Faith Archives – Page 25 of 36

Do You Believe God’s Promises – Really?

01.02.2018 by Tracy Stella //

Happy New Year! Welcome to Facets of Faith and our first series of 2018, Do You Believe God’s Promises─Really? As we talked about how we wanted to kick this year off, we felt digging into how well rooted we are in the belief of God’s promises was a great place to start. The greater our belief in God’s promises, the greater each of us will walk out 2018 to all its fullest potential. That is our prayer for every reader of our series, that she would know fully who she is and how much God has planned for her… this year and beyond!

My (Tracy’s) guess is we can all recall instances where someone made us a promise, but didn’t keep it. A broken promise is like ceramic pottery dropped to the floor, pieces scattered in need of clean up.

Betrayal is messy.

Not always is there ill intent when a person’s word is broken. Perhaps they had good intentions, but something got in the way of fulfilling their commitment.

Sometimes, it really is that a person’s word may not mean much. More than the words they utter, behaviors tell us better what to believe. As the old saying goes, sometimes “proof is in the pudding”.

Even minor infractions if left unattended layer and diminish the sparkling potential of two people coming together in friendship, matrimony, or some other special connection.

Keeping our promises really matters. But we humans aren’t always the greatest at doing what matters most.

According to the American Psychological Association, the U.S. divorce rate is between 40 – 50%.(1) That’s a high rate of broken promises! The statistic is merely one body of evidence that makes it easier for us to understand why we may find it difficult to believe in promises.

But it is imperative we do.

God gives promises to us that aren’t like the ones we humans give one another. God’s promises to us are unbreakable. Unshakable.

Christ is the Cornerstone that holds up strong evidence God loves us and keeps His promises. Prophecy pointed to Jesus long before His birth. Prophecy the ultimate Promise brought to life when Mary, a virgin, birthed our long-promised Messiah. God the Father spoke through the prophets of a Savior. He kept His word and sent His Son! Nail-scarred hands strong evidence God isn’t like us. At all! God gives us proof He keeps His promises.

“God is not a man, that He should lie,

Nor a son of man, that He should repent.

Has He said, and will not do?

Or has He spoken, and will not make it good?”

─Numbers 23:19 NKJV

We are made in God’s image, not the other way around. God is not a man, that He should lie.

God is faithful. He keeps His word. Has He spoken, and will not make it good?

The HCSB version says it this way, Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?

How would you answer that question?

Do I always believe God’s promises – really?

My response? Not really. Not 100% of the time.

With God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)

All things?

All?

Really?

But what if I don’t see a way how? Guess that puts me between a rock and a hard place.

But what if I’ve been believing that for a long, long, long time? Guess I’m pressed up against the wall there too.

Sometimes, if I am looking at my circumstances rather than keeping my eyes fixed on the Lord, I can waiver in my belief. I can worry, wonder, and let fear inhibit my actions, because I temporarily “forgot” God’s faithfulness.

It’s like I’ve acquired spiritual amnesia and misplaced every good promise God has already brought to fruition – not to mention all the amazing promises still on the horizon.

But in His faithfulness, He brings me back to His promises and reminds me afresh.

A really great place to start is in the beginning where He and I (and you too if you’ve been saved) first met.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.─Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV

If I agree with the idea of faith (and I do), it’s crucial I believe in God’s promises. Belief is all that is required for entry into God’s kingdom. Belief is where we all begin as Children of God. It makes sense that the very idea of belief would be warred against by the enemy. It’s foundational to our faith.

If we can believe in a virgin birth (Luke 2), if we can believe in talking donkeys used to accomplish God’s plan (Numbers 22), if we can believe Daniel didn’t get eaten by a lion (Daniel 6), we can believe God’s promises for us.

As an aside, can I say I love that God leaves these far-fetched examples in Scripture which make it all the more believable in my opinion. Because we know if you or I were writing it, we’d probably edit out all the elements that seemed a little unusual. That furnace thing (Daniel 3)? No one will believe it. Better remove it. Nope. God left all that great stuff in for us to see─really, ALL things are possible with God.

Let’s talk about three reasons it’s imperative we believe God’s promises, really.

1. Power

As believers, we access God’s power through His promises. When we pray and say God’s words, we have a powerful weapon to disarm the enemy. Even Jesus Himself used the Word to defeat Satan (Luke 4). That should definitely lead us to believe in the power of speaking promises to silence the enemy. And of course the enemy wouldn’t want us to believe we have any power. He’d love nothing more than for us to doubt God keeps His promises. That’s why it’s crucial we believe by faith.

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.─Luke 10:19 NKJV

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.─Romans 15:13 NKJV

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.─2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

2. Position

In addition to power, God’s promises remind us who we are in relation to Him. We are part of God’s kingdom once we state by faith our belief in Christ. Our position cannot be taken away. We are sealed as an heir.

One of the most common areas of attack is against our identity. If we doubt who we are and the position we hold in Christ, we are less likely to walk in the power and authority God gave us.

