The Simplicity of Faith

"Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows and loves the One who is leading."
-Oswald Chambers

Silence and Expectation

In due time He arose.

¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” ²⁰ They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. (John 2:19-22; NIV 2011 Edition)

Isn't it interesting that one of the Holiest weekends in the Christian faith circles around the principles of love, faith, silence and waiting in expectation? Jesus's love for us didn't come through a process of fast-forwarding nor did it come without sacrificial pain. Everything had to occur in real-time so that the promise could be fulfilled but we knew that we could expect His promise to come true. No cutting corners here. In silence He suffered, in silence He rested, in silence He rose.

Sometimes God does His best work when we wait on Him with faith in silence.

...just something to think about as we celebrate Resurrection Weekend and the fulfillment of God's promise to mankind.

Bonus Coverage: James "Kelly Fox" Davis - An Hour

"Results Not Typical"

"Guaranteed max results if you do it right!"

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (New International Version, ©2011)¹² So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Somewhere in the world right now an infomercial is on the air.


*cue mysterious omnipresent music*


You know, one of the great things about being up in the early mornings is witnessing the tons and tons of infomercials that come on the air at that time. You see products that do things you never thought were possible or they do possible things in a weird/new way (Mop Socks, anyone?).


But one of the interesting thing about these products, especially fitness ones, is the disclaimer that they often carry: "Results Not Typical." I've always wondered why you would sell a product that has been proven to work but only work for a few people. Then it hit me that in each testimonial, the person who got great results is the one who followed the instructions and sometimes even went beyond what was required based on their commitment to the product.


Whoa! So you mean that all I have to do is follow the instructions and it will work? You gotta be kidding me!


Results Not Typical. Just like the infomercials, in our Christian walk we often times BUY INTO the idea of Christ and what He can do for us as outlined in scripture but we fail to follow up on our part. Just like with the scripture above, God is always faithful to provide a way out from sin but we might not always be faithful to see it and take it. That's when we start seeing not so desirable results for our lives. When we don't follow up in the way that we are supposed to, we compromise our commitment and even greater results. Remember, Christianity/Christ works but to achieve the greatest results we have to too.


Read The Fine Print. In order to get the most out of your walk, you have to read the fine print. Scriptures instruct us on how we should live and they also teach us how to respond to different things we might face in our lives. Imagine buying some cleaner from an infomercial and instead of it working, it causes a horrible mess. Remember, Christianity works but to achieve the greatest results we have to follow the instructions.


Act Now! Limited Time Only! Just kidding. Unlike infomercials you see on TV, God's promises are everlasting and they never fade. What's good today won't expire tomorrow. You won't have to wait for the next best thing because He is the first and last best thing there ever was or will be! But remember, Christianity works but to achieve the greatest results we have to act!


Infomercials do a great job of proving to us that the product works but oftentimes we just don't do our part or follow instructions. The results that aren't typical come from those who follow instruction. Results are never impossible, not achievable, nor unlikely - just "not typical."


Is your walk/faith typical or not typical?


Bonus Coverage: Relient K - Getting Into You



When I made up my mind
And my heart along with that
To live not for myself
But yet for God, somebody said
Do you know what you are getting yourself into

When I finally ironed out
All of my priorities
And asked God to remove the doubt
That makes me so unsure of these
Things I ask myself, I ask myself
Do you know what you are getting yourself into

[Chorus]
I'm getting into you
Because you got to me, in a way words can't describe
I'm getting into you
Because I've got to be
You're essential to survive
I'm going to love you with my life

When he looked at me and said
I kind of view you as a son
And for a second our eyes met
And I met that with a question
Do you know what you are getting yourself into

[Chorus]

I've been a liar and I'll never amount to
The kind of person you deserve to worship you
You say you will not dwell on what I did but rather what I do you say
I love you and that's what you are getting yourself into

[Chorus]

He said, I love you and that's what you are getting yourself into 

Searching?...

Hide and Go Seek: A lessons we learn as kids

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. (Proverbs 25:2)

Once upon a time (because all good stories start with "once upon a time") growing up one of my favorite games to play with my friends was hide and go seek. Nothing beat spending recess time or a weekend afternoon hiding in the craziest places or finding my friends who thought they could out-smart me by hiding behind a parked car or some other random place. There was something about the thrill of searching after friends in hidden places and being the hidden one - being so still as to not give away my position but ultimately being found because after all... hiding gets boring after a while...

