Unshakable Faith

Yesterday's message at church was entitled, "Unshakable Faith." As one might guess, the scripture passage was found in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. So many times we think about all the marvelous things these incredible men of God did, but we fail to remember that their walk wasn't always one of ease and comfort. They faced adversity. Yet they endured these things and remained faithful in the process.

There are many preachers out there who think that all Christians should be prosperous and shouldn't have to face trials. But is this a scriptural viewpoint? In Hebrews 11:33-35 we see all the great things about faith...through faith kingdoms were conquered, justice administered, some escaped the jaws of death, were strengthened and made powerful to fight battles.But then it goes on to say in 35-38 that some were tortured and refused to be released, faced jeers and flogging, chained and put in prison, stoned, sawed in two, put to death by the sword, they went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated, wandering about in desserts, caves and mountains, and holes in the ground. Now, does this seem like the glamorous life of faith we often hear portrayed in pulpits across America? Our lives may not always be these wonderful bed of roses where everything comes up smelling sweet and looking beautiful. We will face trials. But if we have that unshakable faith, we can endure even through trying circumstances, knowing that God is there in the midst of it all. We may not always know why we are going through these things, but we can rest assured that God still has a plan and we still have His promise of a better life to come. God is not a man that He should lie so we can stand strong as we trust Him to fulfill all that he has promised.

Still Here

It's been a while since my last post. I think I say that a lot. These past couple of weeks I haven't been feeling well, and this kind of diminishes any desire I might have to write. I am on the mend, but still not 100%. I haven't decided if I need to go back to the doctor. I was on antibiotics for 5 days, but still have a slight cough. My doctor had asked me to call if it didn't clear up...I may need a chest x-ray. Yuk! I can't decide though if the cough is from the chest congestion (if so, it's not nearly as bad as it had been) or from my sinuses draining. Last night my face was hurting, which made me think sinus issues. At any rate, I am planning to write again. I just need this down time so I can get healthy again.

Giving Up Our Demands For Comfort

by Jan Jackson Peterson

 

I was reading "A Call To Die" by David Nasser and in it he said that when we follow Christ we give up our demands for comfort. Ideally, this should be true. But often times Christians get comfortable and they end up stuck in a rut, afraid to step out in faith when God calls them to action. Destinies are thwarted and opportunities missed when we walk in fear. And yes, I've been afraid to do things that God wanted me to do so I know all too well how it feels when you realize you just missed a God moment. Years ago I was singing on a praise team and God was speaking something to my heart to speak out to the congregation. I was planning to sing a solo and stayed up after the team went down. In the meantime, the pastor went up to speak about some event. I was standing there waiting to sing the special as the pastor was talking and I could see the clock in the back of the room. Time was ticking by and when it came time for me to sing, I decided not to speak the word I felt God had given me...for time sake. And maybe because I was just a little bit afraid that it wasn't God. Anyway, I went and sat down and listened to the pastor preach the message. Right near the end the pastor says, "I don't know why I'm saying this...I just know God wanted it said..." As you can imagine, it was the exact thing God had spoken to me. I had this horrible feeling in my gut knowing that I had missed my opportunity. And you know, I didn't like that feeling. I'd like to say that was the only time I ever missed it. Sadly, that's not the case. It can be quite uncomfortable when God is requiring something we're not used to doing. But it's an incredible feeling when you know you've stepped out and it was God. Another time I was singing with a team and the lead singer had stopped singing and the music was just playing. In the back of the room I saw a woman weeping and praying. I started getting words to sing. It was like God was telling me, "Sing this." Well, I was having this battle in my mind as I was standing there. It was kind of like, "I'm afraid. What if it's not You God?" And then it was like I heard a voice saying, "Ill meet you there." I couldn't get a peace so I finally stepped out and sang the song. Or let me rephrase that...I sang one line of a song. I didn't know from line to line what was gonna come out next. Talk about walking by faith.  But God met me in that moment and sang a song through me. After the service was over, the woman who had been crying in the back of the room came up and told me that I was singing an answer to what she was praying. I thought, "Wow! That's incredible. It really was God."

When we learn to fully trust God with our lives and to rely on Him no matter what He may ask, we can know that He will direct our steps in a way that will fulfill His plans and purposes. Changes (in us, in our location, etc) may be required in the process. So we have a choice to make. Be obedient and go with the changes or refuse to change. Stepping out of our comfort zone may also be required. But as my pastor friend used to say, "Rest assured, God's will will be done." So yeah, even if we miss it or refuse to accept change God will still find a way to get the job done. But that should never be an excuse not to obey. God doesn't want to bring harm to us. The things He requires are for our good, for the good of others, and most importantly, for the building up of His kingdom.  So yeah, when we choose to follow Christ we should be ready to give up our demands for comfort. And we should definitely be ready for change.

A Must Read

http://thematthewsstory.com/2011/02/04/a-spade-a-spade-a-heart-a-journey/

If you have been following the Matthews Story, this is a must read...and even if you haven't, please take a moment to read it. Check out their story and I am sure you will be deeply touched.

Because of Ezra

Many months ago I received a prayer request for a little boy (Ezra Matthews) who was battling a deadly cancer. I followed the posts, hoping to see that he was improving, that he had been healed. I prayed for this boy. I prayed for his family. Their story deeply touched my heart. In November, he passed away. It was sad.
As I was reading the blog about Ezra's passing these were the last words of that particular post...


