Indicators of True Faith

One of the indicators of true faith that Paul says exists in the lives of the believers in Colossae is the ‘love which you have for all the saints’ (Colossians 1:4). It is as if Paul is saying that the love they have evidenced for their fellow Christ followers is a key indicator of their truly following Christ. So, in light of this powerful faith measure I’d like to encourage us to participate in one of the greatest ways we can show our love for all the saints—by praying for them. Here are a few steps that will help us do just that:

1. Pray in the plural. Have you noticed that when Jesus taught His disciples to pray (Matthew 6:1-14) He gave them a pattern that was consistently in the plural?—‘our Father,’ ‘give us,’ etc. We are called to not only pray for ourselves but also for our brothers and sisters. Let us make it a practice to use ‘us,’ ‘our,’ and ‘we’ more in our prayers for it will cause us to pray more for others.

2. Keep a list. James states that we are to confess our sins to one another and to pray for one another (James 5:16). When someone trusts us enough to confess their areas of weakness and need to us it is then important that we respond by faithfully praying for them. Making a list enables us to remember to pray for these individuals and to fulfill our responsibility in love.

3. Pray without knowledge. The Bible is clear that we have brothers and sisters around the globe that we will stand in the presence of the Lord with some day (Revelations 7:9). Paul later sets an example of how we are to approach them now by encouraging saints to pray and care for others they did not know (2 Corinthians 9). We can do the same by praying for our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world who we hear are being persecuted for their faith but we may not know them. We may have our freedoms in order to pray for those who have no freedom.

May the Lord bless us as we pray and care for those who are a part of our new family in Christ, and hopefully someday the Lord will say of us that our faith was evident by the ‘love which you have for all the saints’.

Don’t Let Fear Stop You

“Don’t be afraid to be wrong; otherwise you’ll never be right”
—Tom Wicker, New York Times columnist.

        There are many great achievements that are still waiting to be attempted because of a fear of failure. It may surprise you but a fear of failure and rejection is also the number one reason why Christians do not share their faith.

        But the challenge is to see beyond the negative to the positive possibilities that lay before you. William Carey, pioneering western missionary to India, noted the significance of focusing on God’s potential blessing and then stepping out for God as he stated—“Attempt great things for God; and expect great things from God.”

        As you read the account of Jesus’ engaging with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 you sense the great anxiety and fear the disciples had about being in the community of a people they viewed as enemies. They knew that they were on the wrong side of the tracks with no exit plan. Yet the words of Jesus shouts loudly for that very reason—“Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest” (John 4:35). Even as fear worked to remove the focus of Jesus’ disciples from the positive possibilities of what God could do, Jesus reminded them that the purpose of God was about to occur. Before them came a long line of curious townspeople coming to see the man of whom the woman at the well had told them about. Many came to know Jesus that day because faith and not fear was selected.

        What present conditions are seeking to blind you to the great potential of what God might accomplish through you? Will you make a decision to not give in to fear but to believe God? Take a moment and hand your challenge over to the Lord. Ask the Lord to give you courage and then to bless your attempts to honor Him where you presently find yourself.

“Risk are not to be evaluated in terms of the probability of success, but in terms of the value of the goal.” —John Maxwell

“God has given us a gospel so full that it needs a world for its field.” —A. B. Simpson

Walking By Faith

“They did what?” That is my response to the words in Matthew 28:17 that after the disciples saw the newly risen Jesus “some were doubtful.”  How could that be? They were greatly disappointed and feared earlier when they realized that they had seen Jesus crucified and buried. The little bit of hope they now received from rumors that He was alive they struggled to accept because it was not what was normal to them.

Do you realize how hard it is to walk by faith? The faith walk does to us just what the resurrection and appearance of Jesus did to His disciples—it moves us out of our comfort zone of normalcy. No wonder it is so hard for us to consider telling someone about Jesus for this act of putting ourselves in a challenging position moves us out of the norm and forces us to trust God that He will use our acts of obedience.

So we need to start listening to a new radio station that allows the Lord to tune us into a new approach to purpose in life. Let us step out of our comfort zones, step out of the well worn path of the normal to experience His presence and power to transform lives through us. Tell someone that Jesus died for them and that He is alive guaranteeing their deliverance.

Remember, we have a challenge to meet this summer and we can only see 5 people come to know the Lord and begin to grow as disciples when we believe God enough to share our faith.  ‘Father, convict us and give us the boldness to put ourselves in uncomfortable positions in order to share what you have done for us so that others may trust in you.’

And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  Luke 14:23 (KJV)

Did you hear about the disease that is going around?

Did you hear about the disease that is going around? It is noted in Hebrews 12:1—3 (where we are told that the believer must stand strong in faith rather than grow weary & lose heart), one of the most fatal spiritual sicknesses for the believer to possess is the ‘doubt God flu.’ It is the illness that is most detrimental to our possessing a faith that is active and vibrant. Worse of all it is the mindset that weakens us and can render us in a coma spiritually.

The effects of this sickness of doubt are seen in the life of Lot in Genesis 19:30—31. Lot who hesitated when told to ‘go!’ (19:16), who corrected the angels when told where to go (19:18—19), and who eventually leaves the place where he argued to be allowed to go (30). Lot manifested the symptom of those infected by doubt—double mindedness when it comes to the things of God.

I hope you don’t have this illness, but if you are concerned pay a visit to your local medicine chest, the Bible, and dwell on the great anecdotes found within. But be sure that you take them with an intent to do them. Here is one of the most important incentives to take this step towards health—“It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Take a moment and find a verse of promise in the Bible and then commit to dwell on it for a day or so as you go through your day. Here are a few great verses to choose from— Psalm 16:11; Jeremiah 29:11; Philippians 4:13, 19; 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Father, help us to take you at your word. Help us to believe your word so much that we’ll step away from our safety zones to step out on you. You are worthy of our trust and we want to live in line with your will in order to bring you praise. Have your way in us today.

Walking On Water

“Cut him a little slack Lord, he did just walk on water.” I’m sorry but that is the thought I first had when I read Jesus’ response to Peter—“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” But it is clear that Jesus was not grading His disciples on a curve. He had full expectations that Peter would keep walking on water.

How could Jesus have such a great expectation of Peter? Jesus did not commend Peter for being better than the other disciples, He challenged him for not realizing what he had & how to maintain it. Can I tell you that He has the same great expectations for us as well. Here are two reasons in the account of Matthew 14:21—33 that are the basis for Jesus’ expectations:

1. Peter had Jesus’ word. Jesus had given Peter His command to ‘come’ to Him on the water. Therefore, the same permission/authority Jesus had to do this great act was now extended to Peter as well.

2. Peter had Jesus’ presence. Don’t miss the point that Jesus’ command was for Peter to connect with Him, ‘come,’ not to walk on water. The key for Peter was to have his heart deeply connected with His Master first, then he was able to do what Jesus did. And, it was only when he took his eyes off Jesus did he start to sink.

Please remember that these two reasons for Peter’s great act are the basis for our great acts of faith today as well. We are called to step out on God’s Word. The Bible says that our faith grows as we hear, meditate, and obey the Word of God (Romans 10:17). If Jesus commands us in His Bible to do anything we must step out of the boat and take Him at His Word. To do anything else is to shrink our spiritual muscles. We are also called to continually keep our hearts connected to Jesus. Once that occurs, we are ready to do the amazing. Note that this was the basis for Jesus’ assurance to His disciples—‘I am with you always’ as He sent them out to impact generations after generations (Matthew 28:20).

So, are you doing those things daily that will grow your faith? Remember, that is God’s expectation of us.