Fearless Faith

And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?

Mark 4:40

Just prior to going overseas to serve as missionaries with the International Mission Board, Alan and I  spoke at numerous churches across the southeast. Our five children, ranging in age from 5 to 12, went with us. At every church that we visited, I had the same conversation after the service.

"So, you are going to be a missionary in Southeast Asia?"

"That's right," I'd say with a smile.

"Are you taking your children?"

"Yes, we are."

"All of them?"

"Yes, all of them." (Did they really think I would only take some of my children with me?)

"I could never take my children to some foreign country! Aren't you afraid that something might happen to them?"

"God has called us to the mission field," I would explain. "If I've learned anything, it is that my family is safer in a foreign country if we are following God's Will, than we could ever be in America if we are outside of His Will."

Fear is a terrible thing.  It robs us of joy, corrupts our thinking, and paralyzes our ability to do what is right.  We cannot fight it with words because fear is irrational.  In Romans 8:15, Paul calls fear "a spirit of bondage."  It is a very appropriate term because fear truly makes us a prisoner. And like other sins (Yes, fear IS A SIN), it damages our spiritual growth and our willingness to serve the Lord.

For a woman, fear is the greatest weapon that Satan can use against us. I know, because there was a time when I allowed fear to get a stronghold in my life. But, praise the Lord, God has empowered us through the Holy Spirit to be able to break the chains of fear. We know this to be true, but sometimes it can be a little tricky to actually apply.

Let me share a few tips that helped me to overcome fear in my own life.  The first thing that I had to do was to stop watching the news on TV.  I sometimes think that the main purpose of the evening news is to instill as much fear into Americans as possible.  Just look at the headline news: murders, tragic fires, deadly crashes.  Why do we need to see those things? Is there anything that we can do about them? NO! Then why subject ourselves to them?  God gives us sufficient grace to handle the tragedies that happen in our own lives and the lives of those around us, but not to deal with the suffering of the whole world. So turn the television off and read your news (if you absolutely have to have it) from the internet.

The next time you are facing a fearful situation, ask yourself this: What is the worst thing that could happen?  For example, layoffs at work may be making you fearful about your own job.  So the worst thing that could happen is that you would lose your job.  So if you lost your job, what is the worst thing that could happen? You could lose your home and be forced to live in a homeless shelter.  If that happened, could any good come from it?  Well, yes, you could start a ministry to the homeless; without a job, you'd have more time with your children; and you wouldn't have to do housework. It all boils down to this: If the worse did happen, do you believe that God would be with you through it all?

It is not a coincidence that Jesus equates fear with a lack of faith.  If we truly believe that God can walk us through the valley of the shadow of death and bring us out into the sunshine on the other side, then fear cannot take root in our heart. We cannot argue ourselves out of being fearful. We have to build the kind of faith that can defeat it. That kind of faith requires stepping out and putting our lives on the line when He asks us to.  Running from God and His Will only produces unbelief.

So next time that Satan tries to enslave you with the chains of fear, trust that God can see you through the worst of storms. Take it from someone who has gone through some of those "worst things", GOD WILL BE THERE FOR YOU!

Walking By Faith

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.

Colossians 2:6

 

 

 

In the early 1930's a tight-rope walker was entertaining spectators by walking a rope that was suspended thirty feet above the road.  The crowd was amazed as they watched him push a wheelbarrow back and forth along the rope, however, the performer didn't stop there.  Loading the wheelbarrow with two one-hundred pound sacks of grain, he pushed the weight effortlessly across the rope.  The spectators cheered as he successfully reached the platform with his load.  Turning to the crowd, the acrobat shouted down to the crowd.

 

"Who thinks that I can safely carry a man across the rope in my wheelbarrow?"

 

A multitude of hands were raised to signify their belief in his abilities.

 

"Who will be the first to climb in?"

 

Needless to say, he had no volunteers.  The story may be a familiar one, but it is a striking example of the difference between faith and belief. 

 

It is unfortunate that, in the English language, there is no verb form for the word faith, as there is in the Greek.  Instead, we are forced to translate the word, pisteuo, as "believe," even though the words mean two very different things.  The difference is about eighteen inches: the distance between our head and our heart.  What I mean by that is that belief is something that we do with our head and faith is something that comes from the heart. 

 

In the story above, the people in the crowd believed with their minds that the performer could safely carry a person in the wheelbarrow.  However, their unwillingness to place their life on the line by volunteering to be that person shows that they lacked true faith.  As Christians, we are required to walk by faith, not by belief.  If we are not willing to put our life on the line for our faith, then what we have may be belief and not faith. 

 

Belief will never give us the ability to rise above sin or empower us to do what is right. As Paul says in Colossians, as we received Christ, we are to walk in Him.  If we accept Christ on an intellectual basis only, our walk will consist mainly of stumbling and falling.  However, if we have the kind of faith that is life changing, our walk will show it; we will be victorious.