*Fast Forward to Adulthood*

Being at a place in life where you aren't quite sure what the next move in life to make is a lot like playing Hide and Seek with God. God knows all and loves to hide things but He desires us to search out our next steps in life as kings would search for some great thing worthy to be found and revealed. While the search might seem intimidating at times, there are a few things you can be sure of:

His answers are never in a dangerous place. God hates sin. So His answers for your life would never be found chasing those things. Even though His unfailing grace can save us from getting caught up in the wrong things, it's never His desire to seek those things first.

His hiding places are never dangerous but they may be difficult. Sometimes we might have to really really do some searching to find out an answer. This could mean overcoming our own contradictory thoughts, achieving a seemingly impossible goal or obstacle, or even just weathering a storm and giving things time. Like I said before, hiding isn't the funnest thing to do once you've been hiding for a while. Those things that He wants to reveal to you, He really wants you to know!

Finding an answer means seeking in the direction of Him. It's so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of options and microwave-ready quick fixes but God's path requires diligent persistence towards Him.

So with that being said... I hope you find what you are searching for! He already knows where it is but it's in a safe place. If all else fails, peep the bonus coverage and get lost!


Bonus Coverage: Mute Math - Control


Take control of the atmosphere
Take me far away from here
There is no better loss than to lose myself in you
In a parachute to glide, I am captive in your sky
Surrender has somehow become so beautiful

Take control of the atmosphere
Take control of the atmosphere
You can take my world you can fill the air
Take control, take control

Such a beautiful surrender
Such a beautiful surrender
Such a beautiful surrender
Such a beautiful surrender

Move me up through the darkest clouds
Till I've lost in the sun every shadow of doubt
There is no better find than to find myself with you
In a fog you are all I see
I'm inviting you closer with each time I breathe
Surrender has somehow become so beautiful

Take control of the atmosphere
Take control of the atmosphere
You can take my world you can fill the air
Take control, take control, take control, take control

Such a beautiful surrender
Such a beautiful surrender
Such a beautiful surrender
Such a beautiful surrender

Take control of the atmosphere
Take control of the atmosphere
There is no reason I should breathe unless you're in the air
Take control

Such a beautiful surrender
Such a beautiful surrender
And I'm calling out
Would you take control
And I'm calling out

Faithful Is Our God

 ¹ Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. ² Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. ³ Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. ⁴ Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. ⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” ⁶ So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” ⁷ Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13: 1-7; NIV 2011 Edition)

Not sure if anyone needed to hear this today but I did. Have a great weekend!

Bonus Coverage: Brandon Camphor & One Way - Faithful Is Our God

What's In Your Will?

Even in death there is a lesson. Look for it.

This is a post about death. Well...kinda..

Over the weekend I did a bit of social media fasting because I wanted to create an atmosphere where I could tune out the white noise of the day to day and really focus in on what God is saying in different areas of my life. I needed it more than you know. My prayer on Saturday was that during my fast that He be revealed.

And this is what I got:

God's will.  Almost every time we speak of God's will for our lives we are referring to the future. We talk about what is going to come, what's supposed to happen, and what our purpose is in life. This is definitely true but I want to break down what I think can be considered the dual nature of this phrase.

God's will [for our future]. The common version of the meaning of God's will. Everyone knows that God has a plan for our lives and that ultimately they are what God wants to come to pass. Obedience, grace and growth towards Him is what helps us live out the calling He has on our lives.

God's will [for our past]. Among many other definitions for the word, Merriam-Webster defines the word "will" as:

"A legal declaration of a person's wishes regarding the disposal of his or her property or estate after death; a written instrument legally executed by which a person makes disposition of his or her estate to take effect after death."

Basically, what I got this weekend is that some stuff in our lives is just dead. It was conceived, it was born, it lived... but then it died, and God has no intention of bringing it back in your life. Moreover, he WON'T bring it back because well, that's just not his will. This could be anything, an old relationship (or non-official-but-we're-creeping-and-got-all-tangled-emotionally relationship), an old hobby or skill, a group of friends you were cool with, anything! Once God shuts the door on that thing and buries it, it has no hope for resurrection.

