Day 11 of 21 Day Challenge

In John 11:21, Martha tells Jesus "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Mary says the exact same thing to Jesus in verse 32. In verse 37, some of the Jews said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" All of these people had faith that Jesus could have healed Lazarus when he was sick so he wouldn't have died, but the thought of Jesus being able to raise Lazarus from the dead never entered their mind. Martha's faith seemed to be the strongest. In verse 22, she told Jesus "I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." In verse 27, she confessed her belief that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. So why did her faith falter when Jesus told them to take away the stone that was in front of Lazarus' tomb? Her first thought was to tell Jesus that "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there for four days" (verse 39). In verse 40, Jesus reminded her that he had told her "If you believe, you would see the glory of God?" Martha's faith was restored and the stone was rolled away. She received an amazing reward for her faith: her brother was raised from the dead!

Have you ever gotten into a situation and felt that Jesus wasn't there? Have you ever doubted that He could help you? Have you ever felt that you couldn't possibly handle what Jesus wanted you to do? Remember that Jesus is always with you. He will always be there to help you in each and every situation. If God tells you to do something, He won't abandon you. He knows you can handle whatever comes your way because He never gives us more than we can handle.Never give up on believing in what Jesus said and promised! Don't allow your faith to falter and possibly miss receiving a blessing. Also remember that you may not always receive a reward for your faith here on earth, but the Bible does promise that you will be rewarded once you get to heaven. Keep your faith strong and believe that God will do what He promised.

Proverbs 20:9 says, "Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?" I know I can't say I'm without sin! Everyone has sinned! So, how could I ever say I'm without sin? Well, I know that all I have to do is ask Jesus to forgive me for my sins and He will do it. He takes away those sins and it is as if we never committed those sins. We may still remember what we did, but He doesn't and He won't hold it against us. Since I know I struggle with certain things, I need to make sure I ask for His forgiveness on a daily basis and strive each day to keep my heart pure. I do that by staying away from things I know are not pleasing to Him. He knows my heart's desire is to do His will. He will always forgive me when I mess up, as long as I ask for forgiveness and try to improve on the areas I struggle in. Don't get discouraged when you mess up. Keep trusting in Him. Ask Him to forgive you when you mess up, and keep moving forward!