Faith is the Focus

20 Sep Faith is the Focus

Have you ever been praying or seeking God about something and when you receive the answer been disappointed with the outcome? Maybe, it was a job opportunity?  a promotion?  a healing? business venture?  a relationship? Or perhaps, just a new friendship?

Girl, really, it could’ve been anything you were hoping or praying would work out in your favor! You start by thinking something is ‘it’, or ‘the one’ or maybe you think it’s timely and you’ve really been seeking God about a thing and you get turned down, denied or disappointed. That’s a whole other level of “suck”.

Has this ever happened to you? How did you handle it?

You see, I recently vied for something that I had been praying for and that was very important to me. And girl, I was turned down! Although I was disheartened by the outcome, my more evolved self (all of three months, or eh – three weeks, lol) had to check myself at the moment.  In my prayers, I had asked God for the best possible outcome for this situation. I had asked Him to open doors that needed to be opened and to do the miraculous.  But you know what? I also asked Him to exercise His will in my life, not mine – not what I think is best, but what He knows is best and already has written for my life.

So, who’s to say that in the ‘not receiving’ what I wanted, His will had not been granted.

What I love about this season in my life is that I have a little more perspective. I know that I can’t let the disappointments I experience keep me from my focus and purpose, which is Him and His glory.

In a recent message, entitled The Wind vs. the Word, Pastor Steven Furtick talked about how your heart will reach a verdict and your mind will always give evidence to support the verdict — whether the verdict is true or not.

What he’s saying is that we can always find a reason to complain. Seriously! Look around you now. Is it too cold? Was your electricity bill too high this month? Did no one make the coffee this morning? Or your employer scheduled a meeting on Friday?

If what you are feeling is a disappointment and you wait long enough for your mind to ask why you’re disappointed, you’ll definitely find a reason to sulk. Your feelings will keep you from your forward.

In fact, one of my favorite social media influencers, Myleik Teele puts it this way, “Feelings are not facts!”

I’ll even take it a step further and say that ‘Our feelings, don’t dictate our God!’ Because they don’t!

Pastor Furtick continued to say, “God wants to bless us – even when we think it is a bad time – so that we are taught how to consult our faith and not our forecast.” Women of Judah don’t get caught following the wrong weatherman. Living in fear of everything that could happen – and because of everything that has happened.

To increase your faith, let’s refer to when Jesus brought his disciples into a storm and walked on water (Matthew 14: 22 to 32). In verse 22, Jesus gave the disciples His word that He was going to meet them on the other side. Their challenge was not believing that He would see them on the other side, their challenge was in the question of how long it was going to take before He got there. So, let me ask you a question. If Jesus said that he would never leave us nor forsake us, why do we constantly consult our feelings and not the facts?

If you’re dealing with some sort of disappointment or something that looks like a “no”, trust and lean into the promises of God. Faith is a focus. Our ability to put our eyes on the goodness of God in the moment. Do it, even when the disappointment feels like too much to handle.  Your journey is already decided, and we must TRUST in that. Sometimes the best yes we can get from our Father is a no.