Faith Is Believing Even When There Is NO Reason To Believe
The more time I spend in this ministry, the more frustrated I become by the difficulty of helping those standing for marriage restoration to understand how vitally important it is to walk out the faith we talk. The definition of faith found in Hebrews 11:1 is Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Yet, we tend to confess faith UNTIL something happens that indicates there is no reason to believe what we’re standing for! Obviously, that’s not faith, especially when we look at the same verse in the Amplified Bible, which says NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. Somewhere along the way, we seem to have a problem REALLY accepting and believing the promises the Lord gives us in His word, and the only way we’ll have the faith needed to see us through to marriage restoration is found in Romans 10:16-17, which says But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
That’s why it is SO important to read the Bible for ourselves and search for the verses the Lord reveals to us that speak to our hearts. Then, when we need them, we can rely on the faith we have in God’s promises as we speak and confess them to defeat the weapons Satan hurls at us, as we see in Ephesians 6:16, which says In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And, of course, another encouraging verse is Isaiah 54:17, which says no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD.
Getting to the point where we stand in total confidence on God’s promises NO MATTER what we hear or see, or no matter how distant or unpleasant our husband acts, is a very important step in the restoration process, and I’m convinced it’s a test the Lord will keep giving us over and over again until we pass it. So it’s very important not to let a cross word or disappointment cause us to move from the commitment we’ve made to stand in obedience to the Lord for the restoration of our marriages. We can’t afford to be double minded in any way, because of what these verses in James 1 tell us:
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.