Faith
Where is Our Faith in God’s Commands
We talk about it. We sing about it. But, how much of it do we have? What am I talking about? Faith. We place our faith in the person of Jesus Christ and that He substituted His body on the cross in place of ours. We stand at a distance and say, “Whew! That’s great. I didn’t have to go through the scourging and crucifixion. Thank You, Jesus. I believe.” But when God says to exercise our faith in regard to cutting off our sin we say, “No way. Can’t do.” He says to exercise our faith and forgive as He forgives us and we say, “Not gonna do it.” He says to lay aside our old self and put on the new self-made in the image of Christ Jesus, and we march through our day as if we didn’t hear Him. He says to take up our cross and follow Him by laying down our life for the Kingdom and we go on with our day as if He wasn’t talking to us. If we really had faith that God “calls into being that which doesn’t exist,” as Romans 4:17 states, then wouldn’t we obey His commands, trusting that they lead to the promised abundant life? So the question is, where is our faith…in us or in Jesus? Here’s another question – how can we exercise our faith today by obeying something He’s calling us to do that doesn’t come naturally to us?
Lord Jesus, You CALL INTO BEING THAT WHICH DOESN’T EXIST. Open our eyes today to one of Your teachings that we’re not following, to serving You in the way You’re calling us to serve. Call into being our obedience as we place our faith in You.
Friends, you’re invited to my new study – End Times: What You Should Know, What You Can Do. I’ve been preparing for months and am passionate about us studying Revelation together. You can learn more about the study here. When you sign up for this free study, you are not committing to a certain day, time, or place. I’ll email the study to you and you can read, watch, and/or answer study questions at your convenience. I pray you’ll join me! After you register, please share with your friends so they can join us.
About Pleasing God, Being Taken Up, and Rewards
Do you ever think about pleasing God? Did you know that it’s possible to please God? Hebrews 11:5-6 states that Enoch was pleasing to God and that God is a REWARDER of those who seek Him.
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Hallelujah! Does that make you want to shout in praise of God? It does me! God “took him up” before his body died. Zap! In the air. Gone from earth. Friend, the same is going to happen to believers at the time of the rapture. Unbelievers will look around and say, “Where’s mom?” The ones left behind who have some Bible knowledge may realize that “God took us up.” Yes. Up. Let that sink in for a minute. How can we be assured God will take us up and not leave us in our morally declining, evil world that calls evil good and good evil? We can be sure because we have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins. Yes, faith. Without it, we can’t be saved. Without it, we can’t please God. Without it, we won’t go to heaven. With it, we will be saved. We will be rewarded. Are you saved? Then shout hallelujah and ready yourself for Christ’s return. He’ll be handing out rewards on the basis of what you did for His kingdom. (Remember the 10 minas story? Luke 19:11-27) If you’re not a follower of Jesus, think about the role of faith and how we exercise it all the time. We exercise faith when we get on a plane. (Is the pilot mentally stable? Will the oxygen flow correctly? Is there a terrorist on board on a suicide mission?) So, yes. Exercise your faith for the salvation of your soul. Exercise your faith that Christ is coming again just like He promised. Live in a way that pleases Him. Set your mind on the things above, not earth. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit so you walk out His kingdom purposes. God is a REWARDER of those who seek Him. Will you seek Him?
Lord God, REWARDER OF THOSE WHO SEEK YOU, we seek You with a hallelujah in our hearts.
Do You Need a Miracle
Do you need a miracle? Something extraordinary in your life? What do we mean when we use the word miracle? Webster defines miracle as “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency; just as rising from the grave.” Another definition is “a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences;” such as “it was a miracle that more people hadn’t been killed or injured.” Perhaps it’s that last definition we use most often. “It’ll be a miracle if I can manage everything going on in my life.” Or, “It’ll be a miracle if our marriage makes it.” Let me ask again, “Are you in need of a miracle?” If so, our best hope for experiencing one is to bring Jesus into the equation. Galatians 3:5 describes Jesus as the MIRACLE WORKER.
