“Where does your security lie? Is God your refuge, your hiding place, your stronghold, your shepherd, your counselor, your friend, your redeemer, your saviour, your guide? If He is, you don’t need to search any further for security.” ―
I kinda feel like I have been on a search for security my whole adult life. Whether that was through a job position or a relationship or a paycheck or a physical house – I have looked, searched, and sometimes clawed my way into feeling secure.
And I feel like that is only natural. We all want to feel that level of security. Where we don’t have to be afraid or face a new day with trepidation. Where we can wake up and face the world with all the comfortability we can find. It’s only human nature to feel secure.
But a life of faith a lot of times means saying good to that level of security. I don’t mean we shouldn’t expect safe and good things for our life or our families… what I mean is faith is the willingness to say good-bye to man-made security in place of what God may want to do.
And if I may say so… sometimes that feels like He is asking a lot. Frankly, it might even feel like more than we can bear.
Yet, in the midst of holding on despite the struggles we are going through, despite the lack of security, well, to me that is faith.
I wrote a piece once called “When You Want to Curse God and Die.” Super uplifting I know. And yet, I meant every word of that title. My marriage was falling apart. I was living on the floor of a friend’s house with 3 babies. I was struggling with severe depression We had no income and it was one of the lowest times in my life. I was sad and hurt and I was angry. At God. Because how could He put in in this position. Hadn’t I honored Him and loved Him my entire life? Hadn’t I repented for mistakes I made and tried to follow Him so clearly? And yet, there I was, broken and alone and I felt like He had left me. Truly – it felt like He didn’t care.
But my faith remained. Through it all it remained. Because I just didn’t believe God was good – I KNEW God was good. I’ve known it since I was a small child at church holding on to my mom’s hand while my dad preached. I had seen miracles and healings and heard the word preached and knew every Bible story by heart. I KNEW God was good. I knew what His word said about never leaving me or failing me. So though I wanted to deny His love, I couldn’t. My faith remained.
All of this to say that security starts with building faith. How do you do that? Here are some ways I build myself up in the faith. It’s all very basic but sometimes that is where we need to start.
1. Of course, the very first thing is to accept Jesus as your savior. If this isn’t something you have done yet, then I encourage you to pray and ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life. To come and forgive your sin as you believe in His name and He draws you close to Him. Find someone to pray with you if you can but if you can’t, He hears you right where you are at.
2. Worship. Nothing pulls me closer to the throne of God than by stopping to worship Him. And my kids can tell you I do it all day long. While I am in the shower, getting ready, while I am making lunches, while I am in carline for pick-up…. Whether the music is playing or whether I am singing on my own, singing praise and glory to God builds my faith and draws me closer to Him. If it helps you, here is a link to my church’s Spotify where you can put this on and listen to it all day.
3. Reading the Word. Friend, grab your Bible and read. If you are like me, if you have been in church your whole life, sometimes it feels like you know the Bible inside and out and you really don’t need to sit and read it because you know what it says. But I promise you that the Word is powerful and alive which means it reaches you right where you are at. I also would say try a new translation too – it allows you to read it in a new way. I am pretty loyal to the ESV version but lately I am reading The Passion Translation – it opens up scripture with fresh eyes. And realize reading the Bible is God speaking to you. If you feel like He is silent in your life, the Bible is filled with words that can communicate with you today.
4. Pray. Oh friend, pray so much. All day. As you walk and stumble throughout your day, pray. It doesn’t always have to be on bent knee and formal. It can be an attitude or state of pray that lasts all day. I sigh prayers, I cry prayers, I breathe prayers all the time. If reading the Word is how God communicates with us, then prayer is how you communicate with God.
5. Find a church. Or a small group. Or some group of believers that can pray with you and for you and will listen and encourage and uplift you as you build your faith. Their experiences and their words can create a jolt in your spirit as you realize God has been faithful to them and He will be faithful to you. And listen to the words of your Pastor. God has placed your pastor in your life for a reason. Let the sermons and words you hear fall on soft soil. Let them grow in your heart and take root. Take a ton of notes while you are in service and come back to them daily if you need to. Refresh in your heart and mind what you have learned.
All of this just helps you create a security and faith in Christ. It takes a daily and consistent walk to build our faith. Sometimes a few steps ahead and sometimes a few steps back. But I promise you that as we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. His word declares it (James 4:8). And He will be the security your heart has been searching for.
This is Day 3 of the series “Choosing Faith: 31 Days to Seeing God in the Midst of it All.”
You can find the beginning of the series here.