I will Glorify God and Walk in Faith by His Grace

God’s Grace and perfect plan are at work in my life.  He is the Alpha and the Omega; the beginning and the end.  He sees the beginning from the end, I only see the moment I am walking through.  It is hard to explain God’s peace in my life to someone who has never experienced His perfect peace.  I read God’s Word.  I listen to God.  I talk to Him in prayer.  I believe what He tells me.  I claim His Words and His promises in my life.  I stand on His promises.  He tells me not to fear when I find myself in one of life’s valleys.  He lifts my spirit as I come to Him in praise and thanksgiving for all He has done and is doing for me.  Thank you Lord for the gift of Faith!  He recently brought me to Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not for I am with you.  Be not dismayed for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, yes I will help you.  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”.  I often ask myself, “What do unbelievers do when they walk through the trials of life alone?  No physical person can give one the peace, comfort, and love that my loving Savior can give”.  

My favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:28.  This verse has been proven to me over and over again as I walk my journey through life.  Recently, on a Sunday morning in the church bulletin, Pastor Lundmark’s wife, Nancy, had included the following poem which was written by Esther Fields.  It spoke to my heart and confirmed my faith and peace.  God speaks to His children in so many ways if only we would observe and listen.      

Things Don’t Just Happen

Things don’t just happen to us who love God,

They’re planned by His dear hand.

Then molded and shaped, and timed by His clock,

Things just don’t happen, they’re planned.

We don’t just guess on the issues of life,

We Christians just rest in our Lord.

We are directed by His sovereign will,

In the light of His Holy Word.

We who love Jesus are walking by faith,

Not seeing one step that’s ahead,

Not doubting one moment what our lot might be,

But looking to Jesus instead

We praise our dear Savior for loving us so,

For planning each care of our life.

Then giving us faith to trust Him for all,

The blessings, as well as the strife.

Things don’t happen to us who love God,

To us who have taken our stand,

No matter the lot, the course, or the price,

Things don’t just happen, they’re planned.

God gives us coordinates from one point to the next.  We don’t have to know the exact direction, path, and details of how He will bring us to the destination of His promise.  All we have to do is trust Him by taking the first step as we rest in His peace.  I can only trust Him because I know Him and have been walking with Him for many years.  He has proven His faithfulness to me throughout my 73 years.

As I live in God’s supernatural divine circle of protection my faith activates God’s Grace in my life.  I feed my spirit daily and experience God’s presence, blessings, favor, and healing power.  To God be all the Glory given as I experience His benefits.  As I honor and glorify Him, He honors me, my faith, my trust, and my obedience.  I don’t know what my future holds but I do know Who holds my future.  He is ever-present in my life and forgives me when I fall short of His expectations.  I ask Him to use my life to His Glory.  Every life is a story.  May my testimony be used by God to be a reflection of Him into the lives of my family, my friends, and to whosoever’s path He places me. 

Every material thing in this life is temporary.  What are you striving for?  Now is the day we choose what we believe and where we will spend Eternity.  I am talking about a relationship with the Living God, not a religion or a denomination.  I believe in God, the Father.  I believe that He came down to earth.  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  His son, Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah.  When Jesus went back to be with the Father, He left His Holy Spirit here to teach us, convict our hearts, direct us, comfort us, and dwell within us.  May we live in Christ’s peace and rest.  Jesus is knocking on the door of each of our hearts.  I let Him in and I hope you do the same.  You will never be sorry for that decision.  It will change your life.

A Personal Journey

Every individual is on a personal journey through the time of our earthly existence. 

Each of us is unique. Each of us is one of a kind.  No two people have the same combination of genes, experiences, circumstances, and placement in position, place, and time.

Journeys usually have a planned destination.   Not having plans for a trip’s destination would give me an uneasy and even fearful feeling.  Faith, as I travel through life, has replaced my fears.  I am not afraid to die so I am not afraid to live. My faith is not in a religion or in a denomination.  It is a gift from God.  My faith is in the one and only true God, the Creator, the God of the Bible.  I believe in and have a personal relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.   John 3:16 tells me that because I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ I have inherited eternal life.  I know my destination.  I will be forever in eternity with God, my loved ones, and other believers.  We all have a personal journey to walk.  It is important for me to share my journey of faith with others.  Sharing my testimony and sharing what God has taught me as I walk my path is for His Glory alone, not for any self credit or self recognition. 

