429-Faith or Fear: When Will it Matter Enough to You?

Have you ever not done something because of fear? Have you ever done something that felt right at the time, but you were riddled with fear and anxiety later?   Have you ever felt you had more potential than you were living into? Welcome to human nature.  But is that what he should do?  Is that living according to our fears or God's will and His way?  I don't think so.  Instead, the Bible says it's impossible to please God without faith. (Heb 11:6) You might wonder:  Is it required to have faith for your marriage to change? YES. Even Jesus could do no mighty miracles in his hometown because of their lack of faith. (Mark 6:6) Does it mean He will most certainly change your marriage and make you not go through suffering because you have faith? Well, we can look at John the Baptist to see that even if you have faith it's not a guarantee that God will pull you out of the hard situation and cause a miracle. However, the woman with the issue of blood had suffered terribly for over a decade.  She could have allowed her heart to grow calloused toward God and assume He doesn't care.  She could have decided things will never change.  She could have resigned herself to a life that would never get better.  But she didn't, she stretched, she pushed through the crowd, she resisted anything that would try to discourage her faith... and by faith, she touched the hem of His garment, believing He could heal her.  And He did.  "Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” (Mtt 9:22)  I want to ask you, when...  When will it matter enough?  When will choosing to notice that God is here wanting to restore, redeem, heal matter enough to you?  When will you see Jesus walking by and reach out in faith?  Resist the enemy's... Fear of being judged.    Fear of loss.    Fear of looking silly.    Fear of being perceived a fool.    Fear of change.    Fear of responsibility.    Fear of taking ownership.    Fear of pain.   I invite you to stand up and choose faith.  Stand up in faith. Reach for His garment. Do not be offended by His response but stay, stay, stay in faith as He might want to do a miracle that you (by your fear) are blocking.  Choose the faith of freedom, hope, joy, love, connection, unity, healing...  Live into the potential life He may be inviting you into. Listen in today: Faith or Fear: When Will It Matter Enough to You? Love,   Belah PS - Marital Health Assessment is a free tool to discover where you are currently in your marriage and to give you a vision of what areas you may be missing and need to gain insight. It also provides free episodes that are uniquely selected for your situation. delightyourmarriage.com/health   PPS - If you're ready to transform your marriage through Christ-centered personal growth... we're here for you: delightyourmarriage.com/cc  We'd love to help.    Quote from a recent graduate heading for divorce: “Delight Your Marriage saved my marriage. It has changed the course of all four of my kids lives. There is now peace in our home and friendship between me and my husband. Without this program I do not think we would have gotten here. I was too stubborn and too hurt.    Belah’s teaching were humbling and eye opening to the ways I had repeatedly damaged my husband and the areas I had fallen short as a wife. Both of us have now gone through the program now and I know it was the push we needed to mature and build solid ground for the rest of our marriage.”