Show me Faith!

Today as I got ready for church, I was ANGRY! Last night, the Senate passed the healthcare bill that is going to put me and others in my family out of work. I am a Licensed Massage Practitioner. I bill insurance. I get paid to help you keep your body in optimal health by aiding it in self-healing. It is a proven remedy, Centuries old! And I am really quite good at it. My clients run the gamut from 16 years old to 90+ years old. I work in pain management for people with chronic conditions, healing of injuries, stress reduction, and general maintenance.
Church almost did not happen for me. My boys would not get moving and ready for church, we were late. We made it in time for the service, but everyone had already had some fellowship time. I like listening to what God has done in others lives. I enjoy watching the families arrive with the kiddo's, Greetings and hugs abound! Our church likes to be a "community" so every one attending is important.
We sat down, in time to stand again and sing. Beautiful moving songs. Reminding me that God IS! Already, my heart started to let go of the anger. I fear change. It took alot for me to go to school to become a Massage therapist, and my next step was to go to Chiropractic college. That too is not going to happen now. So, fear still nagging, We sat down to listen to Tim teach from God's word.
Tim is young, funny, and very exuberant! His teachings are often met with chuckles as he draws from his own experiences to illustrate his point. His beautiful wife and daughters are often part of the sermon. Mostly because that is where he draws his life experiences from.

Today, Tim led us to open our Bibles to Hebrews Chapter 11.
v1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2. For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

The Greek word used for faith is also the word used for Believe/belief, trust. I did not write that word down for any of you scholarly type, but If you have a Strongs, you can look it up. There are types of faith. To believe that something exists, Like I believe there is a God. I believe I own a car. I believe my sons exist. This type of belief really has nothing to do with faith. Even the Devil and his demons believe there is a God. The next type of faith requires a choice. I believe Jesus Christ died on the cross to make the final sin payment. I believe that he did this for me! I believe that by putting my faith in him and this sin payment, I will go to Heaven when I die!

But there is a faith which goes even deeper than that.
By Faith, Abel gave his offering to God, which was more pleasing than his brothers (Cain).
And even though Cain murdered Abel, Abel's voice is still heard through the generations.
By Faith, Enoch lived his daily life in accordance to God's will. And God spared him from death. One day, Enoch was not. God took him without allowing his body to experience death.
By faith, Noah builded an ark. Did you know there was no rain before God flooded the earth? The atmosphere of the earth was different. Water just existed. When Noah built the ark, nobody even knew what rain was, and here is this man saying "it is going to rain" God told Noah, "build an ark" and so by faith, Noah built an ark.
God has promised to fill all my needs. We have grown to expect so many luxeries in life that we often consider them needs. The apostle Paul wrote in Phillipians 4:11&12, "Not that I speak in respect of want; for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content, I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."
He finishes up in verse 13 by saying, " I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
And in Romans, 8:18 "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Skip on to verse 28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
I do not even pretend to know the type of suffering that Paul went through. I have been homeless. I have been poor. I have had to seek charities to get my electricity turned on when I had a baby and not enough income to cover all the basic needs. I had to feed a growing child with $25 PER WEEK. I did not own a car, I lived with relatives because I could not afford to live on my own. I used to have garage sales and sell everything that was not nailed down to buy groceries. I took foodstamps from one mother in trade for watching her small children on occasion.
God brought me through all of this even when I was not living a life in accordance to his plan. I must say, that in and of itself is evidence of his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Making a way for us to have a relationship with God through him.
As I pray about the next season in my life, I am encouraged by a verse Tim just casually mentioned in his closing. Psalm 24:1,

" the earth is the LORD'S ant the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. "

After all, I had nothing when I came here, I will take nothing when I leave. If I can only live a life that is pleasing to God, then I have been successful!
Thank you for your prayers as I try to reason out my next step in life.
I always tell the boys that there are always ways to make money if you are willing to work hard.
Now, I will get to show them that this is actually true!
Blessings! LOVE!!!!