Faith - surreal or practical?

And without faith it is impossible to please {Him,} for he who comes to God must believe that He is and {that} He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6

Dr. Henry Blackaby has said that “whenever God reveals something, He expects us to believe Him and adjust our lives accordingly.”

Practically, what does this act of faith look like? It means

• We trust Him implicitly for all our needs because He says He will provide Phil 4:19
• We approach crises with the assurance that God will bring good from them Rom 8:28
• We overcome anxiety during stressful situations because God instructs us to bring our requests to Him Phil 4:6
• We never worry that we are alone because God said He would never leave us or forsake us Duet 31:6
• Despite what happens in our lives, we will never doubt God’s love because He has told us that He loves us with an everlasting love Jer 31:3
• We will choose not to worry when things are rough, because Jesus promised to care for us more than the birds and flowers, besides, it’s a waste of energy. Matt 6:31-34
• We give generously because he promised to provide for all our needs, and in giving we can experience His joy and grace Heb 13:3, 2 Cor 8:1-2
• We put others ahead of ourselves, knowing that God is justice, and we will reap what we sow Eph 5:25,28,33, Matt 22:36-40, Matt 23:11,12, Matt 20:26,27

How do you live it out on a daily basis?

Don't get your feathers all ruffled up

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Today I got to learn first hand the truth that God works all things to good for those that love and obey Him.

It is easy to focus on the immediate, the up front, the urgent, when things are going haywire or just not in the direction I want them to go. I'm so focused on my own plans and reputation and achievements, so focused on the rushing water, that I can't see the direction the river is going and the amazing view from my boat.

Not that things always go peachy, and nothing "bad" ever happens - far from it. But I can rest assured, my Lord is a sun and a shield, he gives favor and honor and no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

Instead of focusing on the rushing water, the cold temperature, I should focus on keeping my walk blameless and make every effort to enter into that rest.

It is also important to work out solutions to challenges - The balance is this: the things I can control, do those with excellence, integrity, and passion. The things I can't, don't waste an iota of energy on it. One of Ben Franklin's 13 Life Virtues was:

"Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable."

Instead, trust the only being who was, and is, and is to be, who has nothing in all creation hidden from His sight, the one who knows the plans He has for you, who prepared good works beforehand, that we should walk in them.

How do you work things out, and yet keep your feathers unruffled at circumstances?