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What size is your faith?

30 Apr

What size is your faith?

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

This morning the word Faith was heavy on my mind. We had a kids production at church last night founded on the faith of Abraham, the patriarch of great faith. What is the definition of faith? “Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true. Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust.” Faith is at the core of any belief, yet faith in Christ as the Risen Savior and Redeemer is essential in the Christian faith along with the understanding that God is in control. Abraham was told to simply “GO” and he had the faith to follow God’s direction. His blessing and descendants have outnumbered the stars as a result of his great faith in God. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

You are what you believe. You are defined by what you place your faith in. Where your faith resides will shape many of the decisions you make every day and your thoughts for the next. If you place your faith in yourself and believe that you can do all things, pride will destroy you for an eternity. Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Faith is the realization that you are not in control, therefore God is, and the faith and peace that come from that realization is where you can reside. Great faith comes with a peace that surpasses worldly comprehension, and the world will challenge your faith. The greater the challenge, the greater your faith, the greater your God. Let go and let God grow your faith that has come as a result of accepting the gifts of Grace He has given, and will continue to provide in the means He designs.

 
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Posted by on April 30, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Heart or Ears?

28 Apr

Heart or Ears?

Matthew 13:14-15 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’

Everybody wants to hear God speak. We all want an audible voice and to know it was God. I think if we heard that audible voice, our ears He designed couldn’t handle it. It takes filtering it through our heart to hear the voice of God, but you can hear Him through your heart. We all have those “gut” feelings that many times inside us are God, yet many times we choose to ignore or suppress them for many reasons. But when you are feeling those tugs of curiosity and desire, that is God pursuing you; do not deny Him. You must humble yourself and accept Him before you will ever hear him. He is preparing your heart as in Psalm 10:17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear. Denying those inclinations you are feeling will have eternal consequences.

Many times someone that is “lost” will open their Bible from curiosity and try to understand. But a key to understanding the Bible is the power of the Spirit who brings to light the Word of God. When Christ returned to Heaven, His Spirit became available to dwell within us. Acts 2:32-33 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. The Holy Spirit is the key to hearing God’s voice, and that all begins with the acceptance of Him into your heart upon the repentance of sin, and the gift of Salvation. You can’t hear God, until you accept Christ. You then may hear God as you hear nothing else in this world; for He is not of this world. He speaks not through your ears, but through your heart in a way that will bring you peace, comfort, and understanding upon the pursuit of a daily relationship with Him.

 
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Posted by on April 28, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Humble 106 – Pride 12 (Pride looses the game)

26 Apr

Humble 106 – Pride 12 (Pride looses the game)

1 Peter 5:5-7 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

This morning I feel at ease as a result of finishing the updating of my testimony yesterday, and a good nights rest. I ask for your prayers as I deliver it tonight at Celebrate Recovery at my church. I have been forgiven and delivered from so much in my life by the grace of God. I have so much to be thankful for. I found myself in prayer this morning just wrapped up in Thanksgiving to God for where He has let me go, delivered me from, forgiven me for, and brought me to in my life. As I moved to my bible this morning I saw this scripture above highlighted on the coming pages, ahead of where I was going to be today in my study of 1 Peter. What a summary of my life and pride.

God has let me think for years I could do it my way. He has watched me rebel, watched me think I was in control, and that I could do all things and on my timetable. I was always of that independent stubborn mindset that I could do all things, but somewhere along the way my heart realized my sin, and my heart realized His love for me. The byproduct of the realization of God’s love for you and the sacrifice of His Son for your sin will humble you. Satan will try to convince you otherwise, that your good works will save you, but humility will allow you to realize you can never achieve Salvation yourself. James 4:6-8 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Pride is the root of all sin, and pride is directly from Satan. Humble yourself and rest in the assurance that Satan is a defeated foe, and the power that you reside in is from God and not of yourself.

 
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Posted by on April 26, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Seeking help

25 Apr

Seeking help

Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.

I feel like the seat here is still warm from pulling a very late night working on updating my testimony. There are three main points to it, and one is a battle that only surfaced the last 5 or 6 years – anxiety. Anxiety is a very elevated state of worry and there are many levels of this problem as most. It is a hidden disease that many do not confess from shame, but part of the healing is seeking help, for you cannot do it alone. I have chosen to seek my help from God. In the New King James version, worry and anxiety are found 12 times in the New Testament, and there is much to study surrounding those texts. Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. That scripture alone can bring you great peace when you meditate on it, and understand that you are not guaranteed tomorrow, so why waste today worrying about it?

