Tag Archives: Faith

genesis 22: tested (and Eva Love)

“After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

The proving grounds of faith are no comfort zone. They are not the green pasture and still water places. The testing pushes and pulls at our soul, demands we hand over what we call ours, what we’ve fought for and waited for.

Even what was promised to us.

It isn’t hard to make our offering to God when there is no pain in the offering. But often these proving grounds are also killing fields and the things that we must offer up there are painfully costly. There is only one way things get handed over in that place.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac…” (Hebrews 11:17)

Our obedience to the testing of our faith will reveal the boundaries of our faith. And maybe that’s the point of the testing.

“Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Matthew 19:21-22

He wanted eternal life, and he followed the ten commandments, so Jesus told him to get rid of his money. That was the boundary line. He had faith enough to follow the rules, but it did not extend to giving up what meant the most to him. Instead, he walked away.

  • We will not willingly surrender what we believe is ours, not God’s.
  • We will not give what means the most to us if we do not trust the character of God.

There is a family that is deep in the proving grounds of faith. Their daughter is Eva Love and here is a quote from her dad, Dugan Sherbondy:

” In addition to surrendering my daughter, I’m also now surrendering my expectations or desire to control what happens. It’s amazing how much effort it’s requiring to intentionally wait like this. It’s like I have to take a thousand purposeful Sabbaths each day to ensure I’m quieting my spirit and casting my cares upon Jesus.”

This family is publicly living their pain. They have invited all of us to journey with them, to watch them walk through the most painful place they’ve ever been, and see what a faith that surrenders what is most precious looks like. Please join believers around the world as we continue to wait and pray and believe God for Eva’s complete healing!

Visit Dugan Sherbondy’s FB Page

genesis 12: trust

We have to put ourselves in a place called Haran, which is now in ruins in Turkey. We have to stand with a man named Abram and hear God tell him to go. To leave his home, his father, leave what is familiar and go to what is unknown.

Now pretend that God has told you to go. Pack up, leave what you’ve known and go to, literally, God only knows where. Would you do it? Right now, would you do it? Leave your home, parents, friends? Or would you have to think about it, turning that command over and over in your hands, looking for some other meaning to the word ‘go’?

I know. We’re all saying something like, “if God told me to go, I’d go!” aren’t we?

But let’s look at some of the things God has already told us:

Do not worry. Do not be afraid. Do not be anxious. Give generously to those in need. Lay down your lives for others. Die to yourself.

So do we still insist that if God told us to go, to leave all that we know and go somewhere unknown we would do it? We can’t even do what He has already told us to do that doesn’t require nearly the level of faith that it required for Abraham to obey the call of God.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:8-10)

Abraham could have obeyed out of fear. He could have obeyed out of a sense of duty. But one of the reasons that Abraham is held out to us as an example is because of those two little words – “by faith”.

For the sake of my point today, I want to change out the word faith for trust. For faith to fully be faith, trust must be present. But we so often equate faith with believing in God that we don’t always see our lack of faith in certain areas. But if we call it trust, it sort of stands out like flies on rice. I’ll show you.

Because I fully trust God:

  • I do not worry about anything.
  • I do not live in fear.
  • I am not anxious.
  • I freely give out of all of my resources, including my money and my time.

Because I trust God, I love my enemies and pray for them. Because I trust God, I willingly serve others, put others first, and consider others above myself. Because I trust God, I will lay down my life for His sake and for the sake of His Kingdom. Because I trust God, I will leave everything to go.

For most of us, very few of those statements are actually true. We want them to be true, wish they were true, and would probably never admit to others that they aren’t true. But they aren’t.

We must lay aside whatever keeps us from fully trusting God’s goodness, His ways, and His heart. We cannot continue to compare Him to man, keeping our guard up, watching and waiting for Him to betray us. We can’t continue to trust Him for salvation, but not for financial provision or employment, or a spouse. We trust Him to save us but we struggle to trust His sovereignty over all things.

