One of the hardest things about walking by faith is looking crazy to those around you. It’s being perceived as someone that doesn’t know what they are doing, because you are believing for something that seems impractical, and maybe even impossible. Although it shouldn’t matter what others think, if we are honest, we all have this part of us that wants to be understood and approved by our loved ones. I think that this is why our relationships have such a major affect on our faith. Even if we don’t realize it, the people that we surround ourselves with tend to affect the way that we see the world, and they affect the way that we view our faith. I spent most of my Christian life believing in Jesus, but not believing in miracles. I grew up in church, hearing of His miraculous wonders, but somehow, I believed that those miracles stopped thousands of years ago. But how can this be? Our God does not change. He is a God that calls us out from the shores of what we are comfortable with. He is a God that leads us into the deep of trusting in Him. It’s all about what He wants to do in our lives. And as we read His word, it is evident that He has never done anything ordinary.
Everything that God does is extraordinary.
Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:7-8 NLT)
I know that I am not the only one that grew up like this. Maybe you heard about Jesus, but you never really witnessed His power. It’s one thing to talk about the works of the Lord, and it’s a whole other thing to see the evidence of His works in the lives of those around you. For me, this lack of evidence affected my faith. It affected how I viewed Jesus, and who He was in my life. He was my Savior, but He was not my healer. He was not my provider, my protector, my everything. And so, when I began to struggle in my life, yes I prayed, but I did not know how to lean on Him, and how to trust that He would come through for me. But a time came when I was exposed to more. I began to hear testimonies of how God had transformed the lives of people, how He had transformed their families, how He had taken broken things and made them whole again. I heard that He is a miracle worker. I heard that He is a God that I can entrust every area of my life to. This exposure changed everything for me. Instead of feeling trapped in my life, I began to believe that things could change. I began to believe that my impossible situation wasn’t impossible at all. Yes, there was a lot that needed to be transformed, but I began to believe that what was impossible for me, would be possible with God.
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” (Matthew 19:26 NLT)
This is what a relationship with Christ affords us…everything. We no longer have to live limited by what seems reasonable and possible in the eyes of man. We have the benefit of the power of God on our side. And with Him, we can do anything. We can live the life that He has called us to live. It doesn’t matter where the starting point is. He will do whatever He needs to do, to bring His promise to pass. He works outside of time, and He will move heaven and earth to make good on what He has said. We can trust and depend on Him.
This is what I began to understand. And this revelation, completely changed the way that I viewed myself. I began to see the life that He was calling me to. He gave me a vision, and He gave me hope. But I was still facing the same challenges that I was facing before. Nothing changed immediately. And the thing about it, is that He spoke to me, and me alone. The people around me didn’t get a revelation about what God would do in my life. Their views of my situation were based on what they could see, not on the promise that God had given me. So, I faced this constant dilemma. Would I allow myself to be swayed by the opinions of my loved ones? Or would I trust the word of God…the one that created me…the one that called me before I was in my mother’s womb? This, was not an easy choice to make. Because denying the opinions of those closest to me caused me to face the rejection that comes from not being affirmed by those that I loved. It caused me the pain of facing criticism from those that didn’t understand my decision to trust God. This was discouraging, but this is a cost that we face when we walk by faith.
Being misunderstood and feeling rejected comes with the territory.
This is the part of the faith journey that we don’t expect, so when it happens, it can cause us to loose the foundation of faith that God is trying to build in us. But we must understand that this is a part of the journey. Not everyone will understand the level of faith that He has called us to, and that is okay. It just means that we are the ones that He wants to use to prove himself to those around us.
When we step out in faith, and allow God to do a miracle in our lives, we become the vessel that He uses to reach someone else.
But this revelation doesn’t change the difficulties that we face. It doesn’t make our walk of faith any easier. So how do we navigate the feelings of rejection? How do we deal with being misunderstood? And what can we do to keep ourselves in a mindset of faith, even when no one else around us believes?
To answer these questions, I want to point to the life of Jesus. Because if there’s anyone that knows what it’s like to be rejected and misunderstood, it’s him. He faced more rejection in his life, than any one of us. And He wasn’t just rejected by those that didn’t know him. He was rejected by those that he was closest to; He was misunderstood by the people that should have had his back.