Everyone is traveling somewhere physically and spiritually.  I believe that God has a plan and purpose for each of us and we all have choices along the way.  Where God’s destiny and our free will meet will be a mystery on this side of eternity but God does have a plan to get us to our destination.  His Word is my guide and I believe that His promises are true.  God convicts our hearts.  We have the free will to believe or not to believe in God and His Word.  I have chosen to believe.   I seek to continually grow spiritually.  I desire to mature in understanding, knowledge, and in the wisdom of knowing God and His love.    

Every life is a story.  God uses us in each others lives.  When we share a story formed in our minds, we can change another’s mind.  When we share a story from our heart, we can change someone’s heart.  To be a godly example of the story which God has formed in my life has the potential to change someone’s life.  We must be aware of the possibilities we reflect and of the influence which we can have on the lives of others. We must always be growing and moving forward in our spiritual walks.   There is no perfect person.  Our lives are works in progress.  We all mess up.  God sees me through the filter of my Savior.  God forgives me when I recognize and am sorry for my sins.   

We are justified by the Father.  We are saved by the Son.  We are continually being sanctified by the Holy Spirit; being purified, refined, and being made holy.  As our spirits grow, God wants us to be more like Christ.  We are to become less selfish and more selfless.  When the Holy Spirit enters our spirit His fruit is increasingly manifested in our lives.   A transformation should be visible.  Others should see us as becoming more loving, more peaceful, more joyful, better individuals, kinder, gentler, more patient, more faithful, and more able to be in self-control.  We are to be a reflection of Christ within us.

God’s mercy brings us to faith.  By His grace alone are we saved.  We are not good in and of ourselves.  We cannot be good enough or do enough good to enter into the Kingdom of God.  It is by Grace alone and His Grace is sufficient!

God's Word, my Faith, and my Testimony

I have learned so much by documenting my faith journey.  I started my Blog as a result of prayer and listening to God for His direction in my life.  In my mind, the initial purpose of “Anna’s Faith Journey” was to share my faith with my family and friends.  I want them to know the truth, the peace, and the joy which I find as I live in the presence of God.  I have the hope of eternity to come and the reality of God’s blessings and favor in my life now.

My faith journey started as a child.  My Blogging journey started in 2010.  As I look back, I realize that I am the one who has profited the most from my writings.  I have documented my personal testimony and reflected on my spiritual growth.  As I study God’s Word, He shows me who He is and who He wants me to be.  I see His plan and His promises throughout the Bible’s sixty six books.  He gives me spiritual insight, wisdom, and knowledge.   As I read and study the Word, my faith increases.  “Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of God.”(Romans 10:17)

2015 is approaching its half way mark.  I am in Pennsylvania awaiting the arrival of our fifth grandson.  Christa and Kris are due to have their third little boy at the end of May.  I am here and ready for when she will need me.  Richie will be back from Florida at the end of the month.  I was able to be here for Grandparent’s Day at Swain for Trevor and Hunter.  I have watched Hunter play football and Trevor play soccer.  I enjoyed seeing Trevor in the musical play presented by Erica’s and Kylie’s fifth grade classes at Swain.  I am glad I was here for Harrison’s third birthday party and will be here for Christa’s birthday on May 25^th.   I am so grateful for family and all of God’s blessings in my life.

Our five little men are so very precious to Richie and me.  Recording my faith in my own words will be my spiritual legacy to them.  I also have some very special nieces, nephews, grand nieces, and grandnephews.  I can look back to my parents and their parents and know that my sisters and I inherited our spiritual legacy from past generations.  My Blog is my way of telling my spiritual story.  I truly believe that each of us is a physical being on a spiritual journey.  God wants us to learn from the stories of those who have gone before us.  I want to continue this spiritual legacy by sharing and passing on my faith to the next generations.   I want God to be glorified in my faith and in my writings.  Glory be to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as He works in and through my life!   Praise Be to God!