We trust the blood of Jesus, but not the heart of the Father who sent Him to shed that blood on our behalf.

Questions:

  • How honest am I with myself regarding my trust in God? Am I willing to admit that I do not fully trust Him in certain areas?
  • Do I actually trust that His plan for me is good, or am I working my own plan, just in case?
  • Do I trust God’s heart for me, or am I just agreeing with what other people say?

I urge us into the Word of God to know the One who is utterly trustworthy.

genesis 7: faith

It was in Noah’s 600th year, in the 2nd month, on the 17th day. God knows precisely when He began the flooding of the earth in order to eradicate the wickedness that permeated it. It was the exact same day that He saved the one speck of righteousness that existed on the earth – Noah. Interestingly, it never states that Noah’s sons, wife, or daughters-in-law were righteous. It only tells us that Noah found favor, Noah walked with God, Noah was righteous. Yet his entire family was saved from the flood. Reminds me of this:

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

{Maybe today you needed to hear that God likes to save whole families. Maybe you needed to hear that God’s timing is precise. Maybe you needed encouragement to continue to pray, continue to believe God for your family.}

But that’s not all that caught my eye in this chapter.

Noah did all that God commanded. All. Not most. Not some. All. But these were not just obedient actions. Listen to Hebrews 11:7:

“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.“

Noah’s obedience came through faith. He believed God would do what He said He would do. He most likely did not understand exactly what that would look like, but He believed it would happen. He trusted God to keep His Word.

People with a religious spirit will often follow the rules out of trust in the rules, not the rule giver. Rules provide order and some measure of control and even superiority to the one who religiously follows them, but the people who follow the rules apart from faith are not the ones who are commended in scripture.

Rules are necessary, and obedience is good. But God will always want to take us below the surface of our obedience so we can discover why we are obeying, and where faith comes into it. For instance, the story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:

“And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

The man kept the commands until his obedience required Him to trust God by giving away what he actually trusted. His money. His obedience to the commandments came from his own ability to follow rules. But as in all things, God is looking for faith. From the beginning to the end, it will always be about faith. We enter salvation through faith, not obedience to rules. We can obey every rule written in the scriptures, every commandment given by God – (which we can’t, but for argument’s sake, let’s say we could) but if we do not obey the gospel, we will still be lost, and the gospel is obeyed solely by faith.

By faith, we all have to give up what we’ve been trusting in, and trust God alone.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God…” – Hebrews 11:6

No matter how many rules we follow.

let’s raise a sword to father’s day

Sunday morning. Quiet house. Pondering these two sentences:

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” (John 6:44)

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

I can’t get to Jesus unless the Father draws me to Him, and I can’t get to the Father unless I come to Jesus first. Of all of the spiritual truths, this one is the great tenderizer of my heart.

God built a cross and put His Son on it because of the sin that separated us. Then He chased me down by drawing me to Jesus so that Jesus could make things right between me and my Father. Everything that was done was done because my Father wanted me with Him. I will never get over that. Ever.

And I grieve because of how many Christians find no rest in the truth. So many are still trying to win God’s approval, still trying to prove themselves worthy. Keeping Him at a distance, trying to figure out if He can be trusted.

And that is why the Word of God is a sword.

On this day especially, when fathers are being celebrated, many of you have a bitter taste in your mouth that has made its way to your heart, because not all earthly fathers are good. Sad fact of a fallen world: good parenting is hard to do and some just couldn’t do it and it turned children into victims, and the enemy knows an opportunity when he sees one.

So here’s a question: How is the enemy using that bitter taste in you to his advantage?

Maybe it’s keeping you from forgiving, which makes it hard to receive forgiveness. Maybe it’s protecting a victim mentality that makes everyone around you suspect of trying to hurt you. Every slight, real or imagined, sends you into a tailspin. It’s possible that your bitterness is being used to force you into a continual cycle of trying to get approval from others and then crashing into depression because you just can’t get enough approval to make something in you feel better. Maybe you punish yourself because you weren’t worthy to be loved well by your father. Maybe you’re just angry. Like, all the time. Those are all fallouts from trauma, but honestly? I don’t think any of that is your enemy’s actual goal.

