Blog Post
Posted by Dion Todd March 6th, 2024 4,243 Views 0 Comments
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved in various trials, that the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes, even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ 1 Peter 1:6'8 WEB.
Faith is the currency of heaven. If you want something from God, you get it by faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it is impossible to please Him without faith, for whoever would draw near to God must believe 1: He exists and 2: He rewards those who seek Him.
Jesus had the faith to walk on water, calm storms with a word, and raise the dead by speaking to them. The Apostles after Him continued His work, and Jesus intended for us to continue as they did from generation to generation. Jesus said this in John 14:12:
"Most certainly I tell you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and he will do greater works than these, because I am going to my Father. Whatever you will ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you will ask anything in my name, I will do it." John 14:12'14 WEB.
So why don't we see more miracles in our life? Because we can't spiritually afford them. We, myself included, do not have enough of God's currency: Faith. Matthew 17:19 tells of a demon that the Apostles didn't have enough faith to cast out. When they asked Jesus about it, He told them this:
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, "Why weren't we able to cast it out?" He said to them, "Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:19-20 WEB.
Faith is always illustrated as an entity that grows. Jesus said in Mark 4:31 that mustard is the smallest of seeds but grows until the birds of the air can make nests in its shade. The small faith of the mustard seed grows larger. Tiny faith means tiny miracles. Great faith means great miracles. Faith is so important, but how is faith developed in us? How did the Apostles get more of it?
Peter uses the example of gold refined in the fire to remove all of the impurities like zinc, copper, silver, and iron. The more gold is refined, filtered, cleaned, and pure, the more value it has. So it is with our faith, but the fire, testing, and refining are not pleasant. Too many times when God is trying to remove impurities from our lives, we squeal, whine, cling to our dirty laundry, and scream for Him to stop: "Oh woe is me, God has forsaken me."
All of our prayers are directed at getting out of the fire as soon as possible, and we tend to want to keep as much of our impurities as we can for as long as we can. Then we wonder why we have so little faith. We wonder why our prayers are ineffective. The difficulties you face in life are purifying your faith, which is more precious than gold.
There is no testimony without a test. There is no glory without the story. Don't pray to skip your life; live it hand-in-hand with Him one day at a time. Each time we face difficulties and depend on Jesus to get us through them, our faith grows a little more. Soon trusting Him will come naturally because He has already brought you through so much in the past. You will come through the other side a better person, with greater faith. Fire does not destroy gold. It just purges the impurities.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please cleanse and refine me from the inside out. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and with You by my side, I know that I can face whatever is coming my way. I choose to believe that You are alive, that You love me, and that You are listening to me today. I want to ally myself with You, be part of what You are doing, and walk hand in hand. Come and be a part of my life today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!
Note: 'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.' (Philippians 4:6-7) ~ If you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network
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Site update #586: I completed a large update to the Audio Library on the left sidebar. There is now a live service archive of all past services, full-length in case you miss a service and want to catch up, as well as all of our original music. You can download the .mp3 files directly to your device now to listen when you don't have internet. I also added a pop-out player so you can listen without remaining on the page. Give it a try and let me know if you have any problems. 😀
Comment from Liesel aka lisa Wardle
7 hours ago
Thank you so much for your Labor of Love, your faithfulness, and endless service, Pastor Dion!! What a blessing to have the Audio Library available to us!!! May the Lord bless you and Sylvia above and beyond, grant you good health and meet all of your needs!! We are, the entire RHM family, so very grateful for you, thanking the Lord for leading us to RHM!! 🙏🤗❣️
Comment from Marilyn Salter
1 day ago
Thank you
Comment from Cathy Webb
2 days ago
What a blessing, Pastor Dion! The audio library page is easy to navigate and I truly appreciate the pop-out player, as I have many tabs open during my computer sessions and this allows me to keep the music flowing. Well done! 😊🎶
Comment from Gloria Nebarez
2 days ago
Thank you
Comment from Tyler Velau
5 days ago
Thank you for your continuing work on the site and your efforts to bring the truth of the Gospels to people around the world via the internet. Your hard work and dilligence is appreciated.
Comment from Liesel aka lisa Wardle
5 days ago
Thank you so much, Pastor Dion, for all that you do, it sounds to me like non-stop "24-7"! God bless you and Sylvia abundantly, above and beyond! 🙏🤗
Comment from Nell Neathery
5 days ago
sounds great. I know that will be useful for me...need to write that down. Hope the Todd family have a blessed Saturday and Sunday. I do believe God gave us those 2 special days for His sake and our sake! Work hard or volunteer (myself) hard through the week. We get our rewards here on Earth and rewards in Heaven.
Comment from Lynn Brown
6 days ago
That sounds amazing Pastor Dion, thank you!!!