From Faith to Faith: You Are Not Alone

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:8

As believers in Christ, we are all on a faith journey of some sort. Faith is not just equivalent to moving to a new place. It takes faith to obey God, period. It takes faith to quit your job, when you want to stay. It takes faith to stay at your job, when you want to quit. It takes faith to open your home up for a stranger to stay. It takes faith to stay at school, when you want to quit. It takes faith to quit school, when you want to stay. It takes faith to give someone your all, when you have no future provision in sight. It takes faith to start a ministry, when you feel inadequate. It takes faith to accept an offer for an unpaid internship, when you have no other source of income. It takes faith to believe in God, even though you cannot see Him.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9
 

There's one thing that the enemy of our soul will try to convince us of, time and time again, and that is that we are alone in this journey of faith. That somehow God has forgotten about us, especially when we are going through tests and trials & God is requiring us to rise up to a new level of faith in Him. Of course that is an absolute lie and Scriptures like Deuteronomy 31:8 & Matthew 28:20 prove this. When we are experiencing tough times though it's easier for us to believe the devil's lies. It can seem like our problems are drowning us and instead of remembering that God is greater than all (John 10:29) and gets glory out of our suffering (2 Corinthians 12:9-10), we fall right into the trap of the enemy (1 Peter 5:8). He will make us feel as if we are longer loved by God, which often times causes us to spend less and less time with Him. We suffer in silence and at times shy away from the brethren as well.The devil loves to get us by ourselves and fill our minds with his lies, which is why it is so important that we have community and fellowship with other believers.

 "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

 Hebrews 10:24-25 

You are not the only one of the faith who is being tested and tried, we all are, and it's through fellowship that we can encourage and keep each other accountable. It's through those times of gathering together that we are able to confess our sins, worries, fears, etc. and pray with one another to overcome (James 5:16). There is strength in numbers and the enemy knows that (Ecclesiastes 4:9).

Another truth is that Jesus Christ died so that you could enter a relationship with God. He  serves as a mediator (1 Timothy 2:5-6) between The Father and us. Jesus also has left us with the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). So if you have accepted and confessed Jesus Christ, as your Lord & Savior, you have a constant companion in the form of the Holy Spirit. No matter how much the enemy tries to make you feel alone, you are not!!!

I was spending time with The Lord last week and He led me to Hebrews 12:1-2:

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 12:1-2

He reminded me of all the wonderful people of faith in the Bible, which are the great cloud of witnesses, who can attest to the Lord's faithfulness. Sometimes we may feel like what God is asking of us is too much, but Hebrews 11 lists at least 16 different people who were recognized because of their faith in God and saw Him come through in mighty ways. I like to believe that they are in heaven cheering us on and in anticipation of seeing God's faithfulness in action once again. For some reason that passage brought me so much comfort and helped me gain the right perspective on my situation. My eyes went from my situation back to The Lord and peace flooded my heart and mind. I am not in this alone; you are not in this alone. God has gone before us and given us a written account of others who ran their race and endured until the end. As we walk & live by faith we too are able to attest to His faithfulness and encourage others around us to do the same. The same God who provided a ram for Abraham to sacrifice instead of His son Isaac, the same God that led the Israelites out of Egypt, and the same God who spared Daniel from the lions den, is the same God that is fighting for us today. He is the same and never changes. 

 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Hebrews 13:8

Keep running your race

Keep listening for God's instructions

Keep obeying Him

Keep believing that God is able

He is with you

God is for you & not against you!!!! 

******LIFE UPDATE******

I'm currently working in Hawaii this week and it's been amazing to wake up and spend time with God outside by the beach. He's really been faithful, which brings me to my latest update!!! I have great news to share with you all!!! If you read my first blog, in the faith to faith series, you should remember that I didn't know exactly where I was headed; I just knew God had said Texas. Well while I was at home for Thanksgiving I really took a few days to seek The Lord, fast, pray, and just sit in His presence. Well after Day 1 The Lord revealed to me that He wanted me to move to Fort Worth, Texas and on Day 2 confirmed that was where I needed to be. He also put it on my heart to reach out to a female cousin of mine, who ironically lives in Forth Worth. So the day after Thanksgiving I sent her a message on Facebook, but never heard back from her. I could tell she had saw the message and I started to believe that I had somehow missed God. Every time I brought up my living situation, in my quiet time, He would say you are staying with your cousin. This whole time I have been wanting to reach out to her and make sure she really got the message, but God would impress upon my heart:

 Just be still and wait patiently for me to act. Let me show you how Sovereign I truly am. I work in a realm that you know nothing about and cannot see. You have to walk by FAITH and not by sight!!

 So when people asked I just started saying I'm staying with my cousin, as an act of faith. Well I woke up this morning, the 17th of December, to a message from her saying that I am always welcome in her home!!! I've been dancing all morning. God is so faithful and will do exactly what He said He would do!!!! It feels great to know that it was God that opened this door and not of my own doing!!! There are still other components of my move that need to come together, but honestly I KNOW that God will come through!!! My confidence is in Him and who He is...NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE!!!

If you are waiting on anything from The Lord just know that a delay is not always a denial.

 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Psalm 27:14

 God will reward your obedience and get the glory He deserves if you trust Him!! No storm lasts forever and He is with you in the midst of everything that you face!!! Keep your eyes on Him, from which your help comes from (Psalm 121:1-2)!!

Here's a beautiful song by Travis Greene about the blood of Jesus & keeping our eyes on Jesus!! Enjoy :)

Until next time,

Cierra 
xoxo

                                                                             

My quiet time spot in Hawaii :)

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