Hosanna Restoration Church

For such a short word, there is lot involved in faith. Right now we are in season of football play-offs. Teams put faith in quarterbacks and receivers and blockers and linebackers and many times it all comes down to the kicker putting the ball through the uprights. When a coach sends the kicker out, he has confidence that the kicker can get it done for him. Depending on how the long the kick is, the confidence can tend to be diluted, but it is worth a try. This year we have seen situations where even what they thought would be a sure thing turned out bad.

Faith in anything but God can become a big disappointment. God is the only one who cannot and will not fail. Now I know that things do not always go just the way we want them to go. Things happen in this world that cause some to doubt that God is really able to do what He promises. That is why we must be diligent in adding to our faith. God has given us each a measure of faith and Jesus said that if we have faith the size of the mustard seed (that is small) we can speak to a mountain and it will move.

Unlike the coach and a team with a kicker, we can be just as certain on longest kicks as we are on the sure things. God never misses. James tells us that when we pray we need to pray with confidence. We don’t want to send out prayers with our mouths while in our hearts we doubt that it will do any good. I know that in my life I have thrown up some prayers because I thought I should pray but did not really expect much to happen. On occasion God has made me feel pretty small, when He answered and then asked why I ever doubted.

The assurance that God is going answer prayer grows, as we know God more. We come to know Him more by fellowshipping with Him. As our lives become more and more centered on our relationship with God, we begin to trust more and expect God to be and to do all that He said He would. We really come to know Him as Father and we begin to realize that even the smallest things we do are important to Him and that when we include Him they bring Him glory.

A simple smile or a little hug brings glory to God. A kind word or a kind deed makes God smile. The bible says a cup of cool water in Jesus name will be greatly rewarded. As we learn to rise up each day in the Name of the Lord and go through each day seeking His will we come to realize that our relationship with God is changing. We become more and more aware of His presence and of how much He cares about everything in our lives. He gave us the very air we breathe and the ability to breathe it. Our awareness of His presence gives us the assurance of our faith. As that grows in our lives, it affects the lives of others and encourages them that God has the same for them. So let’s take our faith and water it with God’s word and His presence and walk each day with more confident assurance that what God says is what is going to happen.