A Crisis Of Faith

Meghan

Mother Theresa - “I know that God will not put more on me than I can bear - I just wish that He didn’t Trust me so much!”

Today

CRISIS of FAITH

I Peter 1:3-9

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Talk Today of a Place that God Brings us to in Our Walk with Him...A Process...Series of events...

A CRISIS of our PERSONAL FAITH

A place Not so much by his actions - Rather by his Sovereignty...

That he will use every means possible...Event...Situation...ALL Things

To GUIDE ME along to a Place of HIS Choosing...

A Process We are ALL in – Yet ALL are at Very Different Places in it...

Some in greater pressures than others...

YET – We are ALL headed for the Same Place in it = CHRIST LIKENESS

PERSONALLY

It’s a Process I am very Much in at this Moment

A CRISIS of FAITH

A Crisis of FAITH is Where God Causes or ALLOWS ALL that YOU "KNOW" to Absolutely be TESTED...TRIED...

Where God Pieces Together a Sequence of EVENTS...ORDAINS or USES a Chain of EVENTS...IMPRESSIONS...SUGGESTIONS...NUDGES...THAT Will Cause ONE to Go Within & Examine YOUR FAITH in Ways No other Event...Series Can.

A CRISIS of FAITH is A SHAKING of YOUR FAITH

As in:

Disturbed...DISCOMFITED...CONFIDENCE SHAKER...AWARE...

The Bible Speaks of a Shaking

Heb. 12:27

Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

It is Speaking of a Removal of the Less...Weaker...Unstable...

It also speaks of a TREE being shaken

It is Speaking of A Removal of the IMMATURE...PREMATURE...That which Doesn’t PRODUCE...Offer LIFE...

That only Takes away from Becoming that which is to be...That can’t Sustain Where it is Going & What it is to Become...

SHAKEN...

Therefore When

God Shakes YOUR FAITH...Rocks the Pillars of Your faith’s Foundations

It is ONLY To Remove that which Cannot Go where he is trying to Take you...

That is Immature...That is taking away from your ability to Sustain what you are to become & where you are to go...

Therefore HE allows a SHAKING of YOUR FAITH to Rid you of that which is Really Not faith at all...

Peter Calls it a FIRE

Dross...Impurities are Burned out...

Rise to the Top & are easily Identified & removed in the FIRE...Furnace...Pressure...

Otherwise it Mixes with the Pure & makes it ALL Less than What it is meant to be...

GOD Does this/Allows this –

Not to Weaken – Rather to REVEAL...Remove & RESTRUCTURE (STRENGTHEN)

CRISIS Defined is "A stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events is determined"

Everyone experiences times of crisis:

John 16:33 In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Whether we like it or not, negatives are a part of life. We are struck by tragedy, & we have to deal with grief. We are taken advantage of; we have to deal with anger. We are ripped off, & we have to deal with rage. We are abandoned, & we have to deal with bitterness. We lose everything, & we have to deal with failure. We come in second; we have to deal with defeat. We experience repeated setbacks, & we have to deal with a poor self-image.

The problem is not so much encountering the negatives, but finding a way to neutralize them.

There is good news in the message of the Bible. The Bible speaks to us at our lowest & raises us to our highest. It finds us at our weakest points & transforms us into our strongest selves. Within its truths an eternal dimension picks us up at our saddest & rejuvenates us to experience the highest joy.

The Question IS NOT WILL Crisis HAPPEN – THE QUESTION IS WHEN