Tag Archives: faith

Putting our Faith in Jesus

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
Romans 3:22, NLT*

I like the NLT’s use of “made right with God”. The NIV equivalent is “righteousness,” which we can sometimes misconstrue. They really both mean the same, but this way it’s easier to see the focus on relationship with God rather than focusing on ourselves.

What caught me about this verse, though, is “placing our faith in Jesus Christ”.

This is more than intellectual belief, more than a casual agreement.

It’s an active trust, the same as we would sit in a chair or step onto a bridge. We place our faith in Jesus Christ. This suggests a few things to me:

following His way instead of living for ourselves
walking with Him each day and in each situation
relying on His leading, equipping, presence and protection
trusting Him to work things out as He chooses
trusting the goodness of His character
living to bring glory to God the Father

Holy and majestic God, there is none like You. Thank You for making a way for us to be right with You through faith in Jesus. Thank You for His death and resurrection, the most costly gift we’ve ever been offered. Thank You for the faith to believe. Help us to embrace this faith actively and fully and to let faith in Jesus change the way we live each moment, to Your glory.

∞

This week’s song is Chris Tomlin‘s “Jesus Messiah“.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

[Linked with Wednesday’s Word]

Believing the Lord

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And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.
Genesis 15:6, NLT*

Abram believed God. Sometimes it’s that simple.

By now in Abram’s journey with God, he’s seen God protect and provide for his household in amazing ways. He’s had conversations with God and recognizes God’s voice.

Here, he’s been lamenting to God that all the riches he’s acquired are hollow… he has no son to inherit them, and they’ll pass to a servant. I’m sure the man is a well-trusted servant, but still, Abram longs for a son.

He’s honest with God about his pain.

God (who’s just been accused of not providing Abram a son) says that not only will Abram have a son, he’ll have as many descendants as there are stars in the sky.

Abram knows the facts. He’s old. His wife Sarai is old. If they haven’t conceived by now, it’s not happening.

Abram knows God. What God says, God does.

And Abram knows God’s voice.

Abram believes. And that’s all God wants here: believing faith.

As the story progresses, we see that Abram isn’t perfect. He falls into Sarai’s plans to “help” God by producing an heir through her maid. But his belief never wavers. God will provide.

Holy, Creator God, Your ways are beyond our knowing. Sometimes they don’t make sense to us. But You ask us to trust You. And You’ve already proven Your trustworthiness, power and love. You speak to us in many ways through the Bible and through the Holy Spirit. Teach us to recognize Your voice, and help us to believe what You say. Your Word says so much about how You see us, what You promise us, and who You want us to be. Help us to trust and obey.

∞

This song from the band Fee reminds us of truths to hold onto: “Everything Falls.”

Rock-Solid Security

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Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion;
they will not be defeated but will endure forever.
Psalm 125:1, NLT*

Trusting God brings security. We won’t be defeated.

That’s not to say we won’t have pain and trouble, but it’s a reminder of the real battle, the long-term spiritual one.

Whatever our hard times, it’s easier to focus on the externals: the disease, rebellious child, unemployment. The things outside our control.

We’re not responsible for the externals. We’re responsible for our hearts, our focus, our faith.

Defeat is when we get our eyes off God. Victory is continuing to trust in spite of what we see, hear, feel, experience.

We can pray for healing, common sense, provision. But we also need to pray for ourselves, to remain strong in our private tests.

This is our temptation, our battle: will we continue to trust? This is where God makes a way, if we’ll only look for it.

Faithful God, You’ve promised to never leave us, and to always make a way out from under the temptations we face. You want us to stand victorious in Your strength, for Your glory and our wellbeing. Help us keep our focus on You despite whatever may go on around us. Help us plant even in tears, to do what needs doing, so we can reap with joy in Your time.

∞

Where do we look for security? Bebo Norman sings “I Will Lift My Eyes.”

Choosing to Believe God

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The people refused to enter the pleasant land,
for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.
Psalm 106:24, NLT*

The Psalmist is recapping Israel’s history, and this verse refers to the first time God brought them to the edge of the Promised Land, when they believed a frightening report of the dangers ahead instead of remembering how God had kept them safe thus far.

“They wouldn’t believe His promise to care for them.” I’m sure that’s not how they saw it. They’d probably say they were being realistic, facing facts. After all, the scouts reported giants in the land. What chance did they have?

They forgot they had God on their side. The same God who’d broken Pharaoh with plagues and destroyed his army after parting the Red Sea. The same God who’d given them water in the desert and daily bread from heaven.

The same God who disciplined them when they disobeyed or got too demanding.

They forgot. We do, too.

All-powerful and holy God, Your promises are true and Your hand is mighty to defend us. Forgive us for the times we trust our own eyes and ears instead of trusting Your word. Help us remember what You’ve revealed about Yourself, and help us choose to believe You.

∞

Jeremy Camp’s song, “Walk By Faith,” is a good reminder for us.

5 Links on Anxiety, Plus a Song

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Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. ~Philippians 4:6, CEB*

Here are some links I’ve found recently that can speak peace to anxiety:

From author Dan Walsh: Living and ‘Staying’ in Today, and The Slippery Slope of Anxious Thoughts.

From Roy Lessin at Meet Me in the Meadow: Fret-Buster 104 looks at some of the costs of anxiety.

Guest-posting at The Write Conversation, Reba J Hoffman shares 4 insights that can help us stop giving in to fear.

