Thursday, September 18, 2008

Walking by faith down difficult roads

A “Walk of Faith Manifesto” might read something like this:
“I will live by faith from day to day – not by sight. By a determined focus on Jesus and His kingdom (Matt. 6:33)and trusting in the goodness of God and His foreordained plan (Eph. 2:10), I forfeit my fleshly need to know God’s complete “roadmap” for my life… and instead acknowledge that God may keep me in the dark through many circumstances (Job/Joseph). In fact He joys when I lean on Him and not my own ability to intellectually solve every challenge or question (Prov. 3:5-6). When I am puzzled, without answers, burdened beyond measure, despairing – I realize this is God’s fertile ground, indeed, His classroom, to teach me to trust in Him alone (2 Cor. 1:8-9). I embrace the “walk of faith” knowing it is the difficult and narrow way (Heb. 11:35-40/Matt. 7:14), often with testings and trials, but yielding the fruit that greatly pleases God (Heb. 11:6/James 1:2-4/ Rom. 5:3-4). I will trust in Him who is invisible, that His promises are sure and tangible and that He is in complete control (Heb. 11:1/Romans 8:28/ Psalm 111:7-8/Jn 14:2).”

Friday, September 5, 2008

7 "voices" that influence our choices

1. Our voice — our wants, desires (some derived from the flesh, others by the Spirit)

2. Our counselors voices — friends, family, spiritual leaders, etc.

3. The voice of our circumstances — where do we find ourselves? What has God sovereignly caused or allowed in my life?

4. God's voice — His Holy Spirit; God' s still, small voice; the booming, even frightening voice of of God; dreams; visions, etc.

5. Angle's voices — God still speaks today, though rarely, through angels.

6. The voice of Satan or his demons — spinning out lies, deceptions, half-truths, threats, etc.

7. The voice of Scripture — God still speaks fresh into our lives today through His word.

Can you think of others?

Monday, September 1, 2008

Really seeing things

There's a scene in "National Treasure" where the main character, played by Nicholas Cage, is using a pair of special glasses to view an old piece of parchment. The parchment didn't seem like much at first, until correctly viewed with the right combination of lenses, as designed by its creator. Then a wonderful picture appeared, as if out of nowhere, giving a clue to the next step in finding the treasure.
God created us to view things through a spiritual lens. And things do not appear as they ought without it.
Take for example the 12 spies that went into Canaan. Joshua and Caleb saw with their spiritual lenses of faith that the land could be conquered, just as God promised. The other 10 did not use that same lens and "were as grasshoppers" in relative size to the giants. It really does make a difference which lens we use!

With the natural eyes and mind we think our brute strength and cunning make the difference. That's what Goliath thought too. But in God's economy, the weak are strong, and the strong weak.

Jeremiah 17:5 declares that the person is cursed who "makes flesh his strength." That kind of person just doesn't get it. The lens they view life with is all distorted and does not reflect reality. In order to see things as they really are, one must have faith in the living God — the one who gives us the ability to see truth and reality. And God gives us His word to develop our faith, and thereby we are given a brand new set of glasses to see the world with.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Who can I trust in?

Who should I go to for counsel? Who do I trust (and I mean really lean on) for the answers to life's questions? And what am I ultimately placing my confidence in? I learned the hard way through a difficult experience, that there's only one truly reliable source. The Scriptures give us some direction, helping us to answer the question, Who can I trust in?

Not in man:
Jeremiah 17:5-6 (not in your best friend, your neighbor, not even your family)
Psalm 146:3 (not in human leaders — including the President of the U.S.A, or even your pastor)
Psalm 20:7 and Isaiah 31:1 (not in military might)

Not in me:
Proverbs 3:5-6 (not my own understanding of things)
Isaiah 30:1 (not my own plans or others plans, even if the plans seem fool-proof)

In God and His Spirit:
Psalm 2:12B and Jeremiah 17:7-8 (We are blessed if we trust in God)
Psalm 5:11 (All who trust in God will rejoice)
Psalm 146:5 (All who trust in God will be happy)
Zechariah 4:6 (God's Spirit is the real key to success)
Psalm 118:8-9 (It is better to trust in the Lord than human leaders)

Get counsel from others. The Scriptures support that. But never lean on that counsel in a way that you are putting their counsel above seeking God's. Men will disappoint us. Friends will disappoint us. Job's "friends," with all their religious zeal, totally got it wrong. Even pastor's drift off into their own ways, not reflecting God's wisdom in their ministries. Some of that damage is incalculable.
Bring everything before the Lord. Trust Him as your highest source of counsel. As others offer counsel to you, bring that also before the Lord. Men are fallible. We are fallible. God is not.

Oftentimes it is simply easier to go to others first for counsel. We know that with God it may take time to get an answer. With our "I want it now" culture, it will take some patience to wait on God's best answers. There is no surer path to success than trusting in the Lord.