Doubt: The Dream Killer

"Jesus responded, 'Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!' Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm." -Matthew 8:26

Doubt is a thing that can stagnate the best of us, or put paralyzing fear in the bravest of us. Often we think in life that having doubt is a smaller problem, but in reality, it's one of the largest. Doubt doesn't get us to heaven; doubt doesn't get us to the fulfillment of God's dream for our life. Only faith does.

When the disciplines were in the boat during the storm, Jesus was asleep. They were enduring the struggle of the storm and were afraid. But the fact of the matter was God was with them, even in the midst of their struggle.

When they called Him up and He calmed the storm, he said, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" and the wind and waves obeyed His command to be calm.
 
Do you need to remember Jesus' encouragement to have faith?  Jesus said we only needed a mustard seed of faith to move mountains in our lives.

"I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." Matthew 17:20  

Having Faith for Today

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. -Matthew 21:21

Faith is difficult sometimes. When we're in a tough spot, when things are hard - it's challenging to have faith for situations. Sometimes our problems look so big compared to God, although we know in our minds that God is bigger. That's because our knowledge hasn't translated into faith - into real belief. The Bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen.
 
Faith is not just saying we believe - it's having a sure conviction in our hearts that this or that thing will be accomplished. It is moving past our natural circumstances and into a supernatural dimension, where God's words resonate. Faith is belief we feel in our hearts when we have decided put our complete and total trust in God.
 
Just as we can't live on other people's faith, we can't expect to live today using yesterday's faith. Each day, situation, problem is different, with its own set of challenges. We need new faith every day, for every situation, to get through the tough spots in life. We need God's words to guide us for today. Have you ever thought about it? The Bible says God's mercies are new each day... and we need our faith to be that way too. "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." -2 Corinthians 4:16
 
If you need faith for today, I invite you to pray this prayer: "God, give me faith for _______. I believe that you are bigger than my situation, and you able to do anything!"-and believe in your heart that God is bigger. He will honor your faith - for whatever you encounter!
 
"These (trials) have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." -1 Peter 1:7

One Step At A Time

"The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man's precious possession." - Proverbs 12:27

 

I love the Jordan Sparks song "One Step At A Time". Even if you're not a pop music fan the message is encouraging. When we encounter obstacles in our path, the best thing we can do is keep moving, one step at a time.

Recently our worship director was sharing about how we can get overwhelmed looking at the big picture, when all we really need to do is take a small step towards our goals.

God blesses our diligence; He is moved by our faith. Action accompanies faith.

Matthew Barnett, author of The Cause Within You says, "Never confuse activity with impact." What step can you take toward making a life of bigger impact? Sometimes our dreams and goals can seem so daunting. But we need to start somewhere. Is there a way you can break down your goals into small pieces?

Diligence, patience, and perseverance are what are necessary to keep moving forward. Sometimes this process involves patience with ourselves. Maybe it involves forgiving ourselves and letting go of past regrets that keep us from seeing the light ahead. Most often, fear stands in the way of the goals and dreams that we want to achieve. But just one step toward our goals can give us the confidence we need to take another step.

Rome wasn't built in a day. Are you able to take just one small step toward your goals?

"The only way we get there, is one step at a time." -Jordan Sparks

Strengthening Our Faith Muscle

"And without faith, it is impossible to please God" – Hebrews 11:6

Do you regularly strengthen your "faith muscle"?  All the time, we need strengthening of our faith.  Just as it’s healthy to go to the gym and build muscle mass, (it prevents osteoporosis) it’s spiritually healthy for us to build our faith muscle. (And, it prevents the drying of our spiritual bones, A.K.A. DISCOURAGEMENT!)  (Ezekiel 37:11)

But, sometimes in life circumstances can get the better of us.  When one thing happens after another, we lose the ability to BELIEVE.  When these times come, we need our brothers and sisters who do have faith for the situation to pray and believe for us.  This will strengthen our faith - even for the most languid in spirit.  We need to continually stay in a place of faith in order to allow God to work.  God cannot work in a situation where there is no faith.  Faith is the precursor to God’s action on our behalf.  It is the fertile ground necessary for the miraculous to occur.  It is in faith that we are "alive in Christ."

