“[God] speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past.”
Romans 4:17 (TLB) Your words have enormous power. If you’re going to become a woman or man of faith, you have to change the way you talk. You have to announce it in order to experience it. Sometimes speaking in faith appears totally foolish, arrogant, and out of touch with reality to people who don’t understand faith. Abraham knew about this. God came to Abram one day and said, “Abram, I’m going to change your name from Abram to Abraham.” Abraham means “the father of a great nation.” There was only one problem: Abraham was 99 years old, and he had no kids. He was probably ruthlessly ridiculed for his name. But God says we don’t live in the world of human reality. We live in the world of spiritual reality. When you see the world with spiritual eyes, you see it not as it is but as it can be, as it should be, and as God wants it to be. Romans 4:17 says God “speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past” (TLB). That’s called speaking in faith—you announce it in order to experience it. Yet you may hear some people say, “I just tell it like it is.” They criticize this and put that down. They can be fairly negative—because there are a lot of reasons in the world to be negative. That’s one way to do it. But there’s a better way. Instead of telling it like it is, you can tell it like it could be! Telling it like it is has never changed anybody. It only makes people defensive. For example, you could say to someone, “You’re a lousy father. You don’t spend any time with your kids because your career is more important.” But when you label someone, you reinforce it. Instead, you could say, “I see in you the potential for greatness. If you let Jesus Christ take control of your life, you won’t be perfect, but you can become a godly man of character that your kids admire.” That’s the kind of talk that motivates change! Remember—you don’t have to tell it like it is. Tell it like it could be, like it should be, like God wants it to be. Speak it in advance and in faith, and then watch how God works.
0 Comments
“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”
Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) Faith is visualizing the future. It’s believing in something before you see it. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (NLT). A lot of people say, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” God says the exact opposite is true: “You’ll see it when you first believe it.” Many things in life must be believed before they can be seen. In the 1960s, the Soviet Union sent the first cosmonaut into outer space. He circled the earth, and when he came back down, he did a press conference and said, “I searched the heavens, and I looked for God, and I did not see him anywhere. Therefore, there is no God.” The Communists, an atheistic regime, concluded, “We now have scientific proof that there is no God.” About six months later, John Glenn, an astronaut from the U.S., went into space, circled the earth three times, came back down, and held a press conference. He said, “I saw God everywhere! I saw his glory in the galaxy. I saw his splendor in the universe. I saw his majesty in the stars.” Jesus said, “Unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NLT). Before there is spiritual transformation in your life, you’re too narrow-minded to see the possibility of what God is doing in the world around you. This is true of every person. Faith comes before seeing. It is faith that causes an architect to design a building, first believing it can be done. It is faith that causes an Olympic athlete to practice and go to the Olympic trials because she believes she can win. It is faith that causes the scientist to believe that we can put a man on the moon. It is a universal principle of life: You have to believe it before you see it. When you have faith, you will see the amazing things God is doing in you, through you, and around you. “By faith [Moses] left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.”
Hebrews 11:27 (NIV) Either we live by faith or we live by fear. The Bible says of Moses in Hebrews 11:27, “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (NIV). Moses teaches us that living by faith rather than by fear is a choice. He went to the most powerful man in the world and said, “You know those slaves that are building all your pyramids? I’m taking them, and we’re all leaving. You’re not going to have slave labor anymore. Let my people go.” Moses had every reason to be afraid. He was going up against a powerful man who was considered a god, and whatever Pharaoh said, you had to do. What he said was the law. And here came Moses and declared, “We aren’t going to do what you say anymore. I’m not afraid of you because I report to a higher authority.” That took some guts! Do you want that same kind of faith in your life so you can overcome your fear? The closer you get to God, the more you’re going to be filled with faith. The further away you get from God, the more you’re going to be filled with fear. It cannot be overemphasized the importance of faith for the rest of your life. The Bible says that whatever is not of faith is sin. How many times did you sin this week? A lot. We all did. Because anything that wasn’t done in faith but was done in doubt was a sin. The Bible also says that without faith it is impossible to please God. How many times did you please God this week? Do you want something to change in your life? Instead of complaining, start believing. God is not moved by complaints. God is moved by faith, a truth we see in these words of Jesus: “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV). You get to choose what he does in your life. Here’s the key: What matters is not the size of your faith but the size of the God you put it in. A little faith in a big God gets big results! “I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.”
Isaiah 45:3 (NIV) We long to be known, and one of the first ways we are known is by our name. God says, “I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name” (Isaiah 45:3 NIV). God is personal, and he calls you by name. There is nothing more intimate than being fully known—all of your weirdness and weaknesses, what makes you laugh and cry, your fears, hopes, and dreams. No one will fully know you on earth, but God does. He’s the only one who sees through the layers of your personality to the core of your being. The God who calls you by name has hidden riches in your suffering and darkness. He can intervene in your darkness, and he will be close to you in that darkness. This should lead you to praise him. What we know about God leads us to worship. When Job lost everything that mattered to him, he worshiped because of what he knew to be true about God: “Job stood up, tore his robe in grief, and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, ‘Naked I came from my mother, and naked I will return. The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away! May the name of the Lord be praised’” (Job 1:20-21 GW). Even as Job lost everything, what he knew about God caused him to fall on his face and say, “God, I don’t know what’s going on, but I understand you’ve given and you’ve taken away, and I praise your name.” Worship itself is a treasure in the darkness. Even in pain, you can know that he is a good and loving God. He knows you by name and notices every detail of your life. He is in control. And he has a plan for your life. You must be open to the possibility that God has gold and diamonds hidden in secret places and be ready to receive and embrace these treasures as he shows them to you. Whether he intervenes or not, you can know he is the intimate, personal God who will be close as you walk through the darkness. This is how you face the darkness and find hope. “Be patient, resting your hearts on the ultimate certainty.”
James 5:8 (PHILLIPS) We’re living in strange and uncertain times. We don’t know what’s happening in the world. We get conflicting information from every source. We don’t know how long this coronavirus is going to continue spreading. We’re not sure how to make wise decisions without all the information we need. When so many things are uncertain, we can remain certain of this one truth: God is in control. “Brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord comes again. See how farmers wait for their precious crops to grow. They wait patiently for fall and spring rains. You, too, must be patient. Don’t give up hope. The Lord will soon be here. Brothers and sisters, stop complaining about each other, or you will be condemned. Realize that the judge is standing at the door” (James 5:7-9 GW). Why does James remind us several times in this passage that the Lord is coming back? Because it’s the ultimate proof that God is in control. History is God’s story. It’s not circular. There is no circle of life. History is linear, and it’s moving to a climax. God has a plan. God has a purpose. And one day Jesus is going to return. Everything is on schedule. We don’t know when he’s coming back, but the Bible talks more about Jesus’ second coming than it does about his first coming. That means it should change how we live our lives every day. We should be living with great expectation! Although the situation may seem out of control and what you’re going through may be painful, nothing is beyond God’s control. Be patient. God’s timing is perfect. He’s never late. He is in control. The J.B. Phillips translation of James 5:8 says, “Be patient, resting your hearts on the ultimate certainty.” What’s the ultimate certainty? Jesus is going to come back one day. Nothing’s going to stop that. Knowing that history is under God’s control and that Jesus has promised to return should give us all the confidence we need in uncertain times. When you feel like you can’t count on anything else, count on this: God’s got this. And Jesus will come back one day soon to make all things right and new. “I trust in you, LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands” (Psalm 31:14-15 NIV).
The opposite of fear is faith. When you fill your life with faith, fear goes out the back door. When things don’t happen on your timetable, the more you trust God, the less afraid you will be. In Mark 5:36, Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me” (TLB). This is such a big message in the Bible that the phrase “fear not” appears 365 times. God wants us to get the message that we don’t have to be afraid because we can trust his timing. Trusting God is the number one stress reliever in your life—an important truth to remember at Christmastime. The more you trust God, the more your stress is going to decrease. Another way to relieve your stress and demonstrate your trust in God is when you ask him for something in prayer. When you do, don’t try to set a time limit or deadline on God’s answer. Leave the timing up to God. To help your faith grow deeper, you need to pray a prayer like Psalm 31:14-15: “I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands” (NIV). Why not memorize that Scripture? When you get up every morning, read Psalm 31 as a prayer and tell God, “I trust you, Lord. You’re my God. My times are in your hands.” Practically, that means you probably have more to do today than you’ve got time to get done. So you ask God to help you sort it all out so that you can do what matters most and not worry about the rest. You say to him, “I surrender my schedule. I surrender my calendar. I surrender my agenda. My times are in your hand, and that means I’m not going to fear. I’m going to trust you.” “And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation” (1 Peter 1:5 NLT).
God is watching over you every moment of the day, just like a bodyguard would. Everything in life is Father-filtered — even the hard things caused by your sin or others’ sin — God can still use for his good. That means God’s power protects you: “And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation” (1 Peter 1:5 NLT). When you find yourself in a situation where you feel hopeless, helpless, or powerless — that’s all a lie. You’re not hopeless, helpless, or powerless when you have God in your life. Have you ever seen signs in front a house that says, “Protected by a security system”? Maybe we need a little sign to remind us, “Protected by God.” The word “protect” in 1 Peter 1:5 means garrison. It is a military term that refers to sending soldiers to a town in order to protect it. They garrison the town, staying there to guard it. In the same way, you are continuously guarded by God. All you have to do is, in faith, trust God is there with his protection. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24 ESV).
If I gave you a check today for a thousand dollars, would you withhold your thanks until you knew it wouldn’t bounce? Anyone who knows me would think, “This is a pretty good guy. I’m sure he has enough in his account to cover it. I’ll thank him right now.” You’d thank me before you received the cash—and then you’d take the check to the bank. God’s promises are better than any of our promises. Before we even receive what he has promised, we can say, “Thank you, God, that what you said is going to happen, will happen.” There’s a great example of this in God’s “Hall of Fame” in Hebrews 11. Remember how Joshua led the Israelites around Jericho, where the walls fell down? How did they fall down? Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days” (NIV). The people of Israel were going into the Promised Land, where the powerful city of Jericho was located. God promised he was going to let the Israelites into the city and then gave them his plan: “I want you to go and march around Jericho for seven days. Then on the seventh day, I want you to march around the city seven times, thanking me for the victory that’s going to come.” And when they did that, the walls just fell. God did what he’d promised! You may have thought, “What if I’d been one of those people marching around the walls for seven days?” Some of them must have been looking at the walls, getting more and more worried and wondering how God could ever bring the walls down. But a lot of those people had faith instead. And every day they looked at the wall and thought about what God could do and thanked him in advance. This is the kind of life that God wants you to live, the thanking-God-in-advance kind of life. Jesus talked about it in Mark 11:24: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (ESV). When you ask God for something, if you don’t believe, why even ask? It’s an empty exercise. But Jesus said that if you pray and ask God for something, believe he’s going to do it. Thank him in advance for what only he can do. And then look for how he answers your prayer. “It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27 NLT).
There is a strong belief in our culture that influences every one of us, whether we want it to or not: If it feels good, do it. But when you allow yourself to be manipulated by your moods, you are living your life according to your feelings. God wants you to live a different kind of life. He wants you to live a life of faith, not a life of feelings. We don’t always feel like doing the right thing. I don’t know about you, but I don’t always feel like being nice to people. I don’t always feel like washing the dishes with my wife. I don’t always feel like stopping what I’m doing to help someone. But God wants us to respond in faith, not according to our feelings. Anybody who’s successful at anything ends up doing things they don’t feel like doing. An Olympic athlete exercises when she doesn’t feel like it. A great musician practices his craft, even when he’s tired. If you’re going to be a great salesperson, you make calls that other people don’t feel like making. If you want to deepen your relationship with God, you spend time with him even when you don’t feel like it. People who have a regular, consistent quiet time with God didn’t get there because every morning they woke up and wanted to spend time with God. They got there because they woke up and spent time reading the Bible and praying even if they were tired or didn’t feel like it. Faith includes pressing forward no matter how tired you are or how many other things you think you should or wish you could be doing. In the Bible, Moses is an example of how to respond in faith, regardless of your feelings. Hebrews 11:27 says, “It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (NLT). That’s how you keep going in faith. You begin to see the invisible. Only those who see God for who he really is can persist in the most difficult times of life. Only those who see the invisible can do the impossible. Believe in faith what God can do in your life, and thank him in advance for how he is going to it. “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials..." (1 Peter 1:6 ESV)
Do you ever have days when nothing seems to go right? There's a story about a guy whose apartment was flooded from a broken pipe in the upstairs apartment. His manager said to go rent a water vacuum, but he couldn’t—his car had a flat tire. He changed it and went inside again to phone a friend but got an electric shock from the phone. That startled him and he unintentionally ripped the phone off the wall. During that time, the water damage had jammed the door to his apartment, so a neighbor had to kick down the apartment door. While all this was going on, somebody stole the guy’s car—but it was almost out of gas. He found the car a few blocks away and had to push it to a gas station to fill up the tank. When he got back home, he discovered that four of his canaries had been crushed to death by falling plaster in his apartment. After slipping on the wet carpet and badly injuring his tailbone, this guy began to wonder if “God wanted me dead but kept missing.” Even if you’ve never had a day quite that bad, you’ve likely discovered that life is full of problems, pressures, and stresses. Did you know that the Bible says we shouldn’t be surprised by life’s problems? It says, “You are temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations. This is no accident—it happens to prove your faith” (1 Peter 1:6-7 PHILLIPS). If you are a believer, nothing comes into your life by accident. Everything is Father-filtered. The Bible doesn’t say everything’s good. But as Romans 8:28 says, “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (NLT)—even the difficulties, the irritations, and the interruptions. They all have a purpose. We don’t usually realize it when we’re in the situation and may not want to admit it afterward, but every problem has a greater purpose: God does it to prove our faith. So how does God want you to respond to difficulties? James 1:2-3 says, “Consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure” (GNT). God uses difficulties to test your faith, and you increase in faith when you rejoice continually and keep a positive attitude in spite of things not going right. When you remain grateful and positive and continue trusting God even in the middle of difficulties, your faith is stretched. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
All
Archives
July 2024
|