Devotionals for the Heart: Sara's story

He is There
A devotional by Sara L. Foust

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)

My faith is thin. I am not gonna lie. I am physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. It has been that kind of year. You know, where you have wave after wave slam into you and by the eleventh month, your snorkel is the only thing above water. And that, just barely.

I am not the kind of person who has usually done a “word for the year” challenge. But this year, without even really thinking about it, the word “Courage” came to me very early on. I knew I would need immense amounts of courage to go on my mission trip. I thought that would be the biggest obstacle I would face. I was wrong.

My son has been diagnosed with autism.

My daughter has begun mental health therapy.

My marriage has come to the beginning of the end.

My TMJ needed joint surgery with a disc removal and skin graft.

My church isn’t my church anymore.

And the year hasn’t come to a close yet. What I’ve learned is this: Through it all, God loves me. No matter what decisions I make. No matter what mental state I am in. He loves me. Unconditionally. Unendingly. Unblamingly. Just love, like pure spring water. Clear, unaltered, unhindered love. And it is the only saving grace I have, the only beacon of light when things look dark. It is real. It is honest. It is time-tested and true.

So, rather than the above list in the cons column, here’s what I’m choosing to focus on:

My son spoke to his Pre-K teacher for the first time a few weeks ago. And he’s learned a ton of new words that he uses freely at home.

My daughter is sleeping through the night, most of the time in her own room, and she is confident and happy and growing.

My marriage produced three beautiful children and I learned immense amounts about myself.

I only have two TMJ joints, so, even if the other one goes caput, I’m halfway through surgeries.

My church family, though I am not able to be present with them, loves me still, and God will bring me to another church home.

God is never going to leave me. He is never going to leave you. And more than anything in this world, He wants us to cry out to him in the middle of that black ocean called worry, fear, dread, sickness, divorce, temptation . . . whatever your ocean is called, He is there. He is always there.

~*~
Author Bio:

Sara writes Inspirational Romantic Suspense from a mini-farm in East Tennessee, where she lives with her husband and their five homeschooled children. 

She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Tennessee Mountain Writers.

Her debut novel, Callum's Compass, won second place in Deep River Books' 2017 Writer's Contest. She also has a story, “Leap of Faith,” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone. Sara finds inspiration in her faith, her family, and the beauty of nature.

When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading, camping, and spending time outdoors with her family. To learn more about her and her work or to become a part of her email friend’s group, please visit www.saralfoust.com.

Words of Faith: Pastor Dave Arnold teaches how to use faith as action

Act Faith
A Words of Faith story by Dave Arnold

“Luke,” I say to my five-year-old, “can you please pick up your toys?”

“Nah,” he responds, “I don’t feel like it.”

This is common dialogue in my family. My kids often say to my wife and me, “I don’t feel like it.” And truth be told, I say it often too (many times within my own head).

The truth is, we often go by our feelings, don’t we? We don’t feel like taking out the trash, changing a soiled diaper, walking the dog, or even going to work. But as adults, we learn to force ourselves to do these things.

Why? 
Because if we go by our feelings, we’re in trouble.

The same principle is true when it comes to faith. If we’re honest, we don’t feel faith often.

This was a hard pill for me to swallow when I first gave my life to Christ at age seventeen. After my conversion, I felt so alive, so filled… and I thought this feeling would last forever. I remember facing each day with such confidence and joy. My heart was truly changed.

But after a few months, the “honeymoon” stage of my faith changed. The feelings weren’t the same and it seemed harder to spend time in God’s Word or in prayer. Temptations I thought were long gone started to creep back in. “What is going on?” I asked myself. “I thought I was saved.”

Is this not the struggle of faith?
As I matured, I read in Scripture a principle that changed my perspective. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV).

For whatever reason, God continually reminds me of this verse. And I think the reason is because I so easily am tempted to rely on sight and on what is temporal. Yet, throughout Scripture, God’s people are called to live by faith and for that which is unseen.

The question is this: What do we do when we don’t feel faith, when we feel spiritually cold and indifferent to God and spiritual things? We act faith.

When I lived in Chicago, the Lord led me to work with a non-for-profit agency as a Case Manager. I loved the job and I could visibly see the difference it made in people’s lives. But I didn’t start out that way.

I’ll never forget my first week. The Case Manger I replaced only did a one-day training with me. And as he shared about all the details of the job – including how to enter data into the computer software program – I felt completely overwhelmed. There were times I would just look at him and smile and nod…but I had no idea what he was talking about.

So what did I do? I faked it. You’ve heard the phrase, "fake it until you make it"? Well, that’s what I did. And you know what? After a few months, I got it. I understood my job. But it was most certainly a process.

I think it’s the same with our faith. We don’t understand why things happen this way or that; we don’t know why we struggle or doubt of feel alone. But if we learn to act faith by trusting God, one day we will “get it.” It’s that “aha” moment where we say, “Okay, no I see why I had to go through that or felt this way…”.

The great Scottish preacher of the 19th-century, Alexander Whyte, said this in a letter to a friend about what to do when you feel faithless:

“Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. Act faith if you do not feel it… Though cold and faithless at first, love and faith will come. Do not wait for a surge of feeling, think of Him at once… Many times I feel so cold and dead that I might doubt if I had ever come to Him at all; but I go about my work notwithstanding, looking in His direction, and my heart fills by and by with His love to me… It is simple–keep looking; He will take care of the seeing.”

So, dear reader, keep looking and let Him take care of the seeing. Keep "acting" faith and learn continually what it means to walk by faith, not by sight.

~*~
Author bio: 

Dave is married to Angie. They have two children, Luke and Angelina, and live in Michigan. Dave has worked as a pastor for a number of years and was also involved in social work and community development. Dave is currently an author, speaker, blogger, and recently started adjunct teaching at a university. Dave is passionate about teaching the Bible and empowering people to be all that God has created them to be. You can learn more at his website www.davearnoldspeaks.com

~*~

Connect with Dave:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/davejarnold16/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dave.arnold.39589