Gunnar Olsen, a Christian businessman in Sweden tells a story called "The Plastic Bag Story."  At one time he owned a packing business, and during this time he received a large order for some plastic bags.  After receiving the shipment, the warehouse manager had informed Gunnar that the bags were sealed shut!  On a Friday, they checked all the boxes of bags - and every one of them had melted together.

Well, as you can imagine, it caused quite a panic.  Gunnar’s brother who also worked with him became very upset and Gunnar asked him to go play golf. His brother was incredulous - but Gunnar knew it would not be a good idea for his brother to be around.  He needed to be filled with faith for the situation, and he knew his brother was afraid.

Gunnar and his family went to the warehouse the following Saturday and stood in a circle praying together.  After they had prayed his daughter spoke up, "I think we should pray for the boxes!  God wouldn't want these bags to be sealed." So they did.  They laid hands on all 3,000 boxes of them.

The following Monday, they checked the bags.  They were unsealed, as if nothing had ever happened. 

The enemy wants nothing more than to STEAL our seeds of faith.  If he does that, he knows he can discourage us, and make us feel completely devoid of hope.  But, this is not what God wants for us!  God wants us to be full of faith – all the time!  However, in order to have faith in our lives we must want it – and we must learn to activate it.

Are you strengthening your "faith muscle"?

Overcoming Anxiety

"So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." -Matthew 10:31

Can we change anything that happens to us in life if we have done all we know to do to be in right standing with God?  The ultimate answer is "no." Yes we can and should do all the right things, we can plan, and we can do the things it takes to be successful - but unfortunately, we do not have any control over any outcome.  When it comes down to it, in fact, we have no idea what will happen tomorrow!
 
"Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:14
 
My dad has said, "Projecting outcomes leads to depression." When we fail to see results we want, or we think about things that could happen, we inevitably set ourselves up for fear.  It's great to have goals, and it's definitely great to have dreams.  But instead of projecting into the future, we need to allow ourselves to TRUST God every step of the way - allowing Him to direct out paths.  (Proverbs 4:11)

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." Philippians 4:5-7

Do you struggle with anxiety, or do you worry about the future?  Pray and ask God to take away those burdens, and trust Him day to day, that He will meet all of your needs "according to His riches in mercy."  (Phil 4:19)  He desires that you and I completely trust and have faith in Him. 

Overcoming Negative Circumstances

"Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens.  Don’t turn away from me, or I will die.  Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you.  Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you." -Ps 143:7 & 8

Sometimes life is hard.  When we go through difficult seasons, we may question God's presence, His goodness, His love for us, or the dreams He placed within us.  "Why on earth would this happen to me, God, if You are loving and just!?" we may ask.

However, this is exactly the posture the enemy wants us to have.  Whenever bad things happen, as they did to Job, the enemy wants to get in the middle and tell us God doesn't love us, He doesn't care about us, and He doesn't have a plan for our lives. He wants us to turn against our God.  These statements are a complete and total lie!

But, how do we get to the truth, when all our circumstances point to the negative?  It may be that we have never known anything besides the negativity that surrounds us. 

First, we need to get in the word, to read what God says about us and our situation.  We need to pray, even if we don't feel like it.  We need to worship, to praise God in spite of whatever is going on - in His word it says that praise is the antidote for heaviness.  (Is 6:13) We need to get around encouraging people.  And most of all we need to believe - to have faith that in spite of any difficulty, our God is still victorious.  We have to realize that we live in a fallen world, and that God does not want us to go through negative things, but He will use them for our good. (Romans 8:28)

Are you going through something negative right now?  Stay in faith, let God be your hope, and even if things don't change immediately stay in faith that God will do what He promised. The answer may not come at the time we expect, but it doesn't change the fact that God loves us, and sent His son to die for us, so that we could live in heaven, eternally with Him.