All of the worries and anxieties fall under the heading of Fear. Once we understand that fear is not from God, but a weapon of Satan, we can gain strength to fight off those anxieties with the weapons God has given us in His Word and prayer. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. My pastor and I had a great talk once about anxiety and he encouraged me to spend time in the Word when those attacks come, because there is strength there. I even believe the Proverbs verse about can speak to that. Anxiety will come and you must be prepared for that battle by spending time with God in His Word. All of this training is preparation for that war that rages within. When the attacks come, you take deep breaths, slow down, and approach God. Even this is against worldly advice of warfare, but God does not operate as this world does. Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

 
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Posted by on April 25, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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If I could only remember ……..

24 Apr

If I could only remember ……..

1 Peter 4:10-11   As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

I REALLY struggle with memory. I destroyed much of it on my own with bad choices over 20 years. My family is prone to the Alzheimer’s disease which now all the medical studies prove stress is a large accelerant of that disease and the portion of the brain which affects memory terrifies me. Let me see, what was I going to say? All this can lead to elevated anxiety levels which is my biggest struggle I face. But underneath it all is the glue that holds me together, the Peace that Christ supplies. I know that every single thing I face is an opportunity to share Christ. It may be sharing the struggles that He has allowed me to face to encourage another facing the same struggles without that Peace He provides. 1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

I never write these reflections daily for any accolades or to draw attention to myself. I write them out of obedience to where I feel God has called me, and my hope is that they encourage you in some way through how He works in my life. Even as I enter seminary in only a few short weeks, I am struggling still with the idea of school at 44, and all the memory issues that I have described. But I rest in God’s grace and provision of the promise Christ made to His apostles and to us through the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. I promise you the more time you spend with God, the more you will remember or speak His Word at the perfect time you or someone before you needs to hear it. You will wonder “where did that come from?” It came from the portion of your mind where Christ dwells and reveals Himself to you and others in God’s perfect timing. You can have it too by accepting Him, and honoring Him, by seeking Him daily.

 
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Posted by on April 24, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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My defense

23 Apr

My defense

1 Peter 3:15-16 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

All of this reflecting upon my life recently in the preparation of updating my testimony, has me in a bigger picture of self analysis now. And in my time this morning I come upon the verse above – God’s perfect timing again. Why do I share with you my life, my hurts, my healing’s, my views of what God is showing me? It is for you to possess that same hope that I have in an eternal paradise with the Creator and Savior of this world. This world we live in only creates at best temporal pleasure, but assured consistent disappointments. You have a yearning inside you for a hope that is beyond this world that God placed there, but the question is what do you do with that desire? When you humble yourself and accept Christ, that hope blossoms with His Spirit living inside you. Colossians 1:5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.

The Gospel of Christ is also known as the Good News. This Good News is the placing of that hope in you through the acceptance of Salvation, the free gift from God. There is nothing you can do to earn it, but you can humble yourself and accept it, and rest in that hope for your temporal time here on earth. Romans chapter 5 speaks much of that hope, and especially verse 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Faith in your God will begin to strengthen that hope daily. That faith and hope you will possess will allow you to see past the disappointments that your time here will bring to you almost daily. You will begin to see those fears that you have as attacks from Satan, and you will now possess the power through God to resist those fears that once held you. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  My defense simply put is the Peace that has come to me in a world out of control around me. A Peace that surpasses all understanding, but is available to all who accept Christ as the only way to have eternal hope. He has changed me from the inside out, as only He can. The rest of my life I hope to life as a bondservant to Him, glorifying Him as a humble gratitude for what He did for me. He saved me; He will save you. The choice is yours also.

 
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Posted by on April 23, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Trojan Horse

20 Apr

Trojan Horse

1 Peter 2:11-12     Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

The draws of sin are ever present, and the tugs of sin can become overpowering if you do not pursue a strength through the Holy Spirit to abstain from them. We all have the battle between good and evil that rages inside us as a result of the falling away in the Garden of Eden. Even after Salvation the inner war rages on inside us in a Spiritual realm that we all feel on a daily basis. Salvation does not bring perfection and the freedom from that war, but it brings the eternal freedom from the punishment of sin when Christ has paid our eternal debt on the Cross at Calvary. In  Romans 7  Paul speaks of the battle of good and evil inside us; that even the great apostle wonders why he does the things he really does not want to do.