So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and WORKS MIRACLES among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
As we consider Jesus, the Miracle Worker, it’s important to consider the combination of the two words: miracle and work; along with the word “faith.” Our miracle isn’t going to happen with the twitch of our nose as in the 1970’s show “I Dream of Jeannie.” When we study Jesus’s miracles we see they involved energy and power (Luke 8:46), most often required a person taking part in faith (John 5:8-9), and often took place as the person acted in obedience (John 9:6-7). Maybe Jesus is showing us that rather than having a demanding, “God, do it now,” attitude, we should thank Him for how He has already worked in our lives, thank Him that He hears us, and then take the next steps He shows us.
Where is Our Faith in God’s Commands
We talk about it. We sing about it. But, how much of it do we have? What am I talking about? Faith. We place our faith in the person of Jesus Christ and that He substituted His body on the cross in place of ours. We stand at a distance and say, “Whew! That’s great. I didn’t have to go through the scourging and crucifixion. Thank You, Jesus. I believe.” But when God says to exercise our faith in regard to cutting off our sin we say, “No way. Can’t do.” He says to exercise our faith and forgive as He forgives us and we say, “Not gonna do it.” He says to lay aside our old self and put on the new self-made in the image of Christ Jesus, and we march on through our day as if we didn’t hear Him. If we really had faith that God “calls into being that which doesn’t exist,” as Romans 4:17 states, then we would obey His commands, trusting that they lead to the promised abundant life. So the question is, where is our faith…in us or in Jesus? Here’s another question – how can we exercise our faith today by obeying a command that doesn’t come naturally for us?
Lord Jesus, You CALL INTO BEING THAT WHICH DOESN’T EXIST. Open our eyes today to one of Your teachings that we’re not following. Call into being our obedience as we purposefully place our faith in You.
Yes or No? When God Doesn’t Answer Our Prayers the Way We Want
I have a question for you. Is it true that whatever we ask in prayer, believing, we will receive? Yes or no? _____ What is your Scripture reference? If you said yes and provided Matthew 21:22 as your source, then why didn’t God answer Jesus’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane? Certainly, Jesus asked in prayer, believing. On a more personal level, why doesn’t God answer the prayers of the faithful to heal their dying loved one? I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I do know that it is important for us to take the whole counsel of God rather than “cherry pick” verses. In the context of prayer, Jesus has already taught His disciples important, foundational principles of prayer in “The Lord’s Prayer.” We have a Father in heaven who alone is holy. He has a kingdom and will. Twice in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus referenced God’s kingdom – at the beginning and end of the prayer. It was clearly on His mind and a central part of His teaching on prayer. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus echoed Matthew 6:10, “Your will be done,” even while He allowed us to hear His “Son of Man” desire to avoid suffering, shame, and separation. As disciples of Christ it is critical for us to study and know the whole counsel of God. In the context of today’s question, we must remember Christ’s foundational teaching on prayer – praying God’s will. First John 5:14-15 is helpful. “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” Can you trust your life and loved ones to God’s will?
Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for not only teaching us how to pray but for also modeling it. We love and adore You. Help us be wise stewards of Your word by our words and life.
Prayer of My Heart – where I record my prayers and my Heavenly Father’s responses. Available on Amazon.
Do You Need a Miracle
Do you need a miracle? Something extraordinary in your life? What do we mean when we use the word miracle? Webster defines miracle first and foremost as “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency; just as rising from the grave.” Another definition is “a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences;” such as “it was a miracle that more people hadn’t been killed or injured.” Perhaps it’s that last definition we use most often. “It’ll be a miracle if I can manage everything going on in my life.” Or, “It’ll be a miracle if my child can get off drugs.” Or, “It’ll be a miracle if our marriage makes it.” Let me ask again, “Are you in need of a miracle?” If so, our best hope for experiencing one is to bring Jesus into the equation. Galatians 3:5 describes Jesus as the MIRACLE WORKER. “So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and WORKS MIRACLES among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” As we consider Jesus, the Miracle Worker, it’s important to consider the combination of the two words: miracle and work; along with the word “faith.” Our miracle isn’t going to happen with the twitch of our nose as in the 1970’s show “I Dream of Jeannie.” If we study Jesus’s miracles, we see they involved energy and power (Luke 8:46), most often required a person taking part in faith (John 5:8-9), and often took place as the person acted in obedience (John 9:6-7). Maybe Jesus is showing us that rather than demanding, “God, do it now,” we should thank Him for how He has already worked in our lives, thank Him that He hears us, and then take the steps He shows us.