Smaller Story vs. Larger Story

"Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him."  -Matthew 4:21&22

Each of us has a story.  When we have completed our lives here on earth, a story will have been written.  But, what we do today determines whether we will have lived our smaller story, or whether we stepped out into our larger story.

What is a larger or smaller story?  A smaller story is written when we accept the adversity life has handed us as reality.  We stay stuck in ruts unable to move forward due to our feelings about where we are.  We let our circumstances and past define us, instead of letting God define our now and our future.  We hold on the grudges and resentment citing other people to blame for our problems.  We accept mediocrity.  We likely don't enjoy where we are in life, but don't have much hope about the future.

In contrast, if living our smaller story is about doubt and defeat, living our larger story is all about faith and victory.  It takes much more faith to walk in our larger story, even if we believed in Jesus in the first place.  There are many people who believe in Jesus but stop there.  They don't have the faith that He can transform their lives. 

If we want to live extraordinary lives in Christ, then we have to have the belief that anything is possible, no matter what we've seen before.  This may involved a process of emotional healing and restoration, training in the things of God, and the letting go of past hurts and resentments through the power of the cross.  This may involve trying new things and stepping out into situations that are uncomfortable for us. Whatever it is, if we want to step into our larger story, discomfort and faith is defininitely a part of this process.

Which story are you living?  Are you living your smaller or larger story?  Pray and ask God today to bring you into the larger story He intends for your life.

Faith and Wisdom

"Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God." -Ephesians 1:15-17
 
Are you more of a "wisdom" person, or are you more of a "faith" person? 

In life, I have discovered there are often two kinds of people: those who are risk-takers, and those who are risk-adverse. Both personality types have pros and cons, but both are essential to God's kingdom. 

People who are "faith" oriented love risk, and are not afraid of a new challenge. They love starting new endeavors and trying new things! Sometimes, though, risk can bring many challenges, such as betting too big of a hand, resulting in big losses. 

People who tend to play it safe are more "wisdom" oriented - they see the risks, count the cost, and opt to avoid the pitfalls. On the other hand, these people might be slow to take advantage of opportunity, (and may subsequently miss it), and might be prone to "hide" their gifts instead of investing them. In the Bible, Peter was a "faith" person; Solomon was a "wisdom" person. 

If you are a faith person, do you have wise people around you? Conversely, if you are a wisdom person, do you have people around you who challenge you to step out of the box and try new things? I am so thankful that God paired me up with a wisdom person, as I have often gotten myself into trouble being more of a faith person. 

The cool thing is, it is wise to be filled with faith, (the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom), and to be faithful is to be wise. (Ps 111:10) Do you have a healthy balance of both faith and wisdom in your life?

100% Faith

"When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice."  -Genesis 22: 9 & 10

I can't imagine how Abraham must have felt after God told him to sacrifice his son.  I mean, what kind of God is this?  God’s people didn’t traditionally offer up their children as sacrifices - the pagan people did that.  Nevertheless, this is what Abraham was instructed to do, and he heeded the instruction.

We never see Abraham flinch as he is going up the mountain with Isaac.  There is no account of him stopping along the way, crying out to God, or questioning his faith.  There is no record of an emotional breakdown, a furrowed face; even a tear.  But, we do know that Abraham was counted righteous because of his faith. (Romans 4:3) It only appears that he had unwavering faith that day, faith that God was good and that He would indeed provide.

Abraham, in spite of getting to the 11:59th hour, stood firm.  The lamb was not provided at the base of the mountain.  Nor was it provided halfway up the mountain.  It was not even provided as Abraham was building the altar.  No, the lamb was provided as Abraham picked up the knife.  This speaks a great deal about TOTAL - not partial or limited - faith.  Abraham didn’t hold anything back.

