Walk by Faith

Somewhere in the archives of my memory is a person with a Seeing Eye dog.  I cannot recall how I know them or even what circumstances I remember them in, but the memory is clear.  I see his face, round and smiling, the dog on his lead is a Golden Retriever and his coat is shining a clear as a noon day sun.  The man holds this special lead, one of those bar type ones that keeps the dog close to his master.  In my memory I see the man’s grip on the lead and I recall one very small, but extremely important detail, his grip is loose, casual you would even say.  Here this man is who has no vision of his own, fully relying on the trained dog’s eyes to keep him safe, take him where he needs to go, warn him when danger is approaching, even help him retrieve necessary items of survival and his grip on the one thing that provides form him is loose. 

One would think the blind man would be holding on for dear life, white-knuckled, fingernails imbedded into the palm of his hand type grip that says “So help me, don’t you take off or I am in a hurt.”  I mean without this very dog his life would be total chaos and mass confusion, dangerous situations lurking around every corner, survival would become this man’s way of life.  But the blind man’s hand in my memory has a just a casual grip, like holding a dear friends hand.  In fact is this lead not liken to that very thing, a dear friends “hand?”  The dog is after all his most trusted companion and friend.  Holding on loosely, living by faith his friend will not let him down, he trust his faithful companion with his very life. 

So how about you, how’s your grip on the lead?  Are you white-knuckled hanging on for dear life, worried at every step your life source is going to take off?  Leave you with it all to figure out on your own?  Do you even have a hold of the lead at all or are you clamoring about living in total chaos? 

 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11:1

What we do not SEE!  The blind man saw nothing, his vision was completely absent, yet he had faith to know his dog would take care of him.  Like him, we do not SEE our heavenly father, but we must have confidence He will take care of us.  Our needs will be met, our prayers will be answered, not necessarily how WE want them answered, but how the Master will, he knows what is best for us.  The dog will not lead the blind man astray and our Father will not do the same to us.  The path for which we have been called is clear before HIS eyes, we just have to pick up the lead and follow, by FAITH!!  Our vision of our future will fail, HIS vision of our future will prevail!!

There is a very important lesson in the blind man’s grip, it is the trusting dependence of knowing his dog will be there, he doesn’t have to hold on for dear life, he just has faith the dog will lead him in the correct path, BUT he does have to pick up the lead. 

Walk by Faith!!

Preparing for Christmas

For many thousands of Americans their Christmas preparations began the day after Thanksgiving with the traditional Black Friday shopping.  I myself prefer to do as much as my shopping as possible from the comfort of my living room via the internet and my laptop in my PJ’s if possible.  However, I did begin my Christmas preparations the day after Thanksgiving.   I would like to say I was preparing my heart and home for the up-coming celebration of Christ birth with prayer and meditation, but that would not be completely honest.  Like many others who chose not to go shopping, I took great care with preparing my home with Christmas decorations, the lights, the tree, all the pretty knick-knacks and lighted village.  I did pause and reflect a few extra moments when I set up the Nativity scene, specifically when I placed the baby Jesus in his manger in the barn, turned just right between the Virgin Mary and Joseph.  Then I moved on to the next item of decoration that needed to be placed just so. 

Later that weekend I shopped online for all the gifts my kids had requested deciding between the Nerf guns and video games, what would I choose to make their Christmas morning a surprise.  I placed my orders and packages have begun arriving, the boys anxiously wait for the first of the wrapped presents to appear under the tree.  Such care is taken with timing the placing of the gifts and their excitement grows as the days approach.  Christmas cards are signed and ready to send and soon I will begin making Christmas candy to give to friends & relatives.  Preparing for Christmas, right?   This morning as Pastor Bone delivered our message of Preparing for Christmas, my heart grew heavy as my own shame gathered on my face, what was I doing spiritually to prepare for Christmas?  Specifically how was I preparing for the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ???   

In Isaiah 9:6 we read of the foretold birth of the Messiah,

“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

When Christ was born over 2,000 years ago, his birth should not have come as a surprise.  God’s word had already promised of such a delivery, but when the time came for Mary to deliver the Christ child, the nations were sleeping.  Caught up in the busy task of their day, Jesus came as a whisper in the night.  They knew HE was coming and did nothing.  The prophets had already told them in several places in the Old Testament, but yet nobody was preparing for this triumphant entrance of God’s only son.  There was no baby shower or celebration of life, no crib prepared, not even a decent place for a mother to deliver a child.  Jesus came to us in the most humble of ways, in a smelly barn surrounded by livestock, wrapped in rags and laid in a manager meant for animals. 

