Without Faith, it is IMPOSSIBLE to Please God!
The reason “faith” is the first word in the name of our marriage restoration ministry is because if we don’t have faith in God and REALLY believe Him, we won’t live in the righteousness, peace and joy of the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17) or bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23); much less see the SUPERNATURAL manifestation of the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families. And supernatural means just that; something that is beyond and/or exceeds the natural–and marriage restoration is something WE can’t possibly do in the natural; which means that we have to rely on God to do it in the realm of the SUPERNATURAL. That obviously means that we need the favor of God as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, and just as with humans; the way to assure God’s favor is to PLEASE HIM! And according to Hebrews 11:6, …without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. In fact, Hebrews 10:38 takes that a step further and declares…But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”
Therefore, as we stand for marriage restoration, it’s very important to understand that the ONLY way to develop and remain in the faith needed to fully access the SUPERNATURAL power of God Almighty is to get serious about reading, studying and understanding His Word, because as Romans 10:17 states, Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. So despite devising all sorts of ways to grow in our walk and relationship with the Lord; there is NOTHING more significant to our walk than the Word of God. And though there are many other passages demonstrating how important the Word is to our walk with the Lord and as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, two of my favorites are Luke 6:46-49 and John 15:7, which says If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. So for those struggling with faith and/or obedience while standing on the power and promise of God’s Word for marriage restoration, the most important thing YOU can do is make getting into God’s Word a top priority, because without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God–and You will be totally amazed by how much your life and circumstances change when you do!
Recent conversations about the importance of faith and REALLY trusting God as we stand for our marriages, reminded me of a previous Seeds Of Faith post, Walking by Faith Demands Being Watchful and Giving Thanks!; probably because it was a bit of a departure from my usual post. But it is a good analogy of how we treat God when it comes to remaining faithful no matter what we see or hear in terms of waiting for our prayers for marriage restoration to be answered. So I hope it will really bless and encourage anyone still struggling to stand. And the following message, which Dan posted on the private site this week, points out another important reason our faith is so important and how it makes such a difference in our lives and in the lives of those we love. So put your faith in the Lord, where it is sure to reap a bountiful harvest, and you will indeed be blessed and encouraged!
This past Sunday, the sermon at my church was on Luke 5:18-26 and was titled the “The Greater Miracle.” The pastor pointed out that it was not the paralyzed man’s faith that impressed Jesus but the faith of his friends. And Jesus responded to their faith and healed the man. Of course there are certainly other messages in that passage of scripture, but the one that spoke to me is that for better or worse, our faith affects other people.
People are watching us, so we have a wonderful opportunity to witness for God. We can’t make another person a believer or follower of Jesus Christ, but we can do much through our words, actions, and love to give him or her a chance to respond to the Lord by the way we live. Just like the friends of the paralyzed man, we can, through our faith, bring them to Jesus and let Him heal them and restore them. We can show that Jesus is God and that He has the power to heal both body and soul. And we have to remember that guilt and shame can sometimes cause more harm and damage than physical illness or paralysis. So let’s expect God to act in our spouses’ and children’s lives; not just because of their faith but because of our faith in His Word and His promises.