Then the angel spoke. "Don’t lay a hand on the boy!" the angel said. "Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son." v.12

What could God do with faith like that?  Do you have 100% faith? 

Arrested Development

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"When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things." -1 Cor 13:11
 
Dr. Paul Hegstrom is the author of a book called Broken Children, Grown Up Pain. A psychologist himself, Dr. Hegstrom describes a phenomenon known as "arrested development", in which people are emotionally stunted due to past childhood traumas that occur before the ages of 9 and 12 years old. 

I went through a biblically-based training he developed called Lifeskills, and the knowledge and revelation I received was truly life-changing. Traumatic experiences are classified as emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, neglect, and excessive rejection. When these experiences happen when we're young, we take them in as truth. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." -Proverbs 22:6 The enemy's lies about us and our identity can get planted very early - limiting us from being able to receive God's love for us and understand our true identity and calling in Him. 

Dr. Drew Pinsky, famed celebrity psychiatrist and host of the show Loveline also describes this phenomenon happening in our culture today, as it relates to the increasing trend of narcissism: "As I continue to talk with these people {celebrities}, they usually reveal childhood experiences that were clearly traumatic - the kinds of damaging episodes that are at the root of narcissistic disorders." pg. 106, The Mirror Effect 
 
But, there is good news! God can heal us of any kind of wound we may have experienced during our growing up years. "Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard."  - Isaiah 58:8 

Can you see any areas where you might be arrested in your emotions? Can you see where others might have had some wounds in their past? Pray and ask God to help to heal you in these areas, and that you also might be a healing force in the life of someone else. Our heavenly Father desires that we be healed of any lie from the enemy, so that we can grow strong in our faith and know His love, be free from our wounds, and come to full maturity in Him. His love never fails. (1 Cor 13:8)

Considering the Cost

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?" -Luke 14:28
 
If you've ever tried to do something great, you'll know it has a huge cost. Anytime we attempt to accomplish something more than most people will, we'll experience more roadblocks than most people. The question is are we willing to make the sacrifices to do that may be such a challenge? We may discover that when we do, the payoff is much greater than we could ever imagine.

If you want a fit body, there's a cost. It probably involves a LOT of working out. It probably also involves making sacrifices in the type of food you eat. If you want to grow a business, it will cost you time - a LOT of time. If you want an amazing family, it will cost you time, effort, money, blood, sweat, and tears (literally). If you've already made the commitment, for any of those things, then it has become responsibility. But, everyday, we still choose whether to endure the cost and reap the benefit, or to disengage ourselves from the task at hand and become mediocre at what we're doing. It's a "heart-thing".

Jesus' calling had a cost - His life. Sometimes we'll do something that enlivens us -that gives us hope for the future and brings meaning to our lives. We'll discover where we fit, where we belong. We'll discover where our gifts and talents can be multiplied to affect the lives of others for good. When we discover any of those things, we'll know for sure the cost was worth the sacrifice.

Sometimes this sacrifice requires us to die to ourselves, to our own desires. It may require us to overcome our fears. It most probably requires us to lay down our lives at the foot of the cross, saying, "God, use me for whatever purpose you may have for my life." It involves submission. But, once we're willing to do this, we'll experience life to the greatest extent we've ever known. "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

Are you willing to endure the cost for what you feel God calling you to? I pray we'll all be able to endure the cost, whatever it may be, to grow God's kingdom for the good of this world.

The Religious Spirit and Our Calling

"What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don't enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering." -Luke 11:52

Jesus was very popular among the religious leaders of his day.  However, it was not a positive popularity.  The Pharisees, because their power was threatened by Jesus, were the ones who plotted to kill Him.  The scripture says they hated him - they wanted nothing more than to put him away.  But it was the people who stalled the process of Jesus' crucifixion, because many believed He was the Messiah.

