Standing Faith Cannot Be Forced

Isaiah 7:1-9 gives an account of King Ahaz of Judah at a time when his kingdom was about to be invaded and conquered by two other kings. The story opens with the names of all the kings involved but adds "However, they were unable to carry out their plan." The plot is then revealed as to why the plan never succeeded:

"The news had come to the royal court of Judah: “Syria is allied with Israel against us!” So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm.

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Take your son Shear-jashuband go out to meet King Ahaz. 

You will find him at the end of the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed."

We can all relate to bad news. No one is immune from it. It is news we were not expecting or anticipating.  It catches us off guard. And like King Ahaz “...the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear”.  

Fear can either motivate us to action or paralyze us. 

It can blind us to truth so that we only focus on the circumstance. 

Our fear can infect others around. The people were looking to their King for direction and he was literally trembling in his boots!!

I LOVE that God knew exactly where Ahaz was!

• Aqueducts were not only a source of water for a city but also could be the place of compromise thereby allowing the enemy access to a walled and gated city.
• Perhaps Ahaz recognized this was the very place that needed fortified due to disrepair, or decay, or possibly neglect...which would only increase his level of fear. They just didn’t have time.
• Can you not see him pacing like a caged animal trying to bark out orders all the while failing in the composure department in front of his people?

I LOVE that God met him at his place of fear!

When we get a bad report are we so trembling with fear that we don’t see, or can’t see God meeting us in the place of our fear?

Our fear and trembling do NOT scare God away! He will meet us in the midst of our fear if we silence the voices around us and surrender our control to Him.

"Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah. Yes, the kings of Syria and Israel are plotting against him, saying, ‘We will attack Judah and capture it for ourselves. Then we will install the son of Tabeel as Judah’s king.’ But this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“This invasion will never happen;

it will never take place....

As for Israel, within sixty-five years

it will be crushed and completely destroyed...

Unless your faith is firm,

I cannot make you stand firm.”

“Tell him to stop worrying.” When fear encompasses our thoughts and actions, we can’t think straight and see clearly. God’s encouragement is always on time but we can miss it due to trying to plan our attack.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-9 to not worry...instead pray about everything; be thankful; then we will experience God's peace in our hearts and minds.

• Peace is the opposite of fear.
• Hope is the opposite of despair
• Prayer is the opposite of worry

"Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers." Yes they are plotting against him, saying….BUT THIS IS WHAT THE SOVEREIGN LORD SAYS: 

• Burned out embers = NO POWER! Stop holding onto that which no longer has power!

"The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations

and thwarts all their schemes. But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;

his intentions can never be shaken." Psalm 33:10-11 

• No matter what the voices around us are saying, what is God saying?

“Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.”(NLT). Stand firm in some translations is "established". In the Hebrew this means "to support, uphold, be carried."

Standing faith will never be something that is taught or handed down but must be experienced. And this will only happen as we go through trials, hardships, and even times of seemingly silence from God. Standing firm in our faith gives us the confidence that God is supporting, upholding and carrying us through the difficult times in our life.

Faith...standing faith...is a choice.

Firm faith is a process.

Faith is foundational to our minds quiet, resting, and standing firm even in the midst of uncertainty.  In the midst of bad reports.

Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”

So where are you with fear, worry, or anxiety? To whom and in whom or what are you placing your confidence? Unless your faith is firm in Jesus Christ, God can not make your faith firm. Cannot make you believe, cannot support and carry you if you do not allow him to.

What's in The Name?

They brought in the two disciples and demanded, "By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?" Acts 4:7

Peter and John had just brought healing through the name of Jesus to a lame man.  They weren't being questioned for just any name they used, but because the miracle was done through the name of Jesus.

This was more than a healing.  It was yet another direct blow to the core of the religious system that was entangling people rather than releasing them.

Some of those questioning Peter and John were Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.  Matthew 27:52 tells us when Jesus released his spirit (when he died) the earth and tombs opened for many godly men and women who had died and were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus resurrection, went into Jerusalem and appeared to many people!

How could they continue to deny the resurrection when faced with a live 'dead person'?

Peter and John were put in prison for preaching and healing in the name of Jesus, a dead man.  Did the religious leaders really think this would stop the power and spread of the Name they were so afraid of?  Even in prison the power of the Name transcended confinement.

Children in Biblical times were named with great significance and meaning, names weren't just given because they sounded good. 

The Greek word for name in Acts 4:7 literally means everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing or remembering the name including one's rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.

So what does Jesus name represent?