Are we doing the same thing today?  Caught up in the commercialized Christmas with gift giving, work parties, candy & food preparing to even realize, the Christ child is coming.  Are you so busy “wigging-out” on the last minute gifts you need to get at Wal-Mart that you have forgotten the “reason for the season.”   How are you preparing for the celebration of Christ birth?  Sure as Christians we go to church and sing the Christmas hymns, read the Advent readings and light the candles, attend the kids’ Christmas productions and the candlelight services, but what about your attitude outside of the church?  Are you being a CHRISTmas Christian as you prepare for the Christmas season?  Are you taking the time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, the Christ-child?  And more importantly is your heart prepared for the second coming of Christ?  Does your attitude reflect the condition of your heart?   Or is the condition of your heart reflected in your attitude???  (OUCH!!)

Many of the signs prophesized about the second coming of Christ are coming to fruition, are we paying attention church or are we like the people of the Old Testament days?  Are we too busy with our daily task to take time to tell others about Christ returning?  Are we a nation sleeping?? 

 

This Christmas season I challenge you to take the time each day to reflect on the Christ-child, the promise of hope carried in the infant Jesus and share that hope with others through your CHRISTmas attitude!!

Called by Christ

Amanda

Prepare!

“A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. – Isaiah 40:3

“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.  This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: 'A voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ – Matthew 3:1-3

“It is written in Isaiah the prophet: I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way – a voice of one falling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” – Mark 1:2-3

“As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: ‘A voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” – Luke 3:4-5

“John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” – John 1:23

Isaiah foretold it and every Gospel in the New Testament repeated it – PREPARE!  Prepare for what?  The way for the Lord!!  Without doubt, no matter the task, with no concern of where you are sent, what you are asked to say or do or not say and do.  Easier said than done, huh?  How many of us can honestly say we are completely, 100% prepared?

Noah was prepared for the rain even though the place he lived was plagued with drought, why?  Because God told him to be prepared!  He was ridiculed and made a laughing stalk, but he did not let the opinion of others deter him from fulfilling what God had called him to complete.  In the movie Facing the Giants the main character is told the following parable from an elderly Christian man:

Two farmers in the face of a drought began praying for rain.  One farmer continued tilling, planting, fertilizing the land, preparing his fields for a harvest while the other farmer continued to pray, but did nothing to his fields.  Which farmer trusted the Lord to answer his prayer?  Which farmer received God’s blessing?

Moral to the parable?  You have to prepare your fields if you want to receive the blessing God has for you AND you have to trust the Lord to answer your prayers even in the face of a drought.  Christians face spiritual drought from time to time just like farmers face physical drought.  There are seasons in our lives when we feel like God is not with us, that He is not answering our prayers, times of loneliness from the Holy Spirit.  During these times, God has not left us, He is preparing us for a future blessing.  Maybe our season of drought is the ridicule we face from non-believers for “building our ark.”  God has not left us, He is preparing us for the flood we cannot see.

Just like Amanda Dalton said in her message on Sunday, an Olympic runner preparing for a race does not just wake up the morning of the race and decide to run.  There are months and years of preparation involved.  Training schedules of running & cross-training, weight control and nutrition programs and most of all determination.   But as a spectator on race day, all we see are the runners performing, the preparation each runner does is done alone. 

What God does as He prepares us might not be seen by the world, but we know the blessing is at the finish line.  The race is ahead, be prepared to run.

 Called by Christ,

Amanda

Where is your Bethel?

¹⁶ When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” ¹⁸ Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. ¹⁹ He called that place Bethel,^[a] though the city used to be called Luz. ²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear ²¹ so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD^[b] will be my God ²² and^[c] this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”  - Genesis 28:16-22

How many of us have been to that place?  You know that moment in your life where you are so close to God you feel His very presence all around you!!  The Holy Spirit falls on you so heavy you can barely move from the place you stand.  God himself speaks to your heart and because your spirit is so in tune with His you hear his voice resonate throughout your entire body.  He speaks so loudly and clearly to your heart that you really do hear it in your ears.  Nothing else on earth matters and for that moment in time you feel the power of The Almighty; you are scared and silent, yet joyful and alive.

