Monday Marker: Struggling with Unbelief?

Are you a believer in Jesus Christ who struggles with unbelief sometimes? Well, you’re not alone. I’ve had my fair share of bouts with doubt.

Sometimes, as Christians, I think we’re afraid to admit to certain struggles for fear of what others might think.

Following Jesus is all about faith. It’s about being fully persuaded about Him, His message and your salvation and then wanting to spread that message. Right?

So why do we sometimes struggle with unbelief after all He’s done for us?

When I was a single mom, I faced many challenges. Financial, emotional, safety, loss, heartbreak, sorrow; you name it. As I sit here writing this, I can say with complete conviction that in every challenge I faced, God faced it with me, for me, through me and completely met me every single time. Time and again He revealed to me that He is who He says He is.

Now, I can’t give you the impression that I stood firm and strong every time I faced a crisis. I stood with wobbly knees and a tear-stained face many times, as I proclaimed my trust and belief that He’d get me through whatever my current situation was. And he didn’t always bring me through it the way I thought He should.

I believed in Him. I believed nothing was impossible with God. I had no problem believing He could provide in wild and unexpected ways. I believed He could heal, restore and answer prayer. I could believe all of this for anybody.

But just not for me. I doubted Him when it came to me. Did you just nod your head because you relate?

It doesn’t make sense, does it?

I struggled believing that what He did for others, He’d do for me. If He can draw me to Him, save me and send His spirit to live in my heart, why couldn’t I believe in Him for other needs in my life? Those were tough days back then. They were the very things that God used, though, to rid me of unbelief. He used all those times to strengthen my faith.

Our unbelief doesn’t change who God is. He’s the same yesterday, today and forever. But our faith is tiny. So tiny, in fact, it’s about the size of a mustard seed. Even if your faith is that small, what happens when you put it in the God who saved you? Huge, big, gigantic things! That’s what.

I can relate to the dad in Mark 9:17-24, whose son had a mute spirit that would cause him to have epileptic convulsions. He brought him to Jesus asking Him to heal him. He believed in Jesus, but struggled with unbelief.

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief” Mark 9:23-24!

Do you sometimes feel like that dad?

Do you want your mustard-seed faith to grow into a large, flourishing tree like a real mustard seed does?

God will use the problems you face to strengthen your faith. Each time your faith grows stronger and will take place of the unbelief you may struggle with.

God used all my problems and circumstances throughout my 19 years as a single mom to grow and strengthen my faith in preparation for my life today.

After the dad cried out to Jesus to help his unbelief, I imagine he experienced exponential growth in his faith. 

It’s good to recall the things God has used in the past to strengthen our faith. It reminds us that He’s personally involved, and will provide for whatever new problem or crisis we’re facing now.

What are some things He’s done in your life that proved to you He’s actively and lovingly involved? In other words, what has God done for you to help you with your unbelief?

Feel free to share them in the comment area below.

Believing,

Terri

Monday Marker: Surviving the Unexpected

It was a day just like any other day for this single mom. She took care of her son before reporting to her job. Her world was relatively secure.

Little did she know things were about to take a drastic turn, forcing them into the wilderness.

Hagar was only the concubine to her son's father. He was married to Sarah and Hagar was Sarah's maidservant. As Abraham's concubine, she was still inferior to his wife, Sarah.

The man Hagar thought would support her and their son forever, approached her that morning with terribly shocking news. 

At Sarah's request, Abraham was sending them into the wilderness. They had to leave permanently. He sent them away with nothing but a loaf of bread and container of water. 

Hagar lost her job, home and security all in one day. 

God assured Abraham that he should follow through with Sarah’s demand.

This is hard for me to swallow, but God had bigger plans (He always does). When I don’t understand God’s ways, I tell Him so and move on continually trusting Him.

Sarah desperately wanted to give Abraham a son, but they’d both grown past childbearing years. Instead of taking her deepest desire to God, she took matters into her own hands.

She told Abraham to sleep with Hagar, with hopes she’d have a son and they could raise him as their own. Oh, the things we’ll do out of desperation!

Sarah’s twisted plan worked and Hagar conceived and gave birth to Ishmael.

Meanwhile, God promised Sarah and Abraham they’d indeed have a son of their own, encouraging them that nothing is impossible with Him.

Sarah did get pregnant and gave birth to Isaac. When Isaac was old enough to be weaned, they threw a party. By this time Ishmael was about pre-teen age.

At the party Sarah overheard Ishmael bragging about his inheritance rights since he was Abraham's firstborn. In their custom the firstborn son was always the heir.

To ensure Isaac would be Abrahams’s heir, Sarah demanded that he send Hagar and Ishmael away forever. 

