Personalizing Faith

  The Bible tells us clearly that we are to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). However, most of us tend to focus too much on things that we can see, rather than walking by faith. Our lives are full of twists and turns. We go through valleys, face tedious stretches, and steep mountains that cause us to grow weary and faint. Our human strength, mentally, physically, and emotionally are taxed to their limits. We wonder why life is so hard. Somehow life causes us to forget about the steadfast, immoveable promises of God.
   God reminded Habakkuk (2:4) and Paul reminded us (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38) that the just are to live by faith. We are to live our lives depending on the promises of God. Since God is the author of multitudes of Biblical promises, and He is all faithful and all powerful, we can count on His ability to make good on these promises.  
   Consequently, He has called us to live trusting Him to be and do exactly what His word says. Has He promised to meet our needs (Philippians 4:19)? He will do it in His time and in His way. Has He promised our protection? (Psalm 121)? We do not have to fear or fret. Has He promised wisdom (James 1:5)? Guidance will come right on time. Has He promised to be with us always? (Matthew 28: 20, Hebrews 13:5, Romans 8:38-39) We are never alone. His Spirit lives within us. Has He promised to be our refuge and strength?  Psalm 46: 1, Isaiah 40:31) We do not have to grow faint and weary. He will be our strength and refuge.
    The key to experiencing the provisions that God has promised is to personalize the promises, to walk by faith and not by sight. We personalize our faith by facing whatever problems that are confronting our lives counting on God to do exactly what He says He will. We count on Him in our lives, in our situations. If we want to be the men and women that God has called us to be and to point others to Him, we must live out the reality of who He is in our daily lives. People must be able to see that we really do believe what we say we believe and that we live in daily dependence on God to be and do what He says He will.
  

Never

  In our politically correct world today there is an idea that we should always major on the positive and never the negative. Weshould always stress the do's and not the don't, and should never say never. Therefore, in this post you will read some truths that are politically incorrect.
    Never be so good that you are bad. Beware of self righteousness. "There is none righteous no not one." Romans 3:10. Never seek to be so zealous for God that in the process you trust your own righteousness rather the righteousness that God has provided for you in Christ. Romans 10:2-4.
   Never be so good looking that you are ugly. Jesus said to the religious people of his day, "You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean," Matthew 23:27. If you focus only on the outward , you will neglect the most important thing. God expects you to be good on the inside. "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7. If you are beautiful on the outside and ugly on the inside, you will soon becomes ugly all the way around. If you are beautiful on the inside, you will radiate beauty in all things.
   Never seek to be so wealthy that you become poor. "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26

   Never work so hard for the here and now that you forget about the here after. "Every one of us shall give account of himself to God." Romans 14:12 ". Paul said, "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? or am I striving to please men? if I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10  Never be so tied up in knots worrying about today that you forgot that you have a Heavenly Father Who watches over you. "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34. "Do not be like them  (those who do not have a personal relationship with God), for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." Matthew 6:8.
 

A Lesson From Henry Blackaby

     The writer of Hebrews reminds us that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Whenever God reveals something, He expects us to belive Him and adjust our lives accordingly. What does this mean? It means we trust Him implicitly for all of our nees because He says He will provide (Philippians 4:19). It means we approach crises with the assurance that God will bring good from them (Romans 8:28). It means we overcome anxiety during stressful situations because God instructs us to bring our requests to Him (Philippians 4:6). It means we never worry that we are alone because God has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). It means that , despite what happens in our lives, we will never doubt God's love becuase He has told us that it is an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).

Dwelling in the Secret Place of the Most High

Psalm 91
King James Version (KJV)
1He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Psalm 91

New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Whatever version of the Bible we may use to read Psalm 91, it is important to know that in the original Hebrew the psalmist uses four names for God in these two verses. The four names for God have much to teach us about our secret place where we find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
   The psalmist uses the name Elyon, the Lord who possesses heaven and earth. The possessor of all things, this is the God who is our shelter, our refuge, our fortress.
   He uses the name Shaddai, the Almighty, the Provider. The One who meets all of our needs.
   He speaks of Jehovah or Yahweh, the One who is in covenant relationship with His people. The One Who initiated and maintains covenant relationship with His people. This speaks of promise. Jehovah is the Promise Keeping God.
   The fourth name used for God in these  verses is Elohim. This name for God is used twenty-seven hundred times in the Bible. It is first used to speak of the God of creation. Elohim spoke and created something out of nothing.  The name Elhoim speaks of  power. He is the All Powerful God.
   Elyon, Shaddai, Jehovah, Elohim this is the God in whom we dwell. He is our secret place. He is the One in whom we abide, take refuge, find shelter and  provision. He is the One in Whom we shall find rest as we trust in Him.