If you close your eyes even right now you can picture it so clear it is like you are there again in your mind and perhaps for just a brief moment we start to feel Him again.  The physical setting of the room, the memory is crystal clear, but the feeling, well not so easy to relive.  How we all long to get back to that place when our heart met with God’s and he spoke to us, individually.  What happened? We might ask ourselves.  Why can’t I get the feeling again?  Why doesn’t God speak to me anymore?  We might even re-visit the place physically, thinking we can re-experience the wonderful awesomeness we felt once before.  Problem is God was not in that place physically, He was in YOU, spiritually.

Why did it have to end?  Just like Jacob, we may experience a God-moment too amazing to be true.  We leave promising ourselves we will do whatever it takes to stay in-tune with God so we can experience HIS presence again and again.  But just like for Jacob, life happens. Jacob, travelled on to Paddan Aram, got a job, married and had children.  Hmmm, sounds familiar, (well except travelling to Paddan Aram, I don’t even have a clue where that is!!)   Not to say that you aren’t suppose to work or have a spouse and children, but when we “leave” our Bethel, life takes God away from us.  The 10 minute prayer time every morning slowly disappears because we keep staying up too late the night before.  Reading scripture on lunch break is too hard because all the conversations in the break room are too loud or too interesting.  We just cannot make it to church every Sunday, after all we have to have a life too!!

The excuses pile up all the while your life continues out of control with the stress of trying to manage everything on your own.  Where did it all go wrong?  Why can’t I get back to that peaceful feeling I had?  Where is God now?  Truth is God is still with you, He never left and never will.
 

                “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Joshua 1:5

“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.’” – Hebrews 13:5

So the question you should ask is not how do I get back to where I was, but how do I get back to who I was?  What things were you surrounding yourself with spiritually at the time of your Bethel experience?  Were you in a season of prayer and meditation?  Fasting for a spiritual break-through?  Maybe you were involved in a Bible study that drew you close through scripture.  Or perhaps you were on the road to Emmaus and your eyes were opened to Christ with the reading of the scripture and breaking of the bread?  Think back, remember it clearly in your mind and heart.  What were some of the things you were experiencing and doing that lead you to the moment when God spoke directly your heart?  God didn’t just show up because you willed Him to, you heard His voice because you were “in-tune” with Him and recognized it by not the sound, but the feeling!!

If you want to get back to your Bethel perhaps you need to begin practicing those same things again.  Or maybe you need to try something different.  Are you in the Word daily, weekly?  Do you spend any time with just you and God?  It isn’t easy to make time for God, but then He never promised it would be easy, He only promised he would always be there.  God is waiting to meet you at your Bethel again.  He lingers at that place everyday hoping you will come back to see Him, feel Him, experience HIS presence.  How long will you keep Adonai waiting? 

 

Jacob took nearly 27 years to return. Genesis 35:1,9-11, 14-15

“Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an alter there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”

“After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.  God said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.”

“Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.  Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.”

Notice the last sentence quoted, “Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.”  God did not speak to Jacob, He spoke WITH him!!  The Creator of the Universe is waiting to have a conversation WITH YOU!!  Things and people weaken your faith, listen for God’s calling and go back.  Once you are there you will find you have the strength & faith to withstand the trials of everyday life.

Called by Christ,

Amanda

The Disciple Jesus Loves

When we hear the word love, many different things come to mind. Some might think of their spouse, perhaps their children, others might think of parents or close siblings and friends. All of these pictures of love connect to an actual physical being, someBODY comes to mind, not something. God's love is different from any love we have or give. What do you think of when you hear about God's love for you? What do you picture? Ever see the clouds right after a storm when the sun is shining down with rays of light? It almost looks like the heavens have opened up and God's love is shining down. Is that how you picture God's love? Maybe you think of the immeasurable blessings God pours out on us like rain. Can you see it? Pictures & words spelling out your blessings falling from the sky by the thousands!!
God's love is unconditional, never-ending, all-powerful, soft and loving, but yet protective and firm. HIS love is the teaching of how OUR love should be. ​

Jesus gives us this example of God's love:

​^"This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." - John 15:12-13 (NLT)

I would bet that most people can likely count on one hand the number of people they would actually DIE for; children, of course, parents, siblings, maybe a very close friend. But Jesus does not specify who based on their relationship to us, no HE says "for one's friends." Well now that seems a bit much!​  But then that is exactly what Christ did for us, not just as a friend, but as a brother.  Jesus himself is our brother and we are all children of God. 

Jesus on the cross is the symbol of grace, God’s grace.  It is through God’s unconditional love we receive the mercy and grace we do not deserve.  As defined by Brad Bledsoe on Sunday, “Mercy is when God doesn’t give you what you do deserve; Grace is when God gives you what you don’t deserve.” 

