This is a biggy! The very centre stone of the foundation picture that I received when embarking on this Diamond Books venture was ‘faith’. I felt the Lord saying to me that from now on (then and onwards) ‘faith’ was to be central to my life. Jesus says clearly that “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6) “for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him.” So, there are many benefits.

Through learning about faith and experiencing so much of God’s provision for myself as well as this project, I have come to understand that one never outgrows learning about faith. We use faith everyday in the natural, e.g. sitting on a chair – I believe it will hold me so I sit on it!  As I am learning to take God’s word as it stands knowing that the Author of these words doesn’t lie or deceive, then my simple faith in God can grow and develop.

It’s when we look at the waves and winds of the challenges of life that we can easily falter and start using our own ideas rather than leaning on Him. That is why, I believe, God puts us in teams. The Scriptures clearly tell us that “two are better than one” in Ecclesiastes 4 as when one falls, the other can pick them up and vice versa. In a marriage, this can work well but even in work situations, the same principle applies.

I’m one for soldiering on often to the detriment of relationships in our team. How we need each other as we each point the other upwards to the God who can make all things possible and can work out his purposes despite our weak frames.

Children easily have faith. They trust when we as adults would ask questions. We are encouraged to be like children in this way for then we can simply relate to our Heavenly Father as a child does his/her daddy. ‘Abba’ is used in Romans 8:15 as a word we can use for God and it means ‘daddy’. How wonderful for each of us to have a close daddy!

In Book 1 of ‘God’s World’ of The Creation Series there is a picture of a dad with children on his lap. That’s how God wants us to be with Him – close and snug and safe which we can be when we have a real relationship with Him. How our children need to know this as we encourage them to take those steps of faith that connect them to Jesus, the giver of life abundant in all its wholeness and fullness.