Faith. We all know faith is somehow intertwined with anything and everything regarding the kingdom. But as far as faith for believing for something to come to pass, we miss an important part of the process: the challenge, or resistance.
A couple of days ago I got a word from the Lord at a Sunday church service. For the past few years, I have been increasingly struggling with blood sugar problems. That Sunday morning God told me that the moment I step onto the plane to go overseas again in 2017, I would no longer have blood sugar problems. Fantastic! God was giving me a new pancreas. No more sleep deprived nights filled with bathroom breaks every 2 hours just because I ate some food that normally bothers my blood sugar. After service as a step of faith, I ate a donut. That would usually give me problems. However, that day it didn’t! I already saw results. It extended even further to that night. I had a snow cone after dinner, and I did not wake up five times during the night to use the bathroom. However, it was that next night that was notable. The next day was fine as the previous day was. Except that night I had something that would normally bother my blood sugar again in my meal. Every two hours or so during the night, I, unfortunately, had to use the bathroom again.
The next morning I spoke with someone about the situation and was advised that along with big steps of faith comes a challenge. I was then reminded of a message given by Sean Smith at my time in Bible School. Sean Smith called it the “10 Second Gap.” There was a time where Sean Smith was doing a crusade of sorts on a university campus. He had a high turnout as many students showed up to see what he was all about. With Sean Smith being about his Father’s business, he was determined not to let anything stand in the way of them hearing the Gospel including the thunderclouds that remained overhead. As he prayed for there to be no rain to mess up the message that day, He was declaring a statement of faith that it would not rain. Just as he finished praying, the rain started to pour. Students began to shun his prayer and covered their heads as they got up and ran off the football field where everything was being held. This is where the line is drawn between people who have faith and people who are caught up by feelings or by what they see with their eyes. Sean Smith stood there for 10 seconds still fully believing for there to be no rain. He prayed continuously during the rain. Only after 10 seconds of a harsh downpour, the rain suddenly stopped. Sean looked up into the sky and to his assurance, he saw the sky almost as clear as ever. Sean could only smile as the one thing that could hinder the crusade was the rain, and that was now gone. Students stopped in their tracks and turned around to hear Sean Smith say “my God stopped the rain!”
You see, when we believe in faith for something, there is always a challenge – or resistance against your very beliefs afterward. As a child of God, we were meant for more than giving into a mere resistance to faith. Faith, as defined by the Bible, says it is the evidence of the things unseen. When you pray for no rain, and there is rain, faith demands you stand firm through anything that might try to defy your authority. It’s only natural for the forces against the kingdom to test what they can get away with. However, we will be immovable if it’s God’s will and we stand on it.
As a missionary, it’s important to note to anyone who is taking on the missionary journey themselves that this is vital in their walk. There will be times you get hyped up for a trip but only to dip down shortly after because little or no funds come in. There will be times where a vision you have for an area is seemingly getting nowhere. There will be times where everything you’re believing for just isn’t coming to pass. Don’t let the enemy trick you into thinking that just because there’s resistance to your faith that it won’t come to pass. Stand strong in all God tells you. Even if you aren’t a missionary, all these things still apply to you. Don’t quit when things get difficult! You’re better than stopping right when the heat starts. Keep praising God for what He said He would do or what He gave you the vision to do. Break through the resistance and see the rewards flow in with abundance!