How to tell what's not really dead [yet]. Notice in the last sentence I said that God is the one who shuts the door. Meaning, sometimes there are things that look dead in the natural but not in the spiritual. In the same way that Jesus died only to rise again later, Lazarus was raised from the dead, and God had Ezekiel raise up the dry bones, some things in your life could be on pause or on standby but not exactly dead. Maybe you have a family member that you pray for or a vision that you feel is God-given for your life, these things may look bleak right now but God's not done yet. I think that in order to sift these situations from the dead ones you have to examine how you look at them. These might clue you in on what's not really dead:

• You look back on the thing or person and still see the promise in it's future in your life.
• This thing is a part of your earnest prayer life.
• You notice signs of life/hope, whether brief flashes or blatant moments.
• This thing does not pull you out of alignment with Christian values/your walk if it were to be revived.
• The idea of God raising it from the dead increases your faith and draws you closer to Him.

These are signs that your situation might not be dead. Continue to believe in these things unless God says otherwise!

It's dead, move on. On the other hand there are things that are really, really, really dead. You can't escape these. In fact, sometimes things in our lives have to die so that new things can grow in it's place. The same way we would look foolish trying to revive a dead physical body is the same way we look foolish trying to revive something that's spiritual dead to us. These are signs that I've come across that help determine if something is really dead:

• This thing is not a part of your prayer life, in fact you've pretty much moved on from it.
• On the other hand, you haven't moved on from it but no new life is visible at all.
• Anytime you think back on the situation or person, it's more of a negative reflection than positive.
• You feel uncomfortable giving it over to God because the truth is, you really don't want it to live in you.
• If the thing/person were revived in your life it would draw you outside of your Christian values OR outside of your purpose/will.

That's not a full list and of course God has the power to revive anything, but for our sake it's probably best to turn these things over to God and allow Him to make the decision. Also, I want to note that this can and should refer to the sin in our lives. If we are in Christ, it should be our aim to kill fleshly desires and our sinful nature since there is no life in them.

Understanding God's will [of the dead]. When someone who has a will dies, the people in the will are told just what their inheritance is from the person. God works the same way in dead situations except his inheritance can be physical or spiritual. Perhaps that dead thing made you stronger, perhaps the void left by the dead thing leaves room for something to physically take it's place that God wants to be there. Spiritually, perhaps you've grown to learn a lesson. Whatever it is, do not miss it! Everything happens for a reason and if you don't catch the lesson, you might find yourself chasing down that lesson again the hard way until it sinks. The lessons in God's will for the dead things in our lives are always positive. Remember the lesson.

Bonus Coverage ( A lesson in how to bury the dead things/sin in our lives):

Tye Tribbett ft. Mali - Eulogy

Chasing After You

¹ I will extol the LORD at all times;    his praise will always be on my lips. ² I will glory in the LORD;    let the afflicted hear and rejoice. ³ Glorify the LORD with me;    let us exalt his name together. ⁴ I sought the LORD, and he answered me;    he delivered me from all my fears. ⁵ Those who look to him are radiant;    their faces are never covered with shame. ⁶ This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;    he saved him out of all his troubles. ⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,    and he delivers them.Psalm 34:1-7  (NIV 2011 Edition)

Today's post is simply a call to worship God - whether in good or bad times - for all the things He has done for us and a charge to continue to chase after Him. Merriam-Websters dictionary defines the word "chase" as "an earnest or frenzied seeking of something desired."

Today I challenge you to repeat these words and allow them to permeate your heart:

"Lord, I earnestly seek You."




----

Bonus Coverage: Tye Tribbett & GA - Chasing After You (Morning Song)





Each and every day
I will seek Your face
my soul is crying out for more
I want more of You
Oh, I won't be satisfied
Nor content
of where I am,woah
So I will apprehend
till I'm captured by what I'm after


And I will go from faith to faith
From glory to glory (x2)
And I'll forever be chasing after You
I'll be chasing after You (x2)


I will press toward the mark
For the prize
And I won't faint
Theres one thing I desire 
And that's what I'm going for
I can't continue life
Day by day
growing dry
I need to be with You (Jesus)
I'll seek where you are


And I will go from faith to faith
From glory to glory (x4)
And I'll forever be chasing after You
i'll be chasing after you (x7)
And I will go from faith to faith
from glory to glory (x2)
And I'll forever be chasing after You
I'll be chasing after you

Work SUCKS!...or Does It?

²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.(Colossians 3:23-24; NIV 2010 edition)

Yep...it's that time again. Or should I say, that DAY again.

Good ole Monday. *insert BBM/GChat "Where has the weekend gone?!" face*

While Monday is typically the day that job sites such as CareerBuilder and Monster see the most job applications, I'd ask you to consider a different point of view about your job.

