An Attitude of faith

“Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” -Mark 9:24

Is your faith in the God who created the universe?

Our faith begins with our understanding in God. I believe it is the attitude of faith which we stay in that determines the outcome of a situation, I believe there is a connection of our attitudes and our circumstances.

I’ve prayed for years for the same thing {marriage, healing, kids, financial, etc.} and nothing seems to be happening or has happened. The Bible says that all things are possible to him who believes, so what is wrong with my faith?

“Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23

Faith believes God can do it no matter what.

Or

Some days it is easy for me to trust the Lord, other days no matter how hard I try, I don’t feel confident God cares or wants to help me. Then there are times when I try to run my life. So, how come my faith can’t be more consistent?

Faith looks up and over opposition

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

Faith is when there is nothing inside other than a knowing that you know that ya know - in that moment you have no doubt.

Or


I’m in a very unpleasant situation, should I boldly pray it changes? Should I stick it out and trust God? Which one is faith? Won’t the Lord honor my faith no matter which I’ve chosen?

Faith looks to God.

Faith sees a way out.

“In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:6

We need to lose ourselves to the limitless power of God, whether we understand it or not. Many times our hearts tell us to do things we don't understand or can't see how they work. This is when we must totally trust in God!

Faith is the power in which you believe God.

If you are like the many Christians who have ever struggled with any of these or other uncertainties about your faith then you are not alone, there is good company within the pages of the Bible.

Throughout all of Scripture we see people’s faith in God knocking against the realities of earthly life. Some of the most esteemed of God’s people let us down mid story when they abandoned their trust in God. But, some of the least likely, those were the ones who were pressed by crisis, circumstances, they are the ones who show remarkable pure faith in a God that they barely knew.

Faith believes God is Alive.

Is our faith truly in a God who created all things?

Do we believe that His promises will be fulfilled even though we haven’t seen them yet?

Is there doubt in your faith?

When we believe with a true and sincere heart, with no doubt in our mind or heart then it can be considered true faith.

Faith is a living thing, it is a life style. Faith is a commitment to walk with Christ not knowing what lies ahead. Faith knows that He is right there beside us walking with us, allowing us to take that next step.

"Faith is the substance hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

“Faith is the way by which we can see what God has created. The purpose of faith is for us to penetrate the visible and to see into the invisible reality, which is God.” –A.W. Tozer

Today in these uncertain times we really need faith. Our walk with Christ at times will take us through dark places where it may seem as if the sun will never shine and we will feel abandoned. It is His strength that lifts our head when it is bowed low. Faith calls us to rely on Him. Christian faith is not so much what you say you believe, but how we behave in a consistent manner.

We all influence someone everyday. It is how we react in those unguarded moments that tell the real story of who we are.

This is where reason ends and faith begins.

“I believe, Lord help my unbelief!” God gives us the exact amount of faith we need for each new day, it is manna from heaven each day. Each day brings new struggles to push through. It is the Holy Spirit who wants to sanctify us in our struggles.

“Take no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take though for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” -Matthew 6:34

“The word faith is a confidence in a person or trustworthy thing. The Hebrew meaning of faith is to sustain, to uphold. To believe is to live by; to guide, conduct, regulate, govern, or direct the life by; to take, accept, assume or adopt as a rule of life; consequently to think, deem or judge me right; to be firmly persuaded of; to give credit; to trust or think trustworthy; to have or give faith or confidence; to confide to think or deem faithful.” -Charles Hodge Vol.3 Systematic Theology

Our authority rests not in us, but in the One who is in charge. It believes that what He has said, He has already done. It is of the highest honor to serve Him. Is this true for you also? Is He everything to you? Is he the sweetest name on your soul? Is He first in all you do?

The most important thing for a Christian to know is who God is, and to know that they are in Him, nothing doubting.

Faith is easy when everything is going good or is going like you think it should, but disappointment comes to test our faith. How do you get along then? How do you react to those situations? Don’t let questions discourage you and your faith. We are human and always will be hesitant and imperfect. But, that don’t mean we can’t strive for perfection. God is our Father; He is like a parent teaching their child to take the first steps. He welcomes and encourages the smallest step of trust towards Him. It is all by His grace that we are able to believe at all.

Faith simply believes His trustworthiness, believing what He has said, He has already done. Faith is the instrument that allows us to know that this is true. Our faith has a specific function with knowledge. Faith is the substance, the assurance, the rock of our foundation; faith is that which changes the invisible into the visible; it is the substance which takes things that are not and makes them as they were. How awesome is it that the faith God gives us, is so we may see what He has done.

