To gather means to come together; assemble or accumulate. As the title suggests, we, as children of God, must gather our faith during the remaining time we have here on Earth. Our time here in these physical bodies are limited and even as we currently draw breath we are moving towards our expectant end date. So while we wait, let us sit in expectancy of the one and true living God. Let us stand in full confidence of Jesus’ sacrifice and the power of his blood. Let us also wait with the full assurance that the Holy Spirit will keep us in perfect standing with God. The full power of God is within us and our faith in that power will hold us steadfast in the face of the enemy.
Also, let be known that there is joy when it comes to having full faith in God. God loved the children of Earth so much that He was willing to send Jesus to get us back to Him! You are wanted! You are desired! You are cared for and cherished! How can there not be joy when you are so loved by The Creator? How can there not be joy when we have been given a way to escape sin? Joy is a byproduct of our faith standing firm despite what trials may come our way. For a child of God, joy is something that is obtainable through God. The world can’t give it to us. Therefore, it can’t take it away.
So when the world falls into despair and things aren’t going quite right, if we gather and stand on our faith, we will make it through. Knowing this one particular fact is what gives the children of God joy; that despite it all God WILL have my back. John 10:10 says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” With that in mind, know that the difficult thing you may be going through is not the expected end the Lord has for you.
There will come a time when we must gather our faith, hold it close to our chest and push to be Christ-like in this chaotic world and during trying times. Our faith is not just a comfort tool but it is a barrier between us and fear. How much more strength could you muster up if you weren’t fearful? How much clearer could you see the problem if fear was not blocking the way? Fear can be overwhelming and pour a sense of dread over us so heavy that we can’t think clearly on what to do next. Fear can take that minute problem and blow it to great proportions if we give it the room to grow. Left unattended, fear can manipulate us to be using by Satan. Fear doesn’t just bring out the worst in people, it can create the worst characteristics in an individual as well. How many of us have done things that were surprising because of the fear that we were experiencing in a particular moment? A moment of fear has caused a lifetime of damages for a lot of people. We’ve seen it time and time again on the news and social media, how creating fear in people can distract from more important events taking place. But children of God, the Lord is calling on us today to fortify our faith in Him. Whatever there is to come and whatever takes place we have to be stand firm that God is still God. The majority of people may have gotten lost or given up on God but there is still a remnant that is trusting the Lord and following His instructions.
The enemy wants us to be anxious and hard pressed to think clearly. The best weapon we have to combat this is working our faith. During the August 13 Sunday Service (check it out here) Bishop AJ discussed three elements of faith: working, determination and testing. In the element of working our faith, the first thing that is mentioned is having belief. As we are taking our time to read this we must ask ourselves, “Where does my belief stand in God? Do I really believe in Him and His power?” Now the most important note on this self assessment is to realize that God is omniscient. He knows us better than we know ourselves. So there is nothing we can hide from Him. The most beautiful part about this is there is nothing that we can’t bring to Him. Lamentations 3:22-23 reads, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” We have to self assess our faith so if there is any doubt or areas we don’t quite measure up in we can take it to the Lord and not be made to feel embarrassment or inadequate. While we are living our individual lives and experiencing things for the first time, our sins and shortcomings are not new to God. He has washed away sins and each person was given the necessary tools to become new creatures in Him.
Some of us are holding back due to not being knowledgeable of God. If that’s the case, read a little further down in Lamentations in verse 25, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” Our Father God is patient and wants to be good to those who are searching for Him. So don’t be afraid. Don’t get anxious. You don’t even need to change who you are first to seek God. Get all that you need so that you can build your faith in Him and stand firm on who God wants to be in your life.
Dear reader, we would like to leave you with a prayer:
Heavenly Father God, we thank you for our friends and family who have gotten an extra boost today in their faith. We thank you Lord for the reminder of just how important our faith is and we are so grateful that you have reminded us of Your desire to draw closer to us. Now Lord, we ask that you bless the one reading. We ask that you fortify their faith in You and give them a strong desire to draw closer to You and Your Word. We thank You for the living word and how it guides your people though every facet of our lives. Continue to give us the wonderful joy that only comes from the throne of heaven. We thank You once again and we glorify Your Holy name. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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