In the Midst of a Crisis… Fear or Faith, Faith or Fear?
What did Jesus do in the midst of a crisis? The night Jesus was arrested, what was His attitude? As He marched toward the torture and eventual death on a cross, what did He choose to do? What did He think, what did He say? Basically, He kept quiet and He trusted God with all of His heart and mind, and He served others until His last breath. That's what Jesus did in His worst Crisis! He served you and me and the entire world, and not one of us deserved it!
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
Being Godfident is to live by faith in the absence of fear. Where faith exists, fear flees - it has to! In fear there is no faith; faith can’t exist in the presence of fear. It's one or the other!
"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Being Godfident and having Godfident children should mean everything to us, it does to me. Being Godfident grants us God’s kind of peace, the peace that goes beyond our understanding.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
Placing our confidence in God’s ability and His plan and His purpose for our lives casts out all fear! Fear and faith cannot coexist. To receive God’s righteousness as a free gift of faith, means we trust in what God has already done for us through Jesus Christ.
"and to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." Ephesians 4:24
Put All Your Faith In God in the Midst of ANY AND ALL Crisis’
Having faith in God in the midst of a crisis seems impossible - but it’s not. What’s impossible, is trying to navigate a crisis alone, on our own strength, and through our own understanding. Good luck with that.
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6
Placing our faith in Jesus and His finished work is the definition of being “Godfident.” Placing our faith in ourselves or anyone else, or anything for that matter is fear. Godfident people place all of their faith in Jesus.
"and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith," Philippians 3:9
God’s love to us, and for us, is a free gift and we don’t have to earn it. As a matter of fact, we can’t earn it - no one can. If we try to earn it we offend Grace! The truth is, we can only receive God’s love, we can’t earn it.
"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 9:14
STOP MAKING IT COMPLICATED! IT’S A FREE GIFT, JUST RECEIVE IT!
We certainly don’t deserve it, salvation. We never could. We couldn’t earn it either, that’s obvious. However, we can receive it. God’s PEACE comes to us through His mercy and His love, through Grace, and He alone provides it. Jesus is GRACE.
"and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20
People who are Godfident believe that God’s love is free, unmerited, and undeserved, AND they can have it without limits if they only believe.
"And now I entrust you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified" Acts 20:32
People with Godfidence also believe they have unlimited peace and joy, even in the midst of the absolute worst life crisis ever!
"But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!" Romans 5:15
People who place their Godfidence in God actually believe what the Bible says - every word, starting with the part that says God loved us before He redeemed us. Yes, when we deserved it the least God gave us the most.
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus. For His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us excellence. Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust. " 2 Peter 1:2-4
Who Cares How You Feel, Truth is Truth, Stand on it No Matter What!
What? Righteous? Me? How can this be? I don’t FEEL righteous, as a matter of fact, I feel very unrighteous right now.
Our feelings don’t matter, they are not factored in. God’s Grace is complete, or its not. Either we receive it, as it is, a free gift, or we don’t get it at all. All, or none.
"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21
Godfidence is the act of placing one’s faith in God and His promises and NOT in one’s self. Being Godfident is having tremendous faith in God and His word, especially when comparing God’s ability with one’s own.
"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2
We can’t save ourselves or we would have already done it! We can foolishly try to save ourselves in vain, or place our trust and faith in Christ alone.
"that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." Romans 10:9-10
A person who believes in God with all their heart, mind, and soul and seeks God above all else, has placed their total faith, trust, and GODFIDENCE in God.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
We say they are “GODFIDENT!” Frankly, we say, “Their Godfidence is in God’s ability alone, specifically His unlimited and unmerited Grace, that being the Word of God, Jesus Christ.”
"For if by the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." Romans 5:17
You might say a person who is Godfident is a fanatic. Knowing that a person has placed their eternal life in the hands of Jesus, the Messiah, God’s only begotten Son is pretty radical.
"For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory." 2 Timothy 2:10
If you think deeply about it, being Godfident is radical. It’s a radical thing to place one’s eternal fate into the hand's of anyone.
"For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Romans 10:3-4, 9-10
But why wouldn't someone consider placing all their faith and trust into God? Seriously, why wouldn't it be their first consideration and put their faith in the God of the Bible?
"and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 3:15
Why wouldn't a parent of a troubled child place their total faith in God? Is there a better time than this? How could a parent of a troubled teen not be Godfident? The Bible says we are the children of God, the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST!”
"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21
There are many reasons why we should be Godfident, but it's still hard, especially in a crisis. We suspect you came to this page and you are reading this material because you are in a crisis, and you are tired, you are weary, and you are at the end of your rope! If that is you, do what Jesus did when He faced the biggest crisis of His life. He double-downed with His trust for His Father and He decided to serve others with His life.
In the midst of His crisis, Jesus served others to His last breath and He trusted everything to His Father, who by the way, resurrected Him and seated at the righthand of God the Father.
"Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:27-30 NLT
