Often as believers we get stuck because we focus on the problems of life rather than the promises of God. This creates a crisis of faith in our personal lives and ministry.
Jesus came to give us an abundant life. He set us free from the bondage of sin, and set us free to serve and worship Him with our lives. We sometimes fail to enter into the abundant life God intended for us because we fail to believe God’s will is best. God set us free from the bondage of sin but we like Adam and Eve in the garden question God’s wisdom and doubt His word.
Genesis 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Satan wanted to be like God and it cost him his position before God’s throne (Is. 14, Rev. 12), and Adam and Eve wanted to be like God and it cost them their position in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3). You and I want to be like God and it prohibits us from experiencing His blessings!
• By focusing on the problem rather than the promise when things don’t go our way, we take God’s job by insisting we have sovereignty and are in control in every situation, not trusting God to be in control.
• By focusing on the problem rather than the promise when others sin, or fall short of our expectations, we take God’s job by judging and condemning others, not trusting in God’s justice.
• By focusing on the problem rather than that promise when thing are troublesome, and the outcome is unsure, we take God’s job by worrying about the future, not trusting in God’s provision.
• By focusing on the problem rather than the promise when faced with temptation we take God’s job by living in sin, setting a new moral standard to live by, not trusting God’s way to bring us the fulfillment we desire.
• By focusing on the problem rather than the promise when ministering to or alongside those who are challenging we give up, not trusting in God’s power to see us through.
• By focusing on the problem rather than the promise when ministry gets tough, gets dirty, takes too much, or is too far outside of our comfort zone we give up, not trusting God to complete the good work He has begun in us.
Let us focus on the promise and not the problem, trusting God’s will and His way are best, and ultimately let God be God!
Brian H. Fontaine 