Chapter 8: Sheltered by Faith: Ep 1: Faith as a Shelter: Trusting the Unseen

0:00 Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Diary of Black Women podcast. I'm your host, Connie Morris, and this is the first episode in our brand new series, Sheltered by Faith. Together, we'll explore the transformative power of faith and how God's promises shield us through life's challenges. Today's episode is titled, Faith as a Shelter, Trusting the Unseen. We'll explore what it means to have faith as our foundation and how trusting in God's unseen promises can shape our lives. So let's start with our key scripture for today.

0:42 Found in Hebrews 11.1, it says, Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Faith is more than just belief. It's a deep trust in God's promises, even when we can't see them or even see the outcome. It's about standing firm in the confidence that God is working, even when the circumstances feel uncertain. Think about this. Faith is like an umbrella in a storm. You can't stop the rain, but you can trust that the umbrella will shield you.

1:25 Faith doesn't remove the challenges. It shelters us as we navigate through them. In Hebrews 11, often called the hall of faith, we see examples of individuals who trusted in God despite overwhelming odds. Abraham, when God caught Abraham to leave his home and go to a land he'd never seen, Abraham obeyed. His faith was his shelter as he walked into the unknown, Hebrews 11.8. Moses trusted God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, even when Pharaoh seemed undefeatable.

2:12 His faith was his shield against fear, Hebrews 11.24-27. Rahab. Rahab's faith saved her family when she hid the spies in Jericho. Her belief in God of Israel gave her courage, Hebrews 11.31. These stories remind us that faith is not passive, it is active, and it requires us to trust God's character and promises, even when the path isn't clear. Faith isn't just for biblical heroes, it's for you and me today. So how does faith shape your daily life and decisions?

2:55 Think about the moments when you've had to trust God blindly. Were you able to see his hand guiding you later? You know, when you think about that, you just, you walking and you're just doing what God tells you to do step by step. And then when that thing comes to pass, you're able to look back and go like, yep, yep. Now I see you working. I see you working. I see you working. And that builds so much trust in God. It just builds so much trust in God, but it also builds our faith. So how can we build this shield of faith, right? How can we strengthen our faith and allow it to shield us?

3:39 Here are three practical steps. Meditate on God's word. I mean, as a Christian, we hear this all the time. Nothing that I speak about in these devotionals aren't really anything new, but they are reminders that when we forget, that we can forget. So what it says is to build a shield of faith is you need to meditate on God's word. So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of God. Romans 10, 17. Spending time in scripture reminds us that God's promises.

4:19 And builds our faith in him. So meditate on the word of God. Prayer for faith to grow. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief, Mark 9, 24. Faith is a gift, but it can grow as we ask God to deepen our trust in him. So you have to pray. Pray for faith. Faith comes by what? The word. You got to keep seeking the word. Faith comes by the word. So Lord, help my unbelief. but you got to seek the word. Faith comes by the word and the word only. You have to get into the word. You have to build yourself up on your most holy faith, not an automatic thing.

5:01 No one can make your faith grow. You are the producer of your own faith. So you can't, you can put a lot of word in you. Yes, that's you building your faith. And you don't, you'll realize too, A lot of times people, you don't realize how much your faith has grown. If you grow, if you're a gardener or you like green, you got a green thumb, maybe you're a gardener and you plant your seeds. And then pretty soon you notice after about 40 days or 44 days or so, you'll see the little leaf come popping up. But you don't see that little leaf popping up right away, right?

5:41 You continue to water it. You water it. You water it. Faith come by hearing and hearing the word of God. You have to continue to put that word of God in you, continue to water that seed that's in you, and then it begins to grow. And then you don't realize how much it grows until there's something that happens. And then boom, your faith is activated. Boom. It's not the same as when you first got the seed. It's a little bit bigger because you have continued to water your faith. And always keep a faith journal. Write down the moments when God gives you the word, the seed, and then watch how it grows.

6:21 And you'll see how God promises comes true in your life. This practice can remind you of how faithful God is when those storms arises. And those is kind of like a faith journal. You're watching how God keeps his promises, right? And so you say, God kept his promise to me. Why? Because I have a gratitude journal. I have a faith journal. I'm watching how God's words does come to pass in my life. The Bible says his word never, never returns void. So I would say this week in this new year that you will just start to keep track of your prayers, keep track of your, keep a faith journal, write down the promises of God that you're trusting in.

7:08 What scripture are you believing? What scripture did he give you to trust in? Reflect on it. Keep watering like you would. Plant and then watch your faith grow in 2025. So as we close out today, remember faith is your shelter. It doesn't remove life's challenges, but it gives you the strength and peace to face them, knowing that God is with you. So let's close this out in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for being our shelter and refuge. Teach us to trust in your promises, even when we can't see the outcome. Strengthen our faith so that we may confidently walk through life, knowing you are in control. So help us to be like Abraham, Moses, Rahab, trusting you with every step we take.

7:59 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So once again, thank you for joining me on this journey through faith as a shelter, trusting in the unseen. This episode has encouraged you. Share with your friends who need a reminder of God's faithfulness. And don't forget to subscribe to the Diary of Black Women podcast for more episodes in this Sheltered by Faith series. Until next time, stay strong in faith. And remember, God's promises are always accurate. And be blessed. Well, that's amen.