Things God has Been Teaching about Faith

My wife (Amanda) had a real good note that she wrote the other day and I wanted to post it on my BLOG because as it encouraged me, I hope it will do the same for you.  Thanks Amanda for writing this.

Nick

I just thought I'd share some of the things God has recently been teaching me about faith. Nick & I are going through the study called "Experiencing God" and in my own personal devotions I'm doing a Beth Moore Bible study called "Living Beyond Yourself - Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit." Right now I'm on the fruit of the Spirt, faith. 

I always thought I had a lot of faith and sometimes I do. However, in today's lesson I learned something new about my faith that wasn't too pretty. In my study I learned that there are basically two different types of faith in God. One is based on what God does and the other is based on who God is. The first, "depends on results and is fueled by sight. Faith in what God does is your ticket to ride a roller coaster that ascends the hill during times when God's activity is obvious and then barrels down the hill the moment God seems inactive. The process never stops." 

Do you ever think to yourself...I'm tired of having faith like that roller coaster? Up and down depending on what is going on on the ride. I've found myself there lately. I find this is a constant struggle because I want to understand what God is doing. But I don't have to understand. Isaiah 55:8-9 tells me that his ways are higher than my ways and his thoughts are higher than my thoughts. I'm not always going to understand what He's doing around me but that is not where I am to put my faith.

The second type of faith, faith based on who God is, Beth Moore said this, "Genuine faith walks steadfastly with God for the pleasure of His company not for His results...God does not call upon us to seek His works. He calls upon us to seek His heart."

So I realized that sometimes when I was feeling frustrated with my circumstances I was putting my faith in what God was or was not doing (that I could see). I know God is always working and I do have faith that He is however, my faith should not be focused on the works but rather the person I am to have a relationship with. He is my heavenly "Abba" or daddy and I don't have to understand everything he is doing but I do trust in who He is and that He has my best interest in mind.

A Life of Worship

Right now in our youth ministry, I am teaching a series on Wednesday nights called, "Lesser Known Heroes" in the Bible.  When we think of Heroes in the Bible we think of people like, Moses, Samson, David, Noah and different guys like that.  But there are many people in the Bible we don't pay too much attention to who really are heroes also.  One of the lessons that really impressed upon my heart and life was the study I did on Asaph.  For those that don't know, he was the Chief Musician when the Ark of the Covenant was being brought back into the temple under the rule of King David.  

There is much to say about Asaph, but just a few things that really impacted me was the fact that even before he was called to worship before the Lord and in the temple in leading music, his life before that was a life of worship to God.  He was passionate about serving the Lord with all that he had.  He was zealous to always go to the house of the Lord and he knew that his life was to always worship God.  Even during the bad times.  There was a time in Asaph life, you can read about them in the Psalms, where he didn't understand why the wicked always prospered while His people were persecuted.  But here is the verse that really speaks to me.  Psalm 73:17 says, "Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood I their end."   Asaph sought out answers from God and I think it would behoove Christians to remember that God has all the answers.  

So, I challenge you today to do your own study on Asaph and let his life impact yours today.  Here are some Scripture you can look at:  I Chronicles 16:1-6 / Psalm 50 / Psalm 73

Have a personal passion to live your life in  worship for God today.  It is a full time job, it never is to stop.

God-sized!

Have you ever heard the phrase, or even maybe somewhere in your life you have said, "God will not ask me to do anything that I can not do?"  Well, that is really a tricky statement.  I have said that a few times in my life, but God really impressed that thought upon my life this past week.  You know, everything we go through in this life, God uses for His glory and for His honor.  He will never allow us to go through anything that He will not enable us to do is a better phrase.  

If there are things in this life that we can do on our own, than what is the need for God?  You see, last week God really impressed upon my life that EVERYTHING I go through in this life can only be done by His strength.  So all that I go through is a "God-Sized" matter.  Think about it for a minute...I will just name a few, but what about all the things God asked different men and women to do in the Bible:

Noah: Built the ark to save his family from the flood (God-sized)

Moses: to lead His people out of bondage and face Pharaoh (God-sized)

Israel: Crossing the Red Sea (God-sized)

Abraham: Leaving a comfortable country for a strange and foreign land (God-sized)

Sarah: Have a son at an old age (God-sized)

Gideon: Defeat an army with only 300 men (God-sized)

You see, everything in this life is a God sized matter.  I am sure that you could name many more in the Bible.  God wants to do so much in and through our lives, that everything we go through is only because of Him.  I think if we went into every situation in life knowing this, it would bring more glory and more honor to God that He deserves.  He wants us to just trust Him in everything.  So, what matters in your life are God sized?  What is it in your life today that you can look at and say, "I can't do this myself?"  That is good, because that is the point that God desires us to be, where we give up self so we totally rely upon Him.

Diligently Seeking...

Did you take time to make sure you saw the picture above?  I don’t think that is diligently seeking God is it?  You know, I read that verse today in my Bible Study time and I have asked God to help me ponder on that thought for this day.  Let me remind you of what the whole verse says that I am speaking about...”Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Here is that thought I hope will stick with you through out this day or just be an encouragement to you.  The way that you live your testimony today, reveals what you truly believe about God.  From our picture above, just one minute a day is not diligent.  This word ‘diligent’ in the dictionary means: HAVING OR SHOWING THAT YOU CARE IN ONES WORK OR DUTY.  It also means to take delight in.  There are many times in our Christian life that we ask God to reveal things to us, or to show us what decision to make in life, but we have to look into our lives today and see if we are diligently seeking Him.  I read about 4 different passages today on different men that God used to carry out His will.  God asked them to do something that would take a great deal of faith, but that is what God looked for.  To see how they would respond to that great act of faith.  He asked Joshua and the Israelites to march around Jericho and when they did, the walls would fall.  He told Gideon to defeat the Midianites with only 300 men.  He told David to wait as the armies of the Philistines were compassed about him until he heard the rustling of the trees, and He told Peter he would find money in a fish’s mouth if he cast his net in.  

