What is Faith?

Faith is a word that we use a lot, but sometimes we can make it too complicated. Faith simply means 'belief or absolute trust'; the word also implies loyalty and commitment. 

Faith isn't a huge, complicated concept that we have to stress over. Genuine faith in God simply acknowledges that the message of Jesus' death and resurrection is absolutely true. It happens when we say, "Not only does it make sense to me, but I'm willing to stake my life on it."

The Bible says that the uncompromisingly righteous shall live by faith and faithfulness. One way to think of the uncompromisingly righteous is to think of those who are made right by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. 

Through faith we are made right, and God treats us as His own beloved children.

I encourage you to get back to the basics of faith. Know that when you put your faith in Him, you are made right. Live by your trust in the God who reaches out to you with loving and open arms, ready to receive you and love you just as you are.

WWIII

If you run out of topics to talk about at your next gathering, just ask this question: What currently known conditions could trigger World War III? North Korea or Iran firing at someone? The collapse of a nuclearized state like Pakistan, with atomic bombs going to the highest bidder? Militant groups using weapons of mass destruction? A global economic crisis that emboldens an adversarial nation? The Middle East erupting in conflagration? An assassination? An errant missile?

The world is held together by fragile threads, and Jesus predicted that wars and rumors of wars would characterize the last days. But unrest in the world will eventually come to an end. Christ is coming for His Church, the Great Tribulation will run its course, the Battle of Armageddon will be won by the King of kings, and the peace of God will rule in our hearts forevermore. Without God, our world would be doomed and our lives would be pointless. But He is in complete control, Christ is coming, and His agenda is unfolding every hour

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Standup and Walk the Talk

It bothers me when I meet people who profess to be believers, but they are engaging in extramarital or premarital sex and have rationalized it somehow. They say that God is cool with it. But God is not cool with it. It is a sin against Him.

When you are spiritually lethargic, you are more vulnerable to these sins. Case in point: King David. He was plucked from obscurity as a shepherd boy to become a giant killer in the valley of Elah and later the great king of Israel. He was a wonderful, powerful, and godly man. But after years of walking with the Lord, David put his spiritual life on cruise control, and we read that “late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath” (2 Samuel 11:2). That woman, by the way, was Bathsheba.

Interestingly, this was the time when wars were being fought. David’s troops were out on the battlefield, and David, the warrior-king, should have been leading them as he always did. Instead, he was kicking back. He was taking some time off. But you don’t feed lust—you starve it. The moment you back off in the spiritual battle, you will be vulnerable. The moment you fall asleep, you will be weak. You can’t take a spiritual vacation.

That is why Paul wrote to Timothy, “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts” (2 Timothy 2:22).

This is the warning: Stay away from those things. Stay away from anything that would encourage immoral living. God knows that it's not easy to do these things in the world we live in right now BUT that's why we must renew our minds to HIS way of thinking. Standing up for what you believe in today, can loose friends and family members but remember salvation is not in their relationship - it's in Jesus!

Character

char·ac·ter

  [kar-ik-ter] 

noun

1. The aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature

    of some person or thing;

2. One such feature or trait; characteristic;

3. Moral or ethical quality: a man of fine, honorable character.

4. Qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity

5. Reputation: a stain on one's character.

The quality of a person is his character. What is he made of? What makes him tick? Jesus said that the treasure of a man is what is in his heart and therefore what is in his heart comes out of his mouth accompanied by action or the lack thereof. What comes out of his mouth can create a reputation which can be good or bad.

Have you ever known anyone who every other word is foul language? I had a Lieutenant on my police department who was always saying "f..." this and "f..." that. It was so noticeable that officers would make fun of him even though they themselves swore but not to that extent. It was amazing that when his wife came down to headquarters, you never heard him swear but the minute she left he would start right up again. This obviously tells me that he made a clear choice not to swear. If using swear words is bad then why use them? Why use them at all? Does using these words create better character or gives a person a more prominate position in life?

The Bible has much to say about swearing. It says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." 

Clothes

Most of us pay at least some attention to the way we look, and there is nothing wrong with that. But have you ever noticed how some people, instead of wearing an outfit, their outfit is wearing them? We don’t want attire like that. When we put on our clothes, we expect them to do what we do, to go where we go.

That is the idea of Romans 13:14, which tells us to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” This refers to a practical, day-by-day repetition of putting on of Christ. We embrace Him again and again.

To put on the Lord Jesus Christ is to have him be a part of everything we do. He goes with us where we go. He is a part of our decision-making process. He is Lord every day of our lives. He is not only our Sunday Jesus, but He is our Monday Jesus, our Tuesday Jesus, our Wednesday Jesus, and our Thursday, Friday, and Saturday Jesus.

He is Lord when we go to church. He is Lord when we go to the movies. He is Lord when we go out to dinner. He is Lord when we go to work. He is Lord when we go on vacation. He is Lord of all. And if He is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all.

I like the J. B. Phillips paraphrase of this verse: “Let us be Christ’s men from head to foot, and give no chances to the flesh to have its fling.”

Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ—that is what we need to focus on. Let’s focus our energies on becoming like Jesus.

Think and Talk Positve

God wants to lead you into your promised land...after all, you have been recreated in Christ, born anew, that you might live the good life that God prearranged for you. But to follow God into that life, He will have to prepare you first, and that means some things will need to change.

Now, don't be afraid of the word change; it just means that you stop doing some things you've been doing and start doing some things you haven't been doing. For example, stop thinking negative thoughts and start thinking positively, stop settling in your comfort zone and step out of the boat, stop procrastinating and start taking the opportunities that arise.

It's not enough to just read about and talk about the Promised Land. Decide that you are going to possess your promised land. God is good; He will lead you there. Just be willing to follow and accept the positive changes that God wants to bring to your life as He prepares you to be a blessing to others.