Development of a Disappointment Proof Faith
Greetings and good morning, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series, where we seek to explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years, the heavenly Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them with you. This morning we seek to understand how to develop a disappointment-proof faith.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
Development of a Disappointment-Proof Faith
"And He said to unto me, ‘‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’’" 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 12, Verse 9
Brothers and sisters, in today’’s broadcast we share some insights as to how to develop a disappointment-proof faith. We are desirous of developing this kind of faith for the comfort of our souls. We know that as we live this life, we are confronted with many challenges. And some of these challenges seem to defy solutions. These are the ones that require faith in order for us to continue to struggle with them. Some problems are of such a nature that only the passing of time can resolve them. As time moves on, many problems cease to be. As we continue with our efforts to meet these challenges, we need a faith that is never disappointed.
It is difficult for us to maintain faith in the face of these seemingly unresolvable problems. But we know that willingness to struggle with problems is what calls forth growth. And with growth comes greater spiritual insight and an increase in spiritual status, which may not be evident at any given moment, but our decisions and thus our performances validate this growth. This increase is reflected in the meanings and values of the decisions we make.
These transactions occur within our souls and thus may not be available to the scrutiny of the material mind. But the growth of our souls testifies to the validity and the righteousness of our struggle, for we know that we only grow in response to the stimulus of persistent effort, perseverance, and undaunting faith. That we progress this way must be the Father’’s will. This is an awesome struggle for perfection in which we are involved. Grappling with problems is the mechanism by which our growth potentials emerge, transforming us into the image of the Father’’s Son, Jesus.
Without faith, we grow weary, lose ground, and ultimately give up. So we want to keep our faith strong and vibrant. In short, we want our faith to be disappointment-proof. But how do we do this?
As we struggle with these problems, we are sure to encounter disappointments, and these disappointments can have a wilting effect on our faith as we go through the process of negotiating the road of disappointment, with its potholes of pain and sorrow. First, we must ensure that our faith is living. Static or dead faith seeks to embrace an unchanging situation, but living faith must be dynamic; it must be able to grasp the divine values and meanings out of the rapidly changing moral and spiritual situations. Static faith is inappropriate because our lives are constantly changing, and a static or dead faith cannot keep pace with these rapid changes.
Living faith never loses potency, never undergoes fatigue, never becomes discouraged, never becomes disappointed. And this is so because no matter how difficult or trying an experience may be, living faith is always able to extract from it divine values and meanings. That is the sure proof that our faith is alive rather than dead. This extraction of divine values and meanings and their comprehension is equivalent to growth.
After assuring that our faith is living, verified by our soul’’s cry that nothing of spiritual value is lost, we must have faith in the goodness of God. We must embrace this truth no matter the circumstances. Our faith in the Father’’s goodness is the foundation of our trust in Him. We must believe that the Father knows what sort of experiences are best for our growth in time and eternity, even though this is often very difficult for us at times. We strain for release from the fetters of suffering. But we must possess our souls in patience, believing that He is the author and finisher of our faith and that he can and will complete the work that He has started.
And through all emotional upheavals, we must continue to pray and worship, to continually seek the Father’’s will. This practice will impart power for our souls to "endure as seeing Him who is invisible." Prayer yields insights while worship illuminates our destiny. As we continue to submit to the Father’’s will, our faith-- rather, the exercise of it--begins to take on the qualities of being disappointment-proof as we begin to realize the Father’’s presence.
Such a faith will never stumble over the ups and downs of material life; rather will such a faith in midst of them exert itself in every crisis by displaying the attitude of "not my will but your will be done."
Finally the development of a disappointment-proof faith requires that we allow this faith to exemplify our relationship with the heavenly Father. This relationship grows as we continue to submit to His will. And when faith stands for our relationship with the heavenly Father, our faith will never be disappointed as we experience the delights of His character and show that character to our brothers and sisters via the fruits of the spirit.
This concludes today's message on understanding how to develop a disappointment-proof faith. We hope you find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day.
Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry.
Your Kingdom Come; Your Will Be Done!
Inspirational Messages of Light
By Dr. James Perry
Development of a Disappointment Proof Faith