Before you develop a disdain for Sarah and cast judgment, we’ve all done things in desperation we regret. Right? 

Maybe Ishmael’s lack of humility came with encouragement from his mother, who maybe, with slight probability, used her son to get what she wanted from Abraham. Manipulation at work.

Back to the wilderness.

Hagar and Ishmael ate the last of the bread and drank the last of their water supply. Abandoned and alone, there was nothing left to do but wait to die. Hagar lifted her voice and cried out to God. So did Ishmael. I wonder if it'd been awhile since Hagar had prayed.

Scripture tells us God heard and responded by sending an angel to encourage Hagar. Hagar opened her eyes and saw a well of water. We don’t know the rest of that part of Hagar’s story, except that they survived, and built a new life in a new place. Ishmael grew strong and eventually married.

The entire story is too much for a blog post, but you can read it in Genesis 16 and 21.

What does this have to do with you?

If you’re a single mom, you’ve probably experienced great need, through unexpected circumstances, whether physical or otherwise. God wants to, can, and will meet your needs.

What do you do when you run out of resources, money and people to help? I’ve been there. My mistake was not turning to God to begin with. I’d wait until my situation was desperate before crying out to Him. I could’ve avoided a lot of frustrations if I’d gone to God first, trusting and waiting on Him instead of creating more problems.

God sees your situation and doesn’t look away with apathy. But He’s not going to interfere where He’s not been asked either.

Maybe you’ve cried out to Him and feel He’s silent. Perhaps your breakthrough is coming through the hardest part which is the waiting.

Turn to His word, stand on His promises for those who wait. Dig in drawing near to Him. Exercise your faith muscle just a little more so you’ll gain strength through the waiting.

Put your trust in God and wait expectantly as you go through the unexpected. You will survive because He will provide!

Waiting expectantly,

Terri

Sooo, What Are Markers Anyway?

I thought you’d never ask. Think of mile markers along the road you’re traveling on or directional markers showing you which way to go. Markers can also represent a memory of a life-changing event.

The word markers in this blog's title, and in the titles of my Markers book series, represents those points of remembrance when God personally reveals a powerful truth or moves in answer to prayer on your behalf. A God-marker in your life will always bring about change, as you trust Him to provide direction, one step at a time. 

The idea for my first book, “Markers for Single Moms: Finding God’s Direction in the Chaos,” came after a hike up Arabia Mountain in Lithonia, Georgia, about 20 miles east of Atlanta.

I was in a pretty desolate state during this time. Worn down after 16 years of struggling as a single mom, I was facing some new challenges that I felt sure would overtake me.

The 16 years prior to this time were full of God markers, where He came to my rescue time and time again, provided miraculously, healed, restored and gave direction when I needed it. However, I felt this time was different somehow.

My church of 13 plus years was dissolving. This was my support system, my family. My two best friends were moving away at the same time. They were my pillars and accountability partners. My home was also going into foreclosure. That’s just the tip of the iceberg too.

My way of escape when facing trouble was going alone somewhere to sort things out. That’s what I was doing as I hiked up this 940-feet high granite mountain.

As soon as I set foot on the top, I saw a weird rock pyramid about three-feet high a short distance away. When I walked over to it, I saw another one further ahead. They were strange looking; a mound of big rocks cemented together forming a pyramid. As I stood at the 2^nd one, I saw the third one, but couldn't see the 4^th one until I walked to the 3^rd one. By this time I realized they were stone markers leading down the other side of the mountain. The odd thing is I couldn't see beyond each marker until I walked over to the next one.

As I followed these stone markers, I sensed God showing me how He’d placed similar directional markers in my path throughout my life with Him. He reminded me of life events He’d led me through and the impact those had on my faith and growth in Him. I felt assured that He’d be with me and get me through this current crisis in my life.

That was ten years ago. I lived to write about it with my faith still intact. That period in my life lasted several years as I walked through a lot of very dark times before coming out on the other side.

God places markers in all our lives. He usually doesn't provide the direction we’re seeking, until we’ve obeyed the previous direction He’s given. We want to see the whole picture, when He just wants us to trust Him one step at a time. 

Are you seeking God for direction in something? Have you obeyed the last thing He showed you?

Do you remember in times past when He came through for you; when He heard your cries and answered? Has He provided unexplained peace and comfort when things didn't make sense? Those are the markers I'm referring to. 

I’ll be sharing more of my personal markers with you in the coming weeks in the hopes it will help you recognize God's special markers in your life. Be encouraged! He is working in your life and will never leave you where you are if you seek Him for direction.

You can share in the comment section below. Or if you don’t have a Google (Gmail) account, you can email me by filling out the form to the right near the top of this page.

Still seeking His direction,

Terri