August 30

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10

The Spirit of Faith

There are many times I find myself wrestling -- I know what God's Words says, I know what I am supposed to believe, and yet the picture of the circumstance just isn't matching up to the Word. I think that's why I found Paul's words to be so encouraging.  Think about Paul and what he was going through. Think about the many Biblical examples of men and women with incredible faith. Personally, I want my faith to be as strong as theirs. Honestly, I do miss the mark.  In Matthew 12:24 Jesus said "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh"  Speaking with a firm and settled conviction that scripture is God breathed (2 Tim. 3:16) and believing the truth of the Gospel is what I believe Paul is emphasizing in this passage. Like David in Psalm 116, Paul uses the language of faith as he was "entangled by the chords of death" (v3), but he still cried out to God, trusted, and waited for His answer. I believe Paul is trying to encourage us to use the same language and strengthen our spirit. This is how faith grows. God promises us when we are hard pressed on every side, we are not abandoned, crushed or destroyed (4:18).  We have a treasure in jars of clay (v7).  Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think Paul was trying to remind us that the Holy Spirit Who lives inside of us is God's strength which will lead us through. Believing the truths of the Gospel, believing Jesus wins, believing in all that was done on the Cross, and reminding ourselves to keep our eyes fixed on what we can't see, is what gets us through our trials. Eternity awaits us.  Knowing this, we speak God's truth over our lives, our family, our nation, our church, and our schools. I pray this morning that as we go into the day we carry the Spirit of Faith like Paul did, knowing that greater is the One who is inside of me, than he who is living in the world.


Randi