A Different Faith

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for...."  Hebrews 11: 1

Different people. Different talents.  Different gifts. Different callings.  Every person is unique in what God has called them to do.  God calls people to different places and different ministries. One calling is not better than another, just different. Maybe God has called you to be a stay-at-home mother who will homeschool your children and raise them to be men and women of God. Maybe God has called you to be a teacher that shows love and compassion to your students each and every day.  Maybe God has called you to serve in the military and to share the Gospel with men and women who are scared and uncertain of their future.  You may be called to work in a local soup kitchen in your local community or take school supplies and clothing to kids in a poverty-stricken community. You may be called to be a preacher, pastor, evangelist, singer, song-writer, Christian rapper, politician (yes, them too!), principal, citizen volunteer, board member, or another calling.  You are called to share God's love in whatever it is you do. Don't feel bad because your calling looks different from another person's. The truth is that God knows what calling you will flourish most in and he's tailored a life especially for you. He knows that your particular calling will bring HIM the most glory.   As I read Hebrews 11, I began to look for a pattern or a common thread in how these people also known as the "ancients" demonstrated their faith---but I didn't find one!  The truth is that there is no one way to have faith.  Everyone's faith and calling is so different yet holds the same value in the kingdom of God.   You may be called to sing and I may be called to lead.  You may be called to save lives as a doctor and I may be called to give my life for the sake of the Gospel. In Hebrews 11, some had it easier and some had it harder, but nevertheless, they all pleased God.  Think about the following lessons of faith that the Hebrews 11 Tribe teaches us:

1. Offer God just a little bit more than your usual sacrifice will .  The only thing that distinguished Abel's sacrifice from Cain's was that Abel's sacrifice was a little "more excellent" (Abel)
2. Please God by walking with Him (Enoch)
3. Obey God's voice and do what He tells you even when you have no idea what God is doing (Noah)
4. Judge God to be faithful (Sarah)
5. Dedicate your children to the Lord and know that they really belong to God and He can do what He wants with them  (Abraham when he was asked to sacrifice Isaac)
6.  Speak faith and encouragement into the lives of others (Joseph when he spoke to the Israelites about God's future for them).
7. Fight for your children to ensure that they have a future (Moses's parents when they hid him so he wouldn't be killed by Pharoah).
8. Choose God above everyone else, even your own family (Moses when he refused to be called the son of Pharoah)
9.  Believe God for amazing miracles  (the Israelites when they crossed through the Red Sea).
10.  Help those who are doing God's work (Rahab when she hid the spies to protect them).

The end of Hebrews 11 goes on to say that others conquered kingdoms, administered justice, gained  what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, escaped the edge of the sword, some had their weakness turned to strength and some became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.  Women received back their dead, raised to life again, others were imprisoned, persecuted, tortured, murdered for the name of God.  They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute.  They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. Basically, they had no permanent homes, they were poor and sometimes lacked their basic necessities. Each had a different calling and was asked to show their faith in a different way.  So I leave you with this question.  How is God asking you to demonstrate your faith?  Don't despise living out your faith in simple day-to-day ways and don't despair when God asks you to show your faith through enormous trials and tests.   Like someone once said, the will of God will not take you where the grace of God will not lead you. In the small things and in the great things, your faith will bring God glory. 

