Give me spiritual eyes

We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has called us to this adoption, but we are waiting for Him to provide one of the major expenses right now so we can really get this adoption under way. God is using this testing of our faith to show us how to view our situation with spiritual eyes. "'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God...But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:9-12;14

To those who have felt led to give, the Lord has used you in a mighty way to encourage us during a very difficult time as there has been very little happening to further our progress in the last month. The world may look at our situation and think how foolish it is of us to think that the Lord is going to provide the money for this adoption, but even though it appears that there is not much happening, we have to believe that He is there and He is working. We believe that God called us to this "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 If we were to look at our situation with our natural eyes we would probably give up and think that it is just too much to overcome, but the Lord is teaching us to persevere, knowing that with God all things are possible. Paul said that when we fight we should fight with a purpose not as though we were beating the air. "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it...Therefore I run thus; not with uncertainty. Thus I fight; not as one who beats the air." 1 Corinthians 9:24;26 By faith, looking at his situation with spiritual eyes, Paul kept his goal in mind running toward it with certainty no matter what his circumstances were because he knew what God had called him to do. We plan to "press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of Christ Jesus." Phillipians 3:14

Rachel

Now may the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Strengthened In Faith

(Abraham) who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness."

Romans 4:18-22

When God told Abraham that he would have a son in his old age, he didn't consider the odds of that happening by looking at the natural circumstance of his age. Abraham believed so fully in the character of God that there was no room for doubt in his mind. He knew that God is not a liar so he was fully convinced that if God said it would happen then it would. Abraham knew God's character so well that he didn't need to see miracles happen to believe God. That is what made Abraham a righteous man.

Our faith should be based on God's character, not the miracles He performs. If faith is based on miracles then Israel should have been the most faithful people ever seen. They were witness to all the plagues of Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. Yet after seeing all these things, when they were in the wilderness they thought God had brought them there to die instead of believing the promise that He was bringing them to a land flowing with milk and honey. Miracles have a tendancy of fading in our memories, so where will our faith be when it seems nothing is happening?

When it would seem as if God is doing nothing, we cannot look to our natural circumstances. "But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God...But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:9-11;14 We lose faith by looking at our circumstances through the spirit of man (with our natural eyes) rather than the Spirit of God who was given to us.

The Spirit of God was given to us so that we might know Him intimately. The more intimately we know Him the more faith in Him we will have, despite our circumstances. God's actions may prove His character, but eventually we need to get to a place of such intimacy with Him that we don't need to see His actions in order to believe in His character. That is faith.

Rachel