Tag Archives: faith

May 29, 2013 · 7:08 AM

God Ideas

Tonight my church will host one of my favorite event that we do. We will have an outreach for the youth of our community that will draw hundreds of kids to the church. We will feed them, give away door prizes, an iPad mini and a car. The kids at the church get excited about the event and invite their friends from school. It presents them an opportunity to share their faith and to invite someone to church who they might otherwise not invite.

This event started a few years ago when our youth pastor was praying. He was seeking God on a way to impact more youth than he thought possible. While praying, he said out loud, “God, I’m going to give away a car!” After saying the words, he thought, “How am I going to get a car to give away?” He recognized it as a God idea and began to ask God to provide. He knew that God ideas require faith beyond our ability.

God took him to Habakkuk 2:2 that says, “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.” So he wrote letters to several dealerships telling them his vision of giving away a car so that many kids who wouldn’t normally go to church would come and he would have the opportunity to share Jesus with them. A local used car dealer responded and gave him a car.

It wasn’t long before a more prominent dealership responded and said that’d love to help. They said, “As long as you hold this event, we’ll give you a car to give away.” They had caught the vision and have supplied the need for several years now. It’s amazing to see how many kids this brings into our church and gives us the opportunity to plant seeds, water seeds and harvest them. It all started with a vision and a God idea.

What idea has God placed in your heart? Are you struggling while trying to figure out how to accomplish it? Let me save you some time, you can’t. If its a God idea, it will take supernatural provisioning to accomplish it. Write the vision down. Let others know about it. What God births in you is accomplished through others. He needs visionaries, dreamers, planners, financiers and doers. It takes all of us working together to bring about his plans.

Have you figured out what part of God’s plan you are? If you’re the dreamer or the vision caster, write it down so that it’s plain to others. If you’re a planner, sync up with a dreamer or a vision caster to help them create a plan for others to follow. If you’re able to help finance, ask God where He’d like you to invest in His kingdom. If you’re a doer, look around you and see where you can put your skills to use. Each of us play a part in building the kingdom. We just have to learn to work together.

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May 23, 2013 · 1:47 PM

Stepping Out of Your Boat

Sorry for the delay today. My schedule has not been cooperative. This is a repost from one of my earlier posts.

Have you been in that place where you felt like God wanted you to do something, but were unsure? Maybe you felt the timing was off or the conditions weren’t right. God often calls us to do things in His timing, not ours. If we wait for things to be just right, we will never get them done. He is looking for obedience.

In my life, when I’ve felt that tug, I have stepped out in faith at times and done what was asked. There were other times where I missed the mark and immediately felt the regret of not doing it. I let that opportunity pass me by without acting.

In Matthew 14, Peter had an opportunity to step out in faith. His opportunity shows us three things that we can do when we are asked to step out.

1. Make sure it’s God asking

In the middle of a storm, Jesus came walking to the disciples on the water to comfort them. When they saw him coming, it scared them. Peter said, “Lord, if it’s you, ask me to join you.” When the Lord told him to come, Peter did as he was told.

Life often presents opportunities for us to step out in faith. Many of us recognize them, but won’t act without checking with God first. I’m a firm believer that it is scriptural to ask God to show you if something is His will. Gideon set mats outside his tent to test if he was hearing God. If you are unsure if God is asking you to do something, ask Him to prove it.

2. He stepped out of the boat

If we wait for the right time to step out of the boat, we will never move. When Peter got out of the boat, the waves were crashing against the boat and it was raining hard. Conditions were not ideal for him to step out. God doesn’t wait for things to be perfect to ask us to step out. It’s when we are in a storm or someone else is that we are asked to step out of the familiar and into the unknown.

A minute before Peter stepped out, he wasn’t even sure that it was Jesus who was asking. As a seasoned fisherman, he knew that his survival rate was minimal if he wasn’t able to walk on water. He took the step anyway. If your faith doesn’t defeat your logic, you will never get out of the boat. There were 11 others in the boat who listened to fear and logic. They will never know what it’s like to walk on water.

3. Stepping out doesn’t mean things will go perfectly

After getting completely out of the boat, Peter began to sink. Even in our greatest acts of faith, we still run the risk of failure. It is not one step Jesus asked Peter to make. It was multiple. Getting out of the boat was step one. We have to understand that while taking that first step is important, it’s not the last step of faith you are to make.

When Peter began to sink, he knew what to do. He called out for Jesus to help him. Jesus reached down and lifted him up. If you are sinking on step two wondering what is going on, call out for help. Jesus is there waiting to help you accomplish what He asked you to do.