This gives us a weighty example about the truth of the religious spirit - it seeks to destroy true works of God in us, and it seeks to destroy our destiny. It reinforces the lie that we are required to perform religious rituals or duties in order to gain acceptance by God.

A man my dad knows owns a film studio in Hollywood.  He said for 30 years he felt ostracized in Hollywood - he was a black sheep to the church because he worked in Hollywood, and he was also outcast by the Jewish film producers in the area because he was a Christian. 

But the fact of the matter was, he was right where God wanted him to be.  When my dad met him and told him he had one of the greatest opportunities to make uplifting films that could change culture and draw people to hunger after Jesus, he said, "Boy, I wish I had known you 25 years ago." He had finally felt affirmed in his destiny.

Can you see any places where the religious spirit has operated in your life, living out rules and regulations in exchange for relationship and destiny?  Pray that God will redeem any areas where this has caused hurt, and that God would reveal His ultimate destiny for you, redeeming and restoring it for His ultimate glory.

“RELIGION: I obey; therefore, I am accepted. // GOSPEL: I am accepted; therefore, I obey.” - Caterina Santoro

Unless Your Faith is Firm

"Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria, and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah. Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm." - Isaiah 7:9 NLT
 
There are so many "unless..." verses in the Bible. It seems that a walk of faith doesn't just encompass God's movement in our lives - it encompasses our movement that activates God's movement. 

I've heard it said before, "God isn't moved by need; He is moved by faith." 

Faith is always the prerequisite for God's activity in our lives, whether it be a miracle, healing, provision, or any kind of need we might have. God is moved by faith. It says in Hebrews 10:38, "The just shall live by faith." 

In the time of Isaiah, two kings, King Rezin of Syria, and Pekah the King of Israel, set out to attack Jerusalem. King Ahaz of Judah was worried. But God sent a message from Isaiah saying, "This invasion will never happen; it will never take place... Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm." 

Is your faith firm in God? We have to be sure we keep our hearts aligned with God's in order to see His activity in our lives.

Hopefulness

 

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“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.” -Hebrews 6:11

There are situations in life that can knock the wind out of us.  Obstacles get in the way of our hopes and dreams and keep us from seeing the fulfillment of them.  When all seems dark and the light has grown dim, we need to put our hope in something.  When we lose hope, we lose desire  - we lose our ability to fight for what’s important in life.  When this happens, it is easy to get to a place of doubt.  But, the good news for us is that we can always put our hope and trust in our unfailing heavenly Father, focusing on His love and promises for us regardless of what is happening now. (1 Thes 4:13)

Abraham and Sarah had been promised a son.  They were both getting very old, (90 and 100, respectively) and began to wonder where God was on fulfilling this promise.  When Sarah overheard a visitor saying she would have a child at her age, she laughed.  She didn’t realize it was God speaking to Abraham. 

A year later she conceived the promised son. ^“Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.” -Gen 21:2

Sometimes we lose hope in what God has promised. We can get bitter. But it takes incredible situations for God to do the miraculous on our behalf, that only He can do.  During these times of testing, we need to be sure we don’t falter in our trust in Him!

Do you have hope for your situation?  If you don’t, pray today that God would give you hope to bring you to the next step. It could be hope for a dream, a goal, a relationship, or even a new job.  When there’s been nothing for so long, we need to have hope and focus on the positive – because hope is the place where faith can grow.  We have to have true hope first if we are ever going to live in true faith for our situations. (Heb 11:1)

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." -Romans 15:13

The "Safe" Way

Bubble-man stays safe in bubble suit.

"'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'" -Luke 19:17

I don't think there's a "safe" way to get to any sort of dream that matters. I mean, think about it. We try to go around things that are too hard - we look for the "less scary" option. Sure, there's room for prudence. But who has ever accomplished something great without great risk, either to their pride or their bank account?
 
