faith

This morning I attended a men's breakfast and we discussed faith. The question was ask what makes up faith. What is faith. The Bible says that faith is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" Heb 11:1. The question became what is the substance that makes up faith in us, how does faith grow?

We are to come to Christ as a child. That means with a child like faith. A child has the ability to have a faith that is based on trust. A child will trust and believe its parents until they find that the parents do not always keep their word. That is the way we are to come to Christ. We come with the trust that he will do as he promised. That is an element of faith.

As we develop our relationship with Christ we need to add other elements of faith. One of these is knowledge. We need to know that the trust that we had in the beginning is correct. We have the need to know that God always keeps His Word. How then can we know this? We need to study His word. If we study we find that through out the Bible God was always faithful to those who trusted Him. He always kept His word. Sometimes His word had to be a punishment, both wither it was for punishment for disobedience or a blessing He always kept his word.

Through obedience we also grow in faith. As we trust Him we find that He always leads us. He always keeps His word. As we trust and obey Him He is faithful to lead us. This will bring about a growth in our faith. We must keep our eye on Him and not let the world sway us. The world can cause us to start questioning God, and this brings in a loss of faith.

Jesus said that we only need the faith the size of a mustard seed to move a mountain. We all face mountains that only by faith can we move. We can not see a way out of a problem, or an illness. These are mountains to us. But remember Jesus said we can move that mountain with faith. By faith in Christ the mountain is moved, not by us but by Christ because of our faith. God created all things and He alone can change anything.

These are but 3 elements of faith. I challenge all who read this to think about what makes up their faith. Is their faith growing, stable, declining? If it is not growing, why is it not? Are you letting the things of this world drag your faith down? Do you feel God has not answered a prayer? Maybe you need to find out if God has answered the prayer but not the way you want. Sometimes no is an answer. My brothers and sisters we need to always be studying His word. As we do we will grow, in faith as we find more about the loving God we serve. He will never not answer, He is always trustworthy.

He paid it all

Yesterday at church Pastor Quinton Moore ask the question, Did Jesus do enough on the Cross? Did all the suffering that He went through complete everything that we needed? The answer of course is yes. He paid it all with His death.

He suffered, He died, and He arose as the Old Testament said He would. Most Christians believe that. But He did more than that on the Cross. His Blood made the blood sacrifice that was needed. Another thing He did was pray for those who put Him on the cross. What a love, he forgave all of us then and there. He Prayed to the Father for all of us as we were putting Him on the Cross.

He also took all of our sins on Him, and His Father had to turn away from Him at that time. God The Father had to forsake His Son so that Jesus could bear all our sin. It was only when He had born all our sin that the task was done. What Satan had meant for evil and to stop God's plan was complete, Jesus then said " it is finished" He was saying that for once and for ever the forces of evil had lost the war. The forces of evil still battle on but they will face defeat because of the cross. This was God's plan and Jesus fulfilled it all.

Blood of Jesus

Jesus came to the Earth with one main purpose and that was to die on the Cross. It was the shedding of His blood that was the only way to save us from our sin. Today many churches do not preach the Gospel that includes the blood. It is only through the blood that we can be saved from Hell and go to Heaven. Some do not even preach that there is a Hell.

Hell is real. I pray that none will go there but many will. We are told that there will be a total separation from God in Hell. We will have eternal separation from Him. Revelations speaks of the lake of fire. Torment awaits those that go there, that will last forever.

God in the person of Jesus came to Earth as a lowly man to purchase us with His blood. He came as the perfect Lamb, with out blemish. Knowing no sin, He went to the cross and shed His blood, for only blood can cover sin. Sin that all humans have. It was not the Romans or Jewish people that put Jesus on the Cross it was us. Our sin put Him there, your sin, my sin, all sin ever committed. From Adam to you and I, we all are guilty of placing Him there.

God loves us enough to send His Son to die for us, and anyone who believes on Him will not die (John 3:16). Our sin cover by His blood if we only believe. The prophets of old looked for Him, foretold of Him. They knew that only through His blood was salvation possible. Not the blood of an animal that had to be repeated each year but the permanent blood of Jesus. He was the perfect one the spotless Lamb.

With our every breath we need to praise Him for all He suffered on that cross. Praise Him for taking the keys to death from Satan. Sing glory to God for He has sent His son to over come through His blood the forces of evil. We are to worship Him, seek Him who died for us. Glory to God.

Waiting for His answer

We as Christians pray for one another and for lost souls. We always believe, or should, that these prayers will be answered. Where I think we go wrong is in trying to help God answer our prayers. We for some reason we seem to think He, who made the universe, needs us to help Him. We are impatient, wanting the answer today, so we try to cause the answer our self.

If we let God answer our prayers he always will, in his time and way. We do not know the future, but He does. We do not know His plan for us or the others we are praying for. Sometimes the answer is no. How hard that is for us to accept. But He knows best. We pray for healing for someone who never gets better, and we wonder why. Remember even Paul had a thorn in his side.

The Lord sends people our way in answer to prayer. When we meet new people we never know what God has in plans for them and us. The Lord sends people that have the knowledge of The Gospel to talk to the lost souls. Some that have dealt in other religions need someone with special incite to talk to them. The Lord knows what is needed, what type of personality that can talk to the lost soul in a way that will not turn them off to the message. That connection that is needed.

It is our job to pray, it is the Holy Spirit's to convicted the heart of others. He will work through you, and others around, but let Him who knows all, lead. Just pray and lead the life that you know God wants you to lead. He can use everything for His purpose. Just let Him lead.

