Faith In WHAT???

Faith. You must have faith. Your faith isn't big enough. Your faith isn't strong enough. Why don't you have enough faith? What's wrong with you, O ye of little faith?

We've all heard that we've gotta have faith; and we've all read the reports in Hebrews about those who stepped out in faith and we're told to emulate them. That's great, but what is it really all about?

Well, Beloved, it's not about you and the size of your faith. It's about you and the One Who is Faithful! Your faith is only as good as the One in Whom you place your faith and let me tell you, He IS faithful. The problem with "our faith" lies in the fact that a lot of people want to have faith but really don't have any personal basis for it. They've read about faith in the Bible; they've read about all the good things God wants to do for them, but they really don't have any first-hand, personal experience. So how can you have faith in something or someone you don't trust? Well, sometimes we just need a little push in the right direction to start building our faith. So let me give you a little shove!

Start with the easy stuff. John 3:16 tells us that God loves us and sent His Son to die for us. Can you believe it? If you can, you're on your way to growing and trusting God. Take a look at Ephesians 1:6 that tells us we're "accepted" in the Beloved. That means that God will take you any way you come to Him. Think about THAT and it will surely build your trust in God. Then read 2 Corinthians 1:19 which tells us that "all the promises of God are Yes in Him and in Him Amen" which simply means that He's telling us the truth about who He is and went so far as to demonstrate the trust by coming to earth as the Incarnate God, Jesus.

Start with these scriptures, Beloved, and stay with the scriptures. The best (and really the only) way to build your faith is to read the Bible. Stay focused on what God says He is and then see how that plays out in your own life. Practice being thankful for the little things He does in your life every day; as you begin to acknowledge (not only to Him but to yourself) what He's done for you, you'll begin to see the faithfulness of God in the bigger things, too.

So if you don't think your faith is where it needs to be, start reading the word, focusing on God, and acknowledging Him in everything you do. It won't be long until you're one of the ones people talk about as being "so full of faith."

Hope & Change

No, no, no! Not that hope and change! LOL

The world’s economic system is going to you-know-where in a handbag! People are being laid off because governments (especially our own) are trying to run peoples’ lives through economic control. Many, many families are impacted because of the lack of jobs. But that really just stands to reason: when capitalism is compromised, economies fail.

Okay, that’s MY opinion, but you’ve got to admit I’m right! So what are we as Christian employees and employers supposed to do? Just stand by and watch as businesses collapse all around us? Of course not! We’re supposed to do what God Himself has mandated us to do…pray!

No matter where you are, no matter what your current employment situation, I would like to encourage you to pray for our Federal administration, your state government officials, and especially your county officials. Pray for the business owners that they will make wise decisions. Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to turn the hearts of the children to the Father.

There’s a scripture that says, “I am not ashamed of the Hope that is within me.” That Hope is Jesus, Beloved! He and He alone can turn our situation around. But we need to pray. Change…real change…beneficial change …lasting change is only possible when we petition the Creator of the Heavens and Earth to move on our behalf.

Hope and change? It’s ours through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ. Not the hope and change the administration would like to perpetrate against us, but the Hope and Change that will bring salvation and liberty to the lives of those who love the Lord with all their heart.

Trouble & Fear

So many Christians are plagued with so many issues that shouldn’t really concern them. A lot of people I know carry burdens they were never intended to carry and believe things about God that will never be scripturally true.

God sent Jesus to us because He loves us. So if He loves us, why would He torment us? We’ve all asked, “Why ME, God?” when bad things happen in our lives. But the real question should be, “What have You said and done that will enable me to overcome what’s happened in my life?”

There’s an old country song that goes something like this: “Gloom, despair and agony…O me! Deep dark depression, excessive misery. If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all. Gloom, despair and agony…O me!”

I always thought that was a funny song. But then I began to realize that many people (including Christians) have adopted this mindset and live their lives accordingly. But what does the Bible say about how we’re supposed to think and speak and believe about the bad things that happen to us? Well, let’s take a quick look at John 14:27.

Jesus tells His disciples, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” By using the word “let” we are fully aware that Jesus realizes that we have a choice. We can allow “gloom, despair and agony” to dominate our thoughts, or we can allow His peace to dominate our thoughts.

God always gives us choices, Beloved. Choose not to allow your heart to be troubled. Choose not to be afraid. Choose to stand on the scriptures that will help you overcome the situations the enemy brings into your life.

God's Big Stick

You wake up in the morning and you’ve got a horrific sore throat. Aarrgh! So you do what any good Christian does. You overdose on Vitamin C, you say, “I’m not sick” and you pray, “O God, please heal my cold.” You’re not any better by 7:30 so you go to work. You sneeze and cough your way through the day, probably contaminating your co-workers and creating warm fuzzy feelings throughout the office (not!) You go home and say to yourself (or anyone who’ll listen) that “God is trying to teach me something; I know I should slow down and this is His way of getting my attention.”

Well, beloved, God is not sitting in Heaven with a big stick waiting to whack you! Let’s break down the above scenario and look at it scripturally:

• The sore throat is real. Jesus tells us to “call those things that are not as though they are” which means that we first have to acknowledge what’s going on in our life before we can find an appropriate scripture to stand on and believe in.
  
• Vitamin C is never a bad idea (FYI).
  
• If you say you’re not sick, you’re lying to yourself. You DO have a sore throat and a cold. What comes out of your mouth should be “I’m healed.” Never speak the problem – acknowledge the problem – but don’t give it a concrete platform upon which to grow. Only allow the word of God to come forth from your mouth no matter what the situation.
  
