Our Problem is That We Don’t Have Faith
Faith is a word that is very familiar to Christians and is used in all sorts of ways and phrases. We practice our faith at church and in our lives. We know that Faith, Hope and Love remain. We even say, “Faith can move mountains” as an expression without really thinking about what we are saying. Most of us would argue that we have faith and that is why we are Christian. We also may admit that faith is something that wavers and is something that we need to work on, maybe in a similar fashion as to how we work on losing weight or “being better people”.
But faith is so much more than that. It is the mysterious key that unlocks the power of God in our lives. During Jesus’ ministry on earth, there were times that he could not perform many miracles because of the lack of faith of the people that he was ministering to. The same is true today; if we do not believe that God can guide our lives and make an impact, then it won’t happen.
Especially for those who have been baptized and confirmed into the faith: remember that you are a child of God! The Holy Spirit literally dwells within you – you are a tabernacle for the God of the Universe! Do you believe this?
During the season of Lent, one of the main focuses is on repentance: the turning away from sin with the resolve to avoid sin in the future – to never sin again! It should be our desire to allow nothing to come before us and the love and power of God. But we are filled with doubt. The enemy often tells us that we are not strong enough, that we are not worth it and the struggle is too much and in vain. It seems so much easier to give up and fall back into our sins. There are a million excuses to do so, but they are all built on lies.
When Jesus was tempted in the desert, he showed that the Word of God repels temptation. This is the key to overcoming it, however we must have faith that this will work and have the resolve to overcome it. We know that we are too weak, and we tend to commit the same sins over and over again. The cycle of sin and asking for forgiveness becomes the norm and we grow numb to it. It seems that we are locked in it forever, and it is simpler to just not think about it too much.
The time is now to wake up! Do you not believe that the Holy Spirit inside you has the power to overcome the temptations of the enemy? Although we are weak, He is strong – all we need to do is submit to the will of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit. We should be boldly proclaiming with confidence to the devil at the onset of temptation that he has no power over us, for we are children of God, and God is with us! But, do you truly believe that this is the case?
Therefore, the problem that we have with falling into sin over and over is an issue with faith, not just simply an issue with our weakness. Jesus came to save us so that this would be possible – to cover our weakness with His strength. Believe in confidence!