What is it that God is asking you to do? If you can accomplish it on your own will and strength, it is not an act of faith. What is keeping you in the boat? Don’t let fear and logic keep you in the boat. First, make sure it is what God has asked you to do, then step out in faith.

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May 21, 2013 · 9:07 AM

An Uncontrollable Fire

There are some lyrics to a song we sing at church that keep burning inside me. They say, “Set a fire down in my soul that I can’t contain and I can’t control. I want more of you, God.” We had sang that song at church many times before, but on a balcony in Haiti, it became my prayer. As we were having a time of worship in Gonaives, we sang that song and I started listening to the words. I began to internalize what they meant. I began to sing the song with more of a passion than a compulsion.

What does that look like to have a fire set in your soul? What does that feel like to have it burn without being able to control it? What would happen to me if I truly wanted more of God in my life? Do I really, truly want that and what is the cost? We sing songs and read scriptures a lot without giving much thought to the words we are saying or reading. We rarely dig down deep and plant those words in our heart and mind.

A fire that burns uncontrollably takes out what it wants whereas a controlled burn only takes out what I want. Have I given God real control in my life to take out the things He wants to or do I have protected areas that I’ve not let Him touch because I’ve tried the control burn method? If I truly believe that my life is not my own, why do I try to control what God can and cannot do in my life? Why do I fight to keep the things I want instead of taking the things I need from Him?

It’s a struggle that many of us fight. We want to be used by God. We want to give Him our lives. We want to trust Him. Our actions show differently though. Our mouths say one thing, but our actions show something completely different. I don’t want that. I’m not content with that. I can’t be, not if I’m praying that He will set a fire in my soul. Not if I’m willing to let that fire burn out of my control. Not if I want more of Him. Not if He wants more of me.

God gives Himself to us to the extent that we allow room for Him. Too many Christians are like the inn keeper in Bethlehem. They have no room for Him, but they want Him, so they put Him in the stable of their lives. He doesn’t just want to be in your stable. He wants the entire inn of your life. He wants to come into every room you have locked up. He wants to fill you up, but He will go where you put Him. Are you only offering Him a room in the stable?

For me, I want more of Him than I have today. I want to give Him the keys to my inn. I want to kick out the guests of control, security, lack of faith and fear. I want to give Him those rooms in my life too. I want Him to set a fire in my life to burn the things He wants to burn. I want Him to use that fire to purify me, to cleanse me and to make me who He wants me to be. Will it hurt? Probably. Will it be easy to do? No. Will it be worth it? Absolutely!

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May 16, 2013 · 8:11 AM

A Deeper Answer

Yesterday at work I asked a question to a group of people. A lady answered, but it was only a surface level answer. I prodded her for more to think about what I was asking. I asked her to give me a deeper answer. She sat there with a blank stare for a minute. I offered the question in a different way, but still letting her know I was expecting her to answer. She gave me a “What are you doing” look. I explained, “I’m asking for more from you because what we’re currently doing is not working. If we are to change our results, we have to change how we think and approach the problem.”

I’m kind of in that place right now where God is asking for more from me. I’m the one sitting on the other side of the table with that blank stare saying, “What do you mean ‘more’?” It’s uncomfortable to sit here and not have the answer. To know that somewhere inside me lies the answer and not know how to get it can be disturbing. Knowing that God is waiting makes the situation even more intense.

I wonder if that’s how Peter felt when they were sitting on the shore of Galilee and Jesus asked him, “Do you love me?” Peter answered, “Yes. You know that I love you.” Jesus responded, “Feed my sheep.” He turned around and asked Peter the same question. I imagine Peter sitting there thinking, “Is He joking? Is this déjà vu?” He amused Jesus by answering a second time exactly as he had the first. Jesus wasn’t content with that. He wanted more. “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that He asked him a third time, and again said yes.

There have been many sermons regarding this and I’m not about to preach another one to you. I just want to stop and look at the emotions of what was happening. Jesus was pushing Peter beyond a surface level love. He was ensuring Peter knew in His heart that he loved Jesus because He was about to ask for more. What Peter had done in the past was not going to be good enough for what he was going to do in the future.

If you skip down a couple of verses to John 21:19, Jesus did something I hadn’t noticed. He again called Peter to follow Him. Peter had been called three years earlier to follow Jesus, but this call was different. This “follow me” was into a deeper relationship. One where Peter would be given the responsibility of raising up the early church and leading thousands to Christ. The dynamic of their relationship just changed in that exchange.

That’s where I am right now. Where are you? What is God asking of you? Are you giving Him a surface level answer when He is calling for a deeper more meaningful answer? Are you scared of what “more” means? Me too, but I won’t let that fear keep me from answering His call. I won’t continue to give the answer I’ve always given. I don’t know the answer yet, but I’m willing to follow Him into that deeper commitment until I do.