To be different, one must choose to be outside of the norm. To be outside the range of the norm, one must choose rejection, doubt, uncertainty, and all the other costs associated with being, well, not normal. What happens then?
 
I am convinced those who care less about what other people think and more about what God thinks and what matters most to them will receive more, because they step out in faith. Isn't this parable described in the Bible? The man who invested all was rewarded, while the man who hid his "talents" was scolded. "You wicked servant!" -Luke 19:22 

Wicked?? That's a little harsh, don't you think? But it's true - the less you risk, the less faith you show you have, either in yourself, or in God. The more risk you are willing to take - risk, not plain stupidity, mind you - the more reward you will receive. God rewards risk. God rewards people who step out into the unknown, for Him. We must be prepared to accept the rejection, the hurt, the doubt, the unbelief.
 
Are you someone who chooses the safe option, every time? Or are you someone who takes risks for their God, so that other?s lives can be impacted through them?
 
"I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away." -Luke 19:27

Wholehearted Faith

"I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave an honest report, but my brothers who went with me frightened the people from entering the Promised Land. For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God." -Joshua 14:7-8
 
Caleb was a scout for the tribe of Israel.  He went into the land God had promised Israel with 11 other scouts to see what was there.  Caleb was the only one who came back with a positive report, in spite of the obstacles they saw.  He trusted in God, and if God said He was going to deliver the land to the Israelites, well, he believed Him! 

But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. "Let's go at once to take the land," he said. "We can certainly conquer it!" -Numbers 13:30 

The trouble was, he had a hard time convincing the people, and the other 10 scouts who saw things differently.  "But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. 'We can't go up against them! They are stronger than we are!'"  (Numbers 13:31) The people talked about stoning Caleb and also Joshua, who agreed with Caleb.  Because the Israelites did not trust God, they could not go into the promised land for another 40 years, so the generation that did not believe could die out. But, after those 40 years, Joshua and Caleb were allowed to go with the younger generation, and God blessed Caleb for his wholehearted faith in God by giving him land. (Numbers 14:13& 14) 

Would you say you are wholeheartedly seeking and serving God?  If you haven't been, pray to Him and ask for forgiveness, and tell Him that you are willing to serve him with your whole heart.  We don't have to be afraid to serve God wholeheartedly - He has the best in store for us, and he will reward us for our obedience. 

Are you serving God wholeheartedly today?

Jump In

"Come, and follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." -Matthew 4:19

Jesus was a no-nonsense kinda guy.  Whenever He said something, it had purpose. Jesus never did anything without purpose: He did what He saw the Father doing. (John 5:19) Additionally, he instructed people to jump all in - give it 110%, and never look back.

"Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road." (Luke 10:4 NLT)

We live in a different age than the time that Jesus was living. It would be considered 'unwise' to go somewhere without any money and expect people we visit to take care of us. But that doesn't mean we don't give Jesus our whole lives.

Going all in means we're not holding anything back. It means we're committed to relationship with Jesus, hearing His voice in our lives, and acting on that voice. It means we're committed to relationship with others - to help people along on their journeys and build bridges with those who do not yet know Him. It means dealing with our past sins and strongholds and forgiving. It may even mean forgiving God.

Are there any areas in your life keeping you from jumping in? God is faithful when we give our WHOLE hearts to Him!

Faith & Miracles

“So again I ask, does God give you His Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?”  -Galatians 3:5

Have you ever witnessed a miracle?  I can’t say that I’ve seen someone come back from the dead, though I have experienced what might be considered “smaller” miracles in my own life related to emotional healing, safety, and finances.  Our level of faith is often congruent with our experience.  The enemy’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. He tries to get in the middle of our dreams by stealing our faith for our dreams.  But then, God comes in and shows us how “anything is possible to those who believe.” (Mark 9:23)

Let me pose a question to you:  What if our default was faith, where we simply believed all the time, but still had peace, trusting God for the outcome?  The Bible says that faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  (Heb 11:1)  How can you know for sure?  The wind is invisible, but we can feel it.  Likewise, faith is something that we sense in our hearts.  It’s the belief that yes, with God, all things are possible, to those who believe.  I believe if we kept our hearts like this, we would see more miracles than we ever thought possible.

