"If He Said it, I Believe it."

I spent the afternoon discouraged. I spent the afternoon thinking about the fact that I've been waiting and waiting on God. I've been expecting His deliverance, but I am still here…in this place of unanswered prayers…in this place of honestly wanting to give up.

"How much longer do I have to wait, God? How much longer do I have to stand in faith?"

Have you found yourself in this place? Have you ever felt like you lacked the strength to move forward in faith?

This journey can be exhausting. There will be times when we want to give up. There will be times when we feel like we can't go on. And in those times, we have a choice to make. Will we give in to our feelings of exhaustion? Or will we fall at the feet of Jesus, and allow His Spirit to strengthen us?

He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:29‭-‬31 NKJV)

We can’t endure this journey in our own strength.

And I am convinced that we become weary because we try to. We’re exhausted because we’re running around in circles trying to make things happen on our own timeline. We’re frustrated because we want our plans to work out the way we intend them to. But, we must understand that God does not move according to our plans nor our timelines. In fact, He stands outside of them…ensuring that His purpose is going forth…ensuring that our lives bring Him glory.

The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts. (Isaiah 57:15 NLT)

And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans.” (Jeremiah 1:12 NLT)

Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” (Isaiah 43:7 NKJV)

Jesus has all the strength that we need.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)

We may not have the endurance to do what God’s called us to do, but He does. We might have the strength, the will, or the ability to do what God’s called us to do, but He does. And His Spirit is always with us.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. (John 14:16 NLT)

But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. (John 14:26 NLT)

But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. (John 16:7 NLT)

Jesus said it was best for Him to leave. Why? Because He wanted us to have His Spirit within us at all times. He wanted us to be continually encouraged, strengthened, and enabled. But in order for us to receive His power, we must spend time in His presence.

We must intentionally spend time with Him.

I can’t stress how important this is. We must be proactive in our relationship with God. As much as He desires a relationship with us, He will never force us into a relationship with Him.

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. (Revelation 3:20 NLT)

Jesus stands at the door and knocks, but we have to do our part. We have to intentionally let Him in. And we do this by creating a space of worship in our hearts.

If we want to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit we must create space for Him in our lives.

I made a decision in the middle of the discouragement. I decided that I would not give up, and I would not give in. Instead, I made space. I sat in the presence of God. I worshiped at His feet; I allowed His Spirit to renew me. And in that moment, I remembered that all of it was for Him anyway. My dreams are His. My vision is His. He gave me the desire for what I am believing for. And if He gave me His vision, He will surely carry it out in my life.

“If He said it, I believe it.”

This is the declaration that I made in my heart that day. And this is the declaration that you must make in yours.

The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. (Proverbs 18:21 NLT)

What has God spoken over you? What vision has He given you for your life? Maybe He’s given you a vision for healing in your mind or body. Maybe He’s given you a vision of wholeness in your marriage and family. Maybe He’s given you a vision for financial stability and abundance. Maybe He wants you abundantly blessed, so that you can bless others. Whatever it is, make your decision today. Don’t allow your frustrations to keep you from experiencing the promises of God. Instead, worship at His feet. Allow His Spirit to strengthen you. And then…speak life. Proclaim the truth of what He said, because your words are important. Your words breathe life…and they are the difference. If He said it, believe it. Because if He said it, He’ll do it.

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” (Matthew 17:20 NLT)

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me your Spirit, and thank you for reminding me that you are always with me. You are here to encourage me, you are here to enable me, and I know that I can not walk this journey with you. I don’t have the strength that I need, but you do. I don’t have the wisdom or the ability that I need, but you do. You have all that I need, and with you, I can do all things. So today, I am making the decision to put my trust in you. I will have faith in the things that you have spoken over me. If you said it, I believe it… because I know that you always finish what you start. I love you. I put all my hope in you. In Jesus’ name, amen.