At A Word of Encouragement, Laura Hodges Poole talks about Life’s Dark Hallways.

And take time to listen to Peter Furler‘s song, Hold On. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIuMDI4qfXs]

When Joy is Scarce

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You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
I will praise you with songs of joy.
. . .
Because you are my helper,
I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 63:5,7 NLT*

Joy has been scarce in my heart lately, and I’ve felt more like David’s “parched and weary land.”

These two verses from Psalm 63 are my antidote, if I can let my mind and spirit truly believe them.

God satisfies. He is enough, and abundantly more than enough. That negates the joy-drain of discontent. I need to practice intentional gratitude, not just for His gifts but for who He is.

God helps. He is our ever-present helper and sustainer, and His strong hand holds us securely.

That truth eliminates anxiety, if I really believe it.

God who is all that I need, I believe. Help my unbelief. Help me realize, accept and rely on the truth of who You are and what that means in my life. Help me live confident and secure in You, aware of the many ways You satisfy and delight.

∞

God used the Newsboys’ song, “The Letter,” to challenge me about believing what He says.

*New Living Translation (NLT)Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Doing Life God’s Way

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He led me to a place of safety;
he rescued me because he delights in me.
The Lord rewarded me for doing right;
he restored me because of my innocence.
Psalm 18:19-20, NLT*

My Bible has a note that this psalm is what David sang to God in celebration, when God rescued him from King Saul. Saul had been hunting David a long time, and would have killed him to keep the throne.

God had anointed David as the new king, to replace Saul. David believed it, but he wouldn’t fight Saul and refused to kill him when the chance presented itself. As verses 21-22 say, David did it God’s way, trusted God to fulfil His promise, and would not harm “the Lord’s anointed one”. God put Saul on the throne, and David waited for God to take him off.

I think this is the “doing right” and innocence David speaks of here. Everyone sins and misses the mark of what God has for us, and I don’t think David was claiming perfection. But in the long hiding from Saul, he resisted the temptation to do it his way and waited for God.

That’s what God rewards. How we conduct ourselves on the journey is perhaps more important than reaching the end. There’s more at stake than we see with human eyes.

Sovereign God who builds up and takes down, we praise You for the plans You have for each of us, plans for a future and a hope, plans of promise. In our times of stress, help us remember to choose Your way over any short-cuts or schemes that our human nature may suggest. Help us live worthy of the Kingdom.

∞

Here’s a classic Petra song to remind us to walk by faith, “Not By Sight.”

5 Links to Rest Your Soul

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Photo credit: Janet Sketchley

Here are five posts that have spoken peace to me recently. Enjoy!

From Mary DeMuth at Live Uncaged: Free People Rest. Do You?

From Carolyn Watts at Hearing the Heartbeat: When You Wake Empty and The Only Safe Place to Start Your Week.

And from Emily Freeman at Chatting at the Sky: 5 Ways to Breathe in a Breathless World and The Kind of Faith that Changes Your Life.

Rest: 5 links and a bonus quote (janetsketchley.wordpress.com)
Anxiety (abelovedone.wordpress.com)

Words of Power

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In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:16-17, NLT*

Last week had a few not-so-fun-or-glowing days. Things weren’t going the way I wanted. Unvoiced expectations were not being met. And my lingering writer’s identity crisis flared up again.

I spent a lot of time saying “I have a good Shepherd. It’ll be okay.” And as long as I kept saying it, things weren’t so bad. Forget for very long, or go back to thinking about whatever grievance or glum thing was flavour-of-the-moment, and the gloom descended. My poor family!

Words make a huge difference, if we listen and believe them. We know that about negative comments and self-fulfilling prophecies, but sometimes we forget the positive side of our words. Not in the speak-what-you-want-and-it’ll-be-yours way, but in the remind-yourself-of-God’s-truth way.

Creator God who spoke us into being, thank You for words of truth and healing. What You speak is true. Give us faith and help us remember to use Your Word as our shield of faith and our sword to fight.

∞

The song “Everything Falls,” by Fee, helps us hold onto truth whether our struggle is life-shaking or the day-to-day “things” that wear at us.

* New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Convinced that God is Able

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[Abraham] was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.
Romans 4:21, NLT*

Abraham’s faith wasn’t passive belief. It was belief with obedience. Active faith.

Secure faith, anchored in God’s character and ability.

Sometimes the tricky part is discerning what God has promised. I’ve prayed for at least one person who was sincerely positive God had promised her physical healing … yet she died. And she knew how to listen to Him.

Then there are other times when we see something we want in Scripture and interpret it to fit our desires.

But God has given plenty of legitimate promises – in writing – that we can rely on no matter what our circumstances.

He loves us. (John 3:16)

He will cleanse and forgive us when we bring our sins to Him. (1 John 1:9)

He will always be with us. (Matthew 28:20)

He will give wisdom when we ask. (James 1:5)

He’s our source of mercy and grace in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

And many more. These are things we can be fully convinced God can and will do. Remembering and relying on His promises changes how we react to our circumstances and lets us walk in victory instead of defeat.

God who is our Refuge, our Strong Tower, we would be nothing without You. You created us, You save us, and You sustain us. We believe; help our unbelief. Help us grow in faith to become fully confident like Abraham that You can – and You will – do all that You’ve promised, in Your way and in Your time.

∞

FFH sings “God of the Promise”.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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