Dare to Believe God Sustains
When we dare to believe, God saves us by forgiving us of sin. He sanctifies us by cleansing us and making us holy. And lastly sustains us as we live for Him day by day.
Do you know what a sustain pedal on a piano does? When you’re holding the sustain pedal down, you can press a note and it will keep playing! Without the sustain pedal it just cuts out.
God does the same thing for us! When we feel like just giving up and cutting out, he keeps us going. Dare to believe that God will keep you going! Dare to believe today that God is strong when you are weak. That He is holding you and getting you through.
Faith That Sustains: Daring to Believe Through Challenges
You see friends, it is this type of FAITH that will get us through anything.
- It was by daring to believe that Paul and the other early Christians kept going through the beatings, the shipwrecks, the hunger and nakedness, the sickness and hurt. They dared to place their faith in God’s sustaining grace, and they found strength as they believed!
- It was by daring to believe that St Francis the great monk left a life of luxury and riches to minister to the poorest of the poor. He found that God sustained him more than wealth ever could.
- It was by daring to believe that John Wesley took the streets and preached in fields, often being chased away by people throwing stones and trying to hurt him. But he dared to place his faith in God’s grace, and he was sustained and did such great things.
- It is by daring to believe that persecuted Christians in countries like China and Turkey and Afghanistan survive today in spite of the constant threat of death for their faith. They dare to place their faith in God’s sustaining grace, and they live!
- I want to tell you that it was by daring to believe in God’s sustaining grace that Shereen and I left the comfort of the Methodist ministry, with a guaranteed job including pension, medical aid, and church manse… when we didn’t know where God was going to place me. But He has sustained as more than we could ever dream. We thank Him day after day for helping us dare to believe.
The temptation in our lives is to blame God when things are tough. We face grief, we face difficulty, we get stuck in tough situations, things don’t turn out the way we want them to - but will we blame God? Or will we dare to believe that God is sustaining us and helping us through?
Dare to Believe: The Greatest Adventure of Faith
Friends, live each day daring to believe. It’s far easier not to. But be a ‘dare-angel’! Dare to believe when nobody else will! Dare to hang onto God when everybody else laughs!!
Do you remember the story of Job? He loses everything, his wealth, his business, his children, his health. He’s sitting around trying to make sense of it, and Scripture says: “His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” (Job 2:9–10 NIV)
Job dared to believe that God was still sustaining him through his trouble. Even when his own wife didn’t support him, he dared to believe.
How about you today?
You know what, you can be Evel Knievel and life a daredevil life. Sure, go for it. But I dare you to something far more significant and stirring. I dare you to do something that has eternal consequences. I dare you to the thrill of a lifetime.
I dare you to believe in the God who saves, sanctifies and sustains.
Nothing compares to doing life with Him!
