Unwavering Faith

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

1 John 1:1-4

We truly are navigating this fallen world by faith. Only a few were called to be at the feet of Jesus, to touch Him, to talk face to face with Him. And these people are what today’s church is built upon. Our faith is based off of the testimony of these disciples and with the Holy Spirit, who is with us today. It’s difficult to push through our understanding and base everything on the testimony of these men. We can search and search, going through tons of theology and speaking to others but what it comes down to is what do I choose to believe. It’s what we choose to believe because we are always going to find evidence to support our beliefs. So the question is why do you believe what you believe? Was it a touch from God? Was it because you felt like you belonged? Was it because of the church community? Our faith isn’t supposed to be based off of how much we know about the bible. Our faith is based off of just knowing… this is done by a touch from the Holy Spirit. Just like some adopted children just senses or knows who their biological parents are. Or how identical twins just know when something has happened to their twin. Like them, we just know. The devil will try to steal this away from us but we must stand firm in His word. We need to put on our armor and go into battle with what we are equipped with.

Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with a friend that is still searching. He knows a lot of details about the bible to make a case against the literal interpretations (as opposed to stories to make a point). I have to admit I was a bit caught off guard. I could see his point from a logical point but also from a much grander point. I was driving this morning and looked at a car. I thought to myself, I understand the basic mechanics and principles behind combustion & physics to see how it’s running. But if I poked deeper and looked into the electronics and some of the finer details I don’t understand it at all. Does this mean that it’s not real? That it can’t be because I don’t understand it? The fact is that it’s real regardless of my understanding of it. It's the same thing about people dissecting our faith. They can point out all the inconsistencies but there’s always an answer even though we don’t know it yet. I believe it’s healthy to keep searching and digging into the bible to understand and see God’s truth but our faith must be unwavering and built on solid foundation.

Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing me to see what I can see… and for withholding things I cannot understand or may misuse. Help me LORD to always be grounded in faith and understanding. Please grant me the discernment to know where You are so that I can always follow no matter how big the storm. I ask this for all my brothers and sisters; especially for those lost sheep. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen!

Sharing Forgiveness

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

John 20:21-23

If someone close to us were to die and be resurrected before us, wouldn't we be very interested in what they had to say? The scripture above is one of the first things Jesus had to say to His beloved disciples; this meant something of great value. I also took notice of the “!” in the first line; He must’ve been so excited to see His disciples or really needed them to pay close attention. I’m sure some people there were really shaken and distraught so maybe He was comforting them with His peace.

The two important pieces of scripture here is how Jesus is sending us into the harvest and about forgiveness. The thing Jesus was focused on while in this world is what we need to do: spread the gospel and make disciples throughout the nations. God sent the Holy Spirit to show us how to do this; each of us uniquely chosen. But we won’t be able to do this without the second part, forgiveness.

I’m a little confused about”… if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” It almost supports the catholic view that people must come to a confessional and allow the priest to forgive them. Isn’t it enough to stand before God and ask for forgiveness? Yes, but how would they know that without understanding repentance? How would they know repentance without knowing God’s word? How will they know God’s word without a messenger filled with th4e Holy Spirit? How does the messenger get filled with the Holy Spirit? By asking for forgiveness and allowing God to mold his life. So forgiveness of sin is about God; God is the one sinned against and when we forgive others it doesn’t mean that we forgive but rather God is using us to d4eliver the message. We have that ability to block healing and restoration by restricting God’s Spirit from flowing through us onto another. We must be open, transparent vessels for God.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the people You’ve placed in my life to forgive me. I know that I have a hard time forgiving myself but You beautifully send Your angels and servants to comfort, encourage and guide me when I’m lost. I pray that I can be used to lay a hand on another child and share forgiveness. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen!

Wide Lens

"Am I only a God nearby," declares the LORD, "and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the LORD. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 23:23-24

I think about that closing scene in the movie, Men in Black; when the camera zooms out from what we see as people all the way out to the earth, galaxy & universe. That’s how small we are to God. We are a speck on a speck within a speck! Our Creator is sooo huge! As great as He is, He still can see directly into our hearts & minds. He has absolute control over all elements in heaven and on earth, why do we still disobey and feel like it’s all about me? We’re near-sighted and have a hard time seeing beyond our skin. We all need to take a step back, maybe way back, and try to see the situations as God sees, without any blind spots and impure motives. We need eyes that see God.

Heavenly Father, thank You that there are never any secret places from You. Even though we try sometimes, we cannot hide from Your discipline or Your love… thank You! LORD, I pray that every day, I learn Your lessons and really apply them to my life, not for my benefit but for Yours. The Kingdom will grow and be filled with Your glory! In the awesome name of Jesus I pray, Amen!