• The above prayer is asking for something that God has already provided…healing. Throughout the Bible, we’re told and shown that by the stripes that Jesus bore on His back, we WERE healed. We often have to walk through things, but the healing is assured. If you’ve got a compound fracture and a bone is sticking up through your leg, you can rest assured that your leg is broken! But you can also rest assured that God has already healed it. (Kinda sounds like doubletalk, doesn’t it? Please keep reading!)
  
• Identifying the cold as “my” cold only tells the devil that you’ve accepted what he has given you. Remember, beloved, the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy. This is why it’s so critical to speak out God’s word because He has already provided us dominion and authority over the powers (the devil and his evil spirits) that cause our sicknesses. God wants you well; the devil does not. So don’t EVER claim something diabolic as “yours”.
  
• God sent His Holy Spirit to teach us and guide us through this life we live. He does not, never has, and never will send illness or accident or any other bad stuff to “teach” us. Sometimes in the midst of what we’re going through we’ll see Him clearly because we actually have slowed down, but trust me, Beloved, you can’t find a scripture anywhere that substantiates the very erroneous claim that God teaches us through illness.
  
• God wants your attention. Throughout the Bible, we’re mandated to focus on His Face, to seek Him, to draw near to Him, and we must do that on a daily basis.
  

Being a Christian is not a magical place where we live with no pain, no illness, no accidents, no crummy stuff in our lives. It’s life, people, but as Christians, we can do so much more than just cope with it. We can conquer it! But only when we know His word and apply His word (and ONLY His word) to our situation.

Unbending

When we think of someone as being “unbending” we think of them in terms of being rigid, set solidly in their own beliefs, unwilling to allow change to come to them. However, when I think of “unbending” I think of how hard it is to get up off the floor after being in the presence of our Lord! (LOL)

Seriously, people, I don’t think it has anything to do with my grey hair (I look in the mirror and don’t seem that much older) but when I stand up after being on my face, well, it’s definitely another story!

C’mon now, when was the last time you were actually on your face before God? I’m not talking about “legalism” that says there is a specific posture for prayer. Not talking about that at all. I’m talking about loving the Lord so very much that you can’t even sit in His presence, you have to get down on your knees and then fall on your face.

There is a reverence to our time with the Lord that comes when we are on the floor. For me, it puts me in a physical remembrance of who I am and Who He Is. It creates an intimacy that goes with me the entire day.

Now if you are truly not physically able to make it onto the floor, create a time of intimacy with Him somehow. You might just put your face down on your knees as you sit on your couch, or cover your head to create that “closet” as they did with prayer shawls back in Jesus’ day. But beloved, I would encourage you to start your day with even just a couple of minutes set aside for Him. Your work will be more productive; your love will go before you; and you’ll bring peace to your job.

You are His and He is yours…and you’ll feel that way the rest of the day.

The Most Powerful Tool

In order for a business to operate effectively, it has to provide its employees with certain things:

• The right tools,
  
• The proper training, and
  
• And policies and procedures that are proven and easy to understand.
  

Being Christian employees we are called to not only do our paid jobs in a certain manner, but we are also called to know how to operate effectively in the spiritual realm.

As Christians, we run into as many problems and issues and difficulties as any other employees; but we know how to apply the right tools to get out of those situations unscathed! And of course the “right tool” is prayer. Actually, prayer is the ONE tool that you can use in absolutely any circumstance at any time and be assured of a reasonable outcome.

Remember the scripture that says, “All things come together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose?” Does that mean we can just stand by and watch people at work do their best to oppress us or lie about us or unjustly accuse us? Of course not! But then again, we’re not called to smack them upside the head either! It’s prayer that has the power.

When you pray, simply state out loud the scriptural solution that God Himself has given you. Say it out loud. The Word is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, but if it stays stuck in your Bible, it won’t do you any good at all. Pray, people!

Learn what the Word tells you about prayer (basically what I just said above…say the scriptures out loud) and then apply it. Prayer is a powerful tool but it takes training to learn how to get really good at it. Find a good prayer group and join it! Learn the Word and do it! Don’t be a hearer of the Word…be a Doer…Pray!

The Best Benefits Package

Being a Christian isn’t all about “don’t do this/don’t do that!” Being a Christian has benefits…seriously! Psalm 103 lists some of the benefits that are in our “benefits package” when we give our lives to the Lord. Here are a few:

• All…repeat…all your iniquities (sins, failures, screw-ups) are forgiven.
  
• All…repeat…all your diseases (sickness, infirmities, weaknesses) are healed.
  
• Your life is redeemed from destruction (no matter how badly you think you've messed it up).
  
• You are crowned with God’s lovingkindness and tender mercies (yes He loves you anyway).
  
• Your mouth is satisfied with good things.
  
• Your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (no need for botox)!
  

Who needs insurance when you’ve got benefits like that!?! The psalm goes on to list a bunch more benefits such as mercy, grace, justice from oppression (even oppression on your job). But the really impressive benefit is the one that says God will not deal with us according to our sins; nor punish us according to our iniquities. It’s time for the Church to really get a handle on this. God is NOT sitting up in heaven with a big stick ready to whack you when you do something wrong. That is a lie that has been perpetuated for too long. (Read 2 Corinthians 5:19 to verify this amazing statement; and people, always verify what you read about the Word.)

So when you bemoan the fact that insurance premiums are going up, that co-pays are going up, and medical service costs are going up, re-read your REAL benefits package!