 

I get so frustrated by the old adage, "I'm just a sinner saved by grace."  Satan loves for us to think that, but it just isn't true!  In the Scriptures, once a person is saved they are never referred to as sinners, but as saints!  By continuing to think of ourselves as sinners, we make it easier to justify sin in our lives.  But that old sinner was crucified with Christ and we are now a new creation. 

 

As a new creation, saved by faith, let us walk in that faith. It won't be an easy walk and we will seldom have the luxury of seeing more than a few steps ahead of us.  However, just as we have the confidence that the Christ, who raised from the dead, was able to cleanse us of our sin and give us eternal life; we can have faith that He will be walking with us as we continue in our journey of faith. 



Exercising My Faith

For we walk by faith, not by sight...

II Corinthians 5:7

A couple of years ago, my husband and I made a New Year's resolution to exercise regularly together. We wanted to make sure that we stayed healthy so we could enjoy watching our grandchildren grow up. I still remember that first day of exercise (using an exercise DVD that our daughter had loaned us), we put everything we had into it. Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as I expected it to be. I went to bed that night feeling really good about myself.

I woke up the next day and could hardly get out of bed. I was sore in places where I didn't even know there were muscles. Every step, every breath, every movement was agony.  I wondered what I was thinking, to put myself through so much pain. I seriously considered just quitting. Surely nothing could be worth this much hardship.

But I didn't quit. For weeks I dreaded our exercise time.  I wondered if it would ever come easy to me. Two years later, we still exercise regularly.  Our health improved and we have greater stamina than I ever thought possible.  I can't say that I necessarily look forward to exercising, but it has become second nature to me- a part of who I am.

Faith is a lot like this. In many ways it is like one of the muscles in our body. The more that we exercise it, the stronger it gets. Conversely, a muscle that is seldom used becomes flabby and, eventually, will atrophy.

Exercising our faith is usually difficult, and sometimes downright painful. It is only when it becomes a regular part of our life that we can expect to reap the benefits.  While physical exercise profits little in comparison, exercising our faith has eternal benefits.  It gives us the spiritual stamina to survive every crisis that comes our way.

When you start any exercise program, it is best to start with small steps and work up to bigger things.  This week, start with the simple things that God is prompting you to do.  Go and share your faith with that lost neighbor or co-worker. Or maybe you need to agree to teach that Bible class at church that no one else wants.

It may be easier to be a spiritual couch potato, but you'll never truly exercise your faith until you get out of your comfort zone.  Only by living by faith will you see the full power of the risen savior, Jesus Christ.

The Power of Prayer

If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

John 14:14

My birthday was this week and I can never celebrate a birthday without remembering the birthday that God used to remind me of the power of prayer.  My husband and I had been serving as missionaries in Indonesia for a couple of years.  Our teenage daughters were involved in a youth group called International Christian Youth, which was made up of high school students from a dozen different countries.

After one of the weekly Bible studies, my husband came home and told me that he had been asked to be the speaker for their annual retreat and wanted me to be one of the counselors.  That was no problem for me, until I found out that the retreat fell on my birthday.  As much as I enjoyed working with youth, I have to admit that I wasn't overjoyed at the idea of spending my birthday with a hundred noisy teens. I finally agreed, grudgingly, to go.

Arriving at the retreat site, we quickly discovered that the facilities were more rustic than we had expected- and that's saying a lot when you have been living in a third world country for a few years!  Our room consisted of a set of rickety bunk beds and was crawling (quite literally) with insects and lizards.  The bathroom contained a squatty potty (basically a hole in the floor over which you squatted) and a sink equipped with cold water only.  Since the temperatures hit close to 100 degrees and there was no air conditioning, it seemed that the cold water would come in handy. I'd like to say that I didn't grumble about the living conditions, but that wouldn't be the truth.  I had a terrible attitude about the whole thing.  Fortunately, God can use us; even despite ourselves.  Just look at Jonah!

Many of the youth had brought along lost friends from the international school or their neighborhoods.  Despite my bad attitude, it was hard to resist the atmosphere of love among those youth and the earnest desire to see their friends come to Christ.  The final night of the retreat, my husband led an appeal for the lost to come forth and receive Jesus as their Savior.  We were overjoyed to see twelve teens come down and accept Christ.

I had to admit that the ride home was not terribly pleasant for me.  The Lord was really dealing with me about my attitude about the retreat and I had to get my own heart right with God.  I couldn't help but wonder at the fact that He had so blessed the retreat, despite me and my hard heart. My daughter helped me to put it into perspective.  She was looking through our recent copy of the International Missionary Board's prayer calendar.

"Look, Mom," she said, pointing out my name in the booklet. "The churches back home were praying for you on your birthday."

That was a real light bulb moment for me.  It wasn't my husband's deep Bible studies (though he is certainly a gifted speaker) nor me and my bad attitude that had brought those twelve souls to salvation.  It was the power of prayer. And though God had taught me the lesson of prayer's power before that day, I can never celebrate a birthday without being reminded of how our Wonderful, Loving God allows us to partner with Him in His ministry through the power of prayer.