I have recently discovered something that I had learned before but I now know in a deeper way. Faith is not a feeling but a choice.

I learned this many years ago from Ney Bailey who wrote a very powerful book entitled Faith Is Not A Feeling. And I wrote about these truths of faith in great detail in my book, Walk On Water Faith — Discovering Power in the Promises of God. This study encourages you to choose a promise a day, and live in God's Word. …

On our journey in life with the Lord, we learn and apply truths from God's Word, and we grow in our relationship with Him. But then we learn those truths again and again in new circumstances, and we grow deeper in our walk with the Lord.

During a difficult time a number of years ago, I heard a pastor say something I thought was profound. He said that in suffering you can either lower your view of God or increase your level of faith. He spoke of the goodness and greatness of God and how we are challenged at times in our understanding and trust. And so, if we know and trust God in all He promises in His Word, then the choice is faith in God always and forever.

So how can we increase our level of faith in the depth of our pain and suffering? I believe the answer is first to cry out to God and ask Him to empower you and fill you with His Spirit. Ask Him for grace, mercy, and faith. Then, open the pages of His Word and live in His promises. God's Word is "living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). And God's Spirit works with His Word and embeds it in our hearts, using it to literally transform us (John 14:26, 16:12-15). Your faith will grow because God promises. "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17).

I am living in the promises of God these days more than ever before, especially those in the Psalms and Isaiah. Here are some I love —

• "The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread" (Psalm 37:23-25 NLT).
• "If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there Your hand will guide me, and Your strength will support me" (Psalm 139:9-10 NLT).
• "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).
• "Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).
• "So the ransomed of the LORD will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. 'I, even I, am He who comforts you'" (Isaiah 51:11-12).
• "No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the LORD your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the LORD will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end" (Isaiah 60:19-20 NLT)

Those are just a few of the many promises found in God's Word. Each one is a firm foundation for you to live in and walk on through every perilous or painful situation you may experience in life. The Lord, through His Spirit, uses each promise to comfort and encourage you, bringing you hope for your hurting heart, and light for your path as you walk with Him.

I encourage you to study more about faith and the power of God's promises. Choose faith not fear, and live in God's promises.

Dear Lord, today I choose to walk and live by faith in Your promises. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Blessings ♡ Grace

myPhotoWalk Devotional

• "Follow Me." Matthew 4:19

myPhotoWalk Technical

• Title: Following Jesus @myPhotoWalk–SmugMug.
• Description: A myPhotoWalk quiet time in a beautiful botanical garden in Papaikou, Hawaii, USA.
• Creator: Catherine Martin
• Date Created: 5/12/12
• Camera: Nikon D7000, Nikkor 50mm, FL 50mm, ISO 160, f/1.4, 1/160sec.
• Photoshoot: myPhotoWalk Photo Shoot in Papaikou, Hawaii, USA.
• Post-Processing: Adobe Camera Raw, Adobe Photoshop, Topaz Adjust, Nik Software.
• Copyright Catherine Martin — myPhotoWalk™ — Quiet Time Ministries. All Rights Reserved.