He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?” And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” (Matthew 13:54-57 NLT)
We sometimes forget that Jesus felt all the emotions that we feel. Imagine how excited He was to perform miracles in his hometown. This is the place that he grew up in. He knew these people, and these people knew him. He probably thought they would be excited to see him, and that they would be astonished at all his works. But instead, they criticized him, and they downplayed who he was. They reasoned that their knowledge of him gave them the right to speak on the purpose that He came to serve. And this is what happens to many of us. We have family and friends that have known us all our lives, and because of their proximity, they feel that they know what is best for us. Or maybe they have seen our potential play out before, and they don’t believe that we can accomplish anything beyond that. But we must understand that God does not see things the way that people see them. He is not looking at our qualifications or experience when He calls us. He looks at our hearts. He looks at the things that know one else can see…at the things that He placed inside of us.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT)
And this is exactly what happened to Jesus. The people of his hometown thought they knew him. They thought that they knew where he came from. But they had no idea what was inside of him. Because although they knew his earthly family, they didn’t know He was conceived through the Holy Spirit. And this is why they underestimated him. This is why their view of him was limited, and they didn’t understand. But it wasn’t just the people of His hometown that didn’t believe in him; his own family did not believe that He was the Messiah.
After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” For even his brothers didn’t believe in him. Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee. (John 7:1-9 NLT)
His own brothers didn’t believe in Him. They grew up with him, but they never knew of the power and calling that was inside of him. And although this probably hurt Jesus…being rejected and misunderstood by his own family…He never allowed this to affect his walk of faith.
Jesus walked the same journey of faith that we are on. He is our example.
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV)
We forget that Jesus walked in faith, just like us. Although he is God, he was a man that was tempted in every way, just like we are. He lived a perfect life, but there were times that he wanted to quit. We can see the evidence of this when we read about him praying in the garden of Gethsemane.
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39 ESV)
The fact that Jesus’s life was perfect does not mean that it was easy. He was tempted to give up. And the fact that his own family didn’t believe him, might have made him want to throw in the towel…but He didn’t. At the end of the day, He was faithful to his word…and he always will be. So how do we follow His example? How can we be faithful to complete our assignment, just as he did?
Jesus made the will of the Father his priority.
We can see this when we read about him in the garden of Gethsemane, as he prayed that the will of the Father be done over his own. But we can also see this in John chapter 7, as his brothers urged him to go to Judea for the Festival of Shelters. They wanted him to go so that he could benefit from the fame of his works, but he stated that it wasn’t his time.
Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee. But after his brothers left for the festival, Jesus also went, though secretly, staying out of public view. (John 7:6-10 NLT)
Jesus went anyway, but he refused to allow his brother’s opinions to affect his assignment. He knew that it wasn’t God’s will for him to be seen to that extent…his time had not come. Jesus knew that the more he was seen, the more his life would be in danger, and knew that there was more that His Father wanted him to accomplish while he was still on the earth. Jesus was committed to making sure that everything happen according to his Father’s timing.
Jesus made His relationship with the Father his priority.
Scripture tells us that Jesus got up early and prayed before He started his day. Why is this important? Because it shows us that He put hearing the voice of his Father above everything else.
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons. (Mark 1:35-39 NLT)
Jesus’s connection with the Father kept him focused on his purpose.
I am convinced that this is one of the reasons that he prayed so much. He was surrounded by people telling him what he should do, but because he was close to the Father, he knew what he was supposed to do.
Jesus’s connection with the Father also kept him rooted in his identity.
One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!” Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was. (Luke 9:18-21 NLT)
We have to remember that Jesus gave up his divinity to become a man. Yes, he was God, but he chose to give up his place as God. He chose to humble himself beneath the will of his Father.
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8 NLT)
Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” (Matthew 3:13-17 NLT)
Why is this important to note? Because Jesus didn’t find his strength in who he knew he was, he found his strength in who his Father said he was. He was setting the example for us. If we desire to follow his lead, we have to allow our Father to tell us who we are. We have to deny what others say about us, we have to deny what we think we know about ourselves, so that we can find our identity in him.
When Jesus spent time in the presence of the Father, the Holy Spirit renewed his strength.
Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Matthew 26:36-37, 39 NLT)
Jesus’s time had come, and He knew what he needed to do, but the thought of it caused him to become “anguished and distressed.” So what did he do? He ran to his Father. He ran to the one that he knew he could run to. And in that moment, He was strengthened; He was revived by the Holy Spirit. Maybe you are reading this, and you are saying to yourself, “I didn’t read anything about the Holy Spirit in that scripture.” But I want you to know that He is the Spirit of God that is active in the earth. So when we pray to our Father because we need his comfort and strength, the Holy Spirit is the one that he sends. He is the third person of the trinity. He is the person of God that is with us where ever we go, but we don’t always feel him near, because he have so many distractions surrounding us. And this is why we need to prioritize spending time in the presence of God, as Jesus did. If Jesus needed God, to fulfill his purpose, how much more do we need God, to fulfill ours?
This life of faith is not one that we can walk alone. Christ is our example, and he did nothing on his own accord. He deferred to his Father’s will in everything. And he walked in the authority of what his Father said. It didn’t matter what anyone else said of him, it didn’t matter if they believed in him.
Our relationship with the Father reminds us of the authority that He has given us.
We don’t have to worry about what anyone think of us, when we are affirmed by God. It doesn’t matter if we are alone on this journey; it doesn’t matter if it seems impossible. We can stand firm on what God said. We can walk in faith towards purpose, because He said so. This is the attitude that Jesus had, and this is the attitude that we must have, if we are to walk in the will of God. Because we will be questioned along the way. We will face people that disagree with us, and we will face criticism from people that don’t believe. But that is okay. Because our connection to the Source reminds us who we are; He reminds us what we are called to do. And in his presence, we find the strength to keep going. Even in the face of the pain, we keep moving because He said so. Even when we want to give up, as Jesus did, we keep moving because He said so. And as we keep moving, He strengthens us over and over again.
Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31 NLT)
This is my favorite bible passage, because it was once the passage that I recited daily to remind myself to just put one foot in front of the other. Sometimes we get overwhelmed by the vision that God has given us, and we are exhausted because it feels like we are running against the grain. It feels like no one is for us, and everyone is against us. But we have to remember that there is only one voice that matters. As long as we remember to put Him first, and magnify Him above everything else, He will give us the strength to do what he has called us to do.
What has God called you to do? Who has he called you to be? These are the things that matter the most. His voice must be the loudest voice in your life. I know it’s hard to walk in faith, especially when it feels like you are alone. But I want to encourage you today, that your Savior went through the exact same thing, and He died on a cross and rose from the grave so that you could have the opportunity to reach purpose. He did that just for you, just so that you could be who he has called you to be. So walk in the authority that He has given you. Decide today, that you will continue to walk the path that He has for you, even if you have to walk it alone. Remember, you aren’t doing this to please those around you. You aren’t doing this so that you can have the approval of man. You are doing this because He said so. You are walking in faith, because He said so. And your choice will be honored. He sees you. He sees everything that you have been through on this journey of trusting Him, and He will lift you up in due time. He will bring you to a place of fruitfulness; He will bring you to a place where your life is a testimony to all those around you. Don’t forget that you are a light. He has called you to this. As long as you are following Him, He will prepare the way for you. Trust in what He said.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son to the earth to die for my sins, and thank you for raising Him back to life, so that I can have the opportunity to live a new life, and walk in the purpose that you have for me. I know that you have called me to something that is beyond what I am capable of, but I trust that you will be with me every step of the way. I believe that as I trust in you, and obey your word, you will prepare the way for me. I pray that as I continue to follow you, that you will give me the strength to walk in faith regardless of what others think of me. I pray that you will give me the courage to stand on your word, and to believe you, even when it seems impossible. Because nothing is impossible for you. Thank you for reminding me that everything that I need is found in your presence. Thank you for reminding me that my identity is found in you, and for reminding me that my affirmation is found in you. It doesn’t matter if I am affirmed by anyone else. Having you on my side, is all that I need. You are my strength, you are my source, and you are the one that holds my head up high. I declare that I will be all that you have called me to be. And I believe that you will enable me to do all that you have called me to do. I can’t wait to see how my story is used to bring you glory. I love you, Father. In Jesus' name, amen.
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