Practical Faith

How can faith be practical as well as spiritual? When we get into our car and turn on the ignition, we have faith that the motor will start and take us to our desired location.

If we previously had trouble with our car starting, we still attempt to start the car, hoping beyond hope that the engine will turn over and the car will transport us to our destination.

This is how faith works in the spiritual realm as well. We hear the gospel story, and we realize the potential we could have in life, if our spirit was actually Born Again rather than dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1; Romans 8:10).

We put our faith in God to fill us by His Spirit, to regenerate our spirit and to save us from the penalty of our sins. This is more than blind faith, because we see the results of our belief in changes in our desires, thoughts, words and deeds.

This change is not affected by sheer will power or human determination. It is a spiritual change that has nothing to do with our body or soul (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

It is something, which God does for us. It is a walk of faith, which does not depend on our human understanding or self-effort (Proverbs 3:5-6; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Ephesians 2:8-9).

We cannot be good enough, wise enough, rich enough or powerful enough to earn our way to heaven. It is a gift from God just for us (Romans 6:23).

God's Spirit empowers us in the same way that the engine empowers the car. The power in the car energizes a dead hunk of steel into immediate life; and the Holy Spirit revives our dead spirit to live, move and have our being in Christ both now and for eternity (Acts 17:28).

Our life bears fruit for the Kingdom of God and our attitude and thoughts change from carnal to spiritual ones. The peace and joy of God flood our life.

We leave the world of dark destruction, influenced by sin and Satan's lies; and we enter the brilliant light of Christ, our ultimate Truth.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for planting our feet firmly on the Rock of Christ, so that neither temptation from the devil nor the storms of life can shake the bedrock of our foundation on Your Word and Your Spirit.

You removed the weight of sin from our shoulders by the righteousness of Christ, which You freely provide for us. Thank You for revealing to us by Your Spirit what Christ actually did for us on the cross, and how this revolutionizes how we view life and the activities we enjoy both now and in eternity.

Thought for the Day:

​​Faith in Christ impacts our daily life now, as well as determines our eternal destination; it is practical and influences the peace and joy in which we live our life.

Divine Appointments - A Missed Opportunity

Growing up as a shy melancholy, I did not change very much when I first came to Christ. I still hesitated to talk to people, for fear of rejection and ridicule. Yet, I wanted to tell others about God's divine love.

An opportunity arose a few weeks later, when a school chum pulled into the gas station just outside the window of the office where I worked. I knew my boss would not like me to take time away, and I figured my friend was also very busy. 

So I just ran outside for a moment, greeted him and told him I had some good news to tell him as soon as we could get together. He was married to my boyfriend's sister, so I did not think much time would pass before we could chat.

I ran back to my desk, excited that this would be my first opportunity to share with someone about the love and mercy of Christ in my life. A smile adorned my face for the rest of the day.

That very night…my lifelong school friend…committed suicide.

When my boyfriend gave me the news, I was devastated for his wife and their families, but more distraught because the Gospel of Christ may have saved his life both physically and spiritually, if I had only taken the time to speak to him when God gave me the opportunity.

I felt such deep remorse for days. I cried out to the Lord for forgiveness of this sin of omission. At the funeral, I cried more for my failure than I did for his family. I felt bereft and condemned by Satan's shame.

The next day at work, I stared out the window, watching the cars come and go at the gas station next door. I judged myself for my failure and felt such regret that his life ended too young, and that his eternal destiny was already set.

My failure haunted me for weeks, until I stopped rebuking myself long enough to listen to the Lord. The shame of my failure left, but in its place came a dogged determination never to miss another divine appointment to share the love and grace of the Lord.

Prayer:

Father God, Your mercy and grace to forgive our sins of commission and omission humbles us and increases our love for You. I know that You had a plan for my school friend, and he chose to end his life rather than to surrender His life to You (John 3:16-18).