Faith is generally accompanied by an inner feeling of confidence, but that does not always happen. Scripture does not tell us how the Saints in Hebrews 11 also know has the Hall of Faith, felt about their circumstances. What we are told is how they acted in obedience as God spoke to them. Abraham, Isaac, and David, are just a few of the saints who faith grew through testing.

“Faith is not to be regarded as simply a Christian grace. No less inadequate are those descriptions of faith which regard it only as a character as a Christian and saving grace. Delitzch – for example describes faith as the most central act of our being; the return to God, the going out of our inner life to Him. This longing after God’s free merciful love, as His own word declares it - a longing a reaching forth, and grasping it; this naked, unselfish craving, feeling itself satisfied with nothing else than God’s promised grace; this eagerness, absorbing every ray of light that proceeds from God’s reconciled love; this convinced and safety - craving appropriation and clinging to toword of grace; this is faith.” Charles Hodge – Vol.3 pg 45 Systematic Theology

Jesus is the perfect model of faith. He is the One who invites us to have faith in Him. It is only by God’s grace that we are being made into the faithful person.

We are, and are striving on into God. We are to draw from the assurance that Christ will be faithful till the end. We are to stand fast because the Lord stands at our side and gives us strength.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I Am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

“We are some of the ones who have heard the voice from beyond matter.” A.W. Tozer

This same voice that called from beyond creation, called creation into being! Matter is the handiwork of God. We are some of the ones whom God has chosen to hear that very same voice.
There is only One eternal, and that is God!

So, as we hear the voice of God speaking to our hearts, just know that we are hearing the very same voice that powerfully called creation into being.

Do we just have a sense of faith that is of knowledge in our head, or do we have that power of faith working in love in our heart?

We need to have a heart full of faith!

Real faith not only does something for us, it does something to us!

Our authority rests not in us, but in the One who is in charge. We will find His excellent gifts and riches in the Word of God, and by prayer and surrendering to His will. We are pilgrims here who are on a journey, and our goal is nothing less than Jesus Christ Himself! We need to thank God for how He has faithfully led and guided and kept His promises.

We are so loved by God!

God will lead us into solitude; our faith comes from our heart’s aloneness with God. In that aloneness He is preparing us. He will be all you need. Right now at this present state our faith is at the beginning, it is at a starting point. We all got to start somewhere. Our faith will be tested and strengthened to make us more effective for even greater struggles and challenges. Our faith will be tried by great sorrow, a hurt, a loss or even sickness. Baby, get ready God said that no one is exempt from struggles and disappointments.

Christ was made perfect through suffering. Some things we will never learn, or lose those imperfections until we have suffered. Sometimes it takes suffering in the heart emotionally or physically in the body. We must carry His cross and fall underneath it at the same time. When these things happen our unbelief raises up. The strongest of unbelief’s questions is why? Why did God allow this to happen? No one is spared this pain of grief. We may never understand why, but do we really have the right to ask the Potter why? It is during these times I pray that we can say, “I believe, Lord Help thou mine unbelief.” You are My Father who makes all things work together for my good, even though I may not understand. I know that You will never leave me or forsake me. “I believe, Lord, help thou my unbelief.” Mark 9:24

Lord, Thank you for a steadfast, unshakable, immovable, unyielding Faith.

Thy Way, Not Mine, O Lord Horatius Bonar (1808-1889)

“Thy way, not mine, O Lord, However dark it may be; Lead me by Thy Hand, Choose out the path for me.
Smooth let it be, or rough, it will be still at best; winding or straight it leads right onward to Thy rest.
I dare not choose my lot; I would not if I might: choose Thou for me, my God, so I shall walk aright.
Take Thou my cup and it with joy or sorrow fill, as best to Thee may seem; choose Thou my good and ill.
Choose Thou for me my friends, my sickness, or my health. Choose Thou my cares for me, my poverty or wealth.
Not mine not mine the choice, in things both great and small; be Thou my guide, my strength, my wisdom and my all.”
You’re faithful, You’re always the same. You’re Faithful, No! You Never change. Your faithful, You’re Always good! You’re always good!

I leave you with this last question....
If someone were to write a short statement in honor of your faith in God, what might it say?

The Glory of The Cross

"God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Galatians 6:4a

What do you think and feel about the Cross of Christ?
Does God's love melt you?

Does your heart sometimes whisper that I am too wicked, to sinful to be saved?

