Eyes of Fear or Eyes of Faith

“Go north through the Negev into the hill country. See what the land is like, and find out whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many.”
This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country...........BUT the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there!”
Numbers 13:17-18; 27-28 (NLT)

Today’s opening verses take us back to the time of Moses and shortly after the exodus from Egypt. The Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land but Moses sent some scouts ahead to see what the land was like at the prompting of the Lord.

The scouts found amazing things in the land, things like clusters of grapes so large that it took two men to carry it! They discovered it was a bountiful land filled with plentiful crops of figs and pomegranates - a land of flowing milk and honey! But they also found out that the towns were fortified and the people were quite large. Ten of the twelve scouts reported back that it was too daunting a challenge for the Israelites to take the land that God had promised them. They looked at the situation through the eyes of fear instead of the eyes of faith in the God that had already delivered them from Pharaoh and the Egyptian army not so long ago.

When the people heard this scary story of giants and well-equipped towns prepared for battle they blanched in fear and protested against Moses and Aaron.
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The number one thing that determines your happiness and whether or not you succeed or fail, or whether you grow or stagnate is how you look at things. It is your perspective. Your perspective determines everything!

How do you look at things? Do you look at your daily circumstances through the eyes of fear or through the eyes of faith? Do you look at your family, your job, and your health with an underlying sense of fear, anxiety and perhaps dread at all the bad things that might happen or do you look at your daily life through the eyes of faith in the God that has already purchased your soul and saved you from eternal damnation? The way we look at things will drastically alter our perception. This has the power to shape your future.

When you look at your future through the eyes of fear:

1) You can get stressed by conflicting information.
“Good news.....BUT”
The Israelites saw the great land that the Lord promised BUT their fearful
perspective on the inhabitants of the land stressed them out and caused them to fail.

2) You develop a scarcity mentality.
The Israelites thought that they didn’t have what it took to inhabit the Promised Land stating in verse 33 that they felt like grasshoppers next to the “giants” of the land.

3) You fulfill your own self defeating prophecies.
You will end up fulfilling what your attitude already is. “We can’t!” the Israelites thought......they were exactly right!

4) You infect others with your negativity.
The 10 scouts negative report infected the whole community!

5) You see yourself inadequate for your challenges.
When you worry about something the larger it becomes in your minds eye. The Israelites saw HUGE challenges ahead but were they really as bad as the 10 thought? Caleb and Joshua didn’t think so.

6) You make yourself miserable.
Crying.
Complaining.
Second Guessing.

You need to learn to look at everything with the same faith that we have been talking about for several weeks now. Stop listening to your feelings and stop looking with eyes of fear and start living with faith. You defeat your fears with movement. You can’t argue or discuss them away. You must move against your fears and do the thing you fear the most and the only way to do this is through faith in God to get you through.

But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”
Numbers 13:30

How do you remain positive in the midst of challenging circumstances like Caleb? How do you get eyes of faith?

1) Invite Jesus into EVERY AREA of your life.
If you have an area of worry in your life it means you don’t have Jesus in that area. When Jesus enters an area He fills it with peace and vanquishes worry.

2) You need to take your first step of faith in baptism.
Publicly declare your identity with Jesus and your faith in the power of God.

3) Do whatever God tells you to do.
Obedience unlocks the power of God in your life.

Next week we will continue our discussion on faith by learning how to set some faith goals for the new year. Until then, have a great week and God bless you!!

"Don't be afraid, take courage. I am here"

28 Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water."
29 "Yes, come," Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the strong* wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted.
31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?"
Matthew 14:28-31 (NLT)

How many times have you and I fallen flat on our faces? How many times have we been going along, practically walking on water, when........BAM!! The floor falls out from underneath us!! There is a great song by Casting Crowns that’s says, “Be careful if you think you stand, you just might be sinking”. These lyrics are taken from I Corinthians 10:12 (NIV), “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall”. How many times do we think our faith is strong only to realize that we are just a quivering mess when things start to go wrong?

Let’s face it, it’s easy for us to have faith when everything is going right. When money is good, the job secure, I am healthy, and my relationships are strong and intact it doesn’t take much faith for me to get through each day. As a matter of fact when things are good I tend to get a little prideful and neglect my time with God.

In today’s opening verses from Matthew 14 we see an astounding example of how Jesus operated and what He expected of His disciples concerning their faith. A few verses previous to ours, Jesus had sent the disciples away in a boat so He could spend some quality alone-time in prayer. The disciples got caught up in a storm out on the lake and attempt to gain control over their boat. Now these men were fishermen and they were used to this but what they saw next freaked them out! Around three o’clock in the morning they witness Jesus coming toward them......walking on the water!! They were terrified and thought He was a ghost. This is when Jesus says to them, “Don’t be afraid, take courage. I am here.”

