Either We Believe God Or Not!

"And David said to his son Solomon, 'Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God - my God - WILL be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.'"
(1 Chronicles 28:20)

I have to admit that my first thought when I read this scripture was Nike's famous slogan, "Just Do It!"

If only it was that simple.

But then, it boils down to basically one thing: Either we believe God or we don't! Do you agree?

For if I believe God and take Him at His Word, then I should be immersed in the knowledge that the Lord my God IS with me, therefore I do not need to be afraid or dismayed. There would be no room for doubt. Our faith should be in black and white - no shades of gray. And yet, gray too often becomes the color of choice: Our spirit believes while our flesh wants to scream, "You want me to do WHAT, Lord? Are you kidding? I can't do that!"

Can I get a witness?

I take comfort in the knowledge that we are not alone in our contradictions. Even the disciples whom we hold in high esteem, the very ones who walked this earth with Jesus, struggled with their belief - their faith. Luke 17:5 reads, "And the apostles, said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.'"

Do you know what I have come to realize? I have learned that an obedient heart means more than any sacrifice we can offer the Lord. When He asks us to do something, and we say yes - even as our bodies tremble - He honors that obedience and pours out His grace. His Presence is known. His peace flows well beyond our understanding.

He only want us to take the first step and JUST DO IT!

Lord, Thank You for understanding our complicated emotions. We are like Paul when he said, "the things I want to do, I don't do and the things I don't want to do, I do!" Our faith is like that too! Lord, we believe. Help our unbelief! Help us to walk in faith with consistency. Show us how to develop our faith for Your glory. Teach us to walk in the reality that the Lord our God IS with us and there is no need to be afraid. Thank You, Lord.