"Tested Faith" -2

"For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me." (Psalms 44:6) Yes, hope is that which keeps us afloat, and helps us cope; if we don't have hope, then what's the use? Which really goes back to the whole point of "A Prayer for Protection", because the power of our prayer is going to be in line with the hope that is within us; if our hope in God is weak, then our prayer for protection will also be weak; weak in the sense that we lack what it takes to really believe that the Lord will do what He said He would do, and that we should never need to suffer more than we can bear (John 15 & 16). Try telling that to someone that is in the middle of something horrific, their only answer is, Make it go away! The Holy Spirit is not only our Helper, but He is also our Comforter, to bring us peace in a time where peace is not heard of, and to give us hope in light of the which appears before us. How else do we truly know that we have faith, if our faith is not tested? It is just like anyone that is competing in a sports event, to win the event, they must practice to win, so too is the testing of our faith; with every little trial we become stronger, and with each and every thing that we suffer through, He is given glory by the hope that is within us (John 15:1). If you study these verses that we have looked at thus far, there is a pattern between the "We" and the "I", where we have, "We have heard", and "Through Thee will we push down"; yet on the other hand, we becomes personal when it comes to our faith, as in, "Thou art my King", and "I will not trust in my bow". This I believe is very important to how we must view our trials and tribulations, because they are things that effect more than just ourselves, yet they are totally up to us; in other words, to you has been given the opportunity to either give God the glory or to look for what can be seen to be the answer. God works in our circumstances, and when our circumstances are great, God gets to work great things... "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, faith, love, patience, and meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life, whereunto thou art called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Jesus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: which in His times He shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." (1 Timothy 6:11-16)