The Evidence is Already in the Bag

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony."  Hebrews 11:1

I don't know about you, but I've always enjoyed those shows such as CSI or Criminal Minds.  I love seeing law enforcement or the Crime Scene Investigation team try to solve cases that seem impossibly difficult.  Time and time again, in order to solve the crime and prove that the suspect has committed the crime, they must have evidence.  Evidence, according to Webster's dictionary is an "outward sign". It's something you can see, feel, touch.  It's something physical.  It's something that can't be argued with.  Usually, the evidence takes the form of fingerprints, DNA collection, a weapon, a video recording, or a letter. At some point, the evidence is carried to the police station in a clear little bag.  Its contents are crucial for they will determine the outcomes of the many lives involved. Without evidence, the efforts of the investigators are useless.  They may know who committed the crime and the suspect might even confess it, but if there is no evidence, they don't have a case.   In  Hebrews 11:1, we are essentially told that faith is evidence of things unseen. Another way of putting it is that faith is made up of something you can feel, touch, or see. This seems to be a contradiction because as Christians, we know that faith is believing in something even though you can't see it or feel it.  Yet, as I thought about this more, I realized that when one truly has faith in God and in his promises, the believer is so convinced of what he/she believes that he/she might as well see it physically because he or she is that sure that it already exists. They are convinced without a shadow of a doubt that the evidence is already in the bag. Their prayer is ALREADY answered.  You may not currently be healed from cancer, but with your eyes of faith, you can already feel the evidence of your healing. You can already feel the healing virtue going through you. You may not have children, but with your eyes of faith, you can already feel the sweet and tender touch of your precious baby.  You may not have that degree that seems so far off, but the evidence of it is the feeling that you feel right now of the breeze hitting your face as you walk up on the stage to accept it.  You may be far off from opening that orphanage or school, but you can almost taste the success of it in your present moment. You already hear the hundreds of children running around and their loud voices playing as they playon the grass. The joy is already in you because the evidence is already there.  When you possess the kind of conviction that God's already got your prayer covered and has already done it,  your attitude will change.  You won't walk around with your head down low,  because you already see it done. Period.  From now on,  when you pray, don't ask God for your request.  Instead, thank him for what he already has done by faith.   Just remember, the evidence is already in the bag.

Blessed in the Waiting Room of Life

"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed"  John 20:29

I have written quite a few posts on the topic of waiting on God.  Actually, the theme of my entire blog is about waiting on God.   I write so much about it because in your lifetime and in my lifetime, we will probably experience waiting on God more than anything else.  I know many people that are in the waiting room of life at this very moment.  I have friends who are waiting on God to bless them with children and they've waited a VERY long time.  I know other people who are waiting on God to open the door for them to own their very own home.   Some are waiting on God to give them a job.  Some are waiting for Mr. Right or Ms. Right. Some are waiting for God to open the doors to open their own business. Some are waiting for God to deliver their children from drugs and other addictions, while others are waiting on God to allow the seeds they've planted to grow.  I know quite a few families who have started a new church or mission and are waiting to see God bring the increase as they water the spiritual seeds in the lives of people they minister to.   Its a natural desire to see the end of our waiting or to see the outcome, yet, we see from the account of Thomas in John 20, that there is something powerful to be gained in the waiting room of life.  We see from the scripture that we are the most blessed when we cannot see something, yet we still believe it.   When Jesus Christ rose from the dead, Thomas could not believe it.  He immediately requested the  "evidence" that his Lord was alive. He asked to see the nail scars and to touch them with his very own hands. He would believe once he did this.  We read that Jesus allowed Thomas to do so which obviously caused Thomas to believe.  Jesus then told Thomas some of the most powerful words, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”   Reading this portion of scripture, I have come to realize that when we are at a place in our lives where we cannot see God in a situation, or when we cannot see an answered prayer, we are truly positioned to be blessed.  The longer you wait, the longer you are blessed.  I am starting to think back to all the waiting periods I have experienced so far in my own life and can clearly see how blessed by God I truly was while in that waiting period.  It was when I was waiting on God for a job after being laid-off  that God blessed me with the opportunity to take a short-term missions trip to Santo Domingo and Haiti which was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  It was while I was waiting on God for a specific answer to something I was going through that I came to know God in such a powerful way.  I have never been the same since.  I could give many more examples, but I'm sure you have your own when you think about it.  So if you are in the waiting room of life  and are serving God like never before, know that right now, where you are at, in this very moment, YOU ARE BLESSED!  Stop looking at the answered prayer that you don't have yet, but start looking at the ways that God IS blessing you in this present time. You may not have children yet, but God is using you to impact the lives of others in your community.  You may not have that house you want, but what about that promotion you received at work.  You may not have a job, but God is raining financial blessings on you.  You may not have church growth at this very moment, but you are being blessed with opportunities to travel and minister to people from other nations.  Remember,  you are favored!  Keep trusting in God.  Don't be nervous, don't be angry, don't be frustrated, don't be disappointed, don't be hurt, don't be doubtful, but BE BLESSED!