Real Faith by Arianne Avila

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1a

 A few months ago, my sweet 8-year-old daughter asked me if I would allow her to write a post on this blog. She said "I want to write about God."  Naturally, I said ok and handed her the laptop expecting to just pacify her desire for the moment and leave it at that - yikes I kind of undermined her!  Well, it was just a couple of sentences later and she was done so I told her I would save it so she could add more whenever she wanted.  So a few weeks later she came to me again and asked if she could continue writing.  This time, I let her write on her own, without any help. I had been convicted by the Spirit to trust in Him.  I left the room and left her to it.  When she was done I saved that draft as well and truthfully, it has sat in my computer for months.  She has asked me several times if I have published it.  I believe God was saving this little gem for today.  As I opened up my computer this morning and thought about writing about faith, the Holy Spirit prompted me to go back and read her writing.  Oh my, her writing was about faith and those great stories in the Bible where people of God have faith and He delivers!  God so graciously aligned my thoughts about faith and Hebrews 11:1 with her writing.  The stars have aligned, yet again!

I am here to give you a refreshing reminder of what faith can accomplish because I have been reminded this morning.  My dear readers, faith is not something we can live without.  We need it like we need water, food, oxygen.  Even more, without it, we can not please God, which should be our goal in life.  "But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that’s what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions."  (2 Corinthians 5:9 - The Message)  We were made to please Him!  But how?  "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)  There it is!  It is through our faith that we express our love to God and therefore please Him.  Like love, faith is a gift from God.  It is through His Spirit that He grants us this amazing thing.  So you don't have to muster up enough faith all on your own to please Him. You don't have to create it out of thin air (especially when you are feeling depleted and like you have nothing to offer).  He has gifted us!  And He is the object of our faith - Jesus Christ.  When we exercise faith in Him, we are saying we have "confidence in God's plan and provision for our future ('things hoped for') as well as an expectation that God will fulfill everything He has promised, though we haven't experienced fulfillment yet ('the conviction of things not seen')." - Commentary, Women of Faith Study Bible, p.2003

But how can you rally up enough faith during difficult times?  Ask The Lord to help you.  " 'But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.' 'If you can?' said Jesus. 'Everything is possible for one who believes.' Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, 'I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!' "  (Read about Jesus healing this boy).

And this is where I leave you with my daughter's post.  May the simplicity of the words that He has put in her mouth, pierce your heart and remind you that HE is all we need.  

When you read your Bible listen carefully to what you read.  Have faith in God!  Love God with all your heart! When you pray have confidence in God.  Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Ask your parents to take you to church.  Read your Bible a lot.  Go to a quiet room if you want to when you pray.  John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  When you go to church listen carefully to what the leaders say.  Think about what they say.  Use the words that you think praise God in your prayers. "Sing to the LORD, bless his name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation From day to day."  (Psalm  96:2)  Hannah had Faith in GOD that she would have a baby, and she did, she had Samuel. (Read about Hannah).  Samson also had faith in God when he lost his strength. He prayed to God for his strength and he got his strength and pushed the pillars down and the roof came down. (Read about Samson). - Arianne Avila

May you have faith like Hannah and Samson today in whatever circumstance you are in.  And may we approach His throne with humble spirits, like that of a child's.

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Mathew 18:4)
"But Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.' " (Matthew 19:14) 

Let's pray this today:
"Dear Heavenly Father, I praise you because you are a loving Father.  I confess my unbelief.  Help me to have more faith in you every minute of every day.  May I surrender the big worries to you along with the small ones.  I desire to please you wholeheartedly, may I do so in love and faith."  In Jesus' Name, Amen.  

In His Great Love,
Arianne Avila and Damaris Avila

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