“Without the element of the unknown, there could be no faith.”

A thought by Andy Stanley from his book, Fields of Gold (Kindle Locations 99-100). Kindle Edition.

There are so many different tools that Satan uses in his desire to get at God through us. He knows he can keep us from stepping out and risking because of our fear in the unknown.

Now one of the best areas that can open up God’s blessing on our lives is through giving, giving to Him and giving to other people. But it is also a great area for Satan to use fear and He does it all the time. He doesn’t want you to be blessed and your faith strengthened by giving so he sets up all these roadblocks of fear that keep you from giving.

Giving is something you do out of faith. And fear is the antithesis of faith. It is faith’s enemy.

For instance, you believe it is the right thing to give to a person who is in need then everything starts going wrong in your life. It isn’t just one thing but compounded things. Satan then in your mind says that if you wouldn’t have given then all this bad wouldn’t happen. And because you verbalize your thoughts and internalized the belief, the next time God sends a need your way, Satan brings up that incident and fear wins and faith loses.

That is the way He works. But if you realize that the thought is from Satan and not verbalize the negative fearful thought but say that I’m going to give because that is what God would do and He will take care of my needs then Satan will have failed. God then will be able to reward you because of your giving and your faith in Him will be strengthened.

If you will learn this lesson then your life will lose a lot of the stress and the worry that robs you of your health and your joy. Counteract the roadblocks of fear that Satan sets in your path by putting your faith and trust in God and His principles and His Word.

You face the unknown either by Satan’s fear or faith in God. Also understand that faith is not easy. There is always an unknown to it but there is also a great reward.

So which voice are you going to listen to, fear or faith?

Comments

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life. It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed. Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life. Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you. You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good. Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because G...

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident. In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose. In other words you are not an accident. I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth. In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man. And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ” Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like? Like that characteristic is a curse or something. Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God. Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Je...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog