“Just as a person’s body that does not have a spirit [the force of life that animates the body; Gen. 2:7] is dead, so faith that does nothing [without works] is dead!” – James 2:26 Expanded Bible.
It was the snowiest day of winter 2012, but I was determined to go ahead with the transaction of taking the delivery of our first car purchase. Everything looked good naturally in the physical—the mileage was awesome for the price offered for the Toyota Camry—and my wife and I were on the same page to go ahead with the purchase that Saturday, having spoken to the owner, who we promised to meet at his house in another part of the city of Philadelphia.
THE MISTAKE OF SKIPPING GOD’S COUNSEL
I shared with my supervisor at work and requested that he come along with us to make the purchase. The only issue was, we never sought the Lord about the purchase; we just decided to go for it. I knew it was essential to always seek the Lord, but I dropped the ball by looking only at the physical evidence about the car, not knowing there were hidden details the owner was not willing to reveal.
THE WARNING I IGNORED
Around 2 PM, before the transaction was completed, I heard the Lord clearly instruct me to quit the transaction. I was ready to obey but didn’t want to offend my supervisor who had sacrificed his time to come with us. As a spiritual man, he would have understood. He noticed my hesitation and thought it was for financial reasons, even offering to help. I said it wasn’t financial—and went ahead to get the car.
LOSS, ACCIDENTS, AND GOD’S MERCY
That car lasted only three weeks—with two major accidents—the second of which almost claimed my life except for God’s mercy! The car was lost; the money was lost. Worse still, we were behind on our rent due to the expenses from the car, and with only liability insurance, there was no payout from the insurance company.
A SHIFT IN PERSPECTIVE
For weeks, I replayed the incident and felt I had reached the end of the road. But one day on my way to work, the Holy Spirit reminded me: if I had died in the accident, no one would be thinking about the financial loss, but about the fact that my life was spared. I repented before God for my ingratitude and chose to HAVE FAITH IN GOD FOR A NEW BEGINNING.
FROM FEAR TO FAITH
It wasn’t easy physically, but the Lord stood by me, strengthened, and empowered me (see 2 Timothy 4:17 Amplified Bible) as I began to invest more time in God’s Word and build my faith in Him. My greatest fear was the rent deficit, but God miraculously took care of it when, in obedience to His Word, I cast all my cares upon Him (see 1 Peter 5:7).
THE MIRACLE OF FORTY-FOUR MONTHS
God’s marvelous help showed up—no one came to collect the rent for more than forty-four months! FAITH IN GOD became the KEY for A NEW BEGINNING.
DIVINE RESTORATION
To the glory of God, who makes all things beautiful in His time, by His guidance, we bought a much better new car about three years later, which I still enjoy driving today.
FAITH MAKES THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE
When we dare to HAVE FAITH IN GOD, even the impossible becomes possible! What area of your life do you desire A NEW BEGINNING? [To be concluded next week].