One day a man came to our church talking about faith and the working of miracles.  He shared a story whereby a woman had conceived a child, but the father left her.  This woman, with her newborn baby girl became a Christian. Then, 20 years later, the same thing happened to her daughter.  She met a man and got pregnant, and the man left the country.  She was devastated. But, even more devastating was the fact that her daughter had been born blind.  Both the mother and grandmother were asking God “Why?”, but they kept on believing.  Five years down the road they went to a church service where this particular minister was speaking.  He prayed for miracles to occur in the lives of the people there.  The mother responded to the altar call in faith.  The next morning, at her home, she noticed her daughter acting rather strange.  Normally she would have been playing with her dolls looking around without any focus, as blind people do, but instead she was holding the sheet on the bed, looking at it.  She could see! 

Do you have faith for the possibility of miracles in your life? Are you willing to do your part and believe?  Pray today that God would give you faith in Him for your hopes & dreams, so that His purposes and plans for you can be fully birthed in your life, no matter how long they may take. 

Focusing on the Negative Brings No Return

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."-Phillipians 4:8 & 9

Jesus asks us in Matthew 6:27, "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"  We know the answer is "no", but so often we get caught up in the drama or the negative in life and forget this one thing: in the grand scheme of things, love is all that will remain.

When people or things bother us, such as workmates, politics, family, friends, institutions, policies, and schools, what should we do?  Certainly if it's in our power to change something for the better, we should. But if it isn't, what should we do? 

Some things we just need to let go of. Some issues require that we deal with them, lovingly. (Matthew 18) But when Paul said he had peace that surpassed all understanding, he meant it. (Phil 4:7) He was able to have peace - when arguing for the sake of Christ, when in prison, when facing trials - all because of the grace of God in his life. 

"I would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum."  -Frances Willard  

We have such a limited time on this earth. Isn’t it most important to focus on the positive instead of the negative - to provide solutions instead of making the problem our focus?  It's true that what we focus on, we get. But, each and every day, we can invest what little time we have into making someone else's life just a little bit better. 

I hope this is our goal. Focusing on the positive and providing solutions to problems brings a much greater return.  Don't get stuck on the negative, and it won't get stuck on you!

Overcoming Barriers

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." -Romans 12:21
 

Have you ever wanted to get somewhere, but you just felt stuck? Have you ever encountered something you felt was blocking your way that you just couldn't get past? There will always be things in life that will try to hinder us from our intended destinations. The enemy of our souls wants nothing more than to see us stuck and unable to fulfill what God has planned for us! 

Sometimes though, the barrier may be there for a reason. What is God trying to show us? What do we need to change about ourselves or give over to God to get to the next place? Often the barrier is not what we think it is. Sometimes, the barrier is ourselves! Even if we think we are in the right, the barrier is about our growth. 

The Israelites were on their way, fleeing from the Egyptians after finally being released from slavery under the iron hand of Pharaoh. But, no sooner had they left Eqypt that Pharaoh gave orders to pursue them. "As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, 'Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?'" -Exodus 14:10&11. Clearly, this was not what they had in mind. 

Then Moses said to them in response, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14: 13&14 "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land." (v.21) 

There was no way in the natural the Israelites were going to be able to avoid the Eqyptians. But because Moses stood in faith on behalf of the Israelites and acted in obedience - in spite of dire circumstances - God stepped in and made a way for them.

Is there a "Red Sea" standing in your way today? Pray for God's grace to get you through that situation, and ask to see it through His eyes. God calls us to be overcomers, through Him!