Psalm Twenty-Three

    Christians and non-Christians alike know or know about Psalm 23, probably because all or part of it has been read at funerals. However, for the Christian it should never be thought of as only a psalm of comfort for funerals. It is a psalm of comfort for life.  It is a psalm that describes all that the Good Shepherd is to His sheep. He is our Provider, Protector, Companion and Guide.

   'The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures (Provider).

He leadeth beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake (Provider, Companion and Guide).

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me (Companion);

Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me (Protector and Provider).

Thou preparedest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Thou anointest my head with  oil. My cup runneth over. (Companion, Provider and Protector).

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Provider, Protector, Companion and Guide).'

The Twenty-Third Psalm is a psalm about living as well as dying. How much richer would our lives be if we as Christians would remember and mediate on that fact!

Whatever We Do in Word or Deed

       In Colossians 3:17 and 3:23-25, Paul reminds Christians that all of life and living must be for Christ. Because He shed His blood on the cross to pay for our sins and open the way for a right relationship with God by grace through faith in Him, we are His. Therefore, we must seek to demonstrate this truth as we go about our daily lives. People should be able to see the centrality of Christ, as we go about our daily lives, relating to others, dealing with whatever task, facing whatever problem, and experiencing the good and the bad.
     In Colossians 4:2-6, Paul instructs us how to carry out the mandate of being a daily witness for Christ. In verse 2, he exhorts us to 'continue in prayer'. The Greek meaning here is 'to devote yourselves to prayer'. Prayer was central to Paul's life and ministry and should be to ours. His life and ministry were not his own and neither was his strategy for living them out. Therefore, he devoted himself to prayer and so should we. In this same verse he tells us to watch or stay alert. In the Greek this means 'to refrain from sleep'. It underscores the importance of perserving in prayer. We are to perserve in prayer with thanksgiving. If we pray with thanksgiving, we must recollect God's past faithfulness to us. This will encourage us to count on His continued faithfulness in the present and future, causing our anxieties and fears to melt away. In verse 3, he asks the Colossians to pray that God would open a door of opportunity for him to share Christ. We should pray that God would do the same for us. In verses 5-6, he urged Christians to live out the practical application of the Scriptures so that those who are not Christians may see and hear the embodiment of Christianity that is both winsome and gracious.

Lessons I Learned About Prayer

   This post was taken from The Encourager,a newsletter by Dr. Joe McKeever. It was sent to me by Reverend Orville McMahan. It blessed me and I thought that it might bless you. Please consider the Dr. McKeever's Lessons I Learned About Prayer.

    1. The only real mistake we can make in prayer is in not praying.
If we pray earnestly, almost anything we do is better than not praying. After all, no father rejects the child's plea because she did not use the right words or form. He welcomes his child into his arms. Someone has said, "Nothing never happens when we pray."

2. No matter how much you pray, you will never be completely satisfied with your prayer life.

You will always feel the goal is out there beyond you somewhere. We must work against perfectionism, that mental disease that convinces us because we're not doing something perfectly, that we should stop it altogether. No matter how ineffective you think your prayers are, believe that they matter to God and keep on praying.
3. The Holy Spirit helps us in our prayer.
Romans 8:26 assures us "He helps us in our weakness because we do not know how to pray." The Greek word translated "helps" is a compound Greek verb "synantilambanomai." The "syn" means "together, with us." The "anti" means "opposite to, in front of." And the "lambanomai" is a form of the verb "to lift." Together they tell us the Holy Spirit gets on the other end of our task, opposite to us, and together with us lifts the burden. He does not do this in our place, but works with us.
4. Keep on praying.
Persistence in prayer is taught so many times in Scripture. My favorite is blind Bartimaeus in Luke 18. Let nothing stop you from praying. Not your own inadequacy (of which there is much), your own needs (which can be overwhelming), not your fears (which never tire of assaulting you), and most definitely not other people (discouragement is all around us). Just keep at it.

5. Our emotions and feelings are irrelevant to effective praying.

We need to rescue our prayer life from bondage to our emotions. You know, "I don't feel like my prayers go beyond the ceiling," or "I don't feel like praying today." When you turn to the Father in prayer, how you feel has nothing to do with anything. Pray anyway.

6. Heaven places the same value on our prayers that we do.

If it matters to us, it matters to our Heavenly Father. The widow's mite did not mean much to anyone else in the Temple that day, but because it mattered a great deal to her, it was precious to the Father. This principle holds true for our prayers, our offerings, and anything else we give to the Lord: when it arrives in Heaven, it carries the same value there we placed on it here.

