God’s goals for us are
always greater than ours. If God were to give us what we want every time we
wanted it, it would be similar to a lazy parent giving in to their child’s
constant demands of “gimee, gimee” because they don’t want to be bothered with
the difficult task of teaching what’s correct and better. This is not
responsible parenting. God always parents us out of His great love for us. He ALWAYS does what’s best for us because He's ALWAYS our most faithful and responsible parent.
Delayed gratification is
difficult for many of us. We want things
to happen immediately, but the Word teaches us to wait upon the Lord for His
perfect timing. When we insist that our way is better, and our timing is more
perfect than God’s, we’re simply delaying the very thing we’re seeking. Only by
growing in spiritual maturity can we later see our selfish desires were the
product of our immature heart.
If we build up our faith to
know God’s true nature—that He takes care of those who are faithful to love and
serve Him, we’ll not be inclined towards unbelief when we don’t see what we
asked for immediately. Remaining in faith builds up our endurance. A steady
faith in a good God who provides for His children keeps us in perfect peace.
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are
steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3).
God is trustworthy and He
doesn’t lie. So everything He says to us in His Word can be trusted to be true.
Steadfast faith is empowering faith, and it enables us to be confident about
our future.
If you’ve been a Christian
for many years, but still operate out of worry and fear, it may be that you’ve
not “built up” your faith by remaining in and having confidence in God’s Word.
Practical actions to increase your faith
1.
Study consistently. Don’t quickly read through the Word of God. Study goes
beyond reading a few minutes of devotional material. Christians are to meditate
on God’s Word. Only then will it begin to strengthen you and make you steady.
2.
Surround yourself with the people of God and spend less time with
worldly people. Much of what comes out of unbelievers’ mouths will influence
you negatively and decrease your faith, not increase it. Solomon advised that
we must be careful of our associations. We’re to avoid fools at all cost, lest
they influence us negatively. Non-believers operate out of foolish motives for
they don’t possess the wisdom of God.
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the
wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but
his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and
night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in
its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The
wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the
wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 1:1-6, ESV).
3.
Immerse yourself in prayer to God. Ask Him for the things that
you know line up with His will. Reading the Word gets you familiar with what He
wants for you. This is the will of God for your life. Asking rightly will bring
you the right things.
“I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from
all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).
Taken from my book "DON'T BE A WORRY WART" by Lilliet Garrison on Amazon. Here's the link to my books: http://www.amazon.com/Lilliet-Garrison/e/B004H28MCU