Greetings, brothers and sisters in Christ, and children of God,

Have you ever done a self-faith test? I suppose the question should be, have you ever checked your faith, or where you stand in your faith? Life can be ugly and brutal, and it can cause us to lose faith if we lose focus.

I do not commonly like to use sports analogies, so I ask those non-sports fans to forgive me, but indulge me for just a moment. When a boxer enters a ring, he is focused on one thing. As the match begins, he receives hard blows to the body and face. He returns blows, which uses a lot of energy. Over a period of a few rounds, he has lost his focus with every blow he receives. Eventually, he loses his balance and goes down. All those in his corner hope that he gets up. 

In one of the Rocky movies, Rocky Balboa made a profound statement: “Life is not about how hard you get hit, but how hard you get hit and keep going.” Life gives us blows to our mind, our body, and our spirit. There is no getting around the fact that we will get hit hard with life and the troubles that come with it, but there is hope if we stay focused and do not allow life to knock us off our feet and cause us to lose focus. What is our focus? It is our faith in Christ.

In the book of Matthew, we find the disciples in a boat. Jesus calls to them, and Peter boldly tells Jesus to call him to come. Jesus does, and without hesitation, Peter steps out onto the water and walks to Jesus. All of a sudden, Peter realizes all the waves around him and begins to take his focus off Christ, and he begins to lose faith, which causes him to sink in the water. However, Jesus was there to pull him up (Matt 14:27-31).

A few chapters earlier in Matthew, we read of an ill woman who was subject to bleeding for twelve years. As Christ was moving through the crowd, the woman knew she had to get to him to be healed. She believed she did not need to hear a word or needed him to touch her, but she just wanted to touch him. Amid the crowd, she was able to reach out and touch the edge of his garment and was immediately healed. Jesus did not say that he healed her or that his cloak had magic healing powers, but he said to her, “Your faith has healed you.”

 (Matt 9:20-22). It was her faith in Christ that brought her healing.

God will test our faith from time to time, using the hard hits in life that can knock us off our feet and cause us to lose focus of our faith. He will rescue you, just as Christ rescued Peter in the waves, but God wants us to have the kind of faith that is unswaying and have the belief like the woman who was healed. I encourage you not to look at these moments as a test of your faith, but moments of teaching you the power of faith, which produces perseverance in your works to become like that of Christ (James 1:2-4). 

I tell you, Christ is in your corner and is telling you to keep the faith and focus on Him. He is your Healer, your Mentor, your Friend, and he will walk with you through every battle of your life. You are not fighting for a medal around your neck or a belt around your waist. You are fighting for eternal life with the loving Father who created you and loves you. The battles will be worth it, but can only be won through faith.

Last week, the little lambs learned about some of the mothers in the Bible and the importance of their roles. This week, we are going to read and learn about a few of Jesus’s many miracles.

I look forward to worshiping with you tomorrow with songs of praise and dancing before the One who gives us life and teaches us to have faith, for it is our faith that makes us righteous with God. If, for whatever reason, I do not see you tomorrow, may the Lord bless you with joy, peace, love, and may He comfort you, guide you, and heal you when you need it. 

God bless you,

Your brother in Christ,

Michael (aka Mr. Michael)