Skip to main content

Stand Firm in Faith (Isaiah 7:9b)


Scripture of the Day: Isaiah 7:9b

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

The first time I read the words above, my first thought was “well, that’s a little harsh!” But the more I have pondered those words, the more I see their truth…and that perhaps they do not have to be harsh at all. Maybe the words are comforting.

I’m about to give a very personal example of what that verse brings to mind. My Uncle Charlie (who knows I’m writing this!) was diagnosed with lung cancer (and has never smoked) in early 2011. The prognosis was not, and is not, good. If I recall, with treatment, life expectancy was no more than a year. And yet he is still here. To directly quote him, “I THANK GOD, when I get up every morning, and continue to see the light of day!” Charlie stands firm in faith.

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is the “Hall of Faith” (Hebrews, Chapter 11 – READ IT if you have not!). They list many Biblical characters, most of whom you have heard of, and what they did in their lives, “By faith.”

In honor of my Uncle Charlie, here are a few things he has done “by faith” in the past year. (Note this list is not exhaustive, but contains just the few things I have been privy to.) By faith, he saw his youngest child graduate from college AND get married. By faith, he was around for the birth of his third grand-child. By faith, he still gets up and goes to work. By faith he has continued building beautiful relationships with his wife, children, grandchildren, siblings, extended family, co-workers, and church members. By faith, he wakes up every morning. By faith, he lives.

My Uncle Charlie, and his family, have a big cross to carry. Fortunately, they have a Savior big enough to handle it. At the end of all of this – Jesus is waiting. And in the middle of all of this, He is holding them up. I think you can look at the Scripture above in two ways. In a negative light, if you do not stand firm in your faith, you fall down. But if you look at it with a positive spin, it is the FAITH that is holding you up. Because when you stand firm in faith, God has your back. And if you do not stand firm in that thought, the world is going to bring you down – and you will fall.

I pray readers, that you stand firm in your faith. Not because you are afraid of punishment, but because you realize it is faith that gives you the ability to stand in the first place. If you have people in your lives who are not standing firm in faith – please stand in faith for them. Pray for them…and never stop.

Readers, keep my Uncle Charlie and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Help them stay strong in faith and pour out your love on them like Jesus asked us to. Thank you!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I love you Lord (Psalm 100:2)

Scripture of the Day: Psalm 100:2  Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Starting last fall, my husband began singing the song "I Love you Lord," to our kiddo before he went to bed, as a lullaby of sorts. The lyrics are simple: I love you Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you, oh my soul rejoice! Take joy, my King, in what you hear, may it be a sweet, sweet, sound in your ear. It has since become a very popular song in our house! We sing it before nap time, bed time, and I hum it when sometimes when our little guy is upset or over tired. I love singing it slow and asking him to sing with me – at this point he knows most of the words and there is really nothing sweeter than hearing that little voice sing “I yuv you yord,”  (no “r’s” yet you see)! The song has also worked it's way into my personal worship of the Lord. The words are meant for Him to hear and I think he loves to hear them sung! I find that singing that j...
2 comments
Read more

What is Your Lie?

By now, you should know I like songs. I like Christian songs because their words don't put any "yuck" in my head and I don't have to worry about what little ears are taking in when they are on! Some touch me deep and here are the lyrics to part of a new favorite: Reckless Love by Cory Asbury There's no shadow you won't light up, Mountain you won't climb up Coming after me... There's no wall you won't kick down, Lie you won't tear down, Coming after me... Friends. Focus on that last point: There's no lie God won't tear down. What is your lie? What lie, or even lies, do you believe about yourself? What lies run over and over in your head until they don't feel like lies anymore? What hurts have you told yourself you deserve? What unkindness have you accepted as your due? What actions have you justified for others? What fault have you accepted that really isn't yours? What forgiveness have you felt unworthy of? I'm...
1 comment
Read more

From the mouth's of babes

I'm writing this more for prosperity's sake and because I need to try and wrap my head around a conversation I just had with my seven year old. Mandisa's song "Bleed the Same" was playing in the car...my kiddo asks me what she is actually saying because he hears "We all be the same." I explained how it meant that regardless of skin color, or lots of other things really, we all bleed the same. On the inside, we are all the same. And then the zinger. He says, "We all look the same inside. Except our hearts." "Oh really?" Says I. "Yes," says he "because of sin. I'm talking on a spiritual level." AAAHHHHH!!! Our hearts all look different because of sin in the my mind of my baby. And I bet you that in the eyes of God, who can see the heart in a different light and who judges it's motivations, our hearts all DO look different. When I think of a heart full of sin, I think of black and decay instead o...
1 comment
Read more