Waiting on the Lord

As Christians we are suppose to have turned our lives over to Christ, totally. Most of us find this very hard to do. I include myself in this. I am in the process of reading Madam Jeanne Guyon's book "EXPERIENCING THE DEPTHS OF JESUS CHRIST'. In it she gives steps that help to abandon ourselves to God. Although I am only 1/4 of the way through the book I have found by following her suggestions I have made another step toward total commitment to God.

This book has stood the test of time. The things she wrote about in the 1680's are still needed today. To walk daily in the presence of God should be our goal. To know that He is always there. To be open to His voice and to follow without doubt, knowing that He will never leave us.

One of the first things I have learned from Her is to take the time to listen. Just sit still and listen. Stop your mind from racing. Most of us today find this very difficult. There is so much required of us, Work, taking children to their activities, shopping, helping with homework, etc. Our minds are racing all the time, thinking what else do I have to do today or tomorrow. We are always on the go. We are not taking the time to listen. Just stop sit down and wait on Him. If a though comes into your mind about something you have to do. Stop the though, and wait, say nothing, just wait on the Lord. This will take you to a new height with God. As you grow in this you will find that God will honor this time and talk to you. He is your Father and He wants a relationship with you. Give him the time to talk. Just as with your earthly father give Him the time.

As we read about many of the Great preachers and teachers of Christ we find that they take the time to listen. Even Paul after he saw Jesus had to wait. He was blind. He did wait on the Lord, with fasting and prayer. He waited 3 days before he received his answer (Acts 9:9-11). Ananias was open to the Lord. Yes he was reluctant, (Acts 9:13-14) most of us would also be, some of us would refuse because of fear, but he trusted God and went.

Paul spent 3 years in the desert of Arabia (Gal. 1:18). The Bible does not tell us what he did there. We do know that when he returned he had become the greatest preacher of Christ. Paul waited on the Lord. Many scholars believe that in the desert, Paul learned from The Holy spirit. He could only learn if he waited on the Lord.

The type of faith that this require is not some super faith. It takes a willingness to take the time to listen. We all have the ability to do so. Even if there are days when you hear nothing. Remember Paul waited 3 days, then 3 years. The number 3 is very important to us all. Jesus ministry on earth, his burial time all are 3 something. So we should not expect God to answer on our terms. It maybe 3 seconds, 3 minutes, or 3 days, our part is to wait and listen.

God's intentions

The Lord sends people our way that are in need of help both spiritually and other needs. Our country has always responded to those in need. This happens because we, even nonbelievers, have Christian values. This is also, I believe, one of the reasons God has blessed this country. He has given to us so we can give to others.

I also believe God puts us into places that we can help the other animals in His Kingdom. I live in the same house as my sister Supernatural Christian. The back yard joins a woods that is part of a city park, and is near a river. It is an unfortunate fact that people dump animals. This past weekend a stray dog appeared, that looked like a Pitbull mix. Sunday after church she had made herself at home on the porch. She is actually a very friendly, loving dog. We made calls and found a place that will not put her down, this was important to us. She is a really good dog. We now pray for a nice home for her.

My sister says this is not the first time this has happened. I believe God directs these animals here because He knows that they will be cared for until a proper place can be found for them. They are part of Gods creation, and we were placed here to care for the world and it's animals. This was to be our job. We were to have dominion over them, until we fell. It is still our Job to care for God's creation. All of this was Gods plan. We changed it, not Him.

Every thing God created has a purpose. He looked at it and said "it is good". Some day in New Jerusalem things will be as they were intended. As God created in the beginning. A day when there will be no abandoned animals. All will live in harmony. Man and beast side by side, the lion and lamb together. What a wonderful place that will be. What an assume plan God has for us.

God's Creation

Yesterday I watched a video by Louis Giglio. His topic was how small we are when compared to the universe God made, yet He knows our name.

I have a few pictures taken from the Hubble space craft. Some of these pictures are of a galaxies That are thousands of light years across. God in all his knowledge and power just spoke all of this into being. Think of the might of God to just speak and it is so. Scientist do not know how wide the universe is, but God does. He named all the planets, stars, Galaxies, and every thing in it. Science says that the universe is still growing, maybe they just do not have a way to see the end. God has an end to it, where Heaven begins.

With all this power He still came to a small dot of a planet to save us from sin. Even our sun is a small dot in a galaxy, that is a dot in the universe. The love that he shows for us is as large as the universe. Just thing of that. Wow that makes you want to just shout praises to Him. Praise God over and over. A God so powerful He can speak the universe into being yet knows you name and loves you enough to send His only Son to died a terrible death on a cross for us. Such power, such love.

I can not understand how anyone can look at these pictures and thing this all came into being by a big bang. First if it did where did the material come from to cause the big bang? I guess it just happened also. So where did it all start? Science can't tell us, but God knows. He made it with a breath and spoken word. He spoke into being all things and breathe live into all living things.

God planned all of this to show his glory. Remember Jesus said that even the rocks would shout praises. Well the entire universe does. Yes we are only a very tiny being on a tiny planet, circling a tiny star, in the Milky Way galaxy, but The God of the universe knows us. He knows our weakness, or troubles, our needs, our joy, and our hearts. He knows you better than anyone else, even better than we know ourself. Can any logical being not believe? Only one with a harden heart.

I praise God for all his glory and the beauty he has shown us. The beauty of God shows everywhere. Look around you God love is there, in the trees, the flowers, the rivers, lakes, oceans, and the Heavens. He is Love.