Each of those stories demanded a great deal of faith, but there is something else common about these stories.  God talked directly to them and told them what to do.  Well, for one to hear God speaking, one needs to have that close personal relationship with Him.

So I ask the challenging thought today, “How close is your personal relationship with Christ?”  Do you clear your schedule for just a minute in the day, or do you diligently seek Him.  If you are wanting God to speak to you today, make sure you are seeking Him.

Do They Understand You?

1John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 

1John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 

1John 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 

These verses serve as a good reminder to us that if we know the Lord as our Savior, it will change the way we live our lives.  The word BEHOLD means to observe or to watch.  It usually is said before something important.  For instance, earlier John said in the Gospel of John 1:29, “Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.”  Here in the verse above, John again tells us to take a look and remember, that the Love of God has been given to all of us.  His love is so strong that when we accept His Son, we become one of His children.  I was studying this text this week and it dawned on me.  This year we put Bryson in soccer and as a dad, (who played soccer my whole life) kind of had an expectation for Bryson to play a certain way.  WHY?  Because he is my son and I played good, so why shouldn’t he?  Well, that is not how it works and I was reminded of that.  But I had expectations non the less.  Bryson did a great job this year and I hope he wants to play again.  But here is my point, just as I had expectations of Bryson because I am his dad, God has expectations of us because we are His children.  

I think too many times in our lives though, we live up to the wrong expectations.  What I mean is, if we are not living up to God’s expectation, that we are living up to the worlds.  When I look at my children, or when others look at my children, they can tell that I am their father.  There is characteristics about them that give that away.  Definitely at home, I can tell a lot more :)  but the Bible says that we are God’s children, and there fore the world will not understand the way we live our lives for our Father because they don’t know Him.  Verse 3 above is very touching to the heart.  We are to be doing everything possible we can in the Lord to be living our lives for God.  Why?  Because Christ is pure we are to be living His example.  So...

Here is my challenge today:  Does the world understand you?  If they do, then obviously you are not living the way God expects you to.  Because it just said above in the text that they will not know because they do not know God.  Can others look in your life and say, ‘why is he/she different than me?’  Christ has covered our sins with His blood.  He is pure and we are ever needing to be pure.  Because we know that God loves us and calls us His child, ought to change the way we live our lives.  Are you morally straight in your life today?  Is there a corruption of sin that needs to be dealt with?  One day Christ will return to take us home, how will you be living your life when He returns?

Frustration!!!

I don't claim to know everything and I never will, but don't you get to the point sometimes where you are just so frustrated you don't know what to do?  I know that the Bible is full of promises and helps for times like this, but I have to admit cause I am still human that it just doesn't make sense sometimes.  Here is where I am getting at:  Has there been a time in your life where you believe you are doing everything you know according to the will of God?  Your desires are that of God's, your ambition is given by God, your heart is full of wanting nothing more than to please God in all you do.  So you make one decision, or you do this and you do that, BUT it always comes back around to where someone just throws it back at you.  (it's like baking a pie for somebody, you go to give it to them and they accept it, then before you even turn around to leave they slam it in your face)

Here is the saddest part of this: It usually happens to be other "Christians" around you that do this.  That is something I would expect from a lost person, someone who is of the world and has no cares about God and the things of God at all.  BUT it always seems to be those who claim they love God that throw it back in your face.  I don't know if you go through this or to what extreme, but I can see where the statistics of people in ministry say they are leaving because they don't want to put up with this stuff anymore.

I was sitting in my office today getting ready to study the Word, when I just let out my frustration to God.  I don't think that is wrong and I think those are times where His voice seems the loudest to us, because we get to that point where we set ourself aside and say "God, I can't do this any longer."  Then He steps in and says, "Yes, you can!"  I don't know how yet, but He will help.  As I was 'venting' I guess you would say, to God...a calm voice filled my heart and mind  that reminded me "He came unto HIS OWN, and his own received him not." (John 1:11) Jesus had to of felt this same way one time or another.  It was His own people that took His precious gift and threw it back in His face.  God help us to always remember that there is nothing in this world, no feeling in this world, that Your Son hasn't gone through Himself.  "His grace is sufficient for ME."

Casting Crown Concert

Last night we had the opportunity to see Casting Crown in concert.  It was the best concert I have ever been to so far.  There were 2,000 people in attendance they said, and we got to sit no more than 20 feet from them.  There was 20 of us that went from our church, some were teens but mostly adults.  Well, I have to tell you, God is definitely using this band for great things.  It was nothing but a time of worship the whole time.  Yah, there was some entertainment and stuff, which is fun, but they truly showed that they were serious about their love for God.  

While we were listening to them sing, you could feel the presence of God right there in that place and it was awesome.  My wife mentioned to me after the concert as she said, "I wish it was just that simple."  I knew what she meant and she is right.  Why is it that when we go to church we feel like we need to be a certain way?  Put aside all the politics of church, all the problems of church, everything and just lift your hands to God as you sing, "HALLELUJAH!"  Praising God and loving God is simple.   It takes discipline yah and effort on our part, but it is so worth it all.  Why are we constantly gripping the pew in front of us or worrying about what others may think in church?  I don't get it, but I fall under that category myself at times.  

I am so glad we went to that concert and would advise anyone to see them if you can or have them at your church.  God can and wants to use anyone who gives them self over to Him!