In Hebrews 4:6(NLT), God instructs, “So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God.” This is the same rest that God sanctioned and made holy after He finished creation. It is the place where He rested from His labor, and He invites His people to enter into this rest. We do this by our faith in Him and our faith in all that He has accomplished for us through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Just as it was said thousands of years ago about God’s people, it can be said of many of us today. We have heard the Good News about Jesus Christ, but we failed to enter all the blessings God offers us through Christ because we haven’t believed. And indeed, many are disobeying Him because of their lack of faith.
Many single women are the heads of their households, and it can cause them to feel an enormous amount of emotional and mental distress. The stress we feel can change us and cause us to have a negative attitude and a pessimistic outlook on life. We begin to focus on our lack rather than on the goodness of God, and if we get right down to it, we do this because many of us don’t believe in the goodness of God. More than any other thing, this is the pressing issue we need to change. We must not only see God greater, but we must have faith that as an individual, God wants you to witness His bountiful blessings for yourself. He’s interested in your spiritual growth and your level of faith, because He’s after your heart.
In Romans 12:2(NLT), God commands us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Negativity grips us when we don’t see the value of making a shift in our thinking and attitudes. This posture of not seeing the value in renewing our minds to God’s Word and making a change in our thoughts is in effect unbelief, and unbelief is a sin against God. It is the disobedience He’s talking about in Hebrews 4:6. The only way that you and I will be transformed is by learning more about God’s Word so that He can do an internal work within us through His Spirit. We must make it a priority to do this, because it changes our conditions and circumstances.
More than anything, God wants us to know who He is. We can’t have an intimate relationship with someone we don’t know, and God wants an intimate relationship with all His children. He wants us to know who He is. Hebrews 11:6(NLT) teaches us, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” God is a Rewarder! He’s telling us that this is who He is, and in order to have the kind of relationship with Him that He wants, we must have faith that He will reward our commitment and effort to seek Him first in all things.
God has all power in His hands, and He is able to help us. We can’t measure ourselves by the challenges of life, or by the hardships we endure as single women and mothers. Romans 12:3 tells us that we must be honest in our evaluation of ourselves and measure ourselves by the faith we have in God. Our faith sets us apart. When we start believing in the life and blessings God wants to give us, and follow His directions to help us attain it, we won’t give in to negative attitudes and thoughts. We’ll create a home that thrives on faith in God as He shows us continually that trusting Him is the key to a good marriage and a united family. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“A Home that Thrives on Faith in God”, written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.