Category: Faith

You Can't Work Up Faith

9/5/2017

So many of us try to work so hard. We work so hard in trying to believe The Bible, what Jesus said and what Paul wrote. So many have worked so hard and given up to the extent they've created their own belief system, based on their own perceptions.

We're like the father who had the demon possessed son. He told Jesus that if He could do anything to please help his son. Jesus then responded "If you can? All things are possible to him who believes". The father then responded, "I believe, but help me in my unbelief."

That's where many of us are in this walk of faith we're taking. Intellectually, we believe what the Bible and what Jesus said. But, in our hearts, down where it really matters, we struggle with unbelief. Some of us struggle mightily with unbelief.

Why do you struggle so much? Why do I struggle so much? We want so much to believe, yet we find it so hard to believe at the same time. You look around and see the way things are in the world or perhaps even your own life, and those things you see, really cause you to struggle.

But there's great news. Faith doesn't have to be that kind of a struggle. Keep in mind, I didn't say faith would come easy or that we'll have the kind of faith we need all the time in every single situation. But, faith doesn't have to be the struggle you and I often think it is.

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Why God?

1/19/2017

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Often our Christian journey is full of ups and downs. I'm sure you've had times where you were going through trials and asked God why you were going through that.

I remember when I was laid off from my corporate job. My reviews were good. I was told, I was doing a good job. Yet, I received a call from my manager stating that my job was eliminated and she told me about the severance package I would receive.

That was shocker and really caused me to scratch my head. I never saw it coming. On the other hand, who ever does see that kind of thing coming. It's not like they announce it before it happens.

I began to ask myself why. I thought back over the course of my time with the company and wondered why it happened. They told me it wasn't because of my performance, but that due to cuts, my job was eliminated.

I then began to ask God why? Why did He take my job from me? Why did He allow this to happen? Wasn't He supposed to be our provider? Wasn't He supposed to be taking care of me? I asked God "why" plenty of times.

Can you identify with that? Have you ever asked God "why" when you've been through a challenge? If you're like me, you have. I'm sure we all have.

But, to ask God "why" something happens to us is a question a victim would ask and it causes to feel even more like a victim. You are not a victim.

God doesn't see you as a victim nor does He see me as one. He sees us as His children, royal heirs. God refuses to speak to the spirit of fear.

The right question to ask God is:

What does this mean?
What should I do?

These questions free us for our purpose rather than keep us in bondage to our past.

So, don't ask God "why"? Ask Him "what"?

Blessings

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God Reveals Himself

6/2/2015

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In my last post, I shared how believing "God is", is the first step of faith. But, if you're like me, you've struggled at times with Him being there. Perhaps, you've prayed with little or no results for a time. Or maybe, you've been praying for an important answer to your prayer or you needed supernatural guidance, only to be met with silence.

I've been there, and have experienced those things. So, don't feel you're alone in experiencing the silence or that you're a lesser human being or citizen of the Kingdom of God. At different times, we've all experienced that silence, that leads us to ask "God, where are you?".

This wasn't the only time or the last time I've experienced God's silence, but several years ago I was struggling with it. Everyone had gone to bed and I was alone in the living room. I sat on the floor to pray and see if God would speak to me through His written word.

I prayed a simple prayer that night. I simply prayed, "Lord, please reveal yourself to me". I was expecting for God to reveal Himself to me little by little, over time. I wasn't expecting what happened next.

Shortly after I prayed that prayer, I felt a sensation like a wave flowing over me. As this wave flowed over me, I sensed and felt immense joy. I was close to laughing as this joy flowed over me.

That wave left me. Then I sensed another stronger wave flowing over me. As this wave came, I began praying lost souls. This wasn't some general, nebulous prayer I was praying. Specific names of specific people were coming to my mind, one after the other. I automatically began praying for them to receive salvation through Christ. Name after name came into my mind.

Not only names, but for some people I saw faces as I was praying for them. One name after the other.

