What Happened to My Faith?

I believe in Jesus.

I know God loves me.

But I have situations and problems…now what?

Christians have been made to feel so condemned because they have long-standing problems and trials. They’ve been made to feel like something is wrong with them and that’s the reason why they are sick or have financial struggles or relationship challenges.

Please hear me clearly, I am not justifying the problems that you have in your life. God did not send those issues that you have, neither is God trying to teach you something through them.

The Bible says that those who believe in Jesus will not come into judgment.

""Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." - John 5:24 NKJV

Paul also writes in Romans 8 that those who are in Christ are not in condemnation but rather they have been justified by God.

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." - Romans 8:1 NKJV

"Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." - Romans 8:33-34 NKJV

There are a plethora of verses in the Bible that make it clear that Jesus’ sacrifice means life and freedom for us. God is not trying to punish us or teach us anything through trials and tribulations.

But should those situations arise, you will have a choice. Will you handle them in faith or in unbelief?

What does faith look like?

There are believers who have so many blessings in their lives and more than anyone could wish for but they won't lift a finger to praise God—that’s little to no faith.

Then there are believers who have been persecuted and even suffered great loss but they are loving the Lord and ministering to Him—that’s great faith.

Faith isn’t always about me getting the outcome that I want.

Faith is my unwavering conviction that God is good, God is holy and God loves me.

When I’m “not” handling the difficult situation in faith what does that look like?

It looks like self-pity, murmuring, complaining, bad attitude, anger, cold personality, accusation, and sarcasm. All these traits are signs that a believer is not facing their problem in faith.

Do I believe that there will come a time when every sick person will be healed, every prayer answered and every broken person restored? Yes, I do. The writer of Hebrews invites us to go on to perfection (Hebrews 6:1). In Ephesians, Paul speaks of “full redemption.” However, until we experience that, we are to continually walk in faith and not lose our hope. Faith is a heart crying out, “I still believe.”

When I am processing the situation through faith what does that look like?

It looks like exercising patience, joy, praise, thanksgiving, worship, praise, ministry, speaking the Word and advancing the kingdom.

Is it truly possible to have joy when trials come our way? Yes, when we are full of the Holy Spirit and we realize that the trying of faith is actually working “patience.”

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." - James 1:2-4 NKJV

Abraham, the father of faith, came to a point in his life where there was no longer any reason to hope that he would receive what was promised to him by God. However, the Scriptures says about Abraham:

"He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God," - Romans 4:20 NKJV

Wow, Abraham became strong in faith by choosing to praise God even when his situation looked hopeless.

Paul is someone in the Bible who knew a lot about trials and tribulations. He also wrote almost two-thirds of the New Testament and has been instrumental in teaching the believer about the glories of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul gives us his own account of what he had suffered and why he wasn’t the least bit put down by it.

Read this passage of Scripture with me:

"We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-- always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:8-18 NKJV

There’s so much good stuff Paul outlines in the above passage but here’s one thing I want you to take away—when you chose to look at the eternal things, the unseen things, then what seems like a problematic situation is working for you “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” That’s how we can all face our adverse situations in faith, by looking to those things that are eternal, invisible and everlasting.