Are you living in any kind of sin?
Are you following the course of this world, and neglecting
your soul?

Are you one who finds his heart too ready to love earthy things?
Is your heart overburdened; with sickness, tired of disappointments, too many cares of this world?

Look to the cross and do not be ashamed. We live in a land that was born on Christian foundations. Let me talk to you today for just a little bit of what God has put on my heart...

To me it is the deepest most important foundation in our Christian walk, not just a mere question of controversy of which some agree to disagree. I believe that our stand on this subject will determine heaven or hell; happiness or misery even till that final day.
When we stand before Him on that day of Judgment, He will ask each one of us individually about His everlasting Gospel. Did we believe and obey since you heard? It won’t be a matter of nationality, how influential or successful we are, we will be purely judged by the Gospel.

"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Galatians 6:14a

The meaning of this scripture is that we are to trust that the crucified, now risen, Christ is more than enough for our sins, for our salvation. He is our all in all, we should not lean on nothing but Him putting our confidence in nothing except the cross of Christ.

The Cross stands at the center of Christian religion. It is the crossroads of the believer’s faith. There is not another symbol throughout history that can compare to the cross. At first thought that appears to be strange to some.

Do you enjoy life? But, the cross suggests and points to death. Do you strive for victory? The cross points to defeat. Do you look for peace and harmony? Only the cross produces disruption and discord. Are you always looking for the most beautiful things? the cross suggests all that is unfinished and ugly. Is it not strange that the cross is in the background instead of in the leading position? The leading position is of honor, instead of shame, disgrace and defeat! This majestic symbol cannot be forgotten or ignored, it commands attention!

There are many tribes, tongues, nations, religions, and people of all ages who seek for the meaning of life. All of which must find it through a symbol within which is death and life; humiliations and exaltation; defeat and victory. We must learn to die out to self, as a seed must die before it brings forth it's fruit, so the Son of Man was lifted upon the cross of shame. The seed is exposed to months of suffering, just to release its inner life to produce its proper harvest. So it is in our life, we must deny self, and take up the cross of Jesus.

This is how I pictured that day upon the cross....my thoughts...

His very soul begins to be torn apart within in Him, for what can He say? Will He be asked to be saved from this hour of crisis? The encounter with death is the final test. Will He stand firmly in purpose and loyalty, courageously, not flinching? Jesus has taken His place with sinful man, to take away man's sin. Jesus a man, who was sinless, identified Himself with us in spite of man's pride and rebellion against God. He submitted to the lowest humiliation so that the Glory of the Lord might be revealed. The Cross.

In those final moments, out of all the travail of His soul, Jesus lifts up His eyes to God and says, "Father glorify Thy name, then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." -John 12:28 - He had accepted His destiny gladly and willingly.

God did not, nor had not abandoned Him or even temporarily turn away from Him. The son was the closest to the Father's heart at the hour of His bitterest trial. The father likewise was the closest to the Son as He knew that this would be the moment of identification for those that He had come to save. In that moment the whole world stood under the judgment of the revelation of the glory of God. The prince of this world just thought that he had won, stood condemned as his false standards of self claims of lust, power, greed, were exposed to the Light.

Even while the darkness covered the earth, faint rays of light began to be seen. The thief on the cross sees a ray of light and asks…
"Remember me when thou comest into Thy Kingdom." -Luke 23:42
The centurion likewise:"Truly this man was the Son of God." Mark 15:39

Before long the glory is breaking forth, then a man is found who cries: "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Galatians 6:14

In a strange and contradictory way the symbol of the lowest shame, had then become the symbol of the highest glory. There full payment had been made for our enormous debts. The curse of the Law, which we have broken, has come down on the One who suffered for us. JESUS! The demands of that law were all satisfied; payment had been made in full for you and me, even to the uttermost.

The Cross should be at the heart of every Christian believer’s faith.
The Cross has through atonement affected everyone's life. Christ died for sinners upon the cross, the atonement (the satisfaction for a wrong, the reconciliation of God and humankind accomplished through the life, suffering, and death of Christ) that He (Jesus) made for sinners through His suffering on the Cross. This was the complete and perfect sacrifice for sin, which He offered up when He gave His body to be crucified.

The cross stands for Christ, the Only Savior! This is what is meant when Paul said "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." That we are to glory in nothing else but Christ crucified as the salvation of our soul.