His promises remind us whose we are. When we have assurance of our position as heirs and children of God (to name just a few), we walk a little taller. And when we do, the world takes a bit more notice that something is different about us. We know who we are and are able to walk through life with confidence.

Our identity is key to achieving anything great – including walking in peace, love, and joy. God left us His promises to remind us we are His. And that changes everything.

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13 NKJV

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.─Romans 8:38-39 NKJV

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:─John 1:12 NKJV

3. Potential

When we believe God’s promises─really, we start to believe we can do something great because of them. The hardest, most frightening things God has ever asked me to participate in would never have happened if I hadn’t believed His promises. I am pretty well aware of my personal limitations, but I’m not in this world by myself and in my own power. Neither are you.

The more we access God’s power and the more we know our position as a child of God, the more we are able to access our God-given potential. He wants us to do great things with Him. He’s prepared them ahead of time for us.

There’s a lot this world needs, not the least of which is love.

God has given us all gifts. Depending on your current level of self-esteem, you may or may not believe you have gifts or that yours are as valuable as someone else’s.

Everyone’s gifts have merit!

God made you as His masterpiece. He has something very special planned just for you. No one else can do it. I don’t know what that is, but my prayer is that God shows you. Your contribution is far too important!

No matter what your age, it’s never too late as long as you are still alive. Age doesn’t disqualify anyone. You’re not too young, nor are you too old to be used by God. Scripture leaves us with all kinds of examples of people being used for God’s purposes from young to old—Timothy to Abraham, Mary to Elizabeth. The heart matters. Not the hours you’ve been alive on earth.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. ─Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”─Matthew 19:26 NKJV

Do you believe God’s promises─really?

Our answer to that question greatly impacts how much power, position and potential we walk in. How much power, position, and potential do you desire for your life and the lives of those you love?

You are blessed because you believed what the Lord said to you would really happen.─ Luke 1:45 ICB

I pray you receive all of God’s blessings as you believe Him and His promises, just the way He said they’d happen. In Jesus’ name, amen!

Join the conversation here or on our Facebook page.

1 Marriage & divorce. (n.d.). Retrieved January 02, 2018, from http://www.apa.org/topics/divorce/

Do You See What I See? A Message in a Bottle…

12.26.2017 by Tammy Chapman //

She loves and laughs well. We love her, and we think you will love her, too! Please welcome Tammy Chapman as our guest to FACETS of Faith this month. And please—share, share, share this beautiful post with everyone you know.

“To someone beautiful and far away,” that’s how it all began.

Ake Viking, a lonely Swedish sailor longing for love, put his heart on paper, wrapped it in a bottle, and tossed it into the sea. Remarkably, two years later, the young Paulina found Ake’s bottle on the shores of Sicily and decided to respond.

Paulina could have read Ake’s words and laughed, thinking them silly. She could have assumed too much stood between them for anything meaningful to come of it… after all, Ake was in Sweden, she, in Italy. They didn’t even speak the same language, and two years had passed since he had written those words. Surely, he had found the love he was looking for. Or she could have just remained enamored with her discovery and placed the little bottle and its sweet sentiment on her dresser for decoration. It would be a neat story to tell.

But Paulina did none of these.

When Paulina found that bottle and discovered the message inside, she read those words personally.

They were written to her.

They were meant for her.

Letters were exchanged, a new language was learned, Ake undertook a 2200-mile move, and the two became husband and wife.

The rest is history.

Wouldn’t it be fun to find a message in a bottle that was sent for you?

At its heart, isn’t that the very story of Christmas?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)

God has a message that He wants you to hear, and He sent His Son to deliver it to you personally.

You, beautiful one, are beloved. And not just by some really nice person who enjoys your company. And not just by your family who sort of have to love you. You are loved by the living God. The One who created you. The One who wanted you here to begin with. the One who has given everything to demonstrate that He. Really. Loves. You.

I was 14. I didn’t grow up in church but always believed in God. So when my friend’s family invited me to church, of course I said yes. As I sat in the service, although I am sure I had heard the words before, for the first time, I realized God was speaking them to me.

“Tammy, I sent my Son to earth for you. He came for you. Was born for you. Lived for you. And died for you. He rose from the dead for you. In Jesus, you will find what your heart longs for above all else. Perfect, unfailing, unrelenting love. A relationship that will never end.”

My mom had had a hard life, and in her desire to give me a better one, she left me to be raised by my grandmother. There’s more to it than that, but I couldn’t understand any of it at the time. So growing up, I felt like something must have been wrong with me. I felt rejected. More than that, I felt rejectable – deserving of being rejected and worthy of nothing more. That day in church, I found out otherwise. And it changed my life. I was wanted.

That night, as I sat on my bed, I told Jesus I wanted to be part of His family and that if He saw anything worth saving in me, my answer was yes. That was 35 years ago. Now my life is devoted to helping others get to know Jesus. To helping them discover the truth about their worth.