Maybe it's not the job that sucks but your attitude towards it.

What have You done for me lately? How soon do we forget the moments before we had the job. We may have been broke, we may have been in school praying for that dream job to come it's way but all of a sudden this wonderful opportunity came about that we couldn't stop telling everyone about. After a while we grew restless for whatever reason: no new promotion, we think we have the boss from hell, or maybe they just ran out of your favorite snack in the snack machine and never replaced it. We forget that God's will got us there.

You've been delivered. Let's take a birds-eye view through Biblical history. Whether it was Adam or the Israelites, God never lead anyone into a land that He did not intend for them. God is a God of purpose and intent. Not to mention He loves us! He wouldn't put you someone to cause you are or to take away His promise of abundant life. If you truly feel like God got you the job that you are in, do you think He would put you someplace sucky? I doubt it. Sometimes we have to check our flesh and that can be the hardest thing.

Entropy of the flesh. One of the common things that you'll probably see throughout my blog is the concept of the entropy of the flesh. In science, entropy basically means that in a closed system without outside interference, stuff is just bound to break down. If you don't work out and eat right, your body breaks down. If you don't nurture relationships with loved ones and friends, they're bound to break down. Every Earthly portion of ourselves (mind and body, not spirit/soul) is meant to die. And if you don't walk into work every day with the Colossians 3:23-24 mindset towards your job, guess what: you're GOING to find a reason to hate it. You know what, the job may suck, but you were put there for a reason.

Our purpose. Our work. Christians on Earth are God's ambassadors. It is our responsibility to take what life gives us and turn around and show the love of Christ towards the situation. In other words, if life throws you lemons, you take them, pray over them, turn them over to God and let HIS fruit show through you. For every nagging coworker there should be a compassionate ear to hear them out. For every micromanaging boss there should be a desire to be transparent in your work and understand that they desire the best interest of the company. And every dollar that comes up short on payday should be met with an evaluation of our spending and what idols we may be placing over service to God (and don't forget to tithe!).

This is probably not the news you wanted to hear to jump start your week and if not, I'm going to be praying for you (lol)! Just remember that at the end of the day we as Christians are called to be servants of the mindset of Christ. We've been called to give up the right to feel "ownership" of anything here on Earth because our sights are set towards the greater reward which is unbreakable relationship with the Father in Heaven. In turn, God rewards that by providing for our needs as long as we are obedient to His will:

   ²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

   ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34; NIV 2010 edition)

Now enough reading blogs and get back to work!

Anger And Forgiveness Pt. 1

Today and tomorrow I want to spend time on the subject of anger and forgiveness through a message taught by Charles Stanley (Andy Stanley's father). We've all either been angry at someone or experienced anger towards us and know that neither feels any good. Anger is such a attitude of bondage and only forgiveness can unlock the key. Pray for those who have done you wrong and examine your heart to see if there are any areas where you may hold anger. Amen.

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32; NIV 2010 Edition)

The pain and the promise of anger and forgiveness:

Sermon Notes:
Who are you angry with?
- Who are you angry with? What did they do or say? How did they heap on something that you can hardly live with?
- If you're angry you don't' want to see them and want to avoid them at all cost
- You can't just get rid of anger by replacing your destination, something on the inside has to happen to you.
- Anger, bitterness and resentment are enslaving attitudes.
-Physically you cannot avoid the affects of anger even if you don't show it on the outside.

Definitions:
Anger:  A strong feeling of intense displeasure, hostility or indignation as a result of a real or imagined threat, insult, frustration or injustice towards yourself or others important to you.

Forgiveness: The giving up resentment against someone and our right to get even no matter what has been done to us. It is the surrendering of my right to hurt you back. It's giving up our right to get even with someone.

Unforgiveness: The deliberate, willful refusal to give up one's resentment and the right to get even based on the wrongful thought that somebody needs to pay.

Obstacles to Forgiveness:
1. Wanting to forgive somebody
2. Rehearsing whatever they did to you
3. Pride
4. Fear (of being taken advantage of)
5. Rejection (feeling like it is a weakness to forgive)
6. Being Misunderstood
7. Negative advice (Sometimes friendly advice is not Godly advice. Discern between the two).

Part Two will be posted tomorrow! What are your thoughts thus far?

Fire Power!

"⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, " (1 Peter 1:6-8; NIV 2010 Edition).

This past Saturday I was meeting up with some friends for a dinner party. I had all day to get ready...and I took advantage of every minute. Clothes ironed by 9am, car cleaned/washed by 2pm, and I even had time to relax and take care of some errands. Everything was going on schedule until this:

Brush fires in the state of Maryland.

Now I don't know the science behind brush fires because I missed that episode of The Magic School Bus, but it got me thinking...

How does God use fire?

In the natural sense, I found this out about wildfires:

Wildfires consume vegetation that would otherwise become overgrown, creating ideal conditions for a catastrophic wildfire. Wildfires allow more open spaces for new and different kinds of vegetation to grow and receive sunlight. This, in turn, provides fresh nutrients and shelter for forest plants and animals. Wildfires also keep our forests healthy by consuming harmful insects and diseases.(From Here)

If you've ever experienced a fire in your life, you know that that is exactly what happens.

God uses fire, or trials, in our lives to not only add but to subtract. Trials show us what has become overgrown and what needs to be scaled back or even killed. Trials also add by deepening our faith and allowing us more creative ways to give God glory. Like Paul says in the scripture above, the value of our faith is even greater than gold. Our faith is the catalyst that takes a bad situation and turns it around for God's glory. There is a change that happens - a transformation - that happens only because of God's testing us by fire. When it's all over and the dust has settled, you've become a new person. And sometimes this is a new person you would not have been if you let things overgrow in your life that needed pruning or removing.

Thank God for the fire in our lives!

Dormant But Not Dead

"But every seed dies before it grows...

Do you love me enough to let me go?

Do you love me enough to let me go?

To let me follow through

To let me fall for you, my love

Do you love me enough to let me go?"

Switch Foot - Enough to Let Me Go

A couple months ago I went on a spur of the moment road trip with some friends up to Philly. While in the car, I put this CD (Hello Hurricane) on and the car was pretty much silent. Everyone had a chance to individually meditate on the lyrics and melodies and it became almost a surreal, in-car meditative worship experience. Yep, Switchfoot will do that to you.

This song is one of my favorites because it connects on so many levels, it represents true love. Love is not always about being up under someone, or having them long for you. Love is also patient, accepting of space, and allows both individuals to feel comfortable being themselves whether that means being together or apart.

That sounds a lot like Christ's love for us:

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.                                                                      (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8; NIV 2010 edition)

God loves us so much that in order to pay the price of our sins, He sent His only Son to die on our behalf many many years ago. His ministry and His ultimate sacrifice represents the depth of His love for us. It was a seed that was sown long long ago that He desires to see grow some day in all of our hearts and one day bring forth good fruit.

God doesn't push us to love Him nor does He make it an obligation for us to reciprocate His love for us. What He does is love in the shadows. His love is wound up so tightly within that seed within us that when it bursts,  it can't help but bring about good fruit. As the title states, our love towards Christ may be dormant but it's not dead. Even in the death of a seed, there is the expectation and anticipation of new life! Yes He loves us enough to let us go. Yes, He loves us enough to let us follow through on our own and fall in love with the seed He placed in our hearts long, long ago. Love is a two way street and God is fully aware of that. He's going to keep loving you until you're ready to make a move!

Whenever your seed is ready, it'll grow! It's not dead, just dormant.





(Bonus Coverage: Jon Foreman explains "Enough To Let Me Go"):


Jon Foreman- "I was thinking about how love (not just lust or codependency that commonly flood the tunes on the airways) actually involves quite a bit of faith. There's a lot of letting go involved. Two souls in love is an intricate dance of give and take. I can be a fairly solitary person from time to time. Sure, I love being with people, but I also need time alone. I guess I thrive on the poles. So this song is about the dance involved in a relationship the coming together and letting go. The song equates love with breathing- pulling in and releasing. Or a seed, for the seed to grow it has to be dropped and buried.

In our barcode media, love is often portrayed as consumption. As consumers in a commercial driven culture we can begin to view other souls as objects, or potential cures for our deepest fears and insecurities. "Perhaps if I found the right lover I would no longer feel this deep existential despair." But of course no human soul could be the Constant Other, the face that will never go away. Only the infinite can fill that role. But the silence can be deafening. It's a fearful thing to be alone. Do you love me enough to let me go? "I can't live without you"- "I would die if you ever left me"- These are not the songs of love, these are the songs of consumption."