This is when Peter exclaims that if it is really his Master to tell him to come to Him, walking on the water as well. The biggest offense here is not that Peter and the disciples thought that Jesus was a ghost but that they underestimated His power. It probably never occurred to them that Jesus could know of their peril and walk on water to reach them and help them.

Don’t we do the same thing? I know I do. Whenever I am caught up in a storm that life sends my way I freak out, not realizing that Jesus is there for me just as He was 2000 years ago for Peter and the disciples out on the lake. It’s important to also note that Jesus doesn’t rebuke Peter for suggesting that he walk on water as He did. After all Jesus was training His disciples to not just reiterate His oral teachings to others but to also have the faith to demonstrate His authority in their daily lives as well.

Once Jesus gave the command to Peter to walk on water all that was needed was for Peter to trust in Him and obey. Peter does indeed step out of the boat and start to walk toward Jesus but what happens next? When does Peter fall? Not when he had his sight fixed on Jesus but when “he saw the strong wind and waves”. The lesson here is that when our world falls down around us we need to remain fixed on Christ and not the strong wind and waves that threaten to sink us. Peter was doing just fine when he trusted in Jesus but when he looked at the situation around him and underestimated the power and authority of Jesus he fell.

The last lesson I would like us to learn from this is that while Jesus was disappointed with Peter’s lack of faith, it was Peter that actually took that step while the other disciples sat there looking on. Peter acted in greater faith than they did and he was learning each time he did it. Faith cannot be worked up by any numbered process or formulaic approach. Faith grows through the various trials and tribulations that we face as we continue to trust Jesus and as He continues to teach us. In other words, faith grows out of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and in no other way.

Next week we will compare and contrast what it looks like to view things with the eyes of fear versus the eyes of faith.
Until then, have a great week and may God bless you!

Trust

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

Last week we looked at enrolling ourselves in Obedience School. As we work towards our degree we will need to focus on trust. Trust is probably the most important basic source of spiritual maturity. As a follower of Jesus Christ we must trust Him!!!

In the English dictionary trust (v.) is defined as reliance on somebody or something, confidently allow somebody to do something, place something in somebody’s care, suppose something, and to give credit to somebody. Some synonyms for trust are faith, belief, hope, conviction, confidence, expectation, reliance, and dependence.

Think about it....who do you follow in your daily life? Do you watch a particular network to get your news? That probably means that you trust them as a source of information (or you just like to be greatly amused). Do you listen to an influential family member or friend? That means you trust what they are saying or appreciate their perspective on things. The most basic illustration on trust is when we sit in a chair and trust that it is going to hold us up.

Why on earth would anyone follow or obey a God that they didn’t trust? Most rebellion actually happens when we as believers know what God says about something but we hang a “but” at the end of a biblical promise.

“I know what God says about this but........”
“I know God doesn’t want me to do this but......”

Whenever we do this we show our distrust and are making an excuse to disobey!

The 1st key lesson for trusting in the Lord is recognizing His identity and authority.

Psalm 33 is a beautiful picture of God and His sovereignty.
13 The LORD looks down from heaven
and sees the whole human race.
14 From his throne he observes
all who live on the earth.
15 He made their hearts,
so he understands everything they do.

We also see His authority exclaimed in Psalm 103:19
19 The LORD has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.

In Psalm 89:34 we observe God’s nature.
34 No, I will not break my covenant;
I will not take back a single word I said.

The 2nd lesson for trusting in the Lord is as it says in our opening verses in Proverbs; don’t depend on what you think about the situation but seek His will about it. The important thing about this concept is that we cannot trust God on a case-by-case basis. Either we trust and obey in all situations or we don’t. We can’t trust in the little things but not for the big things. We also can’t trust in THE BIG THING (salvation and eternal destination) and not trust in the little things like your health or finances.

If we believe that the Lord is who He says He is we should be willing to surrender to Him and commit to obey Him in all things and observe the results.

Since Jesus is in charge anyway, don’t you think it is better to walk beside Him and trust Him rather than resist His efforts to keep us going in the right direction?

Next week as we continue our discussion on faith we will look at how Peter stepped out in faith in Matthew 14.

Have a great week and may God bless you!

Obedience School

Do What Is Good
3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.
4 But—"When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love,5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
"8 This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.
Titus 3:3-5, 8 (NLT)

My son just turned four and in another year or so he will head off to begin his long journey of professional education, but his education actually started the moment he took his first breath. He had to learn how to interpret the things his eyes saw and the sound of his dad’s voice. He had to learn how to crawl, walk, and all the other motor skills needed to get around in this great big world. Once those were mastered he then needed to learn the fine art of obedience. He had to learn that there are certain things that are important to daddy that he shouldn’t chew on (like dad’s New England Patriots commemorative Super Bowl ball) and if he didn’t do as I asked of him there would be repercussions.

