Tag: Faith

Do Not Take Your Eyes Off God

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Have you ever noticed when your life starts to go really well something unexpected happens and throws you off course? I mean you’re going along just fine. Your kids are happy, you love your job, your money situation is good (not great but good) and then BOOM! Adversity strikes. Your son gets bullied at school and doesn’t want to go back. Your daughter tries out for a club, doesn’t get accepted and is in tears. Your boss leaves the company to take another job and your new boss is a jerk. Then your car breaks down and the extra money you had in your pocket is gone.

Suddenly life is difficult. Your stomach is in knots, and you aren’t sure how to handle the changes. What is the best thing to you say to your children? How do you handle your new boss? Should you still take the family vacation you’ve been planning now that you don’t have the extra money?

It is so easy to blame God for the bad things that happen in our life. To question him and ask, even demand an explanation. Why me? Why now? Everything was going so well. Why would you do this to me? But I would like to challenge you to look at it a different way. The enemy is the one that comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Not God. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” So instead of blaming God, lean into God. Have faith that God will be with you to bring you through this season of adversity.

The enemy doesn’t really want your peace of mind or your job or your money. He hits that to see if your faith is in that.  Because that is what he really wants. The enemy wants your faith. Your commitment to God. And if he can crush your faith, he wins. If he can get you to turn your back on God, he wins. Don’t do it. Do not take your eyes off God. Do not turn away from the only one that always has your back. Tell the enemy that your God is a mighty God and that your faith will not waiver.

You may never get that explanation that you were demanding regarding why these things happen to you. But you can be confident that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose.”  (Romans 8:28) So, stay close to God and have faith that he will make sense of it all.

Lord, my life is a series of ups and downs. But you are my constant. I love you and believe in you and have faith that you will be with me during the good times and the bad. Give me wisdom to handle all the challenges in my life. I will not take my eyes off you. Amen.

Are You Tired of 2020?

Isaiah 40: 31 “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”

Are you tired of 2020? Have you lost faith that things will get better? The people of Israel sure felt that way after they were forcibly removed from their homes and taken to a foreign country for almost 50 years. Their homes and churches were destroyed, they were enslaved, and they were forced to live a different way than what they were used to. They were tired and losing faith.

But then a prophet named Isaiah reminded them that their God was in charge. He reminded them that from the very beginning God had been with them and He had never left them. God is more powerful than anything and anyone on this earth. He is greater than kings, presidents, and any kind of ruler. He is greater than famines, disasters, and plagues. God has always had a plan and His knowledge and strength is greater than anything we can imagine or hope to understand.

Isaiah 40:28-29 says, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak.”

That is MY God. That is where I place my trust, my faith, my worries. Isaiah goes on to say in verse 31, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” God’s power and strength never decreases. His strength is our source of strength. So, when you feel life crushing you and you cannot go another step, remember that you can call upon God to renew your strength.  Put your hope in God.

Thank you, Lord for being a source of strength for me during this past year. Thank you for your love and constant presence in my life. Amen.

Unbelief

Acts 16:31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.”

I heard something this week while I was listening to old sermons on my way to and from work and I have a burden on my heart to share it with you.  I had never heard it put quite this way before and for some reason it really made sense to me. To summarize it said you will not go to hell because of your sins. You will go to hell because of your unbelief. What do I mean by unbelief? Well to put is simply, if you do not believe that Jesus is the son of God who died on the cross and rose again to cleanse you from your sins then you will go to hell. No matter how “good” of a person you are. You must believe.

Salvation is that easy. Just believe. You do not need to DO anything because we have been saved by GRACE alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

You see sin separates us from God. In order to remove that separation, God sent his son Jesus to DO what was necessary to fix that. He died on the cross and rose again to make you righteous before God. So now all you have to do is believe and you will be saved. To believe, you have to have faith and Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”

Your faith is increased by hearing God’s word. So, if you are a Christian, a believer, a follower of Jesus, you need to be IN THE WORD. Take time every day to read the Bible or listen to the Bible or watch video sermons about the Bible. Talk to God. Tell him about your thoughts, ideas, worries and accomplishments. Make him a part of your everyday life. Then tell others. Their faith will increase by hearing the Word of God too.

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son to save me from my sins. Give me faith to believe, courage to share, and grace to be saved. Amen.