Keep Your Light Burning (Guest Post by Fiona Kalu)
Special Note: One of my writing goals this year was to guest post on another blogger's website. Through Jeff Goins' Tribe Writers, I was fortunate to meet Fiona Kalu who allowed me to post on her website. She was so gracious to write this latest piece that I present to you. Hop e you find encouragement to lean into God's Word to find assurance and direction.
As I grow as a believer, I have encountered challenges that I doubted I could overcome just by believing in God. A few days ago, I opened my mail and discovered a bill for things I had to pay. Checking my account, I didn’t have enough money to pay the full amount. Releasing a slow breath, I plopped on the sofa, feeling defeated. I prayed like the man in the Bible whose daughter was raised back to life, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief." A great silence followed and I resorted to trying to figure out what to do, according to my “own understanding.”
In the midst of trying to "help myself," I heard a faint voice within, whispering, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Commit your ways unto the Lord and He shall fulfill the desires of your heart." With despair and deep conviction from the Holy Spirit, I lifted my hands up in surrender. As I prayed to ask God to make a way for me and to help me trust him more, my dad called and asked if I needed money!
As often happens, when I admitted my desperate need for God's help, He provided a way when there was no way. It made me feel bad about doubting the power of Him who is able to do ANYTHING and use ANYONE to answer my prayers.
Check out www.fionakalu.org to read more of her journey.
Most of us have to beat doubt at one point or another. Challenges aren't easy to face, but a verse that helps me says, "Be still and know I am God." Being still before God and acknowledging his Lordship gives me hope to trust in a God who is bigger than my circumstances. I hope you know this, too.
When we have Jesus Christ in our hearts, we are bound to Him by the covenant of His blood. The blood which was shed on the cross gave us a way to be called “Children of God.” As children of God, it is impossible to please Him without Faith. When challenges come, God looks at how we are going to handle them. If we have faith as little as a mustard seed, we shall say to any mountain, “be removed” and it will.
We have to keep this faith glowing and active all the time. We are the salt and light of this earth. Not only God but everyone around us looks at how we handle “hard times.” This same flavor of "salt" and the luminosity of this "light" is turned up by our faith which grows from hearing the words of Christ.
Our glow increases with the ability and the sensitivity to hear the Word of Christ. Your challenges may seem overwhelming, like mine did, but they have their match in the Word of Christ. The more we incline our ears to hear what God says, the easier it is to see victory in every battle we fight. The glow of our faith should come from the fellowship we have with Christ.
When we listen to the words of Jesus, our light will continue to burn and we will be energized to be like the warm glow of a lamp that never goes out.
About Fiona:
Fiona loves to write, read and spend time with her 4-year old brother. She is a college student majoring in Criminology and English. Fiona is currently writing a devotional book called: "Your Journey: 40 days to reflect on your walk with the Lord. Originally from Kenya, Fiona now lives with her family in Indiana PA. You can connect with Fiona on Twitter @fionakalu, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fionakalu/ or check her website: www.fionakalu.org.