After a time, this wave began to leave me. Shortly, I sensed another wave coming upon me. This wave was stronger than the first two. When this wave came over me, I felt something I had never felt before in my life. I had known the loss of both of my parents. I also had known the loss of three grandparents. But, what I felt with this third wave, was something I've never experienced.

When this wave came over me, I was feeling a deeply heartfelt, gut wrenching grief. This was grief I was feeling welling up from deep within me. I ended with my face to the floor quietly crying. I had never felt any grief like this grief. It was deep, from within the depths of my soul. As I was experiencing this, the scripture came to my mind from Ephesians 4:30. "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.

This wave began to leave. Another wave came over me. Each wave was stronger than the one before it. With this next wave, I felt like a little child on the lap of my Daddy. I actually sat there on the floor, wrapping my arms around me as if my Daddy were hugging me and I was hugging him. I was experiencing God as my Father, my Daddy.

That wave left me and an even stronger wave came over me. When this wave came, I fell flat, with my face to the floor. I knew, without a doubt, that I was in the room with royalty. I was experiencing God as King. This wave was so strong, I had to ask God to please stop. I couldn't withstand another wave. Each successive wave was stronger.

This last wave left me. Then I looked around the room. The waves were gone. Everything in the room looked the same and familiar. But, I was still sensing God's presence in that room. He had revealed Himself to me, like I asked.

The first step of faith, is to believe that God is. Without truly believing God is, that He is truly there, you and I can't take any more steps toward faith. And it's impossible to please God without faith.

If you are struggling with this, it's okay. As I did, simply ask God to reveal Himself to you. He may not do it as dramatically with you. He may do it more dramatically. He may do it right away. Or me may do it over the course of time. But, God will reveal Himself to you.

Then you can take that first step from fear, knowing God is, and begin to step into faith.

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He Is...The First Step of Faith

5/28/2015

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I need to make a confession to you. I've shared how I've experienced fears in my life. Most of us have. You've experienced some degree of fear in your life. It may not be constant fear, but you've experienced it. I'm not sure about you, but in those times when I've experienced fear, I've felt God was very distant. Or do I dare say what I'm about to say? There were times where I even doubted God's very existence. If you were honest, there've been times when you've asked, "God are you really there?". During those times when I wondered about Him being there, my hope was low. And of course, without hope, faith suffers for hope is the foundation of faith (Hebrews 11:1).

On page 17 of her book, "Sometimes He Whispers, Sometimes He Roars", Marilynn Chadwick relates how she had been meditating on Hebrews 11:6 most of the day. As she was meditating while drifting off to sleep, she sensed God telling her, not in a whisper, but in a roar, "Most folks don't think I'm real."

My wife was reading Marilynn's book and she related that story to me. It struck a chord with me, yet seemed so hard to believe.  "Most folks don't think I'm real", God said? I thought, c'mon of course most folks, at least Christians, think God is real. But, do they? Really?

My observations have seen that so many who say they are followers of Christ, have no problem believing in Jesus by faith.  Yet, when it comes to living in the day to day, they fall back and try to please God by works.

But, in Hebrews 11:6, is a very powerful statement. "And without faith it's impossible to please God. For He who comes to God must believe that He is.

Let me ask you. Do you really, I mean really, in the depths of your heart and soul, believe God is there? Really? Do you believe to such an extent that your life isn't lived by professing a belief in Jesus but living as a practical atheist? I hope and trust you do. But, if after searching within yourself, you find that you're not sure that God is really there and is a living being, ask Him to reveal Himself to you. In my next post, I'm going to reveal how God did just that for me.

You can't please God while walking in fear, but He is there. That is your first step in your walk toward faith. Believe that God is.

There are many who believe in a nebulous idea of an impersonal universe that rewards. That makes no sense whatsoever. An impersonal universe doesn't have the ability to reward. But a real, living and loving God does.

In your heart of hearts and deep in your soul believe in a God who is personal, real and loving. That is your first step from fear to faith.

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You Can't Work Up Faith

Why God?

God Reveals Himself

He Is...The First Step of Faith

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