Even in my early morning hours when I arise to spend my time with God, I will awake sometimes to a battle within my mind I was not even aware of while I slept. Anxieties, pressures of life, worry, doubt, and lusts can enter into our thoughts at the beginning of the day even before we are awake.  But we must pursue the time spent with God to fight that battle, and to walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-17  I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. This pursuit and strength that come from time spent with God, is the necessary weapons that you need to fight these battles. Do not let pride creep in with the thoughts of conquering this war alone. Pride is the Trojan horse of Satan and will destroy you from within.

 
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Posted by on April 20, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Seeing the Son through the clouds

19 Apr

Seeing the Son through the clouds

1 Peter 1:6-9   In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith–the salvation of your souls.

I have found myself in the book of James again this morning, and I have been there a lot through the recent years. This book is an epistle that speaks much of the trials of life, and facing them as Christians. This book is a great place to lean on God when you are facing the trials of life that will come. In the second sentence we are told to “count it all joy” (James 1:2) when we fall into these trials. Joy….Really? Satan’s plans in these trials are to draw us away from God through sin, and God’s plans are to draw us closer to Him through Grace. Matthew Henry’s commentary says, “The devil endeavors by sufferings and crosses to draw men to sin and to deter them from duty, or unfit them for it; but, as our afflictions are in God’s hand, they are intended for the trial and improvement of our graces. The gold is put into the furnace, that it may be purified.” Even gold  must pass through the fire to become pure as we may also.

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Matthew Henry’s commentary is very strong in bringing light to this book of James. “Philosophy may instruct men to be calm under their troubles; but Christianity teaches them to be joyful, because such exercises proceed from love and not fury in God. In them we are conformable to Christ our head, and they become marks of our adoption.” God is in control of all things, and all things work for His glory when we are children of His (Romans 8:28). I know from my life, I can attest to the times I was the closest to God, were the times when I faced the biggest trials. You either will fall away into sin as James says, or you will place yourself in His hands to allow Him to carry you through. All we tend to see when we face the storm is the clouds above us, yet we must live in the faith that the Son is above them all along shining down upon us.

 
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Posted by on April 19, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Arise expecting

18 Apr

Arise expecting

Romans 13:11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

What drives you to arise every day? The alarm clock blares, and the toils of the day lie in wait for you. Is it the provision, or the necessity of the work load that drive you every day? Is there nothing better in your book than a day off so you can sleep as late as possible? We all need our rest, and we all get it in different ways and times, but Christ is calling you to arise from your sleep in sin. Our sin filled world has deadened our senses to Christ, and has us asleep in sin. The expectation of our coming Lord can awaken you both bodily and soulfully. That expectation He places within you is a priceless motivation.

Psalm 63:1 You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. This is a Psalm of David who was known as having a heart that longed for God. That longing is available to you also, and will drive you as it did him. Prayer and time in God’s Word plays such a large part in the awakening of your soul to the things of Christ. The more time you spend with Him, the greater your expectation is to hear from Him, and the more “awake” you become spiritually with Him. Mark 13:32-37 speaks of the coming of the Lord, and how we are to be awake and prepared for it. This is an exhortation to not remain in sin, but to be awake and prepared for His coming. We simply cannot remain living in sin, and have a heart for God. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. Begin to seek that daily time with God, and from it will come a desire to arise from sleep, for that is the expectation of meeting Him every day.

 
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Posted by on April 18, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Oh no thanks, I can do it..

17 Apr

Oh no thanks, I can do it..

Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

What is the heaviest load you bear? Mine is mental stress, and the anxiety and depression that are fed from it. If I were to divulge my testimony, it would be full of the stresses of life that many of us fall under. Pride could really be the topic heading under which stress falls though, because pride will lead you to believe that you are to bear the weight of that cross. Christ tells us when we feel those loads are too heavy, to give them to Him in Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Christ is offering to carry our cross for us, and even as He says in Luke 9:23, we are to give it to Him DAILY. The weight of our cross, whatever it may be, we cannot shoulder for six days a week and give it to Him on Sunday mornings.

The true meaning in Luke 9:23 is much deeper, and our cross is none to compare to Christ’s carrying the weight of our sin. Christ was speaking to the apostles and what they must endure as followers of Him. 1 Peter 4:16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.  The apostle Paul speaks of denying himself and dying daily for Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:31. We will suffer as Christians for we are not of this world, and the world is against us recognizing that. What I consistently beg you to do, is to humble yourself before God. That denial of pride, leads to forgiveness of sin, and leads to Him shouldering the load we cannot bear. The dying of yourself should come every day through time spent with Him in prayer and His Word. We are not designed to live our life as the world presses us to live in the instant gratification and pressures of today. The only way to release those daily burdens is through daily time with the One whom has already bore the heaviest Cross for you.

 
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Posted by on April 17, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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