God Stopped the Sun

James 1: 6-8  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

For years I struggled with my faith, not quite trusting what God's plan was for me. Just the word itself, FAITH, was kind of scary to me. Because I thought that meant I had to let go of everything, I could not be in control. After much reading of the Bible and other good books, prayer and meditation, I discovered that is only partially true. Yes, I have to let God drive the vehicle. But I have to take care of the vehicle. I still have responsibilities that I must control. I am in control of my own faith! Faith is BELIEF that God has a plan for you. It's taking steps on the path God has laid out for you. Faith is an ACTION word! When you take action, so does God, and in a BIG BIG way!

So what actions can I take for God to perform miracles in my life? The first action is belief. If you don't quite believe but want to, here is way to bolster your faith:  read the Bible. It is full of great stories of faith! Meditate on scripture day and night.  Find scripture that you can refer to in your everyday life. Write them down and carry them in your pocket or purse to refer to during your work day. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. This is one area that you do have control over.

You have control over your thoughts, what you think, what you ALLOW in your head. Do I allow negative thoughts to creep into my thinking? If so, do I allow them to stay there? Why? I am in control. What are my options? Well, I can let the negative thoughts stay there and infect my soul. Or, I can replace the negative with positive. What a great idea! But this takes constant vigilance. Negative thoughts create fear. Positive ones create hope! When you replace your negative thoughts with positive ones, you allow God into your heart. When you allow the negative thoughts to fester inside of you, you keep God from working miracles in your life. And God is all about miracles! He wants to create miracles for you.

The second action step is to do something that demonstrates your belief. Maybe you believe that God is leading you to missions work in another country, or in taking care of the homeless, or even the young single mother who appeared in your church last Sunday, or maybe you feel God asking you to be a better money manager for Him. What steps could you take in obedience to the tug of your heart strings? What kind of help do they need? What books do you need to read to improve your chances of success?  Who can you talk to that has already been down this road?

Start asking questions. Do some research. Find out what might be needed. Is your knowledge in this area as good as it could be? And then watch while God steps in and helps you make a plan of action. As you make that first step, He will provide a second and a third.  The more obedient you are, the more He provides. Pray for guidance. Pray for courage. Pray for strength. Pray for miracles, TAKE ACTION and watch God at work.

God's plan for you will never happen unless you take action, until you believe and are obedient to Him. Faith is a requirement for God to fulfill your destiny. Lisa Turkquirst said recently at an Exceptional Women's Conference, "My job is to be obedient to God. God's job is results." It is a symbiotic relationship. In order for God to get results and show off His Glory, so there is no doubt in anyone's mind that He made the impossible possible, we must be obedient to Him. We must have faith so that everyone can see His Glory!

I love the story of Joshua 10:12-14. Joshua was in the middle of conquering the Promised Land, in a heated battle with the five Kings of the Amorites. Joshua prayed to God to stop the sun so they could finish the battle. And God did just that! He stopped the sun for an extra day! Joshua's faith was so strong and he was so obedient that God did as he asked. God got results and there was no doubt in anyone's mind who performed that miracle.

Do you think Joshua was afraid? I certainly would have been. Taking action, at times, may be very scary. Having courage means pushing on anyway, even though we are scared. Being afraid and taking action anyway is called obedience. God's most amazing miracles happen when we are obedient in the face of fear. Don't be surprised when God steps in to save the day. Many times it will be obvious, as the sun stopping. Other times we won't know until later, the results of His handywork. He won't leave any doubt about who should get the credit for His work. He shines brightest when you are faithful and obedient!

Blessings! Glory to God for all our good things!
windy