I just had a long day. The aftermath of my sleeping hours has got me reminiscing about the earlier hours of the day. The earlier hours where we shared our revelations of Bible verses and bounced off one another.

Of course, the church is not confined to just the four corners of a building, as is ideal. So, we naturally conversed about what was going on in the world– how things are getting out of hand and how we must be ready to respond. One person voices his concern: we must do something; we must be proactive.

I feel the sudden shift in the atmosphere. I feel that these people, who were just well-acquainted literally seconds ago, turn a blind eye. People were ready to change the topic– to sweep things under the rug.

The Holy Spirit stirs me. Faith must be active, not passive.

A little over a year ago, I remember God speaking to me about how faith– true faith– empowers believers. It does not make them weak nor defenseless, but it equips them to live a victorious life– to claim the victory that God has for them.

I, then, wonder: if faith strengthens people, how come some believers are still relatively powerless? How come some are still living life as if the enemy has not yet been defeated by God Himself? Aren’t we, Christ’s followers, the ones supposedly modelling the victorious life?

I revert back to the trend I was seeing. The following are some possible reasons why you’re not living life victoriously in Christ:

1) We fail to see that God is multi-faceted

God revealing Himself to you as Savior at one point can differ to another season, where He empowers you to go through life’s challenges. The same God who saves is also the same God who strengthens.

The problem is we fail to discern the times and the very purposes of God throughout shifts in our lives.

At one point, He may tell you to endure the hardships to build your character. At another point, He might just be looking out for your good by exacting justice in your life.

Always, always discern the times and the purpose behind every shift.

2) We listen to cliches when we should listen to God’s timely voice instead

At times, we’ve made a habit of recycling what God has said in one season unto the next. I’m not exactly voiding what God has said to you in said season, but context really does matter. Time matters and appropriateness must be considered.

At times when we fail to consider these, we tend to gaslight ourselves into believing what God did not say. 

We must go for the genuineness of God’s Word, even amidst the discomfort of adjusting to His very commands. We must face the music– that maybe we don’t like what God has spoken. That doesn’t disqualify the fact that He is the One Who said it and we must abide by His Words, nonetheless.

3) We rationalize, instead of obeying

Sometimes, we mask our reluctance to obey God’s clear voice by justifying the opposite of what He tells you to do as “good”. In fact, we sometimes even go beyond and say it’s “Godly”. We tell ourselves it’s wise to not obey God’s clear commands because there might be fear or any negative stressor behind the possible act of obedience.

Again, avoiding the conversation does not help. We must face the music and process our way towards obeying God’s call.

I know at one point in time you’ve heard this saying: faith makes people weak. This is simply not true. False beliefs and disobedience against God make people weak. There is a difference. 

– For true, genuine faith empowers, strengthens, builds, and equips. 

Psalm 29:11 (ESV)

“11 May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!”