His perfect outcome is to draw a straight line from your earthly father to God.

I believe he could care less how you feel about your earthly dad, just as long as your relationship with God suffers because you have used your earthly father to judge your heavenly Father. But here is the truth that the enemy will never whisper to your heart:

There is only One who is the exact representation of the Father and His name is Jesus. He is the only One who can walk that straight line to God. Every other single person on this earth has to go through the cross.

Today, of all days, calls for a sword. Truth to break lies that are so dang strong. Love that will conquer a heart that’s been hurt. A heavenly perspective that will change how we see a fallen world with fallen people.

Truth can help us choose forgiveness, choose to move on, choose to let go. The Word of God can tear down the lies that keep us imprisoned in our childhoods (and our adulthoods), where we re-live our wounding on a regular basis.

Truth reminds us that God cannot be measured by earthly fathers; that all goodness starts with Him, not with us.

The sword of the Spirit declares with every swing that God is good and that you can trust that the whole reason He built a cross for His Son and drew you to it is because you are loved and wanted by Him.

Come Home

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.” Psalm 90:1

“The God of old is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33:27

From pages so old, Moses is whispering to us that God is our home.

I know. Home wasn’t always a good place for me either. It wasn’t always safe and mostly I couldn’t wait to leave. It was where escape became my first and strongest addiction. And then I found other so-called homes. Relationships that hurt. Marriages that hurt. Places that made me long to be free, to be anywhere but there.

I always had a roof over my head but I was always homeless.

Because true home is a safe place – physically and emotionally. A refuge. A place we don’t want to leave and when we do we can’t wait to return. It is where we feel most welcomed, most ourselves, most free. Home is where we live, not where we simply survive.

And finally, after running from every other place that called itself home for me, I ran to God. I didn’t feel safe with Him at first, because I didn’t feel safe with anyone. Trust issues don’t just disappear when you say a prayer, know what I mean? Words like “God will punish you for that” don’t just stop sounding true. I didn’t know that He is actually kind, or safe. I didn’t know that I had finally run home.

Belief doesn’t just show up in us. We choose it, because we have been given free will to do so. Everything we believe was a choice we made to believe it. For years I chose to believe that if I just hung in there, tried a little harder, my life would get better and I would end up happy. But eventually, it became clear to me that nothing was going to change and that made me sad and panicked and tired. Out of hope. And just as one king has to die for another king to take his place, one belief system has to end so that another can begin.

So one day in a hospital cafeteria I chose to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, that He died to pay the price for my sins, and I could now be forgiven and have eternal life. But honestly? The thing I most needed at that moment, the choice that was like jumping off a cliff for me, was to believe that God could change my life. If that wasn’t true, then I was a goner. So I jumped.

Some people feel most “with” God when they are in worship. For others, it’s being in nature, or maybe it’s when they are gathered with other Christians in prayer. I know a few Christians who only feel close to God when they are in church. Others have a particular spot in their home where they meet with Him. For me, there’s only ever been one place.

From that hospital cafeteria, I went back to my life, to a husband and kids and emotional wounds that wouldn’t quit. And a bible. That’s it. No church. No bible study groups or women’s ministries. Just a bible that I didn’t understand, and a need to know God. I needed to find out who He was and why He loved me. That was 30 years ago and today, the Word of God and the presence of God are the same thing to me. I am most at home when I am with Him in the scriptures. I feel safe there. Loved and free. It’s where I talk to my Father and He talks to me. It is always where I most want to be.

For Christians, life is a journey home, and doesn’t that make you think heaven? But Moses has whispered something and I can’t shake it.

God is our home. Heaven is where we finally see what home looks like.

