Practicing Faith

"Faith is the substance of things that are hoped for and the evidence of things unseen."                                                                          Hebrews 11:1

The Bible says that we must have faith - even faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains! Matthew 17:20

Me must get beyond the substance - things that are unseen are often the ones hardest to wrap our heads around. That doesn't make them any less important!

In school we strive for good marks on our report cards. In life we must strive for good marks from God.  Look to God for help in all things and boast not of your own accomplishment, for it is only through God that we are able to succeed. Some say leave life to fate, but even fate is the work of God.

John 6:28 Go said it, I believe it and that settles it! Romans 1:17 - We must walk and live by faith - and through that faith God will make it a reality.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Any man who takes on Christ as his savior is then a new creature. Old things are passed away and all things become new. Matthew 21:22 has a wonderful promise from God - promising that we will be given anything we ask for in prayer if we have faith it will be given to us. The key to that promise is we have to have faith that God can and will deliver. You must claim it!

1 John 2:13
Mark 11:22

 

The Importance of the Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:1-4
If you know Christ as your savior then He becomes #1 in your life. The Gospel is important and it must be faithfully proclaimed.

The Gospel is for saved believers and He was us the share the Word with those that are non-believers in the hopes that they will change their mind and choose salvation. Matthew 28 tells us that we are to proclaim the Gospel.

Think of those who are lost and who will remain lost if we don't share the Word of God. We aren't called to keep our faith quiet - share the joy that the love of the Lord brings you!

The Gospel is to be believed. Christ died for our sins - He willingly shed his blood for us because He loves us. John 15:13 - Jesus counts us as friends, how amazing and wonderful is that!?! He came here to Earth specifically to save us. What a gift he has given to each and every one of us as believers!

Salvation is deliverance. Jesus gave us that as a gift when he died and was buried and then raised again.

We must worship God, not just on Sunday, but ALL THE TIME! Let God's light shine in you - show the world what the Gospel has done for you. Believe in ALL that God tells us so that you may share it wholeheartedly - lead others to the salvation that you have already secured for yourself!

Finally, the Gospel must be received. You must accept the Lord as your savior so that you may be entitled to all the things he has promised us.

The Lord sent us His Son and His Word to ensure we life our lives in a way that is pleasing to him - give His message the attention it deserves; read it, live it, share it!

Keep the Word alive - it must be Preached > Believed > Received and we each must be willing to take a stand. Take a stand for what is right and for what God wants us to do. Always choose Jesus, obey God over man for his gifts are eternal and things of this world so rapidly pass away...

Precious Promises from God

Did you know that there are more than 30,000 promises to us from God? It is up to us to Name Them and Claim Them!!!

 

 

Philippians 4:13 Seek His help and claim your blessings! 2 Peter 1:1-8 There is no reason to want anything less than what we are promised. These promises were made through Jesus Christ and they are only for believers... not for the world! We must "cast our cares" upon the Lord. Trust Him and lean on Him.

We were given the tools to help us in life. For example, when we are sick we can go to the doctor. God gave us medications and gave us those skilled in medicine to help heal us... but none of that will ever replace God's role. We must use the resources he has given us, don't always expect that his answers will come in the form you expect them to be in, or in a direct manner at all. Use whatever resources He has provided you, but don't let that be a substitute for having a close fellowship with God.

God's promises make life worth living. John 15:5 - without Him we can not succeed. We worry about troubles and sometimes we let worry take over our lives. Fight against worry and pessimism with the power of the Lord. Philippians 4:19 - Take it to God and He will supply!

Acts 17:24 We have an eternal home as believers. 2 Peter 3:13 / Hebrews 4:5. God is constructing a new Heaven and earth and He promises us rest. Revelations 7:16-17.

The promises of God will never fail because God can not fail!

Titus 1:1-2 The Lord never forgets his promises. Psalms 105:42

The promises of God will never fail because God is able to deliver in every way! Romans 4:20-21

Keeping a Joyous Heart

Psalms 51:7-12 - Once you are saved you are not simply changed to where you will never have another worry again, where every day will automatically be filled with joy. Your personal happiness is still up to you - but by being saved you have the joy of knowing where you can spend your eternity!

