From our friend, Pat Pennington

Romans 12:3 tells us that everyone has been given a message of faith.
Since I was a very young man I have been told the amount of faith God has given you is equal to the assignment He's given you. Now at 70 years old I will say that statement is true.

Whatever you're facing in your life, tell yourself, "God has given me the faith to handle this." Nothing's more important than your faith. Jesus told Peter in the book of Luke, "Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail

Faith is more important than money, or career success, or reputation. Everything can be taken from you, but if you have faith you'll bounce back. Also our Mighty God restores His people of faith.

I think faith is a direct connection to God. As the prayer of faith flows up, God’s power flows down. So keep in mind that failure is never final, as long as your faith doesn't fail. There are obstacles in your life that will only be removed by faith. It's not so much the size of your faith, but the quality of it that determines your success.

We could also say the amount of time it takes for us to completely trust God with a troubled situation is an indicator of our growth in faith. A divided heart of distrust is created when we face unknowns and when we are offended, frustrated or hurt. The quicker we learn to trust God and put our faith in Him, the quicker we enjoy the grace and peace of our Heavenly Father.

But be on guard, a man or woman is made weak when their heart is divided by forces competing with faithful living. As our faith grows in our Christian walk we need to consider how fear divides but faith unites, just as pride divides and humility unites. Also anger divides while forgiveness unites. Selfishness also divides while generosity unites. Harshness divides, kindness unites. Hate divides, love unites. In this world God’s way always unites and we need to have faith in our God. He is everywhere, knows everything and is sovereign.

As dedicated Christians we need to grow into a focused faith in the Lord Jesus. Never doubt the power of our God.

<°)))>< Pat Penningtom, San Antonio, TX