Faith is not circumstantial though in our frailty often times circumstantial faith becomes the reality.

This is not an excuse nor is it a condemnation on those that loose faith because of a desperate situation but it is the reality that we often face when we fall into devastating circumstances.

The Bible is full of men that were call upon to exemplify faith and often times failed because of a desperate situation.

Hebrews chapter eleven uses some of those same men as examples of victorious faith because they got up from their failures and became faithful men and women of God not allowing their circumstances to dictate how they lived their lives.

Sometimes I struggle with being depressed. It seems like when the struggles of life and the stress of decision making become a little to much I tend to draw back into a cocoon and Oh Lord, if it is a gloomy day then it seems like those feelings of distress are magnified. I love old movies and one of my favorites is the love story between Captain Daniel Gregg and Lucy Muir.

The Ghost and Mrs Muir is a must see classic if you like old movies. Rex Harrison and Gene Tierney are two amazing actors and on a gloomy day I could lay on the couch for hours and watch these types of old classics.

If things are not going the way that I think that they should then not only can I lay on the couch for hours and watch old movies but it can become adangerous habit for me as I slip into my cocoon.

I may be wrong but it seems to me like gloomy days can make our problems seem to be so much more than what they are.

When we allow depression to enter our world not only do we often times fall into a slump, it seems like every thing that we do is overshadowed by a cloud of darkness.

As we sink into the darkness of discouragement and sometimes even despair, each day it becomes harder and harder to fight it off.

King David understood this when he penned in Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

The Bible describes the life of King David as a life of challenge, hardship and struggle as well as blessing.

We are allowed to see into the life of this amazing servant of God and witness all of the pain and sorrows that he faced as he was challenged to serve and remain faithful to God.

He understood the valley of the shadow of death because he traveled through it.

He also understood that God was his strength, his defender as well as his comforter in his time of need. David said in Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” and he also wrote in Psalm 91:1-6, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.”

David was not only a man of faith but his actions showed that he was a man of confidence of whom the Lord said that David was a man after His own heart.

Today I had some errands to run. The Sun was out and shinning brightly and the temperature was perfect.

I decided to ride my motorcycle. As I was traveling around with the wind in my face and the sun on my shoulders and even though I was not in a depressed state, I couldn’t help but feel the stress of life leaving my body.

The feelings of freedom and peacewere so great that it could not have been a better day.

As I pondered the Lord while riding the highways in peace and solitude this verse of scripture came to mefrom Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.”

The same Jesus that was blessing me with a day of sunshine and bliss is the same Jesus that is with me in the midst of my struggles.

It is not Jesus that changes and leaves us with a sense of foreboding, it is us that changes.

God has promised us that He would bewithus in every circumstance of life whether good or bad.

He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us and yet here we are, cowering down to our circumstances.

When I turn on the light switch at night the lights come on.

Though I can’t see the electricity it’s presence is substantiated by the fact that the lights come on.

People of God we may not be able to see God in the midst of our darkness but He is always present.

What a lost and dying world needs to know at any time of crisis is that God isreal and that He not only cares but He is always present.

Faith is not based on circumstance but like the lights it is substantiated by our actions.

We are either giving the world hope or doubt by the things that we say and do.

Let us be the light that the Lord Jesus Christ uses to show the world that our hope in the Lord Jesus is strong, real and never misplaced.