Our earthly days will always be filled with earthly sins. Earthly sin challenges our joy. Your salvation can't be taken from you - but your enjoyment and happiness that you find in life can. The Devil knows that - so that is what he attacks at every opportunity. Sometimes his attacks come in the loss of something; family, health, money, job - any of those things as well as many others, can trouble our lives.

Philippians 1:1-18 - Paul wrote this while he was in prison. How many incarcerated people are joyful? Paul was! He didn't spend his time shaking the bars - screaming and yelling. No... he wrote a book - all about the joy he found in the Lord.

Often times we look at struggles in our lives in the wrong way... we have a pity party and feel sorry for the woes that we are going through. It is important to really look at things from the big picture - Paul was in prison and sure that may have felt like a heavy burden to him... but it wasn't. Paul realized that he wasn't in prison for him - he was in prison for all of the people that it would put him in touch with. Think of all the people that he brought to the Lord - all the people that were saved because of Paul's sacrifice of freedom. Next time you are going through a difficult situation or are put in a scenario like Paul was... look around and think, if not for me, who can benefit from this? Sometimes you can be the miracle for someone else and not even know it!

Philippians 2:2-5 - When we hurt we lash out at others. Rather than lashing out we should think twice and remember the love that Christ showed for us. He died on the cross for us... willingly. Let Christ's love shine in you - shine in your actions - don't let the internal pain you feel be what others see in you.

Hebrews 10:19-25 - Love one another like Christ loves us. You don't have to like all people - but the Bible does say that you do have to love them. We have to hunt for joy - it doesn't just come to us naturally. Look for it in everything that is around you. You won't get good news all your life - sometimes it will be negative...things happen and sometimes you need to look deep, but you can find joy in all things.

Philippians 1:5-6 We are all different and each of us has different traits, abilities and personalities. God wants us to put those aside and share our joys with one another. John 15:9
 
Increase your prayer life - and fill it with unselfish prayers. Pray one for another, remember all those who are in need. Find joy in going to the Lord in prayer on others' behalf. Find joy in asking for blessings on others - for it is joyful to be a part in other people's joy. Be specific with God, tell him what is needed - there is nothing you should hide from Him.

Take joy in your partnerships - joy in singing, studying, witnessing, find joy in life in general. Do right always - think "What would Jesus do?" - if you think of everything in terms of that question decision don't seem so difficult. Find joy in making the right choices and in getting God's approval.

Abide in Your Calling

It is important to stand firm - don't be wishy washy in your faith and your beliefs. Don't be a slave to sin! Romans 6 talks about how sin can rule your life if you let it. Hell is a real place, but it wasn't ever meant for people. Hell was created for the Devil and his Angels. Heaven was made for us - each and every one that calls upon the Lord will find salvation and be able to call Heaven their eternal home. Salvation is a reality that is found all throughout the book of John. It is even offered in the Book of Genesis, but it is found with the offering of sacrifice. We no longer need to offer sacrifice, because Jesus did it for us.

Isaiah 45:22 Make sure you are looking in the right place. You wouldn't go to a gas station for clothes, or to a restaurant for gas. You go to the source - to the right place. To be saved you go to God through Jesus Christ. God said, "Look unto Me" and that is exactly what we must do!

 

Isaiah 55 - Incline your ears and look to Him! Romans 10:17 - Find faith by hearing!

 

Know you are lost and what it is that the Lord saved you from! We are saved FOR eternal life and were saved FROM Hell and God's wrath. Turn to God and take the right path. 1 Corinthians 15:1 You get saved eternally. No one can take your salvation from you - not even the Devil! The Gospel is Good News that was written for believers, the family of God.

 

Baptism isn't required for salvation, but it is required for church service, and is an obedient act that pleases the Lord. Jesus walked 25 miles to be baptized, thus setting the example for us.

 

Think back to people you respect, leaders that you look up to. Those leaders all have one thing in common... humility. A good leader would never ask their team to do something they wouldn't do. And, indicative of a good leader, Jesus never asks us to do something that he himself wouldn't do.

 

Church membership is precious, it is something to find comfort in and is what God has asked us to seek out. First you must be saved - Acts 8 - to be saved you must profess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he died for your sins. Matthew 16 After salvation you are to seek church membership and for that you must be baptized.