When we are spiritually reborn we have to go through this same process. We have to look at things through the new Kingdom eyes that God has given us. We have to learn how to make our way in the world while not being “of” the world. This will take new “motor” skills to learn how to navigate towards that which Christ leads us and away from that which will lead us into darkness. We also need to learn how to listen to our new Daddy when He speaks to us and discern what is important to Him.

In order to do this we must enroll ourselves in Obedience School. We need to make sure our prerequisites have been met (we accept Jesus as Lord & Savior), our application fee has been paid (by the blood of Christ), and we show up on time each and every day for class. Once we are in class we will learn how to do our research in the 66 wonderful textbooks that God has given us (The Bible). As we progress in OBEDIENT101 and search the Word of God for guidance we will discover the necessity of trusting Him and waiting for His direction as well as learning commitment and dependence on His Word. But in order to be successful in this class as we go forward we will need to do the following:

Listen Attentively
Our Father does not speak in an audible voice. He makes Himself known through the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. In John 14 Jesus says that the Spirit is our helper and He will remind us of His words when we need it most. The key here is that it is up to us to dig into the word of God so that the Spirit can lead us and show us how to apply that which we have read about.

Obey the Next Step
Just like Abraham left his home and went into the great unknown (Genesis 12) at the call of the Lord, we too must be obedient even when we don’t understand or can’t see the final destination. We must learn how to step out in faith even though all the details are not known to us.

Expect Conflict
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."
Jesus in John 16:33

We cannot live a life of obedience without expecting some conflict along the way. Sometimes it may come from a friend or family member drifting away from us after we come to the Lord. Other times it may be from criticism that is being thrown our way because of our beliefs. We may lose a friend or have to leave a job because of our beliefs. It is to be expected.....just remember that Jesus is with you through the whole thing!

Charles Stanley closes his devotional on obedience by saying that practicing a lifestyle of obedience doesn’t mean we’ll never make mistakes (I can vouch for this firsthand). He goes on to say that this walk of faith being displayed in obedience does require diligence though. Obeying the Father was the top priority of Jesus and we should make it ours as well.

Next week we will look further at this thing called faith and how it is clearly shown in our trusting the Lord in all circumstances.

Have a great week and God bless!

A Lifestyle of Obedience

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder.
James 2:14, 18-19

In my last post I discussed what faith is. Now I would like to spend some time looking at how it is manifested in our daily lives. Now that we know what faith is, how do we walk in it every day?

Every day we make choices; choices on what to wear, what to watch and listen to, who we hang out with (how long do we hang out with Jesus each day?), and what we say. If we are walking by faith it is through these choices, and our conduct and lifestyle based on those choices, that faith becomes evident to those around us. The Holy Spirit WILL guide us through these choices but it is up to us whether we follow or not. It is important that we ask for wisdom and discernment but it is even more important that when He gives it to us that we listen and obey.

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
“Whoever has my commands and obeys the them, he is the one who loves me.”
“If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.”
Jesus in John 14:15, 21, 23

In just a few short verses Jesus repeats over and over again that we should be obedient to what He has commanded if we truly love Him. According to Him, we express our love and our faith in Him by obeying Him. If we truly love Him wholeheartedly, we MUST develop a lifestyle of obedience. Easier said than done right? I know for me it is one of the most difficult things to do.......walk according to what He wants instead of what I want. What does a lifestyle of obedience look like and how do we maintain it on a consistent basis?

1)We must trust God and that trust needs to grow. To do this spend time in the word and meditate on who God is.

II Corinthians 1:20 tells us that God always keeps His promises.

Psalm 86:15 speaks of God’s great compassion, mercy, great love and faithfulness.

Hebrews 13:8 states that God’s character is the same and it will not change in difficult circumstances or hard to understand conditions.

2)Develop an ability to wait on the Lord

I know how hard this is but we must resist temptation and wait on Him instead of
rushing ahead and trying to do things on our own strength.

3)Commit to obeying God.

We must make a vow, a pact, and facilitate a strong resolve for becoming an obedient disciple of Jesus Christ. This must happen or else we will hesitate at decision time or allow fear (Psalm 37:8 says not to worry because it leads to evil) to prevent us from choosing His way over our way.

4)Study the Word on a consistent basis.

Believe it or not the Bible is more than just a book to read before turning in for the night. It is better served as a guidebook for life than a coffee table accompaniment accumulating dust. The Bible reveals God’s priorities, commands, and warnings. It acts as a light by illuminating our path that He has chosen for us while revealing obstacles and dangers along the way (Psalm 119:105).

When we become a Christian it doesn’t mean that this lifestyle of obedience will automatically be bestowed upon us. This is a lifelong process of growing in our trust and patiently waiting on God before we take action. This will require a strong commitment. Thankfully we can do everything through Him who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

Next time we will look at how we can build this trust and obedience in God consistently.

God bless.