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May 15, 2013 · 7:59 AM

Participating in the Impossible

I had some extra time before dinner yesterday, so I went down to the bay side in Pensacola. I climbed over some rocks so I could get away from the road, people and noise to be close to the water. As I sat there, I decided I wanted to read some scripture of when Jesus was by the water. I went straight to John 6 where Jesus was on a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee. There were thousands around Him hanging on His every word. It was evening and the people were hungry, much like it was for me.

Jesus asked one of the disciples where they could buy food for so many people. Andrew came over and said, “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with such a huge crowd?” He had everyone sit down, blessed the bread and gave it to the disciples to distribute. Later He had them go pick up the leftovers.

I know you’ve heard this story a thousand times. I have too. As I was reading, I started thinking about how He made the disciples distribute and pick it up. Jesus had the ability to perform the miracle by Himself, but He involved the disciples. I wonder what went through their minds as He said, “Go give this to the people.” That wasn’t enough food for the disciples, let alone thousands of people.

I believe their obedience activated the miracle. It’s Just like the widow who used her last bit of oil to make bread for Elijah. It was her obedience that activated that miracle. When she poured out the oil to make him bread, there was more in the bottle for her and her son. Another instance was when a widow approached Elisha for help with her debts. He told her to borrow as many jugs as she could, fill them up with what little oil she had, sell the oil and then pay her debts.

God does not need us to perform miracles, but He chooses to allow us to participate. Our acts of faith allow us to be a part of His plan. When He asks us to do the Impossible, He’s really looking to see if we’re willing to believe or are we going to question. The disciples took the food from Him and started distributing it. I imagine as they went from person to person, their grin and their faith got bigger.

Then Jesus went a step further and asked them to pick up the left overs. They went from not having enough to feed twelve to feeding thousands and having leftovers. Our God does exceedingly more, above and beyond all we can ask or think. He has the ability to meet the needs you face today. He has the desire to do more than you can even imagine. Do you have the faith to believe? Do you have the courage to step out in faith to participate in the impossible?

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May 13, 2013 · 8:12 AM

Death of a Dream

Yesterday at church, we did something that we haven’t done since I was a kid. We had people share their testimonies. It wasn’t like it was back then either. I remember as a child sitting on the pew as people would get up and share what The Lord had done in their lives. This wasn’t quite like that. This was a pre planned time of testimonies built into the sermon that went along with it. I thought it was very good.

The sermon was about people in the Bible who’s dreams were crushed, changed or died. We can relate because we’ve all had dreams in our lives that have met similar fates. It’s hard not to get discouraged when that happens. We often think we’re the only one who has dealt with the death of a dream. We feel alone and isolated. Defeated.

That’s where I think testimonies are the biggest help. It shows people in the church that there are others like them who have gone through something similar. It builds a point of connection. It shows that the church isn’t full of people who have it all together. It shows we’re human. It also helps us to overcome. Yes, overcome. Scripture says that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. It’s when others hear what God has done for us that they can become encouraged to keep fighting.

Yesterday, I heard stories of parents who raised their kids in church and how they have quit going. In tears, these parents poured their hearts out to the congregation telling them the struggles they faced during those times. Some had returned while others had not. After reaching the point in believing the dream was dead, God revived the dream and there is hope again.

Another shared of the struggles of expecting to be married by a certain age. They shared about their feelings of worthlessness and that no one wanted them. They shared that they had to let their dream of what they wanted for their life to die, so that God could show them His dream. When we release our dreams and embrace His dreams, we don’t have those feelings of worthlessness and failure anymore. We learn to depend on Him for our sense of worth and not what someone else says or does.

I got to share my own dreams that died. Dreams of a picture perfect life where I had it all. I was poised for a comfortable life and had laid the foundation for a bright future for myself and my family when suddenly it was all taken from me. I shared how there was no hope, no joy and no future. But God, in His mercy, came and met me in that dark place and replanted a dream in me of who He wanted me to become. He gave me hope and restored my joy. I came back from the brink of suicide and murder to a place where He can use me.

Where are you? What dreams have died in your life that you are holding against God? It’s time to let go of them so you can embrace His dream for your life. We can become bitter when we look at Jesus like Mary, the sister of Lazarus, and say, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother (my dream) would not have died.” It’s when we release those broken, crushed and dead dreams that God can plant a new one in you. It will be greater than the dream you had before. When you look back, you will be thankful he let that dream die because the new one is so much better. I can say that with confidence because I’m there right now.