 

Some people say - I know Jesus - I am saved, why go to church? Sure, you can fellowship with the Lord anywhere, but church is where you grow in your knowledge and love for the Lord. Think about what Jesus has done for you - think of what he endured so that your sins may be forgiven. He doesn't ask a lot in return, serving him as a church member is a small offering. Jesus shed his blood for the church, that is how important it is to Him.

 

Salvation => Baptism => Service  

 

Once you have accepted the Lord as your Savior then it is up to you to continue being obedient to the Lord. It is easy to fall into the patterns of this world and stop praying, stop going to church - but that isn't what God intended for us. He wants us to be saved then continue growing in our knowledge of Him, continue to worship Him and show our gratitude for all He has done. After all our time here is preparation for Heaven@

 

We are to abide and occupy here on Earth. Luke 19:12-13 In this passage Jesus is dealing with the subject of stewardship. Occupy means to make good use of the time and to increase and magnify the kingdom of Heaven. Be busy about the Father's business.

 

This is they key reason as to why we have fellowship and service - it is all to magnify God. When we are face to face with Jesus what do we want him to say? Do we want him to admonish us, or to reward us and think of us as a good and faithful servant? Of course it is the latter!

 

In the end believing in Jesus is the most important thing we must do here on this Earth. But that is just the beginning - follow the path of service and find the ultimate rewards!

 

 

Promises

Don't make promises that you can't keep. All men fall short of perfection and any human can let you down. God, however, never fails to keep his promises... he can not lie!
Titus 1:2    2 Peter 1:4

You can count on God, always and in all ways. In the King James version Bible you see the word "Alway" in the text many times. In newer translations they have changed that word, in many cases, to always and that isn't the intent or meaning of that word. Instead, it truly means what it sounds like. While the word always means now and forever the word in Biblical text alway means now and forever and also in every way. So when the Lord promises to be with us alway - it means he is with us in all ways.

There is nothing too small for God to handle or to care about. If it is important to you, it is important to God. God has promised to be with us and while we may fail him - he won't fail us. Unlike friends you would find upon this Earth, God is an unconditional friend. He doesn't hold grudges or shut you out because of your sin. He wants what is best for all of us and He is there for us through the good and the bad.

The Lord is our helper and he never fails to hear our prayers. He hears the prayers that are cried out, those that are spoken softly, and those that are but silent pleas. He knows your needs and He knows how to get your attention when he needs to.  

                                  Hebrews 2:16    1 Timothy 2:5   Psalms 34:15-17

God is there for us all the time. 1 Peter 5:6-7 Be humble and let God lift you up. Let your triumph over troubles be to His glory and in turn let Him exalt you and make you strong enough to succeed. Take your troubles to the Lord and trust that He will make it work out. When you trust in the Lord you have to totally give it over to Him - you can't always have it your way...but you have to trust that He knows what is best and He will take care of you through it all.

God is there for us all the time - taking care of the big things and the small. It is easy to remember Him when he has just saved us from something horrible, or brought us amazing blessings, but it is important to remember Him all the time - just like he remembers us all the time. Thank God for the protection that he provides, for the daily supplication.

John 14:27 Peace be with you. Get your mind on God and stay focused and you will find perfect peace - that is what he has promised us. Don't stop reading your bible, saying prayers, keeping your eyes fixed on God. If we are a member of his army he has promised us rest from our labor.
Matthew 11:28-30 / Psalms 37:3-7

How to Live for Christ

2 Corinthians 5:13

The purpose of our existence is to LIVE, it is not to simply exist. In God's eyes it isn't about the quantity, but the quality. As humans, we do now know how many days we have on this earth... we may have years left, we may have only days - but in the end it is about what we do with the time we do have. The purpose of life is to prepare for Heaven, to live a life that is pleasing to God. If you live your life with Jesus in your heart, then you will not experience spiritual death and you will life on eternally even after this life passes.

Galatians 2:20 - God gave his Son for us... he sent Jesus to die on the cross so that we wouldn't have to suffer the weight of our own sin. God gave such a large sacrifice that it is a small request to ask us to live a life that is pleasing to him.

We are a small speck - a small piece of a much bigger puzzle. God created man to fellowship with him. We were created to be God's friend, how awesome is that?!? It is important that we always remember the sacrifice that He gave - what if we were asked to sacrifice our own child - what would you do?