Thank you for the many opportunities You continually give us to share the Good News of the Gospel of Christ with everyone You bring into our life. Help us never to hesitate from fear or human reasoning, but to step out of our flesh and into Your Spirit, and to open our mouth and allow You to fill it by Your Spirit (Psalm 81:10).

Thought for the Day:

Not everyone will accept the Gospel of Christ when we share it with them; but we take them to a crossroad in their life where they have to make a choice to accept or reject the Lord. - John 3:16-18

Living in Hope

 

When we go through some form of tribulation in our life, we panic, wondering where God is, and why He is allowing us to experience more than we can bear. Fear seeps into the depths of our soul. At times, we even cry out to God with accusations and angry words (Psalm 109:1-3). God already knows the feelings in our heart and the thoughts in our mind, so expressing our anger honestly, but respectfully, is only telling God what He already knows.

Contrary to popular teaching, God never promises to give us only the trials, which we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). However, our trials are never more than Christ in us can bear. God uses our trails for our good. They are God’s pruning shears, which allow more of His Spirit’s fruit to grow in our life (John 15:2). God also gives us trials in order to prove that our faith in His faithfulness will endure to the end of this church age (James 1:2-4). Tribulation provides us with steppingstones toward our maturity in Christ.

Satan tries to distract us from our walk with Christ by piling on the trauma and disappointments in order to sidetrack us from fulfilling God’s will for our life. He uses circumstances to divert us from the leading of God’s Spirit through each moment of our day. He attempts to arouse our anger toward God for letting us down. However, trials are actually adventures, because we hop from one undertaking to another.

Christ is our guide, and God’s Spirit as our comforter (John 14:26). In fact, we find that we can actually bear all things through Christ, because He dwells in us (Philippians 4:13). God also uses tribulation to produce determination and perseverance in our character. Then, the more we persevere, the more our Godly character is proven. This gives us hope, because we feel the love of God, which is poured out into our heart by God’s Holy Spirit who dwells within us (Romans 5:3-5).

If we empty our soul of negative emotions by pouring them out in the pages of our journal, or into the ear of God, then we will be less likely to pour them out on our family, coworkers or friends. If we would only take the time to notice, we can then turn our words into songs of praise for all that God already provided for us (Psalm 109:26,30). A bed to sleep in, a blanket for warmth, water to drink, air to breathe, a body that still works and nature to enjoy are just some of His bounty, which enables us to live in hope.

Prayer:

Father God, do not allow us to lose hope, or to give up just before we reach the mark to win the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). There are so many things we take for granted that both You and our loved ones do for us each day. Instead, let us express words of appreciation and thanksgiving to You with our every waking breath. Open our eyes to see Your purposes in our trials. Use the fire of these trials to burn the dross out of our life (1 Peter 1:7). I want to pour my heart out to You, because I know you care about me (1 Peter 5:7). Teach me to trust in You at all times (Psalm 62:8).

Thought for the Day:

God’s love gives us hope, which fills our life with joy.

Friend or Foe?

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:16-20

"Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." -James 4:4

Paul’s parents educated him so well that he rose in the ranks of Roman society. Once he met Christ, however, he chose to be called a fool in the world’s eyes in order to  "be transformed by the renewing of his mind" (Romans 12:2). This restoration took determination, consistency, persevering prayer and the continual reading in God’s Word. Once Paul made the commitment, God provided abundant resources for him to succeed.

Let us also make this uncompromising pledge to God and rise above the wisdom of the world. We can cast aside the innumerable influences, which compete for our attention, and instead seek to please the One who sacrificed His life for us.

Satan plants mine fields along the road toward freedom to destroy those who do not walk vigilantly (Ephesians 5:15). Do not become a statistic in Satan’s tally. Walk in the Spirit and you will see the world's wisdom for what it truly is... foolishness.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, give me the faith and courage to stand alone. Though the world may label me a fool, I will "trust in the Lord with all of my heart and lean not on my own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). Amen.

Thought for the Day:
God's plan always requires us to be "sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).