Victory! (2012) by Gerry James

es ,He is the great Provider if only we have faith, thanks for the good share!

In theory I know all this, and I believe it to be true. Now I'm just wondering why we don't have the confidence to live what we know. What do you think?

Thanks for sharing. The more I read, the more real it gets for me.

Ah Gabby - if I knew the answer to why we don't put into practice what we know, my life would be smooth and full of the peace I know is mine in Christ, but not mine in day-to-day experience. I've thought about it a lot. Let me switch to a Law of Attraction perspective for a moment. It's looking at the same problem, just couching it in terms that are perhaps a bit more understandable for some of our readers who grapple with spiritual concepts like faith ... remember I wrote recently on the common experience of not feeling God's presence, especailly during some of our worst times? This was the principle of trying our faith - a very hard concept for even spirit filled people to wrap their heads around. LOA calls this concept chemicalization - I could write a whole article on that, probably will... but the point is that I am ALWAYS tested to remember to choose to FEEL the way I am demanding my life to be.

You see, as a spiritual being having this physical experience, I BELIEVE it is hard to actually feel healthy when there is so much disease and despair in my experience at the moment and so I FEEL the lack of well-being. It is hard to FEEL wealthy when in my own experience there is so much lack in my own bank account, and so I FEEL despair and I think poverty thoughts based in lack.

So now, where is my faith? Isn't my belief supposed to be soundly in Christ and His promises to me? Well, His Word tells me that He will supply all my need, He is the God that heals me. I have His Word, but my experience is contradicting it and it SEEMS to me, the ILLUSION is so strong that I am fooled by what I see instead of trusting the God who is saying, "Wake up, baby, it's all a dream. Wake up, you're safe!".

Is it the conditions of the environment I am in that make me FEEL lack and despair? NO!

I am CHOOSING to allow myself to feel this way based on a back story given to me long ago about disease and poverty's "reality" and I TRULY AM NOT TRUSTING GOD NOR BEING PURE TO MY FAITH because I don't believe Him. I believe what I see, what I feel. Then, how can we ever know what is truth? See how completely dependent on our senses we are. This is what the Bible means when it says sensual, unable to discern the truth. Our trial has come to show us where we really are, we who boast so much of our faith and belief in Him. Usually we won't learn the lesson. We take band-aids to pull us through and God in His mercy does not allow the trial to crush us. But it will come again and again, because we need to wake up. We can create and live the life of our dreams and walk in intimacy with God -- but not until we know the truth. It is the truth that will set us free.

What we see around us, what we are experiencing is NOT THE CAUSE OF OUR FEELINGS. It is the EFFECT. It is our mirror of the confusion and disbelief inside us. I always receive that for which I am a perfect vibrational match (Vibrate is a term in this use meaning what I feel / think / believe) until I change the story.

Do we have control of our thoughts and feelings or does our mirror, our backstory? We do! GOD has said this. My experience and what "they" say is this. I may say I have faith in God, but my trial is here - it will clothe itself in my true faith. I believe in poverty, disease and lack. I just want to believe in God, but really having divine health and whatsoever I desire (Mark 11:24) is just too-good-to-be-true. "They" all say so. And I believe them, rather than my God.

I believe, Gabby, that we can choose to change any belief we have about anything and bring change from any point in our current experience. We're just too smart. Too hard to convince. We know what we see and feel. (Or do we....?)

Yes Gerry, I do remember the Practicing God's Presence. It actually had a great impact on me and I do read it every day. In fact I already see the difference it made in my life. I don't know about you, but I have to work on each issue separately, and for me this one is a slightly different issue.
In any case, I think I know the answer to my own question. After I read this post and left this comment I read another post of yours http://posts.fanbox.com/9k5g4 "Living The Curse Free Life". The light came on. I think this three aspects,

1 Practicing God's Presence,
2 Living The Curse Free Life
3 Take Your Provision, .... are absolutely interdependent.

I think I understand why we have a hard time living what we know. The provision is there, we know about it, we believe it to be ours and we believe that the Father wants us to claim it. Why is it that we still don't?

I will share here my understanding without claiming that it's the truth ... this is what it's true for me.

It's like this: remember when you were children? we messed up on something, we did some mischief, and then, (most of us) would retrieve and be quiet. Mom and dad find out, they may lecture us a bit, but it's forgiven and forgotten. The next day we want something and we want it really bad, but we think ... well I just had that unfortunate thing happen ... I don't really have the guts to go ask for money, or whatever it is that we need. Dad forgave us and he'd be happy to give us what we need, because everything He has is ours ... but we hold on to the guilt and lose our confidence. When we mess up again it gets even worse ... we lose our confidence even more ... because we don't stay close enough to the father, we "don't practice His Presence" to actually realize that He's not upset with us, he has no intention to withhold the blessings we so much need. If we brought and kept Him "involved" in every aspect of our lives, and constantly touched basis with Him, we would know at all times, and without a doubt that He's not mad, He has no intention to punish us, or withhold what we need ... it's all good. Only we don't spend enough time around Him, don't involve Him in all we do, and as a result we lose confidence. It's like not having seen or talked with a friend in a long time because thy're not that important to us to make time for them, but suddenly we need a big sum of money. We know they have it and most likely they'd be happy to lend it to us, but we think: well, I haven't called this person in ages. I don't feel like picking up the phone, ask them how they are, then ask for money. Well, that's about the sum of it ... just the way I see it ... it basically comes down to bringing God into every aspect of our life, staying close to Him (practicing His presence) and then the confidence will be there.
I know, a long comment. Sorry about that, but I just wanted to share my new understanding of this issue. That's just how I see it.

Oh, for me there's one more thing: my stubbornness when it comes to doing or going where He wants me to. Just recently, I've come to the conclusion that I've been running away from His blessings because I didn't like the paper they were wrapped in. I finally decided that the paper doesn't matter, but what's inside. It's liberating.

Thank you Gabriela, that was very enlightening. It's an amazing adventure we're on isn't it? I've never experienced anything like it and I can tell from your questions and insights that you're experiencing much the same open-mouthed awe I feel wherever God comes into my life in such real ways and tears the little boxes I've stuffed Him in asunder!

Yes, it seems we've just embarked on a journey. I feel that I understood enough to bring me to a point of no return. I have to continue what God started. I just wish more people would join us.