God is Always Faithful
by Marisa Cockrell, LPC-Intern
“You just really can’t doubt God anymore,” my 15-year-old says with a look of awe on his face. To him, this is obvious. We have seen God show up in miraculous ways over and over again. Personally, I long for our lives to be more consistent and reliable. Six years ago, we ventured out in faith to plant a church. I never wanted this adventure. I like security, a steady pay check, and steady attendance. Why risk these things? I didn’t fully understand the "why’s," but I chose to trust God’s call on our lives. Believe me, this “trust” I had at that point, has only hung on by a small thread at times. I have often doubted that God called us; doubted that he would see it through; doubted we really heard him correctly. When I doubted, I tried to take those doubts to the Lord in prayer.
We decided years ago to welcome our kids into our God-sized prayers. It started with our prayer to pay off all of our debt except for our home. Other prayers we have shared with them have been things like God providing all the funds necessary for us to buy and renovate property without incurring any debt as a church, finding a house our family could afford close to our new church home, the salvation of our three boys and their hearts belonging to the Lord. We started sharing these God-sized prayers with them, telling them that only God could make these things happen. It was true! We had no power on our own to make any of these things a reality. Our boys have seen God show up time and time again through these prayers; He has provided when we thought we were out of options. Our boys’ faith has grown as a result.
Most recently, our church had a financial shortfall of over 60,000 dollars and the year was coming to a close. My husband believed that again, God was going to provide. He led our church to pray for this and to have faith. A family stepped up and said they wanted to give 70,000 towards the shortfall. Two other families gave 10,000 each. Our shortfall became a surplus. This news is what had caused Kaleb, our 15-year-old, to say, “You just really can’t doubt God anymore.”
This statement really challenged me because I CAN doubt God. Even when he shows up over and over and over. I focus on the hard things; on the places in life where I still need him to show up.
I think we need to make ourselves celebrate the victories! We need to write down all the ways He has shown up and come through. That will build our faith in ways nothing else can. In the Old Testament, they constantly set up reminders for the next generation to see, hear, and remember what the Lord had done. The stones that Joshua had the Israelites pull out of the Jordan as they crossed on dry ground, the elements of the ark of the covenant (Ten commandments, Moses’ staff), the feasts they celebrated; all these things to remember God’s faithfulness. We need to remember. We need to find a place where we write down the things God has done and we look at it every day and remember; where we can look when all hope seems lost and we can remember God’s faithfulness.
I’m so grateful for a journey that teaches our boys about the faithfulness of God. A journey that is filled with situations that are not accomplished with man’s power, knowledge, or ability. Even though I hate unpredictability, the Lord has chosen to use it in our lives to teach our boys about HIS predictability. He is always faithful. He is always present. He is always trustworthy. We just can’t doubt God anymore!
We are excited to welcome Marisa Cockrell, MA, LPC-Intern, to our 1016 FM 1463 campus for marriage, individual and adolescent counseling. She holds a Masters in Biblical Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary and is certified as a facilitator with Prepare and Enrich and certified in Restoration Therapy, Level 1. Marisa is currently under the supervision of Joy Sumrall, MA, LPCS at Graceview Counseling Center. Our church is serving as a satellite campus for Graceview in Katy. Marisa is currently taking appointments on Mondays at Crossings. To learn more about her practice, and to schedule an appointment, visit her website.
“You just really can’t doubt God anymore,” my 15-year-old says with a look of awe on his face. To him, this is obvious. We have seen God show up in miraculous ways over and over again. Personally, I long for our lives to be more consistent and reliable. Six years ago, we ventured out in faith to plant a church. I never wanted this adventure. I like security, a steady pay check, and steady attendance. Why risk these things? I didn’t fully understand the "why’s," but I chose to trust God’s call on our lives. Believe me, this “trust” I had at that point, has only hung on by a small thread at times. I have often doubted that God called us; doubted that he would see it through; doubted we really heard him correctly. When I doubted, I tried to take those doubts to the Lord in prayer.
We decided years ago to welcome our kids into our God-sized prayers. It started with our prayer to pay off all of our debt except for our home. Other prayers we have shared with them have been things like God providing all the funds necessary for us to buy and renovate property without incurring any debt as a church, finding a house our family could afford close to our new church home, the salvation of our three boys and their hearts belonging to the Lord. We started sharing these God-sized prayers with them, telling them that only God could make these things happen. It was true! We had no power on our own to make any of these things a reality. Our boys have seen God show up time and time again through these prayers; He has provided when we thought we were out of options. Our boys’ faith has grown as a result.
Most recently, our church had a financial shortfall of over 60,000 dollars and the year was coming to a close. My husband believed that again, God was going to provide. He led our church to pray for this and to have faith. A family stepped up and said they wanted to give 70,000 towards the shortfall. Two other families gave 10,000 each. Our shortfall became a surplus. This news is what had caused Kaleb, our 15-year-old, to say, “You just really can’t doubt God anymore.”
This statement really challenged me because I CAN doubt God. Even when he shows up over and over and over. I focus on the hard things; on the places in life where I still need him to show up.
I think we need to make ourselves celebrate the victories! We need to write down all the ways He has shown up and come through. That will build our faith in ways nothing else can. In the Old Testament, they constantly set up reminders for the next generation to see, hear, and remember what the Lord had done. The stones that Joshua had the Israelites pull out of the Jordan as they crossed on dry ground, the elements of the ark of the covenant (Ten commandments, Moses’ staff), the feasts they celebrated; all these things to remember God’s faithfulness. We need to remember. We need to find a place where we write down the things God has done and we look at it every day and remember; where we can look when all hope seems lost and we can remember God’s faithfulness.
I’m so grateful for a journey that teaches our boys about the faithfulness of God. A journey that is filled with situations that are not accomplished with man’s power, knowledge, or ability. Even though I hate unpredictability, the Lord has chosen to use it in our lives to teach our boys about HIS predictability. He is always faithful. He is always present. He is always trustworthy. We just can’t doubt God anymore!
We are excited to welcome Marisa Cockrell, MA, LPC-Intern, to our 1016 FM 1463 campus for marriage, individual and adolescent counseling. She holds a Masters in Biblical Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary and is certified as a facilitator with Prepare and Enrich and certified in Restoration Therapy, Level 1. Marisa is currently under the supervision of Joy Sumrall, MA, LPCS at Graceview Counseling Center. Our church is serving as a satellite campus for Graceview in Katy. Marisa is currently taking appointments on Mondays at Crossings. To learn more about her practice, and to schedule an appointment, visit her website.
Posted in Devotional
Tagged with #acts29, #biblechurchkatytx, #ccckaty, #churchinkaty, #crossingscommunitychurch, #crossingskaty
Tagged with #acts29, #biblechurchkatytx, #ccckaty, #churchinkaty, #crossingscommunitychurch, #crossingskaty
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"Great post! How has faithfulness impacted your life?"