True Faith In Jesus

The Lord wants to know “do you truly believe in me?” Let us examine ourselves. God seeks us out daily and asks us if we truly believe in Him. “Do you truly believe in me?” Do you truly believe God the Father? Do you believe that Jesus Christ died for me, saved me, that I have been cleansed by His blood, that all my sins have been washed away, so that I may live my life before God? The Holy Spirit speaks to us, guides us and teaches us about God, Jesus and the Spirit, but do we believe Him and live our life in obedience? Do you truly believe? Do you truly believe that God created the universe? Or is it something that you know because you have heard it? Do you believe because you believe or is it something that you think you do without truly believing? Though the world end today, though you face unthinkable trials and suffering, though you do not have money to eat today, do you still believe that God is your Father? Really? Do you truly believe? When you are in a good mood you say you believe. You say you believe that God exists. But the moment you feel down, where is God in your life? You question what has God done for you? You question why God put you on earth? You question why you have such parents? You question why you suffer when others are doing well? You question why you have to suffer your trials and not live the life you want? Is this how you live your life? We do not commune with God even if we feel bad in the slightest. If we do commune with Him it is because He lives. This is whom we argue against. This is whom we complain to. But our problem is when things are going well we forget about God. It is confusing that you blame Him when things go bad because in your life He does not live. The whole world argues with God when they are angry or frustrated. Why does God disappear from your life when things go well? Why do you take credit for your life? You blame God when things go wrong, then when things go well why do your get rid of God and take credit for it? Why did you do it all? Why do you think you are special? God is not there. Where do you stand? Do you stand on both sides? Do you stand on the side that blames God or do you stand on the side that takes credit for everything because you think you are the one to make it all happen? Are you looking for approval from people? You are responsible for your mistakes that cause you to be disapproved. You blame God when it is your fault that you fail. And when you put in a little effort and something good happens you take all the credit. You take God out of everything. Though we may act as though He does not exist He is everlasting. He has been since before Creation. He has no beginning. He is and always will be. We say we believe in Him but we have doubt. This is why He asks us “do you believe in me?” This has many different meanings. Do we believe that He exists? Do we believe that He is guiding us? Do we believe that He is with us even today? He is wanting to know if we believe that He is with us no matter how difficult our circumstance is? Do you believe? When things are difficult, in your suffering, though you may not attain that which you desire, though nothing that you want comes to pass, though the task you have been assigned may not seem like it is being accomplished, though you may have nothing in your hands, though you have nothing, do you still believe God and continue to move forward? Do you truly believe? I have nothing more to say to you. God has asked me this continuously this week. “Do you believe me?” “Do you believe that I am guiding you?” I had questions for God this week, but just like Job, rather than answer my questions He asked me His questions and wanted to know if I believed in Him. I told God that that is not the question that I was asking. I have conflict within me, I have worry, I am trying to forgive everyone and trying to love them, and in the midst of a struggle I was having this week, and rather than answering the request I was making He was asking His own question “do you believe in me?” This is what God was asking me this week. “Do you truly believe in me?” Yes, I believe you I answered. I believe that you live. I believe that I am cleansed by the blood of Jesus. I believe that He died for me. I believe that He leads me. I believe it all, but then He still asks me “do you believe in me?” I asked Him, “God what are you asking me?” It is easy for me to forgive someone I know but this past week I had a problem with someone I did not know. As time went on I hated this person more and more. I could not forgive this person as time passed on. But what did I preach? Repent, love, and bless. Then after that I preached on giving thanks and right after that message God threw this problem in my direction. In the beginning it was not a problem at all. It was a problem that had nothing to do with me. But like a snowball that you keep rolling and it gets bigger, this little thing over time over powered me to the point I could not overcome it. I told Him, “God this is what I preached on.” He said “yes.” That is why He asked “Do you believe in me?” It was the same problem. He asks me the same question though I have a different problem. I told Him you are not making sense. I told Him that is not what I am talking about. But God continued to ask me “do you believe in me?” So in the midst of my struggle and prayers God answered me. Then I found peace in my heart and I could forgive and resolved the issue. I was redeemed and now I stand firm once again in Him. Why is it like this? The question I ask and how God answers is different. My thoughts and God’s thoughts are different. I cannot move the boulder in my path. Only through the leading of the Hoy Spirit, and God being with me, and when I surrender all to Him and to the cross, the boulder is removed for me in a moment. How about for you? If I truly am alive to you. If you truly believe that I live, then what is it that can be a problem? This is what He is asking. “If I am truly your Father, then can you not forgive and let go of those things that bother you?” “If I truly live and am your Savior and you believe that I bled on the cross and died for you, the can you live your life in that manner?” This is what He is asking us. “If I am truly your Savior and your friend, is there anything that you could not do for me?” This is what He is asking us. “If you truly believe that I am with you, then should you not be joyful, glad and enduring?” God