"Yeah God told us to have faith, but He also said use common sense." You ever been told that before? Right after you've been tossing and turning half the night; wondering how this is going to get done? How that's going to happen? What will it look like? Or for my achievers out there... thinking can you do it? And then, right when you've made up in your mind that you're (ahem) walking into victory in Jesus' Name, you run across that co-worker, or that friend, or that family member...who politely tells you whatever it is isn't a good idea. Unlike the last time when you meekly responded, "yeah, I guess you're right"; this go 'round you say something like, "I have faith that the Lord will bring this to pass!" That's when you hear the classic phrase, "Yeah God told us to have faith, but He also said use common sense." Along with that, the person adds the logical reason why the plan you were told by the Lord won't work the way you envision it; or won't work at all. Seconds later, that faith you had in the midnight hours has evaporated...
...until you go through the same cycle about three more times for a month. While the family and friends advise, nobody (including you) believes that you're capable of anything but talking. Nobody but God, that is. After all, it was Him who gave you the vision in the first place. But when you received that, more than likely you just took in the happiness of the accomplished product without considering the necessary process to completion. So when you started making progress towards your destiny, you were shocked by the methods required to get there. That shock traumatized you, and then you quit. You might have even justified your giving up with the He never puts more on you than you can bear line. Therefore in your mind, God didn't know what He was talking about.
Sometimes we modern Christians are pure losers. We run up and down church aisles and shout 'till our voices are gone about what God is getting ready to do. But the moment some adversity comes in we ain't ready to do nothing. In a split second we forget that we serve El-Shaddai (God Almighty) who has given us the power to do the most unbelievable acts through Jesus Christ (John 14:12). Instead, we fall for Enemy Trick #11 - Magnify the Problem to Forgot the Power Given By God.
We see the warrior Gideon do this in the Book of Judges, begininng in chapter 6. The passage tells that while Gideon threshed wheat as he hid from various oppressors, a messenger from God assured him that God was with him completely. When Gideon questioned the possibility of Devine protection while living in captivity, God ignored him. Instead, He commanded him to free Israel with the power he already possessed. Like many of us, Gideon didn't take God's Word for truth; and he needed a couple of signs to get with the program.
Of course it's difficult and scary. But at some point, we have to simply believe God. We have to be certain that the promises and instructions that are in the Bible are true and true for us. We have to heed God's soft voice when He guides us and respect it as certified doctrine. And particularly in the foggy areas of our life, we have to trust God and follow His plan for success. Consider this: To say you are a Believer and then waver on the messages coming from the One you believe in is backwards. I mean, being a Christian means that you confirm God came to earth in a human form, died so you wouldn't go to hell, came back alive, and is living in heaven. That's about as illogical as it gets. Therefore, trust in the Eternal, All-Knowing, and All Loving God to validate His Word and complete His work in you. Yeah, you.
Peace
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