One time in the Gospels it says that Jesus couldn’t do much in a town “because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58). Wouldn’t that be an awful thing to have said about your home, about your family, about you? Jesus couldn’t do much in or through you because you just didn’t believe Him. Lord, why don’t You do more in our church? Could it be because of people’s unbelief? Why do you make good things happen so often in my friend’s life, but not in mine? Could it be because your friend believes God more?
Faith is the key. God’s promises are activated by faith. Faith is not passive—it’s an action verb. Don’t say, “Well, I’m just waiting over here. Maybe God will work; maybe He won’t.” What are you doing about it? “Well, not much,” you say.
• It’s like the sick guy who needs to get better but doesn’t go to the doctor. That’s foolishness. You’ve got to do what you can.
• Like the person who’s filled with concerns and wants to have hope but has never read the Bible.
It’s God's promises that give us hope. How many Scriptural promises do you know? How many promises have you memorized? How many are on the tip of your tongue? Not a lot? Well, no wonder you’re filled with anxiety! No wonder you don’t have any hope! You’re not holding onto anything.
Get your heart around some of the exceedingly great and precious promises of God! Hold on to what God has said in His Word. Someday you’re going to be in a difficult situation and the enemy will try to pull you down, but you’ve got God’s Word hidden in your heart. His words will flood you with courage and fill your life with faith.
Faith has to be active to be real. Remember the guy in 2 Kings 5 who had leprosy and God told him he had to go dip in the river? In faith, he had to do what he could. Like the woman in poverty in 2 Kings 4 who had to collect containers to hold all that oil God was giving her—she did what she could. Like a warrior heading into battle—he has to pick up his weapon.
Put some action behind what you believe and watch God work.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Right Path
Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Life knocks on your front door every morning with offers to go in more directions than you sometimes even think you are would go. Here are a few thoughts about where some of those opportunities to take paths, where we might end up at, maybe you may even agree with me…
Some paths are obviously wrong and lead to very bad places. Go very far down one of those trails and you’ll wake up one day and say, “What am I doing over here? You chose that path with a thousand small decisions, and it led you to that predictable spot. You thought you’d beat the odds, but it’s a losing proposition from the start.
Some paths appear to be right; yet they’re still wrong. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way [a path] that seems right to a man, but its end is the way [the path] to death.” That maze doesn’t lead you anywhere good.
Other paths are right, but only for awhile. You might actually be on a very good path when God changes your life and sends you in a different direction.
If your heart is to get your life on the right path, then your ears ought to perk up a little bit when Psalm 23 says, “He leads me in paths of righteousness.” Literally it means “into life’s right paths.”
God is very interested that you and I are following the right ways-the paths that lead to joy, to peace, and to blessing. Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way [or his path].” God Himself orders our paths.
Don’t you want to be on the pathway that leads to life and blessing? Psalm 16:11 reminds us that, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy.”
Its simple, we must remember to follow God’s lead, we will step confidently in the right direction. Now, it might not be our preferred direction, but in the end it’ll take you where you want to go.
Happy Trails……
Life knocks on your front door every morning with offers to go in more directions than you sometimes even think you are would go. Here are a few thoughts about where some of those opportunities to take paths, where we might end up at, maybe you may even agree with me…
Some paths are obviously wrong and lead to very bad places. Go very far down one of those trails and you’ll wake up one day and say, “What am I doing over here? You chose that path with a thousand small decisions, and it led you to that predictable spot. You thought you’d beat the odds, but it’s a losing proposition from the start.
Some paths appear to be right; yet they’re still wrong. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way [a path] that seems right to a man, but its end is the way [the path] to death.” That maze doesn’t lead you anywhere good.
Other paths are right, but only for awhile. You might actually be on a very good path when God changes your life and sends you in a different direction.
If your heart is to get your life on the right path, then your ears ought to perk up a little bit when Psalm 23 says, “He leads me in paths of righteousness.” Literally it means “into life’s right paths.”
God is very interested that you and I are following the right ways-the paths that lead to joy, to peace, and to blessing. Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way [or his path].” God Himself orders our paths.
Don’t you want to be on the pathway that leads to life and blessing? Psalm 16:11 reminds us that, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy.”
Its simple, we must remember to follow God’s lead, we will step confidently in the right direction. Now, it might not be our preferred direction, but in the end it’ll take you where you want to go.
Happy Trails……
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