Chapter Two: Only believe

How faith works

If faith no larger than a mustard seed can move a mountain,1 you figure that your faith must be small indeed, because your prayers seem to go unanswered. That can be disheartening, I know, but it shouldn't s  you from asking Me for a miracle when you need one.

There are a couple of things you should know about faith: First, it's not something you can earn or muster up yourself, but it's a gift from your heavenly Father. Second, like a muscle, faith needs nourishment and exercise to grow. That spiritual nourishment comes from reading and absorbing God's Word. You exercise your faith by acting on it. So nourish and put your faith to work daily through your prayers and actions.

You don't have to wait till you feel you have strong faith to begin receiving My help, though. If you need results now but feel you don't have enough faith to warrant them, ask Me to increase your faith. Be like the man in the Bible who begged Me to heal his son, who could not hear or speak. The man had every reason to doubt that things could ever be different, and he did. He knew that his faith was weak, so when I asked him if he believed I could heal his son he replied, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." The moment he confessed his inadequacy and asked for My help, he received both faith and the miracle—his son was instantly healed!

1. Matthew 17:20

You don't have to be perfect

A lot of people don't pray until they're in some sort of trouble, and then they find they don't have the kind of faith that gets results. Their faith is weak because it's been so long since they last exercised it, and they feel their relationship with Me is strained because they didn't place much importance on it before trouble struck. They feel hypocritical or undeserving, and don't know where to start in making things right.

It is much easier to pray full-of-faith prayers when you have a history of praying and receiving My answers, when you feel close to Me because you've opened your heart to Me day by day, and when you know you've done your best to please Me. But even if you don't meet those conditions, there's hope. You don't have to be perfect for Me to answer your prayers. I help all who call on Me in faith and humble desperation.

Simply turn to Me in your time of need, get your heart right by confessing your faults and receiving My forgiveness, believe that I can perform the miracle you need, and I will. Best of all, this can be the start of a whole new life with Me in which you experience more answers to prayers and a greater closeness to Me.

The path to victory and miracles

Praising Me brings you into My presence. It puts your spirit in close proximity to Mine, where you can feel My love and more easily see things as I see them.

Praise is the voice of faith, because when you praise Me you're acknowledging that only I am capable of solving your problems, and you're declaring that you believe I will.

Praising Me opens the door to the spiritual realm. It lifts you above circumstances in the physical realm and brings you into the land of the spirit where I'm in complete control and everything is possible.

Praise also lifts your own spirit. When you dwell on the good and speak of the good, then good surrounds you. If you start praising Me even when you don't feel like it, it lifts you up in the spirit and soon you will feel like it. I always bless and reward praise.

Praising Me even helps those around you. It lifts their spirits and encourages them. It engenders faith and trust in Me, encouragement, and positiveness.

Putting everything in My hands by praising Me increases your faith exponentially. That's a law of the spirit. It always works!

Consider the sparrow...

My eye is on the sparrow1 as she flutters about in search of food and a place to nest. I guide her to a resting place, and she trusts Me. She doesn't worry about what she doesn't have. She just goes about her day and trusts that I will provide her needs. How small and numerous are the sparrows, and yet I know and watch over them all.2 I remember and care for each one.

You, My child, are far more precious to Me than all the sparrows combined, and if I show such concern for these small and seemingly insignificant birds, will I not also care for you?

I know your troubles and I understand your fears. I am here to give you faith and answer your prayers, but I need you to trust Me as the little sparrow does. You don't see her fluttering about in a panic, worried and flurried. She is calm and peaceful, knowing that My eye is on her and I will care for her as My own.

My eye is on you, too, and I stand ready to help. So trust Me, won't you? Let Me do the worrying!

1. Psalm 84:3
2. Matthew 6:26; 10:29

Hideaway

Everyone is worried about the future these days—and it's no wonder. The way things are going, everyone has reason to fear what will happen to them, their family, their city, their country, their world. This planet has become a frightening and stressful place to live. Sometimes you wish you could find a hideaway, nail the windows and doors closed, and keep the world out.

It doesn't do any good to pretend the problems aren't there, but you don't have to be afraid, because I'm looking out for you. When fears overwhelm you, hide away in Me. When you find yourself in a dangerous situation, call on Me for help and then rest assured that I will be there to protect you. When you can't watch over your loved ones, commit them to My care. When a national or international crisis erupts, I will provide a safe haven for you and yours.

And even if the unthinkable happens—if you or your loved ones are taken from this life—know that a better life awaits on the other side. Heaven is where all this world's wrongs are made right.

So you see, although there's plenty you could worry about, you don't have to worry about a thing. I'm taking care of you!

One hurdle at a time

A hurdler must clear the hurdles one at a time. If he worries about the ones that are still many yards ahead, he is likely to lose his focus on the hurdle coming up. You can learn from him. Take your problems one at a time rather than trying to leap over all of them at once.

Let Me carry the weight

These burdens were not designed to fit on your narrow shoulders; they were intended for Me to carry. I fashioned it this way so you would realize your need for Me and draw closer to Me as you learn to depend on Me. I will carry you through if you will give all your cares to Me.

Fly to Me

As you fly to Me on the wings of prayer, as you retreat from the battlefield of the problems you struggle against to get rested and regain your spiritual strength and hear from Me, I will give you solutions that will make the problems melt away. Relief is there for you, but you must rest and lean wholly on Me.

Praise brings peace

Why endure another sleepless night? Why suffer from anxiety when you can give your cares to Me and I can give you peace of mind? Even in the bleakest circumstances, I can give you amazing peace that will relieve the mental and physical stress caused by worry and fear.

My peace comes to your heart when you turn your eyes from your troubles and toward Me. Stop  worrying and think about Me. Find one thing to thank Me for—one special thing that I have done for you in the past—and praise Me for that. Or think of the worst thing that's ever happened to you and the fact that you're still here, and turn that thought into a prayer of thanksgiving.

Even if you didn't pray at the time, even if you didn't yet know Me at the time, it was I who brought you through that situation. I've been watching over you your whole life, and I have either helped you through or spared you from more troubles than you can imagine—just like I'm going to help you through your present problems.

The more you praise Me, the more My peace will fill your heart.

Troubled, yet not distressed

If you think you have troubles, consider My apostle Paul: He was whipped on five occasions and beaten with rods on another. He was stoned and left for dead. He was shipwrecked three times, and spent a night and a day in the deep. He went through perils at sea, perils in the wilderness, and perils in cities. He suffered at the hands of robbers, his own countrymen, strangers, and even those who claimed to be My followers. He was imprisoned and deprived of basic needs many times.1

Yet through all that, Paul kept trusting Me and pointing others to Me with such declarations of faith as: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed," and "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."2

Paul had great faith, yes, but don't forget that he was as human as you. He had a wonderful personal link with Me that millions since have envied, but what most people fail to realize is that this was born of the troubles that befell him. He learned to turn to Me and My Word in his time of need—and you can too.

Will you allow yourself to be distressed by present or future troubles? Or will you hold on to Me for dear life, as Paul did? I will always be there for you, as I was always there for him.

1. 2 Corinthians 11:24-28; Acts 16:23
2. 2 Corinthians 4:8 KJV; Romans 8:37