Precious child, do you know how valuable you are?

Do you know how loved you are?

Do you know in the deepest part of your being that you were created because you were wanted?

Cherished one, whatever damage this world has done to you, King Jesus stands ready to heal your heart and make you whole. So when you see images of Him lying in the manger, turn your heart to Him directly and ask what His message is for you. Whatever He says, take it personally. I’m pretty sure it will include something like this:

“To someone beautiful and far away,

Father God so loved the world that He asked me if I would come. I saw you and said yes. So don’t be afraid. Whatever you think would make me turn away from you, I have taken care of it. All of it. It is finished. Nothing can separate you from my love. So come to me. I will give you new hope, new purpose and new life.”

Beloved, these words have been written to you.

They are meant for you.

Won’t you open the bottle? Soak in the words and say yes to Jesus.

Do You See What I See? God’s Love

12.12.2017 by Jennifer Howe //

Welcome, friend! We’re so glad you stopped in during the busy holiday season! Last week Tracy began our conversation topic HERE. You won’t want to miss the next two weeks, either. Kim will be sharing her thoughts next, and then we have our guest, Tammy Chapman, who we know you’ll love the following week! Don’t miss the new posts each Tuesday.

Beautiful, beautiful Christmas! I (Jennifer) love the beauty in December. I’m a white-lights-and-matching-ornaments kinda gal, and I love our artificial tree. (I’m either saving a tree or sparing myself the aftermath when gravity wins the pine needle battle.) As magical as the season seems to be with the hustle and bustle in chilly weather, frosty street scenes described in carols, decked out windows, and the anticipation of what’s beneath the pretty gift wrap. By now, many of those lovely things can be a distraction to my seasonally overwhelmed soul. So I fight for my peace when we usually celebrate the advent of the Prince of Peace. Ironic? Yeah, I think so.

I’ve been thinking about this month’s question for weeks now. The inspiration for my response has ebbed and flowed (and even flowed right off my hard drive when my laptop crashed one night).

How do I see God? And do you see what I see?

God is love. 1 John 4:8b

Close friends and many readers know some of my personal story. Like all of us, there’s a highlight reel and low lights thrown in for “color” or something, right? When we’re honest, each of us lives life with some desire just outside our grasp; it’s only natural in this world. I always wanted the strong, friendly, perfect daddy my friend showed in every scene of her highlight reel. That was before I knew human daddies were most definitely human.

“But God…”

Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, the Daddy-God who deeply loves us is completely other, isn’t He? His love is free of all limits—not bound by time, culture, or gender. God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, for all of us, and He is who we celebrate this time of year (regardless of the actual birth date). And I love that! The God of the universe loved us so much the Son chose to set aside His heavenly existence and deity for just a while. For me and for you!

But what does that mean?

It means that in a quiet, little town called Bethlehem everything in two realms changed in an instant. The perfect heavenly realm moved and opened the door to the harsh, broken, earthly one. The Almighty, our heavenly Father, answered the deepest need humanity had: reconciliation with Holy God. In Jesus—every desperate need, every faint hope, every terrible fear—answered.

My greatest fears are some tangle of knowing and being known, loving and being loved. And my heavenly Father answers every need and hope and fear perfectly. This Christmas I am finding my peace in Daddy-God’s gift of Jesus—

“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.” ― Timothy J. Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God

And that introduces my very favorite Christmas carol this year: O Little Town of Bethlehem.

O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight (O Little Town of Bethlehem, v. 1. Brooks and Redner, 1868)

The Son who would introduce Himself as the Bread of Life was born in the little town named House of Bread (John 6:33-35). Why? To bring life to the world! The hope for something better than this world? Met in Jesus. The fear of sadness, weakness, loneliness, and even death? Met. The fear of being left out of a life with God somehow? Met.

I suppose that reminds me of a twist on an old Latin phrase: He came. He saw. He conquered. But not in the traditional way…

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in. (O Little Town of Bethlehem, v. 3.)

How does He conquer? Jesus comes to that quiet, little town when no one expects Him. His life opens the door to a beautiful, precious, intimate relationship with the Father. Heaven opened with this advent. Relationship was yet to be fully restored and the enemy’s plans completely dashed at the cross, but the new covenant was established and real and happening for the whole earth! That’s me, and that’s you! And “where meek souls will receive him…Christ enters in.” I am thankful our humble ask receives the beautiful, permanent “Yes, I’ll be with you now and forever” response from the humble King.

O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel (O Little Town of Bethlehem, v. 4.)

Friend, the God of heaven really is love!

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God. John 3:16-18

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

Do you see what I see? I’d love to hear more about your personal perspective. If you’re brave enough to share, I’d love to listen.

Thank you for reading, friend! I am grateful for you. I wish you and those close to you peace in the holiday season. Mostly, I wish you to feel the amazing love of Almighty God, your Daddy-God.