It is common to find many Christians struggling on how to express their faith in the midst of a dire situation. It could be joblessness, sickness, indebtedness, singleness, divorce, the list goes on. I have such struggles as well. When I am faced with a situation that I've prayed about continuously and nothing seem to be changing in the physical, in fact, sometimes it gets worse, I tend to get confused at how to comport myself in terms of my faith. Do I turn a blind eye to it and pretend it is not there? Well, God told me that if I did that, I would be living in denial, and it is not His will for any of His children to live in denial. "Only people who have no hope live in denial", He said. But we have hope, Christ in us, our hope of glory - Colossians 1:27. What in the world does that even mean?
It is safe to say that we know what it means that Christ is in us. If you are born again, that is, have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for your redemption from sin, Christ is in you. Now, what is hope? Hope is the desire of something to happen. What is glory, in the light of this scripture? It is the state of perfection, where nothing is missing or broken. So let's put all together - with Christ in us, we can desire, faultlessly, a state of perfection where nothing is missing or broken. The glory of God is the manifestation of all the good that comes with out salvation; healing, prosperity, peace, joy etc. And Christ in us is the blessed assurance that these will happen, because He is the propitiation of our sin, 1 John 2:2. Remember, sin is the reason why we are in the mess we have today in our world. In the beginning, man was created for worship and fellowship with God, with all things intact for his enjoyment. But man sinned, and the door was opened for the many problems we face in the world today.
So what should you do in the face of troubles that seem to persist even though you have prayed, or is still praying? Speak the word! For every problem that may arise in our lives, God has given a word or decree concerning it. We are to speak the word, stand on it until we see a change. It does not mean there is no change until we see it. Change already sets into motion, but we stand in faith on God's word until we see the change manifest physically. For example, say you have a tumour, and have prayed about it. You wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and the tumour is the first to say "good morning". No! You don't despair or deny it's existence. You speak back to it, "good morning, sure I see you. But it is written, by His wounds I was healed, so I believe I am healed". Sounds crazy, I know. But most times, the faith walk is a war of attrition. Don't let the enemy get you down. For as often as the situation speaks to you, you speak back to it using the word of God. Another example is in the case of being broke. You log into your account and it shouts at you, empty! You should speak back to it, and say, "I hear you, but it is written, my God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. You are not denying an empty bank account, or sickness. You are saying what God has decreed concerning that situation, and that is what brings the change. Denial does not bring the change. Denial is actually an act of fear or hopelessness, and defeat. No! Child of God! That is not where God wants you to be.
Have you ever tried to cut a giant tree with an axe? You and I know it is not a day's job. But this is the analogy; the state of the tree on day one, is not the same on day two. Everyday you go out and cut on the tree, the tree is becomes inches less than it was on the previous day. If you continue without failing, one day, you'll strike the tree once, and it will fall to the ground. The fall of the tree began the very first day you made your first strike. So have you began your strike against that situation using the word of God? Don't stop, you are making progress even if you can't see it. Remember that the word of God is sharper than a two edged sword, Hebrews 4:12. One day you will see your change, and appreciate the day, week, month or year that you started that journey. It is written in Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man that he should lie, or the son of man that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will not make it good?" The very fact that God said it should end the debate.
I leave these words from Hebrews 6:18-20 with you as a reminder that you are better positioned to face your giants and defeat them.
"So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