 

{Dear believer – while the scriptures may not feel like home for you, they are where the truth is found. They are where you will come to know Him, the One you have chosen to believe. To try to follow Christ with nothing more than a sporadic or occasional glance at the Word of God will make following Him a confusing, cumbersome endeavor. Or worse, an option.}

#readyourbible

we’re made for this

The story is this: disciples were sent ahead of Jesus, in a boat. Around 3 a.m. they see someone walking on the sea toward them, and think their eyes must be tricking them. Then the Someone speaks that He is Jesus, don’t be afraid.

{When the storm is building, listen closely.  “Have courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.” Because He has promised to never leave you, so you are never, ever, in the storm alone.}

And then Peter speaks (of course, it would be Peter). “If it’s You, command me to come to You on the water”. 

{Where are the ones who want to walk on water? Where are the disciples who want to do the impossible, willing to do something that feels unsafe? Where are we?}

So Jesus said “Come”.

{Come. Lay hands on this one for healing. Come, pray for that one and share the gospel with her in the middle of the grocery store because this is where I’m calling you to step out on the water. Come, step into unknown, go where you hadn’t planned, do what feels risky, give away what you’ve saved, forgive, apologize, bend low and wash feet and turn cheek and love. Let go of what you think you’re controlling and step into what you can’t control. You see, we’re all hearing Him say “Come”. We’re all invited to step out of safe, out of comfortable, out of what makes sense. We’re all beckoned to step onto water that moves under our feet and do impossible things. Are we doing it, though? Are we hearing “Come” and are we lifting our foot over the side of our lives, daring to walk in the power of Jesus?}

Peter did. “And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus.”

{There’s something in me that cheers for Peter in that moment. Something that feels like he’s walking on water for all of us. Being brave, taking the risk, daring to go into what’s unknown, because he wants to be like Jesus.}

And then fear came. Fear always comes. “But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

{Fear sinks us every time. Afraid of what someone will think of us. What will they say to me? What if I look foolish, go broke, end up with nothing? What if it’s hard and what if I can’t do it and what if it’s dangerous and what if I get hurt? What if it changes everything and what if I can’t control what happens? What if they don’t love me back? What if I’m wrong? What if it doesn’t work? Fear comes riding in on the strong winds of ‘what if’.}

But Jesus doesn’t let us go under. “Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 

{Fear doesn’t talk to us about Jesus. It doesn’t remind us about faith. Faith says “look up”, while fear compels us to look down and look around. To see the strength of the wind and the opinions and the risk and the utter loss of control that walking on water creates. Fear diminishes faith and raises doubt. Causes us to question what we’ve heard, what we know, what we believe. Shifts us back into a safe religion where we’re calling the shots, doing what looks good, doing what stirs approval in those around us. Doing what doesn’t rock the boat. I hate fear, but sometimes I feel safer with fear than with faith.}

There are hard things to be done. There is risk and brave things waiting for our ‘yes’. The Kingdom of God must keep advancing and it is violently opposed. The winds of opposition are strong but I think we were made for strong winds. I think we’re fully equipped to withstand opposition, to do the brave thing. I believe that risk ceases to be risky when we are walking with Jesus. I believe that He inhabits His people, His Church, and nothing will stop us, no weapon will prevail against us, and defeat is not our destiny. I think we are people with greater faith than fear. I think we’re made to rock boats.

I think we’re made to walk on water. We just have to get out of the boat.

steppingoutoftheboat-754x437#letsgo #letslookatJesus #dontlookdown #wecandohardthings #betheChurch  #walkonwater #belikeJesus

(Matthew 14:25-31)

don’t be lazy

crossing-the-finish-line-4-dr-diva-verdun“Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope, so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.” Hebrews 6:11-12

We go to church every week, spend our quiet time with Jesus almost every day, attend bible study, attend all the events, and we talk about Jesus, like, all the time.  So we can skim over Paul’s warning not to become lazy, because we are, spiritually speaking, pretty. darn. busy.Continue reading “don’t be lazy”