7. Throw away your clock.
Jesus said it's the heathen who think they will be heard for their much speaking. The goal in our prayer time is to be real, to touch Heaven, and not to log so much time. Think how insulted your sweetheart would be if you brought along a clock on your next visit, and you kept looking at it to see how much time had gone by so you could feel good about the investment you were making in the relationship. How much time you spend in prayer has little to do with anything. This assumes, of course, that you are spending some quality time with Him each day in prayer.
8. There is a mystery involved whenever we come into the presence of God.

We are kneeling before the Almighty Sovereign God, Lord of the universe. Be quiet. Be still. Get alone with Him. Humble yourself. Wait on Him. Respect Him as having sense and quit insulting Him with your pet memorized phrases. Tell Him the truth, what you've been up to and what you're thinking now. Tell Him what blesses you about Him, and what areas of your life you need particular help with.

Jesus said He already knows our needs before we ask, but He likes to see if we have figured things out, too. So, go ahead and make your requests to Him. Whatever answer comes, accept that as His will, at least for the time being. And keep on praying.
9. Always keep paper and pen handy when you are praying.

My experience is that when you come into the Father's presence in prayer, He will frequently call your attention to something He wants you to know or do. He may tell you someone to see, something to do, someone to call, something to forgive, a verse to look up, a text to remember, a debt to pay, or a neighbor to help. Write it down. Then, go back to your prayer. Expect to receive from Him every time you turn to Him in prayer.

When I was a kid on the Alabama farm, times were hard and surprises were rare. But we were always glad when our uncle Johnny Chadwick drove up from Birmingham. He was a police officer with the city and was forever meeting interesting people, getting challenging ideas, and having things given to him. He would bring up day-old cakes and pies from bakeries. He once brought me an old used bicycle, the first I'd ever owned. Once he arrived with a truckload of calves which it became my assignment to feed before and after school. He never came empty-handed. We were always eager to meet Uncle Johnny.
How much more when we come to pray, entering into the very presence of the loving Heavenly Father, should we be eager and expectant about what is about to happen.
Dr. Joe McKeever
http://www.joemckeever.com/

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Will You Choose Faith in God Over Faith in an Outcome?

    The reading of an article this week confronted me with the question, 'Will we choose faith in God over faith in an outcome?' The question was like an arrow to my heart. I am a product of my society. I want instant results. I want prayers answered immediately and as much as I'd like to believe otherwise, oftentimes I am not as submitted to God as I ought to be. I become too easily frustrated and discouraged with circumstances, people and inability to see any changes when I've prayed and trusted God to work out His will. The article forced me to admit this to myself.
   God's word clearly assures us that He loves us and wants the very best for us. God promises to complete the good work He has begun in us and to meet our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6 and 4:19). Jeremiah 29:11 presents the truth that God has a plan for us, a plan for our welfare and not calamity, a plan to give us a future and a hope. Romans 8:28-29 says that God will work all things together for our good and His glory and in the process that He will conform us to the image of His Dear Son.
  Of times I forget about God and His purposes and promises and focus on my desires, frustrations and discouragements. I fail to see that God wants me to trust in Him and not in an outcome. Choosing to trust in Him instead of in an outcome reveals that I really am submitted to Him and His purposes. It reveals that I trust His character, His Word and His plan for me and others.
  Author of the article, Joanna Weaver wrote that 'the importance of our answer to the question, 'Will we choose faith in God over faith in an outcome?' cannot be overstated, because the depth of our relationship with God depends on its answer. Until we allow God to be God, we act as if He is our servant and are sure to be disappointed with the consequences of such delusion. If we fail to surrender our agendas, wish lists, and master plans to Him, we'll never see Christ as He truly is---or personally experience Him as our resurrection and life.'
  Therefore, if we want to know Christ as He really is, we must let God be God and bow to His Wisdom, Power and Sovereignty. Will you choose faith in God over faith in an outcome?