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” – Ephesians 2:4-5

“. . . because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.  Mercy triumphs over judgment.” – James 2:13

Mercy triumphs over JUDGEMENT!!  We are not subject to the judgment of God for our committed sins because of His great mercy for us.  Through grace given on the cross by Jesus, our brother we are not condemned to the sufferings we deserve.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:1

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” – Ephesians 1:7-8

 Lavished grace, how beautiful the image of God’s grace lavished upon us.  The grace we don’t deserve, that has existed for us even before we were in need of it, poured upon us.  Preveinient grace is grace that has “followed us” from the time we were born.  Then at some point in our lives we reached out to the God of love we now know so well and received from Him that grace he has freely given.   And a love like no other is born.  God’s love for us is given, not earned because we can do nothing on our own to earn God’s love.  Unconditional love that sustains us and lifts us, keeps us going and never leaves us.  When it comes down to it, love is what it is all about.  And nobody in the Bible, except Jesus himself, had that figured out better than the disciple, John. 

 Many times people, especially young kids will ask me where should I start when I begin reading the Bible.  I always tell them John and never really understood why until the message given this past week.  The book of John, like all the Gospels of the Bible, tells the life events of Jesus here on earth; with some variations of course, but the most distinct difference is John tells about whom Jesus was, not just what he did.  John shows us through his eyes the love Jesus has for us.  John called himself, “The disciple Jesus loved.”  What an amazing testament of John’s faith.  He knew Jesus’ heart so deeply that he referred to himself with such a bold and beautiful title.  How many of us have that confidence in the Savior’s love for us?  If people cannot even have the boldness to pick up the grace God leaves at the Alter for us and trade in the garbage we carry around, how can we be a people bold enough to claim the title of the disciple Jesus loves??!!

 We are all guilty at some point in our Christian lives of carrying around our sins and short-comings with shame until the burden has pulled us so far down from the love of God we no longer feel “Christ-worthy.”  That is where mercy and grace are vital to receive the love God has for us.  You must first receive the grace God has for you, letting go of that which he wants to take from you, to truly feel His unconditional LOVE.  Just pray this simple prayer and your burdens will be lifted, giving you the freedom to accept and feel God’s love.

            "Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior. I want to serve you always."

Be bold; claim the title you are deserving of, The Disciple Jesus LOVES!!

Called by Christ,

Amanda

Where are the Warriors?

Several months ago I made the personal decision to enter a mini-marathon, not really sure why, just something I always wanted to see if I could do, like a “bucket list” item.  I talked about it with a friend and she was interested in running with me so we signed up, found a training schedule and started training a few weeks ago.  As I looked over the training schedule, one of the first things I noticed was the days of rest.  You would think training to run 13.1 miles would mean I have to run every day, but no, days of rest were built into the schedule, why?  Because rest is vital to prevent injury to your muscles and to rejuvenate the body so you can run more the next time.

Athletic team schedules at all levels of every type of sport have days built into their schedule to allow time to rest.  In ancient times warriors would rest the night before a big battle, enjoying a feast of food and wine, even the women would travel with them to the camp to “see them off.”  On Sunday afternoons I take a nap to rest and prepare my body for the up-coming work week!  Wait, okay so maybe that isn’t rest, just lazy!!  There is a fine line between resting and being lazy. 

The same holds true for Christians, that fine line between rest and lazy is easy to cross.  It is the moment when you feel inspired by God to do something for your church, start a new program or out-reach, etc., but then decide it isn’t really something you’re comfortable doing or you don’t know enough about getting started, or that you are just too busy.  So you decide, maybe I will just tell somebody my idea and they will run with it; I am content with just “resting” here on the sidelines. 

Rest is necessary, even Jesus rested, but after resting we need to be prepared to fight the battle.  To be the Warrior God has called us to be, to take the idea and run with it on your own.  If God has spoken to you, HE will provide the means to accomplish HIS inspiration.  Remember, God did not call the equipped, He equipped the called!!  If everybody just rested, who would be the voice, hands & feet of Christ to our Christ-starved world?  So where are the warriors?  Take a look in the mirror!!  WE are the warriors!  WE are the soldiers of salvation!  It is us, the church who is called into service to share the Gospel of Jesus to the unbelieving. There are dark forces in this world fighting for the souls of the unbelieving.  Satan already knows his outcome, there is no winning for him against God, BUT Satan will do all he can to drag as many souls possible to the eternity of hell with him!!  As WARRIORS for God we are called to fight the dark forces of evil in this world.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” – Ephesians 6:12

As a warrior called by God, you are also equipped by God, as a warrior!!!