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May 9, 2013 · 7:12 AM

You Are Not Forgotten

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I was talking to a friend last night at church about how he was doing since returning from our trip to Haiti. He, like many of us who went, has had a hard time readjusting to life here. He said, “In the first few days back, I kept trying to process the poverty and devastation that I saw there. It was overloading my mind and I couldn’t take it. I finally had to quit trying to process how people just like you and me live in that devastation and still get up, get dressed in a shirt and tie and go to work.”

He’s right. I’ve been to a lot of third world countries and seen poverty. Haiti was somehow different. I don’t know if it was the worst I’ve seen or that it just seemed like the worst because most people there seemed to have no hope. The unemployment rate is above 50% and the ones that do have jobs only make between $2 and $5 a day. Most of us make more in an hour than they will all week.

With hopelessness comes the thought that God has forgotten you. People here experience that. I know I have. You probably have to at some point in your life. If you are there right now, you’re not alone. Not everyone has been in your exact circumstance, but plenty have felt that they’ve been forsaken by God. Jesus felt that way too. When He was hanging on the cross, he cried out, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?”

I’ve never given much thought to Him saying that on the cross because I knew what was going to happen 3 days later. He wasn’t forsaken and neither are you. He had to go through that so that He could identify with us when we feel forsaken. I Peter 4:1 says, “Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like Him.” He knows what it’s like to think you’re alone in this world and to even be forgotten by God.

Since He knows what you’re feeling, He won’t leave you in that place. What I learned in my own life is that had I not gone through that time of thinking He had forgotten me, I couldn’t fully rely on Him now. Psalm 139:7 tells us that there is no where on this earth that we can go to get away from God’s presence. Even if you can’t feel or see God, He’s there with you in that dark place. He has not forgotten you. He has not forsaken you. Rest in the hope that He will bring you out of that valley and bring you into His marvelous light. He did it for Jesus. He did it for me. He will do it for you.

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May 6, 2013 · 7:51 AM

The Paradox of Christianity

One of the great paradoxes of Christianity is that we’re to learn to be satisfied with what we have, but not with where we are. Our human nature wants that to be backwards. We like to have the comfort of routine, but are never satisfied with what we have. I’m in that awkward state of making the switch from my human nature to what God wants. I’m learning to be satisfied with what I have, but not where I am. There’s this uncomfortableness inside that says, “There’s another level to go to.”

I think that’s where Abraham’s journey started. God told him, “Get up and go to a land that I will show you.” I’m sure he loved the comfort of where he was. He had everything he needed. He knew the land and the people. But that’s not what God had for him. He asked him to move away from those things that held him down. He challenged him to pick up his roots and to move.

It had to be confusing too. Where was he going? What land was he going to be shown? How long would it take to get there? Would he ever be coming back? When God makes you uncomfortable with where you are, He doesn’t always answer those questions. He expects you to trust Him and His plan. If we knew the details, we’d probably try to alter the plan. I know I would.

So where does that faith come from that allows you to just pick everything up and move? How do you spiritually pack up and move to a deeper walk with Him that requires more than you think you have to give? I don’t know how to get there, but I do know that it starts with just one step. One act of obedience. One decision to make a change. It’s not the easiest thing to do. I think that’s why so many Christians wander in the wilderness and rarely make it to the promised land that God has for them.

Our fears and doubts keep us from experiencing all that God has. Our logic wants to see the whole path. Our faith doesn’t need to see it. We get to choose which of the two we listen to. When spying on the Promised Land, Caleb and Joshua chose to believe their faith. The other spies chose to believe their logic. Because of their choice, an entire generation was kept out of where God wanted them.

So what’s my choice? What’s your choice? Do we continue to go with logic that says we should stay where it’s comfortable and where we feel secure? Or do we go with faith that tells us there is more and is making us uncomfortable in this place? That’s the beauty of who God is, He gives us that choice. He allows us to decide whether we pack our things and walk by faith or stay in the wilderness and camp where it’s comfortable.

As for me, I’m going to pack my bags, pull up my tent stakes and start walking. I don’t know where the path is heading. I just know that I can’t stay here in this place. I’m being drawn into a deeper commitment, a deeper relationship and a deeper walk with God. He is making me too uncomfortable with where I am. He is pushing me out of this place that I’m in. I don’t know where He is leaving yet, but I choose to go with my faith instead of my sight.

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May 3, 2013 · 7:39 AM

How Many Nets Are You Casting?

Yesterday I mentioned a pastor who left the Philippines 18 years ago to work in Haiti. He’s only left Haiti a handful of times in those years to return home. In Haiti, he runs an orphanage, a school for def girls, a bakery, a bottled water facility, a feeding center for poor children, a church and more that I can’t think of right now. One of the people with us asked him, “Aren’t you wearing yourself too thin to be effective?” His response was, “I was called the be a fisher of men. The more nets I cast, the greater chance I have of catching.”