• He was given this specific name by God Jo17:12
• Jesus protected the disciples by the power of the name God gave him Jo 17:12
• God will grant our requests because of Jesus name Jo16:23-24
• We can go directly to Father God with our requests, no intermediary is necessary Jo16:23-24
• Salvation is only in his name Acts 2:21; 4:12
• Boldness and power come in his name Acts 4:29-30
• All will submit to and confess his name, even evil Phil 2:10-11
• His name is above every other name recognized by God and evil Phil 2:9
• All the fullness of God exists in his name Col 1:19
• The world, seen and unseen, exists and is held together through his name Col 1:15-17
• He has always existed, no beginning and no end to his name Col1:17
• His followers have his Authority over all power of the enemy through his name Luke 10:19; Acts 16:16-18
• Forgiveness of sins Luke 24:47; Acts 13:38; Galatians 1:4
• Healing comes through his name Acts 4:10
• Eternal life comes through his name 1John 5:13
• Peace in the midst of hardship John 16:33
• Deliverance from addictions Romans 6; 8:12-13

This list is not all inclusive; to be so would take volumes of books.  Rather an encouragement to realize we don't need to live a powerless and mundane life as a Jesus follower. 

In order to follow someone we need to understand who and what that person stands for. Take the responsibility and search the scriptures for yourself, look for and understand the one whose name you take (Christian).  Discover the rich and abundant life only available through the Name of Jesus Christ.  

He is either the embodiment of Truth or the best con artist the world and history has ever known.

What does his name mean to you?

           

Shoes of Peace

For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. (Ephesians 6:15 NLT)

I've often wondered exactly what Paul meant about putting on peace as shoes. What does that look like?  In the Roman world in which Paul lived shoes were made of soft pliable leather. Sandals were made of stiffer material such as wood or cane for rougher wear on long journeys. 

Shoes are used as a protection for our feet as we move around. The purpose of our feet is to give support and balance; transport us; help us move; assist in standing; absorb shock when we jump; and to hold up to one-half our body weight (not sure what happens to the other half!?)

As believers we are to put on the whole armour of God everyday in order to resist the enemy (6:13), still be standing firm after the battle (6:13), and to be fully prepared (6:15). 

So what does all this have to do with "putting on peace as shoes"?  Just as our feet were designed to be the shock absorbers for our bodies, the Peace from the Good News was meant to be the shock absorber in our lives.   

We think peace comes after the battle when in reality we must have peace to enter the battle and that can only come from already being absorbed in the Good News before the battles come. 

Then the peace that comes from the Prince of Peace, Jesus, will be our balance, our upholder, and our shock absorber. 

May my life and my days would be absorbed by his peace and not contention. As Paul's shoes were soft and pliable may I be pliable in Gods hands-not stiff fighting your purposes for my life.  Help me today Lord to rest in you so I will be an instrument of your peace wherever my feet may take me.  Only then will I be fully prepared to live in this world. 

I focus on this one thing

…I focus on this one thing:  Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God,

through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13-14

”Why do I keep rehearsing a conversation that has yet to occur with __________?  Because of past events I know at some point they are going to approach me about_________.  So my mind keeps going into defense mode in anticipation of what, according to past experiences, is bound to happen.”

This ever happen to you?   Why is the past so hard to let go with certain people?  Why can’t I just turn my mind off?  I’ve tried to ignore or switch paths to a more positive attitude and refocus on something good about ___________.  Most of the time that works, but my mind is like an unruly child and tries to keep coming back to ‘conversation-rehearsal’ mode.

The past isn’t necessarily bad.  It can become our point of reference for decisions and actions today and in the future.   Our past helps us to determine if something or someone is safe or we need to avoid.  But our past can also imprison our today and future if not dealt with in a healthy manner.

I am by no means a trained counselor, but these things I have learned from experience:

Ø  Don’t run from the past and pretend it didn't happen.  Acknowledge and if possible confront the offense with the one with whom it happened.  Talking about the offense with others (unless seeking guidance) or constantly reminiscing only renews the hurt and allows roots of bitterness to invade not only the heart but mind.

Ø  Realize the past is the past and cannot be changed.  Stop trying to force the offender to change the past.  They may have as much regret about the past as we do, but our reaction to them keeps them in the past as much as us when it comes to our relationship.  The past was never meant to be lived in but to learn from.  If the one who has offended us has changed then start fresh with ‘today’.  What can be changed are today and tomorrow and our action/reaction to those who have hurt us.

The apostle Paul wrote the verses above when talking about his past experiences and not wanting anything to hinder or hold him back from living a life of wholeness.  He knew ‘garbage in produces garbage out’ while living in this life.  The word forget means, to neglect and no longer caring for.

Which equates to stop rehearing and keeping the past alive!

As to how to stop the mind rehearsing:

“And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.  Fix (determine, strengthen) your thoughts (mind) on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Keep putting into practice (do it 1000 times a day if necessary!) all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing.Then the God of peace will be with you.”

Philippians 4:8-9 (italics added)

Today is a new day, which path will you choose, imprisonment or wholeness?

Where was God?