Jesus Christ crucified was joy, delight, comfort, peace, hope, confidence, the Foundation, the resting place, the ark, the food and medicine of Paul's soul. I pray that each one of us can find that place in Christ just as Paul did.

We have got to come to that place where we do not think about ourselves, how we have suffered, about our goodness. We need to think about what Christ has done for us, and rightly give Him the glory that is due His name. He suffered death to bring us back to the Father. Through Jesus on the cross we can and should glory in the righteousness, the atonement, the blood, and the finished work of Christ. These are what we are to glory in, for they are the very light of our soul.

"The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

Is Jesus Christ enough for you?
Is He the meat and drink of your soul?

The death of Christ on the Cross to make atonement for sinners is the center truth of the Bible. The Son of God had shed His own blood to save our souls.

The Bible is our map, our guide to life as God intended it to be, but if you do not know this crucified Christ as your sure foundation, then you my friend, you are building upon a sandy foundation. The Cross is the golden thread which runs through the Pauline Scriptures. It wasn’t for nothing that the Crucifixion is described four times in the New Testament...Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, tell us of the Cross. Jesus came to finish that which was fore ordained.

Maybe you think you know a great deal of knowledge of Jesus Christ, or who He was, where He was born, how He lived, suffered and died. But, unless you have the power of Christ's experience on the Cross, you will not fully grasp that blood that was shed, which covers away your particular sin. If you can't confess that the work of Christ on the Cross is all that you need, and that your salvation depends upon it, then your salvation profits you nothing. Just knowing about Him; Just knowing His name is not enough! You must know His Cross, and that you have been purchased with a price through our Savior and His dying love.

Most people see no glory or beauty in the Cross; they think that it is painful and degrading. Most people run from the Cross, not too it, for they think it is a most unpleasant thing. Jesus whom suffered all temptations as we do today, only without sin, is the example for us all today. But because of the Cross, the Holy Spirit intends to sanctify us in and through the struggle.

Beneath the Cross, there is peace; this is where our will is surrendered to His will. "The test in whether we have found peace will be how we face the sufferings or issues of this life that happen to us." Dietrich Bonhoeffer Paraphrased - There are many Christians who bend the knee to the Cross, yet they do not want to embrace all that God has for them, the good as well as the bad. Many Christians resist the opposition in their life; this opposition will only make them a stronger believer of the faith. Christ was crucified for sinners, yet many Christians still today live as if He was never crucified at all!

Are you one who feels that they can cope with everything and still find that inner peace? It is just the opposite, for we cannot it is Only through Him, by the way of the Cross, sitting at His feet and learning from Him. These problems or issues that we each face daily in reality are the greatest treasures that one can find.


"Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God!" 2 Corinthians 3:5


Do you try to avoid all the problems, trying to avoid all the sufferings, temptations, the different things that a Christian must go through? Do you avoid the fire?


Well, my friends, when you do you are rejecting Christ. We as humans try to forget that all this never happened to Christ. Everything that happened to Him and everything that happens to us was all fore ordained. We were and are not here by chance or accident.


"And those who were marked out by Him were named; and those who were named were given righteousness; and to those to whom he gave righteousness, in the same way He gave glory." Romans 8:20-


"Who was marked out by God before the making of the world, but was caused to be seen in these last times for you." 1 Peter 1:20

All of Jesus sufferings were endured voluntarily, of His own choice, His own will, He went to the Cross to finish the work He came to do.

The more I look and learn from of the Cross, the more wisdom, power, peace, hope, joy, gladness, comfort there is in my heart. The longer I dwell on the Cross the more is learned, and so much more to be learned. For at the Cross more than anywhere else is where you will be satisfied in Him, and Him alone! The Cross is the crown of Glory of the Gospel. The Cross is the Only sure foundation.

My encouragement to you, my friend, is to draw near to the Cross of Christ with boldness, holding nothing back. His arms are open wide to receive you with a heart full of love and compassion. Jesus has made the way by which you can approach Him with confidence.

"By whom we also have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:2

Have we realized, come to that place in Him, that if He, Jesus, never did another thing for us, He did enough, He went to the cross! I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine. Personalize this for yourself.

“I am my beloveds, and my beloved is mine.” Song of Solomon 6:3a

Is Spiritual Hunger Consuming You?

Do you have emptiness like hunger, but nothing satisfies?

Do you have a supreme longing that is coming from the very core of your heart?