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The truth is that each of us are called to be fishers of men. We all have different streams, ponds, lakes, seas and oceans to fish in. His response is still resonating in my mind. Have I only cast one net? Worse yet, have I only cast a line instead of a net? When I think about all he is doing for the Kingdom, I think he is a less famous Mother Theresa. He is doing quiet work for the Kingdom to the least of these. He’s not seeking recognition from man. He’s seeking honor from God.

I started to compare how little I do for the Kingdom with what he does, but God stopped me. Im not to compare myself to others. I’m to compare myself to what God has specifically called me to do. If I’m to be a fisher of men in a stream instead of an ocean, I’m called to be faithful to that place. My role in the Kingdom is just as vital as that of someone who was given an ocean to fish. God is looking for obedience to that which He has called only me to do.

I can, however, adopt Pastor Gnada’s mindset in my calling. I can cast nets instead of a net. I can expand my ability to reach my territory and increase my odds of being more effective by how I approach what God has called me to do. I think that starts with a recognition that I can do more. Once that happens, I begin to look at what I’m doing currently and how I’m doing it. Are there more effective ways? What other nets can I cast? What am I doing that’s working and not working?

When we ask ourselves the hard questions, we see how our ministry and testimony can be more effective. We see growth in our lives and in our faith. Too often we ignore the hard questions and tell ourselves that we’re doing enough just so we don’t have to do more. I know because I do it. I constantly try to find ways to justify standing still in my faith and ministry. God has not called us to be stagnant. He has called us to advance. He has called us to love.

Pastor Gnada has great love for the people of Haiti. It’s what drives him to do more each day and to not be satisfied and to say he’s done enough. May each of us catch a glimpse of that kind of love for others around us so that it compels us to do more than we’re doing today. Mother Theresa said, “We can’t all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Wherever and whatever God has called you to do, be satisfied with it and do it with great love. When you’re faithful over that, He can take you to the next level.

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May 2, 2013 · 7:32 AM

Counting the Cost

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I saw a headline yesterday from the USA Today that said the average cost to feed a family of four. I had never really paid attention to anything like that before. In March of 2013 for a family being very thrifty, the cost was $146.40. For that same family, if they were on a liberal plan, the cost would be $289.40. Those prices are for a week of food to feed four people. What I saw in Haiti was completely different.

I mentioned before that we went to a feeding center in Roboto, Gonaives, Haiti. One of our partners runs that feeding center. There are about 150 children who come there six days a week for what may be the only meal they get for the day. It’s not an extravagant meal. It’s rice with some beans on top and it’s warm. We asked Pastor Gnada how much it cost to feed those children each day. He said, “It costs about $30.” That’s $180 a week to feed 150 malnourished kids. Just barely above what a thrifty family of four pays here.

I realize that costs here are way different than there. I’m not making the argument that we should be more thrifty or we need to feel bad about the blessings God has given us. I’m thinking what if we could give a dollar a day to something like this. How many more kids could be fed? How many more could be rescued from the brink of malnutrition? The missionary that took us to this site pointed out the orange in a few kids hair. He told us that orange hair is a marker for malnutrition. He also pointed out that it was now on the tips of their hair and not at the root.

As these kids came and ate regularly, their bodies got the nutrition they needed and normal hair began to grow. Where there was once starvation for kids living in the poorest area of Gonaives, now they were not only receiving physical food, but spiritual food as well. Before the kids eat each day, the Gospel is shared with them, songs are sung with them, games are played and a prayer is given. I believe that since that center has opened, the signs of spiritual malnutrition are going away.

I was talking to a pastor friend of mine who went with us and runs a church in our inner city. I asked her what her thoughts were about the feeding center. She said, “You know, Chris, we spend so much time and effort in the church trying to get a program ‘right’ before we launch it. We disregard all the good we can do while we argue over how to make it work. This is simple and effective. The things we do don’t have to be complicated. We just need to start them and make them better as we go.” I couldn’t agree more.

What has God asked you to do? What excuses have you given to prevent starting it? While we try to get things right and to make it a success from the get go, people are starving spiritually all around us. If God said, “Do it,” then it’s time to do it. If you wait until it’s perfect and fool proof, it will never begin and you’ll miss so many opportunities. Today is the day of salvation. Begin the steps of putting into motion what God has called you to do. Don’t delay.

If you’d like to give to the organization that feeds these kids and houses the orphans we visited, you can go to www.coreluv.org/donate

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