God provides an opportunity to prove in the darkness what you profess in the light
/"God provides an opportunity to prove in the darkness what you profess in the light." I heard this from a sermon at The Fellowship at Cinco Ranch in Katy, TX. (If you are looking for a church in that area, I highly recommend it). This sermon has stuck with me for months. It is so easy to be on fire for God when things in life are going smoothly. We feel loved, blessed, and like everything is right in the world. We can talk of God's goodness because of the good things going on in our life, right? But what happens when things start to feel like they are coming undone? That's when our faith needs to be stronger than ever. A mess in our life does NOT disprove the goodness of God.
"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10
It never says in the Word of God that professing our faith in Christ is our ticket out of disappointing circumstances in life. People have free will. They make choices. And when someone chooses to take their focus off of Christ, they are not always good choices. Where you fix your focus WILL determine how you live your life. When someone's focus in not on Christ, it presents the perfect opportunity for the thief to come into their life to steal, kill, and destroy. When someone is not rooted in the Word of God, where is their protection from temptations? We cannot control what other people do. That is up to them. But when things in your life feel like they are coming undone, remember that God promises to rescue, redeem, and restore when we place our faith in Him. He promises to never leave us in the valleys of life.
"for He has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'. So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper' I will not fear; what can man do to me." Hebrews 13:5b-6
It is so easy to only see the problem at hand. Valleys leave you blinded by darkness. It hurts. Trust me, I get it. That is why it is so important to stay in God's presence during those troubling times. Let your faith stand strong during those valleys. Prayer is powerful and God is even more powerful! Choose to see God in your mess. Choose to believe that He is there working. Choose to not take your focus off of Him. And then watch what He can do. God can take any mess and turn it into a message of hope, but we HAVE to allow Him to do this by being intentional with our relationship with Him.
