If You Don't Know....

So, in my little law school world, it’s finals time. Finals time is full of review, therefore I’m in a “review state of mind”. No, I’m not going to give you a summary of every post written. There will be no pop quiz, but you will be tested on this. Some of you are already being tested on this.  I know this because life tests our faith, our calling, our freedom, etc. all of the time. How do we pass? We remember what we’ve learned before about the God we serve. So let’s have a quick review, shall we? 

I’m convinced that part of the reason we lack faith, and don't trust God like we should, is because we don’t completely realize and appreciate who God is. I love church, and I’m a church kid, but church can desensitize us to the true greatness and magnitude of God if we’re not careful because it presents such a familiarity with Him. As a result, we create a box, and panic when our problem dares to extend beyond the box we've tried to place God in. So, sweet suga, let me remind you of (some of) the characteristics that are in the God that we serve (or that I think you should really start serving):

• God is a creator. (Gen. Chapters 1 & 2)
  • He literally made everything from scratch. He spoke it, and it came into being.That means that He created your enemies. He created the path that you’re on. He created the people and things you’re surrounded by. That setback? He created it. That amazing opportunity? He created that too, and He’s so good at creating things, that He set it all up to work for you, even when it’s designed to hurt you. That’s why the weapons don’t prosper: they were created to harm you, but He uses them to help you. He’s the Creator of all creation, which means that even if there’s not a way for you to survive, He’ll create one. 
• God is a provider. (Gen 22:14; Phil 4:19)
  • You’ve yet to have a need that He didn’t have the resources to fill. He's the provider of peace. He's the provider of joy. He's the provider of money. He's the provider of favor. He the provider of protection. He's THE provider of ALL providers. You need it? I know somebody who has it, and He told me He's just waiting on you to ask for it in His name. Go for it, and tell me how it goes. 
• God answers in the time of distress. (Gen 35:3)
  • …and He travels through that distress with you. Actually, He’s so good that He goes before you, and sticks with you at the same time (Deut 31:6, 8). He sees you through the present storm, and uses it to prepare you for your season of surplus (TELL ME THAT'S NOT BOMB! Lol). He’ll cause you to be fruitful when you should be falling apart (Gen 41:52). God is so good, and so amazing, and so....genuine that He doesn’t just hear you, He responds. 
• God is a healer (Ex. 15:26).
  • He’s the only doctor that can heal every aspect of your life. He’s a counselor and a physician (expert in every field). There’s not a wound that you can have that He can’t heal. There’s not a brokenness you can feel that He can’t mend. He can heal relationships. He can heal mental, emotional, and physical diseases. He can give sight to the blind, peace to the distressed, and comfort to the lonely. He doesn't just bring healing; He is healing. 
• God is a fighter. (Ps. 5:11) 
  • He’s not just a fighter, He’s an undefeated fighter. (I'd keep going, but I'd get stuck, and we dont have all week lol)
• God is incapable of lying. (Num. 23:19) 
  • If He said it (ESPECIALLY if He's confirmed it), all you need to provide is the active faith and watch it happen. I don't care if you're standing in the middle of a storm, and He says sunshine is coming in 10 minutes. Regardless of how insane it seems, you’ve got to hold on to His word, because it’s yet to fail. He may have even told you that sunshine was coming before the storm came, because He could see the storm about to hit, and He didn’t want you to give up before you saw what was on the other side. Whatever the reason, whatever the purpose, know that God of Heaven has never lied. It came into being the moment He declared it. If He said it, He will perform it. He can do a lot of things, but lying? Oh lying isn't on His resume. 
• God is a shield. (Ps. 3:3) 
  • He protects you. He covers you (even when you don't realize you're being covered). This doesn’t mean that nothing will get to you, but it does mean that everything that’s meant to hit you won’t reach you. It also means that the weapons that may hit you, but they'll never prosper in their purpose to take you out. 
• God is a lover. (Deut 7:7-8)
  • He’s the essence and the very definition of love. He doesn’t love us because we’re so amazing, or because we’ve done something to earn it; but because He sees the investment that He placed inside of us, and knows we're worth it. His love fuels every other aspect of His character. Because He loves us, He keeps His word, provides strength, healing, deliverance, etc. His love is so strong that death can't break it, strongholds can't block it, and sin can't keep it away. He loves us so much, that He takes us how we are, and molds us into something better. That's how strong God's love is, and it'll never go away.  
• God is faithful. (Deut 7:9) 
  • I recently heard that faithfulness is more than just being present, it’s profitability. So when I say that God is faithful, I don’t just mean that He’s there; I mean that He’s there, AND He’s adding to our very existence. He adds value to everything He’s apart of. He adds purpose. He adds life. He adds joy. He adds these things because they bring forth fruit and cause us to profit beyond our own provisions. Even when we're faithless, God is faithful (AND I LOVE THAT ABOUT HIM), and He'll never let us fall to a point that He can't get to. 
• God is consistent. (Heb. 13:8)
  • There’s nothing that He could do then that He can’t do now. NOTHING. So if He’s healed before, He can heal today, and He’ll still have healing power tomorrow. The same goes for His provision, His grace, His protection, etc. He is, has been, and will forever be consistent in helping His people. He hasn’t changed His mind. He hasn’t changed the plan. He’s consistent. Consistently providing. Consistently fulfilling His promises. Consistently working on your behalf. Consistently healing. Consistently using your flaws for His glory. Consistently making you better. Consistently…..being God.

This is the God that is on your side (Judges 6:24). This is the God that calls you His friend. This is the God that loves you. This is the God that will keep you in storms, and will also keep you away from a few storms. This is God Almighty, and He’s fighting for you. Your problem isn’t out of His reach. Lift up your head, and be lifted up! For the King, the end all be all, the ultimate decision maker, the Source of Glory....is right here. He's faithful. He's a consistent victor, and He's fighting on your behalf. So if this God...the doctor, protector, faithful, lover, deliverer, undefeated fighter...is on your side, who could actually defeat you? Don't worry...I'll wait here while you figure that out.

Recognize that God is Lord over whatever's trying to take you out, and believe that He's got you. This isn't time to faint; it's time to work your faith. Have you not known? Haven't you heard? You serve The Ultimate Boss, boo! You're serving the solution to your problem. Breathe, keep your faith, hold your head high, and let Him work. Once again, there’s nothing that He could do then that He can’t do now. You're not the first to have this problem. You're not the first to fight this battle. However, if you hold on to Him, you'll definitely be added to the list of victories. Keep pushing, keep praying, and keep pressing towards your promise!

Background Music: Who You Were - Travis Greene

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