"O taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man that trusts in Him." Psalm 34:8

Most of us think of food in connection with hunger, and rightly so. Have you ever been so hungry that you could think of nothing else but eating? Each of us has been famished for food at sometime or other in our life, but the food we ate did not satisfy all our hunger. There is another hunger that rages within us, called Spiritual Hunger. It can feel different to different people. But, here are some of the common feelings; a deep sense of emptiness; feeling like there is no meaning or significance to life, feeling lost or like something is missing, being on edge, a gnawing feeling, or a very deep sobbing, a longing from the very center of your soul.

Hunger is the greatest motivating force that we could ever have. When people get hungry watch out, cause something is about to happen. Hunger is a gift, it is something that God does inside of us to create tension, and increase our level of faith. He will use our faith to pull from Him, until it becomes a reality in and around you. Our hearts are restless until they rest in Him! God wants to be with us. He has put a mysterious, unfathomable longing in the very core of our being when He made each one of us.

If Spiritual hunger is the most important to each of us, why then do we seemingly have no appetite for the presence of God?

Have you ever thought why we are Spiritually Hungry? Simply put the answer is malnourishment. We stuff ourselves with Spiritual substitutes, things that look satisfying, but turn sour within. Most of the time we feel this Spiritual Hunger, but are unaware of what it really is. There is pain and discomfort, so we look to soothe the pain. We often look to other things to feel the void, that pain, from, from drugs, alcohol, destructive habits, obsessive compulsions, eating disorders, sex, pornography, excessive T.V. watching, and the list goes on.

Many times we also use positive things, filling our lives with busyness, people, family, friends, spouse, sports or any kind of shopping, reading, work, the list is endless. Not that all these things are bad, but could we be using these things to fill Spiritual Hunger? I would encourage you to think about where you tend to turn when you sense those feelings? What are those areas of escape in your life? Are you one of the ones who have been wounded and have simply lost the ability to feel at all, masking everything with numbness and denial? Is there a desire for more and more material possessions?

It is no wonder that a lot of us sometimes feel a little bit lost among all the busyness we create for ourselves. Yet we find ourselves searching for something to bring us some peace, joy or just something we can look forward too. Instead we look at secular things to fill that void, when we should be looking to God reading the Bible, spending time searching out His Word, His ways. Letting Him give us that inner peace and joy that can come from Him.

Hunger is a wonderful thing, it is a built in alarm for when it is time to eat. When we hunger, we actually are enjoying our food. Most of us only think about food at mealtime. Hunger can be filled with a good diet. Food diets aim at healthier physical bodies. Our water comes from a faucet, we buy breads already baked. Much of the food we purchase is heat and serve. Many families sit and eat in front of the T.V.; food is a simple means to satisfy an appetite.

About fifty yrs. ago, things were different; a meal was more than eating. It was a coming together of family, and acknowledgment of God, a time to exchange news and make plans.

Attitudes towards Spiritual food has changed as well. In Bible times the word bread would bring thoughts of grinding, kneading, baking, harvest...of life itself. Spiritual Food involved preparations and was the outworking of a person's life. It was an invitation for God to take His rightful place. Spiritual diets look to fill a person from within with peace, joy and love. Spiritual hunger arises from our need to have answers to our deepest questions, and to be in a relationship with the Divine One. Like food diets, spiritual quick fixes fail to deliver.

Back of the loaf, the snowy flour.
Back of the flour, the mill.
Back of the mill, the grain and the shower, the sun, and the Father's will.
- Old Spiritual-

This gently reminds us that God is the source of all we need. He is the One whom sustains and nourishes us, both physically and spiritually.

Today we go to church to receive Spiritual food; we sit in rows of chairs, as if at a meal, and expect the Pastor to have prepared a feast for us. Some think our Spiritual Food should be prepackaged, so we can take it on the run with minimal interruption in our life. Spiritual Food cannot be cheaply made in heated containers or drive through windows. There is Only One source for this kind of Spiritual nourishment and Only One way to receive it. Spiritual nourishment comes from the hand of God. We must learn to discipline ourselves to eat of the Word of God. Too truly live we must learn to discover that Only God can satisfy our deepest hunger.

“The Bible teaches us to desire God and to have joy in God, or delight in God. It illustrates both. Godly people are seen longing, hungering, thirsting and fainting for God. They are also seen enjoying and delighting in and being satisfied in God.”
-John Piper-

This is a powerful paradox. A wonderful mystery. Being found, yet waiting. Being complete yet desiring greater depths. It is a mystery that man would rather sweep under the carpet, but for mystics it is the world they live in. French mystic Jean Guyon said that she tasted the sweet and powerful wine of the heavens, which consumed her with a desire for more. (God will truly know if she was saved.) This is a desire for more. There is a desire that satisfies but also makes you thirst.

