Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” John 8:12
Jesus is the answer to your life questions. Faith is really an act of trust on your part. The same God who created you also wants a relationship with you, closer than you could ever imagine.
Look past the failings of man and how he has so many times messed up the church. Faith is the simple act of loving God and desiring in your heart to be close to Him.
God said, “Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and marvelous things that you do not know!” Jeremiah 33:3
Imagine what God will do for you if you would simply do as he asks. “Call to Me” God is saying. After all, we tend to search high and low for answers through friends and counselors and the internet, but fail to call upon the One who can actually provide the answers we seek.
There is no secret formula or exact phrasing to be used. God will not be impressed that you memorized the way someone somewhere put a lyrical poetic prayer together. Just speak from your heart. You have Him on speed dial by simply opening your mouth. God will answer, and show you great and marvelous things that you never dreamed possible.
“Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…” Isaiah 40:31
I could name a thousand others things I’d rather do than wait. Yet, God being God, He has thrown us a curve ball in Isaiah 40 and turned waiting into a virtue. He’s given waiting meaning. Something to perfect.
We are promised renewed strength, when we wait on Him. I can already hear you saying, how is that remotely possible? Believe me, through the years I’ve had many one sided debates with God over waiting. I say one sided because God is very, very good at waiting on us. Waiting on us to realize that He is our creator, and our provider, and our healer, and we need not look any further than Him. Amazing things beyond imagination have happened in my life when I threw my hands up in a prayer of surrender. Try praying: Have your way, Lord. I trust You.
“Of gold and silver and bronze and iron there is no limit. Arise and begin working, and the Lord be with you.” 1 Chronicles 22:16
Throughout your life you have trained your mind to believe in limitations. Society has clobbered you over the head one too many times to make sure that you believe there are limitations. Your friends, as well meaning as I’m sure they are, have gently whispered in your ear that there are limitations. You could fail, they all say. You’ll never pull that one off. The odds are stacked against your dream. And yet, what does God have to say about limitations in Philippians 4:13:
Just what dream would you dare to dream today if you knew you could not fail?
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19
When God does something new, it is new in every way possible. I’ll use the analogy of a new car. It might be new but last years model. It might be new to you but someone else owned it before you received it. But then there’s a car that’s not only new, but a brand new model never before seen on the road. That’s a one way to look at it when God says,
It means that everything is going to change and the blessings will be something you have never experienced before. I love God’s version of “new”. Invite “new” into your life today. Simply pray: Lord, thy will be done.
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. whose confidence is in Him.They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
When we trust God, blessings come. Such blessings are different for everyone and every situation, but that’s where our trust comes in. Trust that God will meet the need you have in your life in His perfect way.
You may be tempted to be like Veruca Salt in the “Willy Wonka” film and say, “I want my blessing, and I want it now!” Take a breath and trust God. He created you, formed you, made you, and He absolutely does not make mistakes!
“On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.” Psalm 145:5
Picture for a moment the majesty of God:
No Hollywood special effects house can match the majesty of a thunderstorm.
No medical engineer can recreate the human brain or breathe life into a newborn.
No physicist can hurl comets across the sky.
No marine biologist can create a whale or calm the seas.
No entomologist can transform a caterpillar into a butterfly.
No medical technician can fill the earth with just the right blend of oxygen.
No wall street wizard can fill the earth with silver or gold.
No meteorologist can reroute a hurricane, or fill the sky with brilliant colors.
All we have to do is look at the world around us and we tremble at the awesome power of God. He is the Great I Am. The alpha and the omega. The beginning and the end. The fact that He wants a relationship with you and I should send a shiver up your spine and cause you to take a moment and look up.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
The Lord is your light and your salvation; whom shall you fear? The Lord is the strength of your life, of whom shall you be afraid? These are not just words to say, they are the very essence of faith in God’s very real presence in your life.
Wherever you go, whatever you are going through. So today, repeat the line, “the Lord is my light and my salvation” until your fear subsides and is replaced by a lightness of God’s joy in your life! Call up upon the Lord in Faith and joy will soon replace fear.
“Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” John 11:25
Many decades ago, A Baptist Pastor, S. M. Lockridge of San Diego stood and gave a sermon that many will never forget. Very quietly he began, “It’s Friday, Jesus is praying, Peter’s asleep, Judas has betrayed Him, but Sunday’s coming. It’s Friday, Pilot is struggling, the council is conspiring, the crowd is vilified, they don’t even know that Sunday’s coming. It’s Friday, the disciple’s are running like sheep, Mary’s crying, but they don’t know that Sunday’s coming. It’s Friday, the romans beat Jesus, they crown him with thorns, they hang Him on a cross, they roll a rock in front of his grave, but they don’t’ know
Christs resurrection on Sunday changes everything! Because of that Sunday your sins can be forgiven. Because of that Sunday, you have a future filled with hope. Because of that Sunday eternal life can be yours! Because of that Sunday, everyday is new for you! Yes you may have lost hope over a lifetime of Friday’s, but I’m here to tell you that Sunday has come!
“Jesus said, they do not need to go away, you give them something to eat.” Matthew 14:15-16
A large crowd had gathered to hear Jesus speak. Official estimates put the crowd size at 5,000, but in that day and age, they only counted men so with woman and children you likely have a group that would just fit into a modern NBA arena. As the day wore on, Jesus friends advised Him to send the crowd away to so they could get some food as they had no concession stands available. Jesus was about to open the first one. When we see problems,
Jesus took five loaves and two fish and divided them in such a way as to fill enough baskets to feed this massive crowd of more than ten thousand people, with twelve baskets left over. You see, that’s God’s version of math where five plus two equals ten thousand. What do you lack in your life? Let God’s math go to work for you. Hand your issues to Jesus. All He will see are opportunities to provide you with a miracle.
You must be logged in to post a comment.