FAITH
We want Faith. We want Faith to be alive and well. We want Faith to thrive so we see the miraculous, the amazing, and God’s handiwork all over our lives. We want relationships changed due to faith. Hardships pacified, due to faith. Loneliness gone, due to faith. A marriage healed, due to faith. A deep, authentic closeness to God, due to faith.
In God’s economy, yes, faith finances our Christianity. Yet, doubt robs our spiritual banks.
We should know; at some point in our lives we emerged out of a horrible season of doubt. No doubt right, has anyone here on the prayer line lived a doubtless life? While shame tells us to hide this fact, reality tells me, everyone has moments of doubt, fear, and uncertainty.
So brothers, today I can tell each of you that not long ago as much as I wanted to believe God was near me, I kept on believing He was far away and He didn’t much care for Palmer. Thank God, I’ve stepped up and out of that pit.
So today, from a place of retrospect, let's all look back to discover the faith-halters that make intimacy with God falter.
What are they? How can we avoid them in the future? What do we need to be aware of?
As you may know, I like list so last night I study up and discovered three bigums that cause faith halting. They are:
1. Demanding Understanding.
When we demand to figure out godliness completely, we can figure ourselves right out of it. I wanted to have every I dotted and every T crossed, so much so that I was cross-eyed with frustration because I couldn’t figure God out. Guess what? God isn’t meant to be figured out by human understanding.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…” Is. 55:8-9
Dang God! Tell me how you really feel. Brothers, beware of trying to understand what, by faith, God simply says – is.
2. Keeping track of the attack more than God’s love.
I kept saying, “I am being attacked, this ain't cool, am being attacked…”
Fellas, I challenged you once to list all of your problems and then compare them to a list of your blessings. When we count up attacks more than we count all the ways God loves us, we lose footing.
Scripture says...
“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” Ps. 63:6
Amen to the Word! Brothers, point blank, beware of giving the enemy more credence than God’s saving power.
3. This is the biggie of big ones,
Constant Self-Critique.
The more I counted my failings, the more I was sure I was failing. Did you hear that? Listen to the insanity - the more I counted my failings, the more I was sure I was failing! The more I was sure I was failing, the more I was sure I was still falling. The more I focused on falling resulted in feeling
farther and farther away God.
The Word says:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God…” Eph. 2:8
Fellas, beware of counting up all you’ve done wrong rather than resting under the Cross of Jesus, signifying all He did right.
Beyond these faith-halters, there is one sure-fire faith-exalter. Do you know what it is? The Bible! God’s Word. It is always steady, always working, always waiting, always truthful, always healing, always loving, and always our answer.
“Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word about Christ.” Ro. 10:17
Let us Pray -
God, pour out the grace your men need to stay strong in you. We pray that we are so spiritually guarded, that we remain earthly effective. We ask that you equip us with every good thing we need to stay close to you. Never remove your hand of protection from us and keep us under the cover of your love.
In Jesus' Name we pray.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
In God’s economy, yes, faith finances our Christianity. Yet, doubt robs our spiritual banks.
We should know; at some point in our lives we emerged out of a horrible season of doubt. No doubt right, has anyone here on the prayer line lived a doubtless life? While shame tells us to hide this fact, reality tells me, everyone has moments of doubt, fear, and uncertainty.
So brothers, today I can tell each of you that not long ago as much as I wanted to believe God was near me, I kept on believing He was far away and He didn’t much care for Palmer. Thank God, I’ve stepped up and out of that pit.
So today, from a place of retrospect, let's all look back to discover the faith-halters that make intimacy with God falter.
What are they? How can we avoid them in the future? What do we need to be aware of?
As you may know, I like list so last night I study up and discovered three bigums that cause faith halting. They are:
1. Demanding Understanding.
When we demand to figure out godliness completely, we can figure ourselves right out of it. I wanted to have every I dotted and every T crossed, so much so that I was cross-eyed with frustration because I couldn’t figure God out. Guess what? God isn’t meant to be figured out by human understanding.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…” Is. 55:8-9
Dang God! Tell me how you really feel. Brothers, beware of trying to understand what, by faith, God simply says – is.
2. Keeping track of the attack more than God’s love.
I kept saying, “I am being attacked, this ain't cool, am being attacked…”
Fellas, I challenged you once to list all of your problems and then compare them to a list of your blessings. When we count up attacks more than we count all the ways God loves us, we lose footing.
Scripture says...
“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” Ps. 63:6
Amen to the Word! Brothers, point blank, beware of giving the enemy more credence than God’s saving power.
3. This is the biggie of big ones,
Constant Self-Critique.
The more I counted my failings, the more I was sure I was failing. Did you hear that? Listen to the insanity - the more I counted my failings, the more I was sure I was failing! The more I was sure I was failing, the more I was sure I was still falling. The more I focused on falling resulted in feeling
farther and farther away God.
The Word says:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God…” Eph. 2:8
Fellas, beware of counting up all you’ve done wrong rather than resting under the Cross of Jesus, signifying all He did right.
Beyond these faith-halters, there is one sure-fire faith-exalter. Do you know what it is? The Bible! God’s Word. It is always steady, always working, always waiting, always truthful, always healing, always loving, and always our answer.
“Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word about Christ.” Ro. 10:17
Let us Pray -
God, pour out the grace your men need to stay strong in you. We pray that we are so spiritually guarded, that we remain earthly effective. We ask that you equip us with every good thing we need to stay close to you. Never remove your hand of protection from us and keep us under the cover of your love.
In Jesus' Name we pray.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
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