asked me, “If you believe that I am with you, then why could you not remove the pebble that was in your way, but rather make that into a large boulder that consumed you to the point you let it ruin you and make you unforgiving?” What about you? Do we forgive those we do business with when they hate us? Do you have patience to sit down with your spouse and understand them or do you get up and leave because you are angry and then act as if nothing has happened? Does this resolve the issue? I wish it was this way but it is not. When I do not remove the problem in my life, it does not go away but it only becomes bigger. We think that we can overlook a problem. A day passes. We think because we do not confront the issue that nothing will happen. We think that it is irrelevant. I had an issue that had nothing to do with my husband but that problem entered into me, and though I thought it did not matter it mattered a great deal. Because I did not remove that seed, it continued to grow in me. It became uncontrollable. Because God continued to ask me if I believed in Him I did not know how to resolve this issue. My question and God’s answer was not related. But after a couple of days in prayer and asking God again, He made it clear that if I believed that He is with me, and that I believe in Him, that He is my Father, that Jesus who died for me and bled for me is my bridegroom, and that the Holy Spirit continues to guide me today, then can I act in this manner? This is what He asked me. How about you? When you are faced with a minor problem, when you lack material blessings, you feel bad and from that moment on you get upset, you are in pain, you give up, you want to abandon everything. You want to stop believing in God, you no longer want to come to church. And then when you feel good you get excited because you hear His voice and cry out to Him. Is this not how you are? You say that He is good if something good happens. You sing that He is good. But when you are filled with worry, rather than sing hymns and pray, you give up and abandon everything and no longer want to believe in God. You question “what has God done for me?” You blame God saying that you have believed Him for so long yet He has done nothing for you. Then God asked me, “You forgave those whom you blamed for your father’s death, but how is it that you cannot forgive this person this problem?” I told Him I do not know why. I have a little history with these people. But it is not an issue that affects me directly, but I could not figure out why I could not forgive them. I struggled with this for a few days. Nothing seemed to help. Did I not pray about it? I did. I did not understand why God kept asking me the same question as to did I believe in Him? I thought about when the Lord asked Peter the same question three times. I thought about other circumstances. I questioned if maybe I really did not believe in God. May be I really did not believe in Jesus Christ. He said “you do believe in me.” Then He would ask again, “do you believe in me?” Then I realized it was something else. In that moment when He keeps asking if I truly believe that He lives, He is wanting to know why I have not resolved the matter. He wants to know why I am not resolving the matter. He is telling me to uproot it and throw it away. No matter what difficulties we encounter. Because we believe in Him does not mean that we only receive blessings. We will face hardships and trials. In all circumstances, in the midst of a storm, are we still trusting in God? When we are faced with trials and are frustrated, so God is frustrated with us when we are not right with Him. He is wanting us to put our trust back in Him, this is why He is asking us. We know that Jesus weeps for the lost souls in Heaven. He desires that many souls be embraced by the Father. God is showing me that He is concerned over each of our souls. He gets frustrated and seeks us out. But what can we offer Him? We only desire to receive blessings. We desire that He does everything we ask. We desire only happiness. We desire that He does everything we want on our terms and this is why He asks us “do you believe in me?” What about you? God loves each and everyone so much. He cherishes each of us. He desires so much that each of us stand right before Him and the Holy Spirit weeps for us. He desires that we go in the right path and daily knocks on our hearts so that we would listen. He knocks so that He can come into us to dine with us. He desires that we are one with Him and dwell together with Him. We are to let the Spirit burn in us so that it may catch fire and burn into the souls of others. But we put it out. We do not fan the flame. But the evil things we let into us and consume us unto a point we cannot overcome and are led to destruction by it. We cannot win unless we let the Spirit of God light a fire in us and love Him. I felt like dying those few days I was in that state. I could not live. There was no joy nor peace in me. I was not free. In my body though I am sick and in pain, I am with joy and peace, but when something enters me and consumes me, the painkillers do not work and my heart is bound to something that it should not be bound to and there is nothing else that matters. We are not using the fire in the right way. We fan the flame of evil. We refuse to kill it. We hate someone and it continues to grow. The Bible says that if we hate someone we are a murderer. Why? It is because we kill someone after we hate them. We do not kill someone because when we love them. When a good fire is lit, when the Spirit burns within us we are to continue to flame it and spread it to others, but this flame we put out. We are living backwards. Let us not be this way. I learned a great lesson. I learned something that I did not desire to learn. We think what a great person for having gone through what they did. No. It would be greater to put out the flame of evil before having to get to that point. But I am the one to carry that burden. In the end it was I who did not put out the fire. Do not be foolish like me. The moment an evil flame sparks inside of you put it out. And if the Holy Spirit lights a fire in you, continue to flame it a grow it and spread it to those around you so that we can live in an abundance of the Spirit. When God asks you, “Do you truly believe in me?” What will you say? As you live this week may you think about this. Sermon by Pastor Joy YoungSook Lee Translation by Miguel Park