Welcome to Weekly Topic Saturdays!
Hello all, I pray that your week was filled with joy and love. Welcome back to those who have been with me here at A Golden Dream. For my first-timers, a great big hello there, if you haven't already please check out my previous posts when you get a chance.
Please don't hesitate to join the conversation, there are no right or wrong answers or questions. I'm not proclaiming to know everything, I am simply just discussing and picking topics on things that I personally have gone through and that I know would help someone.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen
Hebrews 11:1
So I know by the title you're probably like” What Is “I.F. Faith”. A few weeks ago I ran upon a video of this lady (I can't remember her name, forgive me) dropping nuggets of wisdom and she mentioned having I.F. (Insufficient Faith) Faith. She mentioned in a few words or less that one shouldn't have it. Then that got me thinking. Hmmm.
What happens to us as individuals when we don't have any faith. Does that affect us? Where can we start?
The next question was, what happens when we have faith but it's not enough? Are we stagnant? Do we fall into an "I.F." state of mind?
Then the last question I pondered on was, what happens when we have faith that will move mountains? What would happen? What does that look like?
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7
What happens when we don't have any faith?
When you don’t have any faith you are susceptible to believing in anything in this world. It's no secret that society deems money, fame, and materialism as a means of having it all; but what happens when we put all our faith into temporary satisfaction.
What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Mathew 16:26
Life is hard with no faith. Why? because you don't have a guide or a sense of direction. You constantly lose hope and putting your trust in people fully is the worst. People will fail you, some unintentionally but people do. We, at some point in time, fall short.
There were times when making money was my ultimate goal in life. I would work like crazy and didn't care if it jeopardized my faith journey by going to church. The only thing that mattered to me was my paycheck and buying things that made me happy. This joy ride ended rather quickly when I was faced with unemployment, lost my apartment, and was sleeping in my car for 6 months. I know it's tragic, right?
I remember when I left for college for the first time. I was active in my home church until my semester started which meant I would have to live on campus and miss a lot of church services. My connection to my home church fizzled out due to being an hour and a half away from my hometown. So overtime I would periodically visit until I didn't anymore.
Then I found myself in a dark place because I was no longer connected to the church, no longer connected to the Word of God, and no longer connected to my mentors and church family. Over time, this left me distant from God, which was a result of me having no faith. It took experiencing the loss of my apartment and my job for me to go from having no faith whatsoever to developing baby faith.
Many people want to put their faith in something that can be seen, in something that is tangible. Faith is complete trust, assurance, and confidence in God, that what has been revealed and promised in the Word is true even though it is unseen based on strong spiritual belief rather than the need for proof. We cannot put our faith in the things of this world because at some point in this lifetime it will weather away, or fail us. The only thing that is forever is the Word of God, and it can and will sustain us. We have to listen and study the Word as much as we can with an open heart and an open mind because that is what produces faith. But know that God will not put us in charge of greater things if we cannot be faithful over what we have now.
What happens when we have faith but it's not enough?
And 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.
Hebrews 11:6
One thing the Bible tells us is that our faith is a powerful weapon. Mathew 17:20 says “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
I love this scripture because it says all you need is baby faith. Do you know how small a mustard seed is? If you don’t know, go on google and look up a mustard seed. It's really small, and that’s all the faith you need. So I asked the question what happens when you have faith but you don’t have enough to get what you desire?
Once I lost everything, as I just mentioned I told myself “Sherronda, you have to remember how all of this feels, take it all in. Remember these days of hunger because you didn't have any food, remember these times when you had no money, remember this hurt, because you will not revisit this type of living.” I asked God to help me, teach me how to manage my money. The only thing I could afford to do was pray, and praying I did.
My base level faith or my mustard seed faith had confidence that God would provide for me something better than this. Not returning back into that mess was faith-driven enough for me to work harder but not be consumed by things that distracted me from God. It takes more than just saying you have faith, you have to put the action behind it too. If we constantly say I want this or I want that but never do anything to elevate our faith to see it through then we will always be at baby faith. You are going to have to Humble Yourself or God Will.
For years I struggled with money because it was a thought for me and nothing else. I wanted more but I didn't know where to start. Eventually, I started asking questions and God set me up with the right people to be around so I could pick up on Golden nuggets in understanding the fundamentals of money and how it should be properly used.
Write the vision, and make it plain
Habakkuk 2
What happens when we have an abundance of faith?
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17
Life is so much better when we have faith because instead of fighting against the current we begin to flow with it. When we have an overabundance of faith things begin to work and move in our favor. Having a surplus of faith shows God that you trust in him and the plans that he has for you. It lets God know that no matter how bad the situation or the circumstances may be that you will remain loyal to him and will not stray from his word.
The bible assures us that there are so many benefits to having an overabundance of faith. One benefit of faith is it brings salvation. Salvation brings healing, prosperity, peace, love, joy, deliverance, the sanctification of the mind, and the promises that God has made us. The other benefits that faith brings are answers to our prayers, and it strengthens our connection to Christ.
For nothing will be impossible with God.
Luke 1:37
Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong
1 Corinthians 16:13
Questions To Consider:
Do you struggle with having a lack of Faith?
Does your FEAR overwhelm your FAITH?
What is my Faith anchored in? Money? Pride? Greed?
Do I have Insufficient Faith? Have I ever had it?
How can you grow your faith?
With Love, Always remember that our faith has to be anchored in God always. We are in dangerous territory when we don’t have any faith. The bible tells us that if we have faith like the grain of a mustard seed then we will be able to move mountains. Mustard seed faith is base level faith; from there we must grow, evolve, and sustain our level of faith. God is pleased with our faith in him.
GOLDEN ANNOUNCEMENTS
Hi Golden Family, please check out the website because we are having our 1st Annual Holiday Giveaway!! Winners will be announced on our A Golden Dream Instagram page
I wanted to give back for all the love and support that you all have given and shown to me and this blog. So please check out the 4 easy steps that one must take in order to enroll in the giveaway and partake in the winnings. Prizes will kick off every Sunday, starting on December 13th, 2020- January 3rd at 8:30 pm.
Trust me some of you are closer than you think to winning!
~Just Breathe...A Golden Dream~
Amen.
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