John G Lake is another who saw the extraordinary power of God move in his generation. He was hungry! John G lake cried out for nine months for miracle working power, all the while seeing miracles, but that wasn’t enough, he wanted more. One day he was struck with what he called the lightings of God, after which the raw power of God went through him. The world felt an impact, and God left His mark in history through a man who was spiritually hungry.

“God’s purpose comes to pass when your heart and mind get the real God-cry, and the real God-prayer comes into your Spirit and the real God-yearning gets a hold of our nature. Something is going to happen.” -John G lake-

Once we have encountered the love of the Father, up close and personal we become addicted, for we can’t get enough of Him!

Is hunger a blessing? Yes! For hunger will cause us to turn to the nourishment that is needed in order to bring life to our souls. God, Our Creator, made every person with a need within our souls that Only He can fill. Our Spiritual food is life itself. Feeding Spiritually only on what is heard from the pulpit is not nourishment enough. We should never assume that others are to fill our Spiritual needs. We must have food for Spiritual growth as well as food for maintenance.

Do you sit at the Father’s banqueting table only to push away the plate to digest the food of this world?

Sugar and cookies are good for immediate energy. Reading and quoting scripture and promises from the Bible may help for the moment, but for steady growth we need to discipline ourselves to read daily. It is by meditating on these deeper realities, through that God given faith that we begin to absorb the meat from Bible Study.

"Many things good for us You do, Heavenly Father we Thank You."
- An Old English Grace -

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the Bread of Life, he that comes to Me shall never hunger, and he that believes on Me shall never thirst." John 6:35

Scripture call us to action; too change the priorities in our lives. We should never assume that the loss of Spiritual appetite happens only to other people. Starvation of the Spirit is less obvious on the outside because the Spirit starves much more slowly. It is a slow fade, when you give your life away. There are times when our own Spiritual Life maybe at a low and the Bible seems lifeless and dull. Loss of appetite is a gradual thing.

This does not mean that it is time to stop, but time for discipline, daily reading, meditating, prayer, and fellowship in God's house will get us through. We must learn to push ourselves, instead of letting what is really important be put on the back burner. The Lord knew where we would go for nourishment. He wasn’t saying we would only need to eat once. The promise is that Christ would never fail to have a fresh supply for the one who would come to Him for sustenance/or nourishment.

If you don't quit, one day God's Word will become strong, and you will realize that you have broken through.

The Lord is good to me,
And so I thank the Lord.
Who giveth me,
The things I need.
The sun and the rain,
and the apple seed...
The Lord is good to me.

God wants to feed our souls, to satisfy the cravings of our heart, to give us peace, confidence, understanding and security. God humbles us to drive out the pride of self sufficiency away from us. when things go well, it is easy to forget God, and lean on natural abilities, or learned skills. But, when the body is not fed, it begins to weaken noticeably, and it soon begins to feel the pain. The Spirit seems to weaken and die so slowly that it is as noticeable. As we Spiritually deteriorate, we may even feel blessed, so He will discipline with pain to warn us, that
all is not well, as our excessive pride is leading the way. By means of trials, God seeks to help us see that our need and dependence is on Him and Him alone.

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds to men, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." Psalm 107:4

We eat food in the naturally every day, our need for food Spiritually is daily also.

“Let it be to your care to get the approval of God as a workman who has no cause for shame, giving the True Word in the right way.” 2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

Do we feed our Spirits daily? If not, then what are we eating, and whom do we look or go to for our daily bread?

I believe God is stirring up hunger even in our supreme happiness and satisfaction in Jesus. His work on the cross is finished, but our work here is only just begun. He wants to work through us, to prepare us for the work that He has for us to do. J He is feeding the Hunger. He is calling us into new dimensions of experience and encounter with Him. The Lord will be even more personal and intimate with His people. Believers will be continually in awe each day the great things that they shall see.

When we strive for more knowledge of Christ’s way of life and desire to have His way working in and through us we are exhibiting spiritual Hunger. When we are really hungry or thirsty, we are desperate to eat or drink, and nothing else matters. We can think of nothing else. We as Christians need to be that desperate to drink in God’s Word and obey God like nothing else matters! Where does the urging of His Spirit fall within the list of your priorities?