Where is Our Faith in God’s Commands
We talk about it. We sing about it. But, how much of it do we have? What am I talking about? Faith. We place our faith in the person of Jesus Christ and that He substituted His body on the cross in place of ours. We stand at a distance and say, “Whew! That’s great. I didn’t have to go through the scourging and crucifixion. Thank You, Jesus. I believe.” But when God says to exercise our faith in regard to cutting off our sin we say, “No way. Can’t do.” He says to exercise our faith and forgive as He forgive us and we say, “No way. Not gonna do.” He says to lay aside our old self and put on the new self-made in the image of Christ Jesus, and we stand there with folded arms. If we really had faith that God “calls into being that which doesn’t exist,” as Romans 4:17 states, then we would obey His commands, trusting that they lead to the promised abundant life. So the question is, where is our faith?
Lord Jesus, You CALL INTO BEING THAT WHICH DOES NOT EXIST. Where is our faith in your daily commands?
Do You Need a Miracle
Do you need a miracle? Something extraordinary in your life? What do we mean when we use the word miracle? Webster’s defines miracle first and foremost as “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency; just as rising from the grave.” Another definition is “a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences;” such as “it was a miracle that more people hadn’t been killed or injured.” Perhaps it’s that last definition we use most often. “It’ll be a miracle if I can manage everything going on in my life.” Or, “It’ll be a miracle if my child can get off drugs.” Or, “It’ll be a miracle if our marriage makes it.” Let me ask again, “Are you in need of a miracle?” If so, our best bet for experiencing one is to bring Jesus into the equation. Galatians 3:5 describes Him as the MIRACLE WORKER. “So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and WORKS MIRACLES among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” As we consider Jesus, the Miracle Worker, it’s important to consider the combination of the two words: miracle and work; along with the word “faith.” Our miracle isn’t going to happen with the twitch of our nose as the 1970’s show “I Dream of Jeannie” depicted. If we study Jesus’s miracles, we see they involved energy and power (Luke 8:46), most often required a person taking part in faith (John 5:8-9), and often took place as the person acted in obedience (John 9:6-7). Maybe Jesus is showing us that rather than demanding, “God, do it now,” we should thank Him for how He has already worked in our lives and faithfully take the steps He shows us.
COMING SOON: PRAYER WALL
Where is Our Faith in God’s Commands
We talk about it. We sing about it. But, how much of it do we have? What am I talking about? Faith. We place our faith in the person of Jesus Christ; that He substituted His body on the cross in place of ours. We stand at a distance and say, “Whew! That’s great. I didn’t have to go through the scourging and crucifixion. Thank You, Jesus. I believe.” But, then, when God says to exercise our faith in the next thing, we back down. He says cut off your sin. We say no. He says forgive. We say no way. He says lay aside your old self. Put on the new self made in the image of Christ Jesus, and we stand there with our arms folded. If we really had faith that God “calls into being that which doesn’t exist,” as Romans 4:17 states, then we would obey His commands trusting that they lead to the promised abundant life. So the question is, where is our faith?
Lord Jesus, You CALL INTO BEING THAT WHICH DOES NOT EXIST. Where is our faith in your daily commands?
Praise to the MIRACLE WORKER
“So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and WORKS MIRACLES among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”
Have you ever wished for a miracle? Jesus was and still is a MIRACLE WORKER. But consider the combination of the two words: miracle and work. Perhaps we think of a miracle as happening with the twitch of the nose as in the 1970’s show “I Dream of Jeannie.” However, Jesus’s life indicates that His miracles weren’t effortless. They took energy and power. (Luke 8:46) They sometimes required the other person taking part in faith. (John 5:8-9) They took place as the person was acting in obedience. (John 9:6-7) Rather than prayerfully demanding, “God, do it now,” perhaps we should pour forth thanks for the ways He has already worked in our lives. Perhaps, we should open our hearts to hear and obey what He tells us to do.
