But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 New International Version
Welcome…The title of this blog is “Diligently seeking…” and it is my earnest prayer that you will diligently seek God, knowing that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Faith
“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).”
It is often hard to keep the faith when the things around you seem to provide evidence to the contrary. It is difficult to “walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7 New King James Version),” but it is in adversity where faith is tested. It is in our struggles that we learn to lean completely on Him the supplier of all of our needs. It is in the tough times that we may come to realize that of all our needs, our greatest need is Him and He will use our trials, struggles, and sufferings to draw us closer to Him. So no matter what is going on around you, always try to find out what God is trying to teach you or create in you. It is also important to know that sometimes the lessons learned are not only for you, but for you to share with others. That is one of the reasons for this blog. In the Bible, God has given us many examples of how He has used adversity to accomplish great things in and through often very ordinary people.
The story of Joseph is one such example. Joseph in Genesis 37-50 learned, and we can too, how God can use all our trials, struggles, and sufferings to benefit ourselves and others, and in the process honor and glorify Him. Joseph was given a vision of what would be his future in Genesis 37. We too are often given a vision for what we believe is God’s plan for our lives or the lives of those we love, but we must learn as Joseph did that sometimes the“vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming” we must realize that we should “wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed (Habakkuk 2:3 New Living Translation).” It must have been difficult for Joseph to have kept his faith when he faced the betrayal of his siblings first throwing him into a pit and then selling him to the Midianites, then being sold as a slave in Egypt, then being falsely accused, and then finally being thrown into prison. Ultimately, however, all of these circumstances ultimately led to the fulfillment of the vision he was given and he rose to be the second in command under the Pharaoh. It was because of this position that he was able to save the lives of his family and many others.
It is hard to keep faith when we hear that the tests show the cancer is not responding to the treatment, our child is still struggling with drugs, our spouse has contacted a divorce attorney, or any number of situations where things seem hopeless, but it is often here that our faith is being tested. If we continue in faith at times like this then like Joseph we too can learn what the enemy intended for our harm that “God meant it for good (Genesis 50:20 New King James Version).” It is in holding to this promise that no matter what happens that God intends it to be used for our good and the many other promises in the Word of God that our faith can be increased.