I read this story a long time ago and it really hit home for me - I would like to share it with you all in hopes it puts things into perspective:

     One day there is a story on the news that there is a new disease, a horrible strain of the flu that is killing people by the hundreds. The disease gets so out of control that the CDC calls a national state of emergency and requires that every US citizen be blood tested to try to find someone who was immune to the disease....someone who offered a cure, a clue, something.

     For weeks people were tested and awaited to hear their fate. They awaited to hear that they found a cure, all the while they watched helplessly as they lost family members, neighbors, friends... the disease was seemingly going to wipe out the entire nation if not the world.

     A father is sitting in front of his television, watching the devastation and death all around. He prays every night for a cure to be found, for this horrible disease to spare his young son. Every night the two pray together, for the Lord to have mercy and to spare the human race.

     The next day there was a knock on their door - it was someone from the CDC. He told them they had to come with them... they had found something interesting in their son's blood. They said not to be alarmed, that it was good, his son was believed to be immune.

     The father fell to his knees and praised God. He was so thankful that their prayers had been answered. The father and his son followed the man from the CDC and got into his van. They were rushed to the nearest test center where his son's blood was drawn again to confirm their suspicions. Hours later a doctor walked in and nodded, indeed his son's blood offered a clue. Not only did it offer a clue, but it offered a cure.

     The scientists had anticipated that they would find someone who was immune and had made a plan on how they could take that person's blood and turn it into an antidote. They shared that plan with the father and shared how amazing this opportunity was that his son could save all of mankind.

     The father was so happy. They were saved, this nightmare was over. All they needed was a signature giving consent to take the blood that was needed for the procedure. Before the father signed the paper the doctor got very graven and said, "There is one thing I need to tell you.". The father eagerly awaited what the doctor had to say, after all every minute that passed people died - what could be so important to hold this process up?

     The doctor said, "I am afraid that in all of our planning we had hoped that there would be more than one donor. We had anticipated that there may only be one and we have the procedure set to where we can use a single adult donor and they can survive... we simply didn't anticipate the donor would be a young boy of only 8. We can make the procedure work, but we will need a larger percentage of the donor's blood than if it was an adult."

     The father hesitated, realizing that this was going to be a risk to his son. He asked the doctor, exactly how much of his son's blood they would need? In response the doctor answered solemnly, "All of it. Your son will not survive, but he will save many in the process."

     Tears welled up in the father's eyes as he looked to his son. How could he give up his son's life, even to save millions? He couldn't, he simply couldn't. Before he could refuse, his son grabbed his hand and said, "It's okay Daddy... they need me to do this, God answered our prayers with me. Let them have my blood, Daddy - God needs me."

     Trying to fight the tears back the father realized what he had to do. He signed the paper and he held his son's hand until he felt his little arm go limp. He hugged his boy one last time, then he walked out into the crowd of people...

 That story depicts what God must have felt watching Jesus die on the cross. He made that ultimate sacrifice and saved mankind. What if you were that father and you gave up your son and saved the world. Then what if those very people that you saved simply wasted their lives - weren't grateful and even blasphemed you and your son's name? How would that make you feel?

Hebrews 12:1-2 You must lay aside your burdens - the weight of your sin so that you can "run the race" of life. Everyone has sin that holds them back, but our focus needs to be on the finish line, not on the weights that we are carrying along the way. You can't worry about those around you or what they are carrying with them either. If you look to Jesus - you are looking to the finish line. He is standing there waving that checkered flag.

It is important that we follow his example and life for Him. The best way to know how to live is to read his Word and to go to church. Church is simply practice for Heaven...sure you can get in without it, but it helps you be prepared for when you get there.

Acts 20:28   No one knows or loves you like Jesus - he is there to take care of you and to fellowship with. Micah 7:7Rely on Jesus - get help from him. He already knows your needs... all you need is to reach out and ask for his help - he hears your prayers.

Colossians 3:16 - The Bible is a teaching book. The Word is inspiring and we are to enjoy it and let it dwell in us. Smile in your heart for that makes the Lord smile. Feed your soul with the Word, spend time in your Bible daily for it nourishes your spirit.

Revelations 22 - Lean on Jesus. You can't do it alone - you simply can't make it through life's trials and tribulations without Him. He is your crutch, lean on Him so that the devil can not trip you!