Finding your faith again.

Resurrected Faith By Jacqueline Goodwin 2 Corinthians 4:8-9: We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. A part of my life since the beginning and will last until the very breath leaves this outer shell known as a body. It has sometimes been weakened by the trials of life yet the residue of it burns like fire shut up in my bones. It is my confidence in God and His son Jesus Christ and not in myself. Faith it is called. It was already present in the experiences of my mother. As I sat and watch her triumph in every trial because of her faith. However, somewhere along the way the trials of my life suffocated, strangulated, smothered, suppressed, and stifled my faith which started as only a size of a mustard seed. Will my faith be resuscitated? Will it be raised from the troubled on every side? Overcoming no longer distressed or despair because now my faith has resurrected. Taken by life calamities, catastrophes, heartbreaks, disasters, and misfortunes the faith that I had was stolen. Yet, out of my relationship with God was born my resurrected faith. I no longer felt like a vessel who was only a mere image of an empty tomb. A touch from my Savior, friend, comforter, and confidant, raised my level of faith from the emptiness of my soul. Jesus was His name, from an empty tomb He brought my resurrected faith that He knew I would need this day. Had it not been for that empty tomb would I have what I now understand to be resurrected faith? He taught the disciples to have faith of a mustard seed. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done” (Matthew 21:21). Though I was in the midst of the fire my faith that had been buried by flames rose from the ashes to not allow me to be destroyed. Resurrected faith is what the Holy Spirit spoke with authority and something shook from within the depths of my soul to allow me to go forth from the shadows of my broken past and embrace my destiny. Even while I was perplexed and did not comprehend all that I endured Resurrected faith kept me from not becoming despair. It was my Lord’s resurrection that helps me to build upon my resurrected faith and not remain cast down or destroyed. Faced with foreclosure had I forgotten who Jehovah Jireh was? Yes, my faith was blinded by fear, lost in the papers served by the courts. Then a voice from the wind spoke clear and bold, “Stand still and remember who I am! Your provider, your way maker! Where is your faith?” Those words shook my spirit out of my belly rose my resurrected faith! You may be in the midst of a storm feeling distressed, perplexed, despair, persecuted, forsaken, cast down and even destroyed. But reach back to the seed of your faith and allow your faith to be resurrected. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were thrown into a blazing fire allowed their faith to be resurrected beyond the flames and brought forth their deliverance. They were persecuted but they refused to bow down (Daniel 3:1-30). Yes, their resurrected faith kept them in the midst of the fire and brought them to promotion (Daniel 3:30).