This week we have a guest post by our friend Wilson Christopher from Malaysia. Wilson works as a manager for a company in Penang.
He also serves as the Malaysia coordinator for Revive Nations.
Let me begin with an honest confession:
I love to eat!
However with less physical exercise, I struggle in controlling my weight. I tried hard to get in shape – even downloaded an App to keep track of what I eat and log all my daily activities, hoping that by monitoring it I will be able to strike some balance.
But if you know what I am talking about – it’s NOT that easy!
Pic Courtesy: http://www.numetrex.com
One day I started to have symptoms of pain on my left knee and the doctor suggested me to reduce my weight.
And so, I decided to enroll myself in a local gym.
I went to the gym regularly but it was only for the sake of going (without any seriousness or proper objective in mind). And so things remained the same. But soon I realized that I needed to be serious if I really wanted to see some positive results. I then started to spend time planning meticulously on the type of exercises that I needed to do daily and followed it with equal dedication. I also understood that shortcuts won’t work. And while it is so easy to give up, it is so difficult to hold on to see success.
I think all of us are eager to see the results of what we want in a short span of time, and when things don’t work out we are quick to give up. The world around us is moving at a fast pace and it seems as if even 24 hours are not enough.
Don’t give up!
My gym life taught me an important lesson. Sometimes that’s how we look at God concerning our prayers.
We expect to see results in a short time – just like me in the gym! There were many times I felt the urge to give up on my workout schedule when I felt no change in my body. Similarly, how often are we tempted to give up on our prayers when we don’t see or feel things changing in the natural!
If you are that person who is waiting to see the fruit of your prayer, let me encourage you:
Don’t give up!
Press on.
Even when you don’t see the result externally, know by faith that when you have prayed according to God’s will, God has already answered your prayer (1 John 5:14). It is a done deal. God has already provided everything you and I need in Christ Jesus and we will see it manifest only if we believe and not give up. So pray. Not out of anxiety or desperation, but pray because you love Jesus and let your prayers overflow with thankfulness.
Don’t go by feelings
Coming back to my weight, in just within 6 months, I managed to shed almost 20 kgs!
I learnt that the longer you press in into your workout, the faster your fat starts to burn. You may not be able to perceive it from the outside, but things are happening on the inside.
Like wise in our prayer life, irrespective of what you see or feel, the Bible says pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
We need to depend less on what we feel and more on the truth of the Word of God. Emotions come and go. Notice the Bible says, “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17); it doesn’t say the just shall live by ‘feeling’.
The world may say, “No Pain No Gain” but Jesus took all your pain and you got the gain!”. Real faith gets stronger through trials and not weaker. It becomes more resilient. It doesn’t fall apart.
So press on and move forward, Jesus has the best in store for you!
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