{"id":34885,"date":"2025-04-16T15:04:49","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T13:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onecitizendaily.com\/?p=34885"},"modified":"2025-04-16T15:04:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T13:04:49","slug":"faith-as-determinant-of-breakthrough-a-personal-reflection-on-lifes-trials-and-triumphs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/16\/faith-as-determinant-of-breakthrough-a-personal-reflection-on-lifes-trials-and-triumphs\/","title":{"rendered":"Faith as Determinant of Breakthrough: A Personal Reflection on Life\u2019s Trials and Triumphs"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the unpredictable rhythm of life, marked by economic hardship, health concerns, strained relationships, and daily uncertainties, one truth stands out clearly for me: faith is a determinant of life. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Not the fleeting kind that comes and goes with emotion or circumstance, but true, anchored faith that holds steady even when everything else seems to fall apart.<\/p>\n

In recent months, many of us have been grappling with how to provide for our families amid our country\u2019s political tensions coupled with economic downturn. Prices soar, opportunities shrink, and the pressure to \u201chold it together\u201d weighs heavier than ever. Yet, through it all, faith remains our most powerful response to adversity. Not as a magic formula, but as a spiritual posture, one that declares, even when my back is against the wall, I believe better is coming.<\/p>\n

Scripture puts this idea in beautifully simple yet powerful terms. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus reminds His disciples, \u201cIf you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, \u2018Move from here to there,\u2019 and it will move.\u201d That tiny seed of belief has the power to shift monumental challenges. Not because of the believer, but because of the One in whom we believe.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve come to understand that our faith is not measured in the absence of hardship but in our response to it. Will we continue doing what\u2019s right even when it\u2019s hard? Will we show up for others even when we ourselves feel depleted? Will we trust that God is still good even when life feels unfair?<\/p>\n

This month, I\u2019ve chosen to declare and decree that our blessings, yours and mine, will overflow. Not from wishful thinking, but from anchored faith. That the unseen seeds we\u2019ve sown in tears, sacrifice, and perseverance will bloom into testimonies of provision, healing, and joy.<\/p>\n

Deuteronomy 28:7 offers yet another encouragement. It says, \u201cThe Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.\u201d What a promise! Not only will adversity be overcome, but our blessings will be multiplied, sevenfold. In a culture often obsessed with quick wins and instant gratification, this reminder of divine timing and justice is balm to the soul.<\/p>\n

But we mustn’t confuse faith with passivity. Faith is not denial of the problem; it is determination to walk through the storm with hope. It\u2019s what compels a single mother to pray as she packs school lunch with borrowed ingredients. It\u2019s what gives strength to a jobless graduate applying for the hundredth time. It\u2019s what allows a caregiver to smile through tears, believing healing is still possible.<\/p>\n

So I encourage us this month, especially as we step into May, not to lose sight of the power of faith. Let us not grow weary in well-doing. Let us be people of true faith, not little faith. Let us reject the temptation to quit, to curse the darkness, to turn on each other. Instead, let\u2019s keep pressing forward, trusting that what we are doing in good faith today will bring forth fruit tomorrow.<\/p>\n

We may be bruised, but we\u2019re not broken. We may be delayed, but we\u2019re not denied. And with faith, just like that mustard seed and we will move the mountains that once loomed over us.
\nI say these in the mighty name of our young republic, South Sudan!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the unpredictable rhythm of life, marked by economic hardship, health concerns, strained relationships, and daily uncertainties, one truth stands out clearly for me: faith is a determinant of life. Not the fleeting kind that comes and goes with emotion or circumstance, but true, anchored faith that holds steady even[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":34886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[87,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oped","category-politics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Listening-Ear-4.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34885"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34887,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34885\/revisions\/34887"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}