The GIFT of Faith

          1 Samuel 17:45-47New King James Version (NKJV)

45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

2 Chronicles 20:15 (NKJV)

15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

Deep and abiding faith is not an accident; it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: (1 Corinthians 12:7). The faith shown by David in his confrontation with the giant and the faith verbalized by Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, as he counseled King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah, are examples of this spiritual gift.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (NKJV) 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

It is more than just O.K. To seek counsel with brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ who manifest this gift of faith. It is expected that those who are endowed with the gift of faith use this gift for the building of the Kingdom. We cannot puff ourselves up if we are given this gift by the Holy Spirit just as we are not to demean ourselves if this is not our gift.

We are each given “a measure of faith” and we must use our faith to sustain the gifts we bring to the Body and to encourage the gifts of others. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:

I share this prayer of Pastor Paul Piper: "O Lord, thank you for my faith. Sustain it. Strengthen it. Deepen it. Don't let it fail. Make it the power of my life, so that in everything I do you get the glory as the great Giver. Amen"

May God Forever Be a Blessing in Your Life!!!

Ephesians 4: 11-12 A Gift for Each of Us!

Ephesians 4: 11-12 New King James Version (NKJV)

11 Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, 12 so that his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong.

Some find their gifts through prayer and supplications; some find their gifts through startling revelations directly from God.                                        Acts 9:1-2 New King James Version (NKJV)                                              The Damascus Road: Saul Converted 1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

On this day Saul's life and the lives of many future Christians, were forever changed. Saul's calling and conversion were sudden and awe inspiring; but, for most of us, the calling comes in ways much less dramatic.

Regardless of the way we receive our gifts and our calls to service we have this assurance: He will always provide the know how, the resources and the stamina to do that which is in His will.

Romans 12:6-8New International Reader's Version (NIRV) 6 We all have gifts. They differ in keeping with the grace that God has given each of us. Do you have the gift of prophecy? Then use it in keeping with the faith you have. 7 Is it your gift to serve? Then serve. Is it teaching? Then teach. 8 Is it telling others how they should live? Then tell them. Is it giving to those who are in need? Then give freely. Is it being a leader? Then work hard at it. Is it showing mercy? Then do it cheerfully.

If you have not yet found your gift, rest assured that he has promised gifts to each of us and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you commit yourself to His Holy Will.

May God Forever Be a Blessing in Your Life!!!

2 Chronicles 20:20-21-- Praise Him In Advance

 “God came and spoke these words to me, praise will confuse the enemy.” (from "Praise Him In Advance" by Marvin Sapp)

2 Chronicles 20:20-21 King James Version (KJV)

20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.

Jehoshaphat praised God in advance. This truly is faith. We come to our Father knowing that He has the power to take care of us; this is the basis of true worship. We honor God as the Almighty, the All Powerful, the Most High God and we praise Him for all things, great and small.

Fear and anxiety in the face of problems are natural responses and our All Knowing God understands our moments of weakness. Oh, but when we settle down and seek His guidance, seek His protection and seek His will in our lives He is faithful to respond. When we praise Him in advance we are acknowledging that we have truly put our lives in His hands and have faith that the battle is His. Jehoshaphat was a witness to the people of Israel of this faith. He is a witness to us now to the power of acknowledging our faith by a willingness to praise God in advance.

We truly witness for our Lord and Savior when others see us praising Him in the midst of all things. We praise God when things are going well. We praise God when we have troubles. We amaze those around us with our faith and we truly confuse the enemy when we continue in the service of God despite all that the enemy throws at us.

Dear Father, please keep me in the model of Jehoshaphat. with a willingness to put a song of praise in front of all of my problems, in acknowledgment of the true fact that You are in charge of all. I thank You for Your Word of encouragement. I thank You for work to do in the kingdom. I thank You for the strength to do Your work. I thank You for being in my life.

I praise You in advance.

May God Forever Be a Blessing in Your Life!!!

Lamentations 3: A Book of Hidden Promises

This was one of those weeks when I had good reason, again, to thank God for putting me in a ministry that encourages truly exploring God's Word in search of His truths.

The book of Lamentations is one of those books in the Bible that I “skimmed over” whenever we reached it in Bible study or read just the verses associated with this week's sermon.

It is not listed as one of the Books of Poetry even though it is in reality a series of beseeching poems. Before I began to study the Book of Lamentations I had no appreciation of the beauty of God's Love reveled in these verses.

Lamentations 3:28 The Message (MSG)

28-30 When life is heavy and hard to take,
    go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
    Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
    The “worst” is never the worst.

Lamentations is more than one man's reaction to the loss of his home. It gives us a biblical approach to suffering. The author teaches us that we can't deal with suffering by ignoring it, pretending it doesn't exist, trying to get out of it, or minimizing its pain. Instead, we have to go through it, remembering that God is with us in it. https://www.ivpress.com/bible/lam/

Sometimes, when we are facing uncertainty, when we are truly frightened, we stumble in our prayers. We are so afraid that we might seem ungrateful for our many blessings while we seek relief for this. We don't want to appear to doubt God's capacity for healing and mercy. We don't know how to respond to well wishers who give us scriptures we have already read, cliches we have already heard.

We are both relieved and hurt when some friends and family members avoid us altogether because they simply don't know how to deal, what to say.

When we finally move on and begin to do the work that He has called us to do, he sends us words of comfort...just the right words.

Lamentations 3:19-24The Message (MSG) It’s a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God 19-21 I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,     the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—     the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there’s one other thing I remember,     and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: 22-24 God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,     his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning.     How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).     He’s all I’ve got left. I am grateful, My God, that you chose to show me, again, the promise in Your Word. I am grateful for the reminder that You are with me always. 22-24 God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,     his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning.     How great your faithfulness! Thank You Lord! May God Forever Be a Blessing in Your Life!!!

Be patient with each other

Ephesians 4: 2 Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

Be patient with each other.

This request of Paul, if answered, could make all of the difference in every relationship: in our churches, in our families, with our friends, in every aspect of our lives.

We truly want everyone to be patient with us. When we make a mistake we hope for the benefit of the doubt. When we are just plain wrong, we hope for forgiveness and restoration.

But, at the least slight, the least wrong done to us, we wish for nothing less than eternal fire for those who hurt us.

Let's apply Paul's words of wisdom to our charge as Christians:

Matthew 22:37-40King James Version (KJV)       

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

How can we truly love our neighbor as ourselves unless we are willing to make allowance for their faults, just as we make allowance for our own? Don't we justify every little quirk we have? If so, why not justify the “personalities” of those to whom we owe the Love of God?

Matthew 28:16-20King James Version (KJV)

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

What stops us from telling the Good News to everyone, and anyone?

Is it our fear of rejection? Do we suppose that they will not be open to His Word? Do we prejudge their response with no willingness to “make allowance” as we would hope they would “make allowance” for us. Did someone take a risk and bring the Good News to you? Can you continue to do less for others?

Ephesians 4 New Living Translation (NLT) Unity in the Body

4 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.                                                                                                              2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.                                                                                                                       3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.                                                                                                                                              5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.                                                                                       7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.

Let us pray for the gift of patience with each other. Let us do our best to accept each other's faults in the sweet love of Jesus the Christ.

May God Forever Be a Blessing in Your Life!!!