Wednesday October 29th is the day! My Bible study “Red Hot Faith” will be offered online through Ignitewomen.com. Come join women from all across the nation! Details in the P.S .at the end of this post!
Hey friends –
Welcome back to 31 Days to Fire Up Your Faith!
If this is your first visit — welcome, friend! You can check out the introductory post here!
Before we get to our 5th and final “key,” I want to explore a question I received —
“But Cindy, how do you allow God to fire up your faith in the midst of a season of pain, disappointment, and/or despair?”
Great question, right?
My sense is there’s more than one sweet friend who needs to know in the midst of “the fire” — painful, difficult, suffocating tests and trials — God is still a…
- Healer (Psalm 107:20)
- Restorer (Deuteronomy 30: 3-13)
- Rebuilder (Isaiah 58:12)
- Redeemer, (Job 19:25) and a
- God of miracles (Psalm 77:14)
You know how I know?
Not only is His Word clear — look up the verses above if you don’t believe me — but I’ve experienced Him in all those ways -and more- during a horribly painful, “character-building” season this year.
Quick history: This past spring 2014, my marriage hit a road bump.
Well, not really a bump — more like a canyon. Like a Grand Canyon magnitude, we’re not gonna survive this, sized canyon.
I won’t go into the nitty gritty details. Let’s just say things were discovered that were “deal breakers” for me.
My Spring months were filled with tons of tears and hard conversations, while my heart was utterly broken and devastated.
Y’all, I don’t do pain well. After the pain of my past, I just don’t.
So my response was basically,
“Yep, I’m outta here. I’m done. Didn’t think this was how the “happily ever after” story was gonna go — but God, I. can’t. do. this.”
I realize this is not the healthy and whole response I would prefer — I’m just being real. #pleasedontjudge
Life can be hard, can’t it, friend?
Truth be told, sometimes life can be utterly painful and suffocating.
So when the pressures of life intensify, what do we do? How do we withstand the heat?
How do we hold on to hope as we endure seasons of trials, tests, disappointments and despair?
I don’t have all the answers, but here’s what I’ve learned, friends, from what I now call “The Fiery Spring of 2014.”
Bottom line: God used two things to rescue my marriage.
# 1 — His Promises
Y’all, during my “fiery season” I listened to this song over and over and over again. It wasn’t just the song — it was the lyrics of this song. Listen to it and/or read the promise-filled lyrics aloud below —
God is able
He will never fail
He is almighty God
Greater than all we seek
Greater than all we ask
He has done great things
God is with us
God is on our side
He will make a way
Far above all we know
Far above all we hope
He has done great things
If you are in the midst of a “fiery season” — please, sweet friend, think about what you are thinking about!
The more we meditate on our mess, pain, hurt, and/or difficult circumstances — the more “the mess” intensifies.
We must, we must, we must think about Who God is and what He is able to do.
Personally, this past Spring, I needed a reminder that God was with US. Not just me…but God was with US — me AND John AND our family, He was on OUR side, HE would never fail us, & HE would make a way.
Y’all, God used this song to save my marriage.
I’m not even kidding.
Sometimes it’s in the “fire” that our faith becomes red-hot!
(I’ll share Lesson # 2 tomorrow)
Today’s Challenge : Day 26 of our 31 Days.
1. Grab your Fire Up My Faith notebook. Journal any thoughts/insights from this post. Ask God to…
- Open your mind and heart to all He wants to teach you about His refining fire.
- Give you courage to say, “Lord, I trust You” when you are faced with tests/trials.
- Help you focus on who He is and what He is able to do (and not the size of the “flames” around you)
2. If you haven’t already, print off this free printable Fire Up Your Faith Bookmark. Starting with the “A” verse, look up a verse or two and record what you learn about Who God is and what He is able to do.
3. How would you respond to a friend who asks, “How do you allow God to fire up your faith in the midst of a season of pain, disappointment, and/or despair?” Share your response with us please!
“Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.” (1 Peter 4:12-13)
Thanks so much for stopping by 31 Days to Fire Up Your Faith! Only 4 more days to go! We can do this!
Sweet blessings
“And let us not grow weary (or lose heart NAS) of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
This promise sustained me through some tough months as we fostered four of my nieces last year and continues to sustain me in the challenges of parenting my own children! Even when I do not see the fruit personally, God will be faithful to reap His harvest.
Hi Cindy, congratulations on your Red-Hot Faith Bible Study. So sorry to hear about the challenge you faced in your marriage. I guess I have a lot of reading here to get caught up on. The past seven months I’ve struggled with thyroiditis and it really took me offline quite a bit so I’ve missed out on reading your blog. So good to be here again!
I love your heart, my friend, and your willingness to be vulnerable and real. You are truly showing us all what it means to have “Red Hot Faith” in our lives in whatever season we may be traversing. God is good, girl, and I’m so glad He saw you through the Summer’s fiery trial to come out stronger on the other side.
I’m so thankful for how He moved in and through you, and the message He spoke to your heart that He’s for the “us,” the family. Our families these days, I think, are under such attack. What a testimony to God’s great power, that HE is greater and more powerful than the enemy who seeks to destroy us!
Thanks for always keeping it real, Cindy. I, for one prayed for you over and over and had no idea what I was praying for. Thank you for confirming how God does hear our prayers… even when we have no idea what they are really about. Love you, my sparkly friend.
I’m going through a really rough season in my own marriage. I NEED to know how you got through it? Are you still going through it? Personally, I’m at the “I’m outta here. I. can’t. do. this” place and I don’t know how to get out of it. I want my marriage to work, but it feels so messy and broken. I know you’re protecting your husband, but I think you could minister to women like me if you could share more.