Undivided Heart- Faith

Psalm 86:11
Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

When I was younger I received a plastic gold necklace with a magnified plastic coated mustard seed inside. It was a treasure to me because of what it stood for. In one of my Sunday School classes during high school, we were talking about faith and moving mountains and mustard seeds (Matthew 17:20, He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.") My best friend Carie brought her plastic necklace with a plastic mustard seed and we thought it very cool that we both had a necklace, symbolizing faith. It became a symbol to she and I both and we found much joy in reading and repeatedly using Hebrews 11:1, "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see". We applied this verse to everything from homework, family situations, and even our love lives. Not sure that is what the scripture meant....but heh, we were trying.

HOPE, SURE, CERTAIN: Strong words, knowing that you know that you know, not relying on anything of our Human nature but putting everything we are into the Potter's Hands, allowing Him to shape and mold us into the functional art that HE desires.

It has always intrigued me how such a small amount of faith could move mountains. Trying to wrap my mind around the concept was better than counting sheep at night. Just a smidgen, a pinch, a teensy little bit of faith accomplishes much.

Undivided Hearts require faith. Proverbs 3:3-5 says, "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding".

Faith requires trusting in the Lord. I think for many of us, our trust has been broken. Not by God, but by man and therefore, we struggle to trust God's promises. But to truly LIVE, live in the Lord we must "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).

Once again, an easy concept to read, but hard to always put into practice. Some of us have more trusting natures than others- but God calls all of us to live a life of faith. The Bible is full of God's promises, reassuring us that what He says He will do, He WILL do. He asks us to step out in faith, and to live a life undivided with Him. To be undivided- living a life of faith is really a requirement.

It is the trust that you give when all earthly circumstances say different, it is knowing that God's promises stand up to whatever trial you are experiencing, and it is looking at a little mustard seed and asking God, like the disciples did, to 'increase our faith!(Luke 17:5)"

All throughout the Old Testament we see elements of trust. Faith handed down through generations- knowing that God would fulfill the vision and promise He made even though it would take generations and hundreds of years.

Genesis 15:5-6
He (God) took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Romans 4:13-14, 18-25
It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless...Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification

So, God made a promise to Abraham and Abraham waited on God, faithfully. He believed God would multiply his heirs and have him be the Father of many nations even when he and Sarah were old and didn't have children, and he believed God when God asked him to sacrifice His son Isaac on an alter.

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD" Lamentations 3:22-24.

Believing, against all earthly hope, and his faith was credited to Him as righteousness. We have that same ability. We can live a life of believing and trusting God...with faith. Or we can waver and be tossed about not making any progress in our walk with God. James 1:6-7 says, "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord.

To be aligned with God, to trust his ways, to place our hope in God, to have faith and be undivided in Spirit with Him...the questions to ask yourself are:

Do I trust God?
Do I live my life like I believe He can do anything he wants to do?
Do I have faith even when I cannot see ahead of me?
Am I willing to wait on God?

If any answer is 'no' just ask God to "increase your faith!"

1Timothy 1:12-19a
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience