Leap of Faith

There is no fear in love; but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love.  1 John 4:18

Have you ever began to step out in faith and do something or go somewhere new or make a new commitment, but the thought of actually going through with it caused you to be gripped with fear?  There have been numerous occasions during my life that I can recall being scared out of my mind about taking a leap of faith.  One of the biggest leaps of faith that any man or woman can take is marriage-it's a lifelong commitment and covenant with God.  Another huge leap of faith is becoming a parent and having children.  Making a career move with another company or taking a different position with your current organization certainly requires a leap of faith too.  

If we trust that God is He who He says He is, shouldn't we have nothing to fear?  Sure, but that's easier said than done.  Satan is the master of creating doubt in our minds so that you become fearful of trusting God and then paralyzed in our efforts to make progress or go through with something.

Our best defense is staying grounded in His Word.  There is much power in reading God's story of love and faithfulness to His people.  God's promises that He "will not fail you or forsake you" in Deuteronomy 31:6.

So the next time Satan tries to discourage you or scare you to take a leap of faith, find your strength and power in His Word.  He is good to His people and will NEVER break His promise to deliver you....

Do You Want To Know A Secret?

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29

All parents certainly have a few "secrets" that they do not share with their children.  Major holidays come to mind...the true identity of the Easter bunny and Santa Claus, to name a few. I could name several occasions where we have had to smuggle medicine into the boys’ food or drinks so that they would feel better..."Daddy, why is the milk pink?" "Yes son, I really enjoy Justin Beiber's music. Please, let's hear 'Baby' again for the one millionth time." (No sarcasm at all in the last statement!) 

The more I think about it, there are many things that we too will probably never fully understand about God...secrets, if you will.

When we fully trust God's lead in our lives, we need to allow Him to direct our every step, each and every day. If you are like me, you kind of like to know how things are going to work out, but with our Loving Father, not knowing the future and trusting Him the same are what is most important in our walk of faith.

Whenever we find ourselves anxious about the future, or worrying, we must repent and return to God. There are many things we will never know or even begin to understand, but we must put our trust into the One who does know exactly what the future holds for us.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you...For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." -Jesus Christ, Luke 6:37

About once a quarter, my company releases the sales numbers for each production team company-wide. I always find myself quietly comparing and contrasting my efforts with those of my counterparts.  In this competitive world we live in, it’s too easy to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others... 

Jesus' words from the Gospel of Luke warn us against judging and evaluating others, as it's just simply not our role.  We are destined for misery if we are always comparing ourselves with other people. 

The broken world that we live in almost turns everything into a competition of sorts.  "We may fight, but our relationship is much better than..."  "Our child won over their child for a starting spot on the team.." And so on, and so on.

We must be careful of where we seek affirmation, especially making evaluations of other people.  Our loving Father sees each one of us a unique creation; fearfully and wonderfully made.  Be open and receptive to the only affirmation that matters; our Creator and awesome God!

Give Peace A Chance

To be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Romans 8:6

A common misconception of Christian believers is that we are isolated from what's going on in the world around us.  For instance, I was recently talking to a good friend and was trying to lift their spirits with words of encouragement.  No matter what I said, there was always another excuse and much of the conversation was dominated by the typical "woe is me" talk.  Sadly, my friend wouldn't listen to  anything I said as it pertained to matters of faith...

The truth about followers of Christ is they too also experience disappointment and hurt just like everyone else.  We also face temptations on a regular basis. The biggest difference is that when our peace is disrupted with havoc and chaos, we don't stay down for long.

Believers are filled with the Spirit, so we are able to refocus our attention on the bigger picture and acknowledge the truth that our peace comes from God.

Destination Unknown

There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.  If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  John 14:2

If you are anything like me, then you like to have the details of your travel planned before you arrive at your destination.  I recall making a last-minute business trip where I did not have a hotel booked for the second night of three days of travel.  I felt pretty confident that I could find a vacant room after I arrived, but truth be known, I was a little anxious about where I was going to stay…

Far too many people live their lives out the way I recently traveled  with no idea of where they are going at the end of their life journey.  Not only is there a heaven, but Jesus is busy making preparations for our arrival.  Heaven is not some destination paradise where we will spend a quick vacation; it is actually an eternal dwelling place where we will live in joyful fellowship with our heavenly Father and heavenly family. 

Since we know Jesus Christ has gone before us to prepare a place for us to stay, we can be confident that our ‘room’ is ready and waiting!

Good Times, Bad Times

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.  1 Peter 4:12-13

Painful trails are simply a part of life.  In fact, Jesus assures us all that we will encounter trouble at some point over the course of our lives.  While we must experience some pain, God promises us that He loves us and that He will use those painful times to help us grow stronger in our walk of faith.

Trails are a lot like exercise-the more we go through them, the stronger we become.  How else can we learn to endure, grow our faith, and learn patience?  The pain we feel now is only temporary but it also provides us with an opportunity to depend on God and show our joy as we share in the sufferings like Christ.

Bad times thankfully come and go, but the development of our godly character is continuous and will last until we go to our eternal dwelling in heaven.

Whole-Hearted

"If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.  If you love me, you will obey my commandments.  Then I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see Him or know Him.  But you know Him, because He resides with you and will be in you."  -Jesus Christ, John 14:14-24

As much as I profess to love Jesus Christ, I honestly feel like I don’t give Him my ‘all’ at all times.  I could write a million daily devotionals about loving God and my outwardly projected image may seem good to others, but only God knows the true motives of my heart.

We can go to church every time the doors are open, serve in ministry, go on mission trips, feed the homeless, teach Sunday school, and say all the right ‘Christian-sounding’ words, but the truth is that unless we are obediently following God's will for our lives, we are only following Him half-heartily.

If we truly love God, we must stay grounded in His Word and obey His commands.  That last statement may sound harsh, but it's true.  Even if you are only reading one verse a day, make the time to meditate on His Word and stay faithful Him in love and allow Him to take His righteous place in your life.