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” – Ephesians 6:13-17

Answer the call of the Great Commander, God and clothe yourself daily as a Warrior in HIS Army’s.  The time is now to fight the evil forces in the world and win the lost souls of this world for eternity in Heaven!!

Called by Christ,
Amanda

Live Your Faith

When I attended college at Indiana State University several years ago, there was a man who stood in the student commons nearly every day preaching to the students as they passed.  He was there, rain or shine, cold or hot.  He often quoted the Bible and spoke about the sins of man, especially about the types of sins committed by the younger generation.  His name?  Mad Max.  Well at least that is what the students called him.  I can remember avoiding the commons area when Mad Max was there, probably because the “sins of man” he preached about hit too close to the proverbial “home”.  And even though I avoided Mad Max on my part, he always seemed to have a way of showing up in my path at least once a week.  Looking back now I admire Mad Max for the having the courage to Live His Faith!!

How about you, do you live your faith?  Wait, how about me???  Yikes!  Do I live my faith the way that Jesus instructs me to?  I mean I attend church regularly, am involved in several different church activities, work on Emmaus Walks’ when blessed to be asked and try to treat everybody with love and respect.  But do I really live my faith?  What exactly does that mean?  What is Jesus asking of us?  Am I to stand in the town commons like Mad Max and profess to those passing by the truth of Jesus and his undying love?  Well if God ask, then . . . YES!!  Thankfully, I don’t think that is what God is asking of me, but that does not mean I shouldn’t be spreading the Gospel of Jesus, with faith to everybody I encounter.  Not necessarily by word, but by action.

Faith is seen, not spoken.  It is in your everyday actions while at work, the grocery store, picking up kids from practice, etc.  Faith knows beyond doubt that God is greater than any single thing we may encounter in life.  Whether great or small, it is trusting that God has the wheel.  Faith believes that even though you have no money in your bank account, God will provide food for your family.  Faith is staying by the bedside of a dying person, believing with all your heart that God DOES have the power to heal that person!! Faith is trusting that despite my son’s current grade in Algebra, he will graduate from High School!!  Faith is stepping out of your comfort zone and worshipping God with your arms spread out to heaven even if not a single other person is doing the same.  Faith is saying to that mountain, move and it will be moved!!!

            ¹⁷ “O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” ¹⁸ Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.  ¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”  ²⁰ He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.^[a]”

 

Pay close attention to what Jesus is saying here.  He did not say, have faith and nothing is impossible for HIM, Jesus says, “Have faith and nothing will be impossible for YOU!!!!”  We have the same power Jesus had when he was on earth through the Holy Spirit that lives within us.  Too often Christians stand by the wayside talking about the many great miracles Jesus performed, shaking their heads saying if only Jesus performed miracles like when he was on earth.  HELLOOOOO?? The reason Jesus is not performing miracles is because HE gave us, His disciples that power on the day of the Great Commission.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been give to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  - Matthew 28:18

And we are told again in Acts about the receiving of the Holy Spirit and its power within us. 

            “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”   - Acts 2:1-4

            “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.  The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.  For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.”  - Acts 10:44-46

The same Spirit that dwelt within the first disciples dwells within each of us. Perhaps the reason we don’t see the presence of God among our community, nation and world is because we are not using the power we have been given, we are not living our faith.  As Amanda Dalton stated in her message on Sunday, “God has not changed, God’s people have changed.”  We were not called as Christians to set passively by and watch from the sidelines as our fellow man deteriorates to meaningless existence.  It is our duty as Christians to claim the faith and live it boldly so all will see and desire to come to Christ in the same manner.

            “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7

What hinders you from living your faith?  Are you holding back because you fear what the world will think of you?  I am sure Noah was feeling pretty silly when he started building an Ark when it had not rained for many months.  And how about David?  He was ridiculed and mock for his little sling-shot and stones, but who took down that giant?  Abraham did not doubt God’s faithfulness when he and Sarah, who was barren, had their FIRST son long past the age of child-bearing.  It was by faith that the same Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac because he trusted God’s command.  By faith the walls of Jericho fell, by faith the woman with years of hemorrhaging was healed with a touch of Jesus’ garment!  

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11:1

By faith you can call forth the Angels of heaven to heal the sick, mend the broken and yes even cause the blind to see!!!  God WANTS us to claim that power!  He is waiting for us to step out on faith, He will meet us there. 

Do you still believe in miracles?  God does!!

 

Called by Christ!

Amanda