We will not soon forget the horrific events of December 14, 2012.  What started out as a typical day ended anything but typical for the residents of Newton, CT and the world.   I have no personal connection to any of the families who have been ripped apart nor can I even begin to imagine the depth of their grief.  I only know my heart and throat felt like someone was strangling me as I went to bed that night.  My grief became my enemy when trying to breathe and my mind raced trying to make sense of how anyone could do this horrible act against innocent children and those who tried to protect them.

Earlier that evening this question was posed, “Where was God?”  Even Jesus voiced this question of his father, God.   I’ve thought a lot about that question today.  I didn’t know what to say.  How would you have answered?  If you were one of those parents, would you have wanted a pat cliché answer?   Is there an answer?

Theological reasoning’s to this question have been explored and debated for centuries.  This debate does not however mean God was absent. 

I do know this; God was in the same place when his son was murdered.  He knows what it is to grieve over a loved one.  To give and love and be denied those in return.  He finds no pleasure in witnessing the indescribable acts his creation does to one another.  Nor does he find pleasure in letting go of someone who chooses to reject him.[i]  He has long been denied a place in our lives except when it is beneficial to us.  Nor, as has been suggested, did the gate for these indescribable acts swing open the day prayer was taken out of school.  The groundwork was laid long before then and has been built upon as our tolerance to truth and violence weakens. 

It strikes me no one is questioning the ‘where and why’ of evil (aka Satan) that day?  Satan is not a harmless once-a-year-Halloween-appearance person wearing a red suit with horns and a pitchfork.  He is a force who knows his time is limited and will steal, kill, and destroy anything or anyone who stands in his way including innocent children. [ii]  

Everything in life is not a clear black and white issue nor are the answers to life’s difficult questions.  Gun control is not be the solution in preventing these types of horrendous acts because morality and values cannot be legislated.  Those bent on destruction will find a avenue to accomplish it.

Being a child of God does not relieve us of pain.  We live in a world in which our actions affect others, good and bad.  But these are truths we can hold onto when everything else, including God, doesn’t make sense:

·         God is still God and there is no other equal to him or above him.  We can trust him even though we don’t understand.  Isaiah 40; 2 Peter 3:9; Isaiah 55:8-9

·         He hasn’t abandoned you or me:  “No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.”  John 14:18; 2 Chronicles 16:9

·         We can have His peace in the midst of pain:  “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don’t be troubled or afraid…I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world. (John 14:27; John 16:33)

Where was God that day?  Grieving alongside those whose hearts were ripped out.  Holding and giving them his strength to continue until he takes us to a home where there will be no more sorry, pain or hurt…ever again.

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[i] Ezekiel 33:11

[ii] 2 Corinthians 11:14-15; John 10:10

Good Stuff Cheap…

“Good stuff cheap” is not only the mantra of a well known store chain but in this economic climate has become the desire of just about every shopper I know. I don’t know about you, but for me I absolutely hate to pay full retail price for anything! The overwhelming crowds that forfeit sleep on Black Friday to get a “good stuff cheap” are certainly testimony to this mantra. We all want to be generous in the Christmas gift giving season, yet we also don’t want to die early deaths because of the credit card bills that start arriving January 1st!

I was thinking about this mantra when I read John 14 (NLT version) recently.  One of the best gifts we could ever receive and encourage others to accept is so simplistic yet we work overtime to complicate.

I’m talking about peace of mind and heart.  In the current climate of jobs and homes being lost; sickness and disease going unchecked or not cared for with no health insurance coverage; families stressed and marriages dissolving because of underlying financial struggles the words “peace of mind and heart” seem foreign if not a cliché.  So what does peace of mind and heart look like?  How in the midst of all this chaos can that be accomplished?

YouTube has a video of Bob Newhart counseling with two words, “STOP IT” (see link at bottom)

This video came to mind when reading Jesus words about peace of mind and heart.  John 14 starts with, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, and trust also in me…..Just believe (vs 11).   Period.

“I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (vs27)  Again, simplicity, but how we/I complicate the gift with “buts”.  Just believe—PERIOD!  Accept His gift of peace of mind and heart—PERIOD!  Don’t worry or be afraid—PERIOD!  My peace should not be based upon the way the world tells me to have peace (“just buy something new”; “just eat more comfort food/indulge in your favorite drink” or “just think about yourself”).

Paul said in Philippians 4, “Don’t worry instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank Him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Paul continues to tell us how to do this, “Fix (determine or strengthen) your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise…then the God of peace will be with you.”

Fear starts in the mind then transcends to the heart (our seat of emotions, actions).  In the same manner, peace starts in the mind then transcends to the heart and is also displayed through our actions.

We may not be able to change our current circumstances but one thing we can change is what we think and dwell on.  No one else can impose this on us; that is our choice to change.  This will determine and affect our emotional, physical and spiritual well being.  Jesus told the disciples (and us today) there will be hard times we must go through.   “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

This gift cost Jesus everything, but to us it is free.  Good stuff cheap?  Can’t get any better than that!