“Lead me in Thy truth and teach Me, for Thou art the God of My salvation; For Thee I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:5

“Make your way clear to me, O Lord; I will go on my way in your faith: let my heart be glad in the fear of your name. I will give you praise, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will give glory to Your name forever.” Psalm 86:10-11

Refiner's Fire

Have you ever wondered how a piece of silver is made from a metal taken from the earth?

The person who works with the metals is called a refiner. In olden days they would be outside under the clear blue sky. The Refiner would take in his hands the lump of ore, watching it as the sun brightly shines on the streaks and veins of the lead and other minerals that run through this piece of rock that has been chiseled from the bowels of the earth. With the experienced eye he knows that there is silver intertwined with this ore.

He then lays the ore on his work table, while he builds his fire with care. Soon the fire is blazing in the pit. At the work table he picks up his hammer, and begins crushing the lump into smaller pieces. Pausing occasionally to stare at the fire, from time to time he places more fuel upon the already blazing coal’s, and works until the flames are in frenzy.
When the fire is just right, then he will gather the hammered bits of ore from their place of crushing, and lays them in a sturdy container of tempered pottery - the crucible as it is called.

He places the crucible in the fire and sits down beside it. A long day is before the refiner, as he will stay far as long as the metal is subject to the flames. Just as our Heavenly Father will never leave us or forsake us.

"That no temptation or trial or testing has overtaken us but such is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

Silver is too precious to be forsaken in the furnace, too valuable to be ruined through inattention, or negligence. Carefully he watches the fire, for it must be maintained at exactly the right temperature for the right duration of time to accomplish its purpose.

Slowly the ore is softened; the silver with its greater density and lower melting point liquefies first, making hissing and bubbling sounds as oxygen is released. The solid impurities rise to the top of the molten metal. This is the dross or the waste matter, which the refiner skims off.

After the dross has been skimmed off, the refiner will add a little bit of charcoal inside the crucible. The Refiner knows that this charcoal will enhance the sheen, the brightness of silver. The carbon of the charcoal will also keep the refined metal from reabsorbing oxygen from the air, which would only dull its finish.

The Refiner is constantly tending the fire, adding more fuel as needed, and applies more air from the bellows as needed, nothing gets past the refiner. Among the restless, relentless heat surrounding the crucible, more dull impurities, newly revealed, rise to the surface of the mixture.

Again, the Refiner carefully skims away the murky, smudgy metal floating at the top of the crucible. As the Refiner gazes down upon the molten surface, the Refiner sees at best a dim reflection of Himself. The Refiner works, watches and waits, as the heat and its efforts continue. More impurities rise to the surface and again the refiner skims them off.

The Refiner never steps away from the crucible, he never leaves it unattended, and he never steps away from the fire which he formed to do his work. The finished product he cherishes demands this process. Only his guided and guarded refinement will yield the promised and precious metal.

He lets the fire cool; eventually he will set the crucible aside. Then once again the Refiner will build up the fire, and the process will begin all over. This time the refiner makes the fire even hotter. Within the crucible, new impurities are released, brought to the surface, exposed for what they really are, and then skimmed off.

Finally, the Refiner breaks into a smile, for now as he gazes into the liquid silver his reflection is apparent – not yet sharp, but more distinct than before. Several more hours pass, he perseveres in his anxiousness and delicate work, once more bending over the crucible, this time, catching his breath. This is it!!

In the silver he sees what he has waited so patiently waited for: a clear image of Himself, distinct and sharp. Delight lights up His face. His task is done. The impurities are gone and the silver is refined. He has His treasure. He has choice silver, the most lustrous of all the metals. Silver is beautiful and highly valued.

The Refiner has taken what was impure and made it pure. He has taken what was dull and made it beautiful. Potential value has become actual value. The fire, guarded, guided, restless, relentless fire made the difference. The fire allowed ordinary ore from the earth to be transformed into treasure. All was done under the watchful eyes for Refiner, and all was never unattended.

We should find our joy from the fact that the Refiner is right their controlling the flames. A controlled fire, it is not a purposeless fire, and it is not out to destroy us, but to purify us!! We should not focus on the flames, or the fuels, those things that seem to make it even more unbearable for us.

It is when we keep our eyes on the situation and not God that we want out of the situation, not wanting to even be there at all. It is when we keep our eyes on the Refiner, who never leaves His silver and the crucible unattended; that we can endure because we trust Him, no matter what.