Lessons We Are to Learn

    The sixth chapter of Mark contains several lessons that we should learn. In verses one through six, we should learn the lesson regarding unbelief or lack of faith. Jesus was visiting his hometown of Nazareth. When he taught with power and authority in the synogogue, the people who had known of him before the beginning of his ministry saw only the carpenter, the son of Mary. They heard his authoritative teaching, saw some of his miracles, but would not respond in faith to what they heard and saw. They trusted in what they knew and what they could understand and missed the Son of God and the mighty works that he could have done in their midst had they believed in Him. The fifth and sixiths verse say, 'He could do no mighty works there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them, and He marveled at their unbelief.'
The people of Nazareth short changed themselves. We do too, when we walk by sight and not by faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that 'without faith it is impossible to please God for we must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.'
    In verses seven through thirteen, Mark tells us of Jesus sending the twelve as missionaries. He gave them His message and sent them out. He instructed them to carry nothing for the journey except a walking stick. The lesson to be learned was that God provides for us as we are obedient to Him.
    In verses thirty through forty, Jesus takes the five loaves and two fishes and feeds five thousand plus people, and had left-overs. The lessons to be learned are that whatever we give to God He is able to use and to multiply for His purposes, and He is adequate to meet our needs no matter the nature or magnitude of those needs.
    Verses forty-five through fifty-two present other lessons to be learned. Jesus sent the disciples by sea to Bethsaida while he stayed behind. He went to a mountain to pray and while crossing the sea, the disciples encountered a great storm. They were straining to deal with the storm, but the wind was against them. Jesus was perfectly aware of their predicament and walked on the water to go to them in the storm. They were afraid of the storm and afraid when they saw Him. They didn't recognize Him. In the midst of the situation, they mistook Him for a ghost. But, He said, 'Be not afraid.it is I. He stepped into the boat with them and the winds and the waves ceased. They were greatly amazed within themselves beyond measure and marveled. For they understood not about the loaves (the lesson), because their hearts were hardened.' Imagine it. The disciples had heard Jesus teachings, had seen His mighty works, had been sustained by God's provision on their missionary journey, had seen Jesus take five loaves and two fishes and feed five thousand with left-overs, but had not learned the lessons that each was supposed to teach. Why not? They had not really considered what they had heard, seen or experienced. They had not meditated on these things. Therefore, their hearts were hardened, not filled with faith, not trusting God in whatever circumstance they found themselves.
    We would do well to learn these lessons, to meditate on these things and the things we have heard, seen and in experienced in our lives because of the promises, goodness, grace, provision and power of God.

The Lord Is My Shepherd

  In my morning devotions this day, I considered the truths of Psalm 23. In verse one, the psalmist writes, 'The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.' Sometimes I feel like I do want and that my needs are not met. However, I was reminded that since I belong to the Lord on the basis of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ that He is my Shepherd and I am His sheep. He is the Good Shepherd and the Great Shepherd who always honors his Word. If I look to my Shepherd in trust, I shall not want. Because He is the Good Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep, He has pledged Himself to meet my needs. I was reminded that often the things I think are my needs really are not my true needs. My true needs are eternally oriented. That is, they are things, experiences, situations, people, circumstances and whatever else will build my character and transform me toward Christlikeness. I focus on the temporal. He focuses on the eternal so that during my temporal stay on earth, I can make eternal contributioms. His purpose for me is to point others to the eternal, to Him, to the reality of His gospel and its claims on their lives. He meets my needs in order to help meet their needs. 'The Lord is my sherpherd. I shall not want.' Psalm 23:1.

What Do You Say?

   There are often times in life when we do not know what to say. We desire to offer comfort and impart wisdom to those we care about. We feel deeply about their dilemnas, but cannot find words to express those feelings. Our sympathy, empathy, and emotions are too deep to draw from the word well. Friends lose a twenty-three year old son to a freak accident and their hearts are broken. A co-worker's daughter is faced with a life-threatening illness, has surgery to solve the problem, is told that the problem is solved, but she finds out a few weeks later that the problem is not solved. Her daughter is still facing blindness and death. A fellow teacher in my hall calls his wife as he does every day at lunch, but this time there is no answer. He rushes home to find her incapacitated by an excuriating headache. He offers her what aid he can and returns to school. He checks on her a short time later and receives no response. He flies home to find her unresponsive. An ambulance is called and his wife is rushed to the hospital.. She is airlifted by helicopter to Vanderbilt Medical Center to undergo emergency surgery and has continued to be unresponsive.
    Parents, co-worker and fellow teacher's worlds have been jolted with a cataclysmic shift. Nothing is the same as it was and never again will be. What do you say? I am not omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, nor adequate, but I know One who is. I may not know exactly what to say to those who need hope and comfort, but He does. He is the only one I know who has all the answers, all the strength, all the grace, and sufficiency needed for each situation. He knows how to meet each need and He alone can do what no one else can do.
   What do I say to each of them? I say I am sorry and I pray. I entrust each of them to God who hears and answers prayer. I trust God to do and say to their hearts and in their situations all that I cannot.

Writing

   I am the usual writer. I write because I have something to say. My books are meant to be entertaining and inspiring, but there is more, much more. I write with a fixed purpose.  It is my goal to cause my readers to hunger for a more authenticate Christian life. Heaven only knows if I have succeeded.
   Two young ladies who have recently read my newest book, The Witness, told me that they loved the book. One girl said that she liked the way it ended. The other said that she liked the character Sarah. I am glad for both things, but my hope is that they read the book and were touched by the God who is spoken about throughout the book.
   All who read this may think that I am taking too much upon myself. You may think that it is too grandiose an idea that I should expect God to use my feeble writing to touch lives and accomplish His purposes, but as a Christian that is what I must expect. God help me if all I do is write an engaging story. My writing and my life must be used by Him to advance His kingdom or both have missed their purposes.