Please, be changed because of this. Recognize the flawed world we live in, and work to help the ones you can. Really work. Recognize the hurt in the world, and recognize the grace that gives us a chance to still be beautiful.
2 Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”


I sat there thinking, "How can anyone who has read these blogs not be changed by this?" This is a story of faith, determination and courage in seemingly impossible situations. My heart ached when I read Ezra had passed, and yet, I didn't even know him. But what I do know is that a child suffered. And that hurts. And now his parents suffer. And that hurts. If there were anything I could do to ease their pain, surely I would do it. But you know, the only thing we can do is move forward and be changed as a result...changed enough to take action. Changed enough to seek a cure for a cancer that has taken this child's life. We strive so hard to end Breast Cancer (and that is good...it's another passion of mine), but there are so many other things out there that we have no idea about. I had never even heard of neuroblastoma before reading this blog (www.thematthewsstory.com). Any time a child suffers, I suffer with them, whether it's from illness, abuse, lack of food, etc. I can't end all of the world's problems, but I can do some little something to help. And I can spread the word. Maybe I don't have millions to give to the cause, but if I give $10 and you give $10 and someone else gives $10 and so on, then that will add up. Okay, so maybe you have no money to give. How about some time? Can you volunteer? Can you spread the word via internet? Can you blog about it? Maybe arrange a fundraiser? Sew a craft to give to a child? There are many ways we can participate in helping a cause. Be creative and find a way that you can help.

This family has created an organization called Because of Ezra (http://becauseofezra.com/).  Their tragedy has spurred them on to help other families like theirs, to help other children. This amazes me. Please take time to visit both sites. Read the older posts and you will see what this family went through.

Called to be A Watchman

In Ezekiel 2-3 God is calling Ezekiel to go and speak to a the Israelites. They have rebelled against God. More than once God says, "And whether they listen or fail to listen." He doesn't want Ezekiel to be swayed by whether they receive it or not. And notice, in 3:8 where God says He will make Ezekiel as unyielding and hardened as they are. Not in a bad way though. He will unyieldingly speak what God has told him to speak. This got me thinking about America. This nation was founded on Godly principles. More and more we see people turn from God and go out to do their own thing. Sin abounds, and the sad thing is, people think it's okay. It used to be when a person sinned their conscience would bother them. But after allowing one thing after another, their conscience has been dulled. What they once thought was wrong has become right in their eyes. They try to justify by saying things like, "well, I haven't murdered anyone." But you know, the Word says that if you have hatred in your heart you have murdered. They say, "I didn't have sex with that woman! (or man)" But God says if you lusted in your heart, you've committed adultery. Constant exposure to sin makes the lines between right and wrong blurry. The Word however, makes it clear. The thing is, most people who are sinning aren't reading the Word. So it's safe to say that many don't know what God has to say on the subject. So whose responsibility is it to tell them? Ezekiel was called as a watchman. His job was to warn the wicked. And you know what would happen if he failed to warn them? Their blood would be on his hands. Scary thought to know that you will be held accountable for not warning people.

The New Testament tells us to preach the Gospel. But before a person can receive Jesus as Savior, they need to see their need of a Savior. That means they have to realize that they are in sin. It's kind of a touchy situation when we witness. Not everyone is willing to hear that they are a sinner. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that most people don't want to hear that. They get defensive. But you know, whether they receive it or not, we should be not only sharing that there is hope in Jesus, we need to let them know the reason they need what He offers. I was thinking about Kirk Cameron and his approach to witnessing. He lets people know that they have lied, they have stolen, they have committed adultery in their heart....and then he proceeds to tell them the remedy for sin. I think we can learn from him. Maybe you're uncomfortable with that type of witnessing. We don't have to do it exactly as he does. Sometimes we build relationships with people and just by hanging out with us (Christians) they should see a difference. Our light should be a beacon that shines bright in the midst of darkness. Our actions should reflect Christ in us.

 

So what about the believer who is caught in sin? Ezekiel is speaking about God's chosen people, those who have rebelled. That's another issue entirely. They know God. They know of His goodness. But they have veered from the course, so to speak. In today's times you may call it backsliding. Galatians 6:1 says, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted." And over in Matthew 18:15-17 we're told, "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan and a tax collector." So basically we're to go to the sinning brother and let him know he is in sin. We shouldn't do it boastfully, as if it could never happen to us. That's pride and as a Christian, we should all know what the Bible says about pride. Our primary goal should always be to lovingly lead our brothers back to Christ, to repentance. James 5:19 says, "My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins."

No Caving In

I am seeking to draw closer to God this year. I want to be that woman that He would have me be. Sometimes becoming that woman may require me to go through things that aren't entirely pleasant. But hey, like the song says, bring the rain. Whatever is required to make me into the woman that God desires is ultimately what is best for me, even if I don't think so at the time. I was thinking about people like Joseph, Moses, Esther, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, Paul, etc...all of them went through things that weren't pleasant. In the natural, those things surely were stress inducers. But you know, they all stood the test, trusting God and they didn't cave to the pressure. And I can't cave to the pressures I'm facing. Jesus is with me in the fire. He will never leave me or forsake me. I can count on that.