is part of the requirement.

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

Now fight the good fight…

This is not going to be easy! We are going to have doubts, fears and trials. We are going to question and weep. But we have the Holy Spirit to keep us from giving up.

Just as I was typing that I thought of the disciples and their before/after transformation. They were terrified and scattered like sheep as Christ faced his death. But after He had equipped them with the Holy Spirit they went on to spread the gospel and die as martyrs. They had the Holy Spirit filling them with faithfulness.

And we have it too – thank God! This ability to trust in God despite the worst Satan can hurl at us is not from us. We don’t have to be somehow miraculously strong enough to conjure it up. No, it is from God and He promises it us.

To quote Beth again,

“The supernatural ability to believe God is immediately activated the moment we are filled by the Holy Spirit.”

We are equipped with the “shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:16)

And so we can go forward in faith.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Dear God,
Thank you for who you are and that in faith I can rest in you and your promises. Through your Holy Spirit, strengthen me when doubts, fears and trials threaten. Empower me to fight the good fight and bring me to the finish line with my faith intact. And thank you Lord for your mercy on me – a sinner. Thank you so very much.

Addie Heather* Carol
M Rach Jeana
Jenn Amanda MamaB
GiBee Boomama Maria
Blair Heather Nancy
Janna Flipflop Robin
Sherry Patricia Tara
Lauren HolyMama! Faith
Christy Eph2810 Karin
Leann Rachel Janice

This is a list of the women participating in the study and the links
to their blogs. New postings on the study will be published for
the next ten weeks, between Friday 8pm – Saturday 8am.
Please feel free to visit each of us and comment. Everyone is
welcome to participate in this discussion as we seek to live
beyond ourselves. May God bless you richly from the hearing of
His Word.

Technorati Tags: Christianity, Bible, Religion, Beth Moore

ShareTweetPinPocketMail
Moms Get Paid To Blog
I’m Back…

About Janice

Janice is co-founder of 5 Minutes For Mom. She's been working online since 2003 and is thankful her days are full of social media, writing and photography.

Reader Interactions


Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

8 Comments

  1. Maria says

    May 24, 2006 at 7:39 pm

    so eleoquent ~ fear is something I battle with daily, almost hourly sometimes. But Faith does set us free!

    Reply
  2. Patricia says

    May 23, 2006 at 3:27 pm

    Excellent, Janice! I suspect that fear is a common thread that our enemy uses to bind us – but the faith we have that comes from hearing God’s Word will always set us free! Love ~ Patricia

    Reply
  3. Nancy says

    May 21, 2006 at 2:45 pm

    The child presents analogy really struck a chord with me. I wonder if it works the other way as well. My mother insists on giving the kids a gift every time she sees them. I’ll admit that this is not all that often, but still, it bothers me. I have voiced my feelings to her, but she says that it is her prerogitive. If it were me, I would be less than thrilled if the first thing my grandchildren said was, “What did you bring me?” I have done my best to get them not to ask, but honestly, it has become an unspoken expectation. Can you imagine if that was the first thing we said to God each day?

    Anyway, Janice, your whole post was wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  4. Blair says

    May 20, 2006 at 5:05 pm

    Thank you Janice – this was lovely!

    “Does your child love you only for the presents you give him?”

    I particularly loved this question – so simple and yet so powerful a reminder! God is amazing. I love watching what He’s doing in each of our lives. You have a gift – thank you for sharing it with us!

    Reply
  5. eph2810 says

    May 20, 2006 at 3:30 pm

    Another wonderful post :smile:. You have put my thoughts much more eloquent than I did. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

    Reply
  6. Carol says

    May 20, 2006 at 7:38 am

    I could so relate to Beth’s words on fear this week. Especially those things she talks about in Day 4.

    Thank you for posting this today!

    Reply
  7. boomama says

    May 20, 2006 at 6:47 am

    Thanks, Susan, for posting – so much good stuff to think about here! And Janice, I completely related to this: “Satan will try and get me going with doubts, questions, fears and concerns, but ultimately I have committed to this faith and I am safe in it.” I have a feeling that you and I could talk for an hour or nine about that. I can’t tell you how much it encourages me to know that someone else has the same struggle – and that you too choose faith, not fear. I think I’m going to re-read your post now. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Susan says

    May 19, 2006 at 9:58 pm

    Hi Everyone,

    This is Susan here… I just wanted to let all the Bible Study ladies know that Janice is away this weekend and so she won’t be able to comment on your entries until Tuesday. I have just published this post for her.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Bringing Moms Together

We are Janice and Susan, twin bloggers and work-at-home moms. We're here to inspire, encourage & empower you.

Meet Us…

Work With Us…

Subscribe via Email

to be first to read new posts

Trending Now

Valentine Pretzels – How to Make Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Valentine Pretzels – How to Make Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Raspberry Coulis – How To Make Raspberry Sauce

Raspberry Coulis – How To Make Raspberry Sauce

Among Us Costumes – How To Make Pretty DIY Among Us Cosplay Outfits

Among Us Costumes – How To Make Pretty DIY Among Us Cosplay Outfits

Oven Roasted Potatoes and Peppers Recipe

Oven Roasted Potatoes and Peppers Recipe

browse around

  • Posts by Susan
  • Posts by Janice
  • Favorite Recipes
  • Favorite Crafts
  • Giveaways
  • All Posts

Footer

Recipes

Valentine Pretzels – How to Make Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Valentine Pretzels – How to Make Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Good Morning Breakfast Smoothie Recipes

Good Morning Breakfast Smoothie Recipes

Raspberry Coulis – How To Make Raspberry Sauce

Raspberry Coulis – How To Make Raspberry Sauce

Crafts/DIY

Animal Ears – How to Make an Easy No Sew Animal Ears Headband

Animal Ears – How to Make an Easy No Sew Animal Ears Headband

Free Halloween Printables For Kids

Free Halloween Printables For Kids

Easy Cat Costume – How To Make A Gorgeous Black Cat Costume

Easy Cat Costume – How To Make A Gorgeous Black Cat Costume

Giveaways

Valentine’s Day Gifts For Mom

Valentine’s Day Gifts For Mom

School Supplies List and Back to School Shopping Guide

School Supplies List and Back to School Shopping Guide

REDEEMING LOVE Set to Strike Gold on the Big Screen #RedeemingLoveMovie

REDEEMING LOVE Set to Strike Gold on the Big Screen #RedeemingLoveMovie

Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Facebook Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Twitter Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Pinterest Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Instagram Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on YouTube Follow 5 Minutes For Mom via RSS
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with Us
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2023 5 Minutes for MomTheme by Melissa Rose Design and Once Coupled