We should be able to look back at the tragedies, situations in our lives and say, God you used this to make me more like Jesus. We should be able to walk in meekness with submission to God, knowing that He used all our disappointments and will use future ones to make us more like Jesus. When the pain is at the deepest and sharpest, engulfing the world around us and infiltrating our own hearts and lives, it becomes a testing and proving ground for the Sovereignty of God. We must realize that He is in control, and that He is Sovereign.

Do you notice the hidden gems that come your way?

We are here but for a short time.

Fresh winds are blowing, and the great road of faith ever runs before us winding this way and that.

There may seem like many interruptions or obstacles that are set before us, but in reality are opportunities.

They are brilliant gems prepared in advance for such a time as this, by the God who loves to surprise us in and with buried treasure.

Question is what will we do with those gems?

Will we even notice that it is a buried treasure underneath?

Or will we pass it right by not even second glancing?

God's Ways

God's ways are to heal, to guide and console.

God looks at our ways.

It is grace when He does.

He could and can lets us walk in our ways without looking at them.
God has looked and seen us wounded, lost and fearful.

Now, He is about to heal us.

He touches the wounds that of past and they close.

The hurting stops; the hurting can no longer harm our souls.

Memories can no longer torment us any longer.

All our pains soak into nothing, gone.

God is nearer to us than all that has passed.

God is nearer to us than the air that we breathe.

God wants to lead us.

No all ways of the human life are from God's leading.

We must listen intently to hear His voice.

He said that we would know His voice and another we would not follow.
For a long time we have walked our paths.

On our own ways we have been in a circle that everything eventually leads back to ourselves.

But....

When God leads our ways, they guide us to Him.

God leads us through good ways; through happiness, and unhappiness, through trials, and hardships, But always and only towards God.

Through all these, we recognize God's ways.

God wants to console us, to lessen the grief; and alleviate the pain.

God wants to console us when the meaninglessness of our life scares us.

God wants to console us when we see the world as it is in all reality.

But...

To him that is consoled, we realize that we have more than this world.

We have a life with God!

Nothing is lost, destroyed, or meaningless.

Quite the opposite happens....

We become closer to God, we feel His presence, His non judgmental love.

Has God not done that uncounted times in our life?

has He not guided His own through great need and danger?

So, how does God heal?

How Does He guide?

How does He console?

Only in that there is a voice within us that says, prays, calls, and even screams... Beloved Father!!

That is the Holy Spirit inside of you. :)


Won't you listen to His voice inside of you today?

"I have seen their ways;but I will heal them; I will lead them and repay them with comfort." Isaiah 57:18 NRSV Bible

God's Great Love.

"Can anything seperate us from the love of Christ?" Romans 8:35

Does God really love us forever?

How does He feel about me when I snap at everything?

How does God feel about me when I'm a jerk?

What does He think when my thoughts are at gutter level?

How about when my tounge is sharp enough to slice a rock in half?

Does God love me in the midst of fear?

Some of these questions might just be rolling around in your head.
God is for you.

Not maybe, not has been, not would be, or was not, But God IS!

Today. Right this very moment.

He could not be any closer than He is at this very moment.

His loyalty won't increase if you are better, nor will it decrease if you become worse.

Would He teach you to walk , just to let you fall?

Would God be nailed to a cross for your sins, only to disregard your prayers?

Can anythingg seperate us from the love Christ has for us?

Did I cross the line last week?

When I....(fill in the blank)

God answered oue question before we could even ask it.

So that we would see His answer and we would believe it.

He did what no man could, for He Loved What He made.

He was aware that someday you would turn and walk away from Him.

But, He provided a way back for you and I.

Then God did the extraordinary.

God, stepping down from His throne, He removed His robe of light, and wrapped Himself in skin, human skin.

The light of the universae, entered into the womb of a virgin.

The One whom the angels worshipped, lay nestled in the hay.

What in the world are you doing God? or God what are you doing in the world?

To That God would say...

"Can anything make Me stop loving you?

I've come to learn your language, sleep on the earth, learn to feel your pain, your hurts.

I am the maker of sights and sounds, I have coughed, sneezed, blew my nose and gotten hurt.

I know how you feel.

Do you still wonder if I know how you feel?

I am in the world but not of the world.

I created the World." - God.

Doe you still wonder how long my love will last?

You will find the answer on a splintered cross, that's me up there, Your Maker, Your God, nail pierced and bleeding covered in blood, sin soaked.

The sin is from you that I'm feeling.

The death that I'm dying, is for you!

The resurrection I'm living, is How much I love You!

Can anything come between you and Me?

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalties, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to seperate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39