I'll Remain Still

I recently heard a song by Clint Brown and a few lines caught my attention. “I lay down my will…I’ll remain still in your hand…Lord, I will follow…” The next morning, God stopped me with a question:  how often do I miss His conviction because I rush past it instead of remaining still in His hand? 

My intent is never to rebel or refuse to let God deal with me, but so often, I rush past things without examining them.  I assume something isn’t applicable to my situation after a quick “glance” when careful examination would say otherwise. Or, I just don’t slow down and search my heart as I encounter His Word.  Some topics are so “routine” that it’s easy to stop being careful with them. And some things I consciously or unconsciously don’t want to deal with. In all cases it’s far easier to keep moving (singing the next song in worship service, writing down the next point in my sermon notes during the preaching, or moving on to running the next errand or washing the next dish in my daily life) without ever making myself stop and remain still in His hand while He examines, convicts and gives direction. I want to follow – but to successfully surrender my will and follow, I have to make stopping and remaining still a regular part of my daily life.

Provoke One Another

Hebrews 10:24 - And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

I will never forget sitting at the piano as the pastor was preparing to close out that service.  I was a mediocre musician at best, with a lot of insecurities that further limited my skills. I was playing the piano because the church had only one piano player and she was struggling spiritually.  As the evangelist’s wife, I offered to step in and give her a break during altar services for the duration of the revival. The pastor was a guitarist, so he understood music and the challenge of being a musician. As he was winding down, he turned to me and asked, “Do you know XYZ song?” I smiled and said, “I’ve never played it.” And began scooting off the piano bench so my musically talented husband could take over. The pastor stopped me with a look and a very softly spoken, “You CAN play this.” Nobody in the congregation would have picked up on what had just happened, but I knew better than to argue.  I meekly sank back onto the piano bench, nodded when he named a key, and began to play.  To my surprise, he was right – I could play it – and did so without missing a chord.

There are some things we do easily on our own.  Other things, we struggle with.  That’s why Hebrews tells us to provoke one another. When we hear “good works” we automatically assume that being provoked should be easy because it is a good thing, but the reality is, if it was something we WANTED to do, nobody would have to provoke us.  Too often, it’s a good work that we feel inadequate for or intimidated by. That’s why a certain amount of submission is required. Ephesians 5:21 says, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” When one of our brothers or sisters begins to provoke us to a good work, we have to submit to being pushed in the right direction, even when it’s outside our comfort zone.

The pastor of the church provoked me to a good work that day.  I didn’t argue, I didn’t fuss at him later for scaring me, and I didn’t pretend to misunderstand and let my husband play anyway – I allowed myself to be provoked. That would be one of MANY times I quietly allowed myself to be made very uncomfortable at a piano because the minister in charge of a service understood my insecurities and decided to push me past them. They understood, better than I did, that if they could provoke me to good works one song at a time, eventually, I would overcome some of those fears and be a more usable tool in the hand of God when it came to facilitating worship in the congregation.

What are your spiritual leaders or brothers and sisters in Christ trying to provoke you to? Are you submitting to their attempts to provoke you?

Obey

Bro. Hood had a conversation recently that is weighing heavily on my mind when combined with some other things.  He was fellowshipping with some ministers at a conference and one of them asked the question, “When was the last time any of us saw someone healed by our shadow?”  I’m sure he thought it was rhetorical, but Bro. Hood answered him and said, “When I was overseas.  When I was overseas, there were people healed by MY shadow, but that has never happened in the United States.”  As he was sharing that conversation with me, we found ourselves talking about how different the American church’s response to God and the Man of God is and what a hinderance it is to what God could do.

That conversation played over in my head all day and tied in to something that bothered me deeply at the conference.  The first service, the host pastor started out with a call for anyone who needed prayer to come up and be prayed for.  I believe 3 people responded, the ministry prayed for them and the service moved on smoothly, but without any great move of God or response.  The next morning, Bishop Smith was called to address the congregation.  He said something in his direct but gentle way, and both the words and the response to it hit me very hard.  He made the statement, “There were many more people who needed prayer last night than the number that came up for prayer.  There was an invitation given but very few responded.”  What troubled me was that there was a general murmur of agreement…but no serious level of conviction.  An elder had just given a very direct and Biblical rebuke, and the room in general nodded and moved on.  There were some who took it to heart and responded to the invitation for prayer when it was given that night, but the general reaction told me it was received largely as just “a comment from an old preacher.”

There was a message in tongues and interpretation given recently in our home church and the gist of it was, “You aren’t taking your pastor seriously. I put him here, but you don’t pay attention to what he says and obey, and as a result, you are hindering your own blessing.” 

The Bible teaches very clearly in Hebrews 13:17 that we are to obey those that have the rule over us.  So often, we shy away from that concept because many of us, myself included, have seen that abused.  I still remember the day I was chewed out for asking my Holy Ghost filled parents who are very financially stable and responsible for advice about a financial decision I was considering because “they were not my pastor.”  That’s nonsense and not Biblical and we all know that.  But just because there are those who abuse a verse doesn’t mean we can just ignore it.  God established the ministry for the perfecting of the saints.  He gave them authority and told us to obey.  When the Man of God says something, it’s not just “good advice” we “might” try to work on.  We are commanded to obey. 

When a Man of God speaks and it aligns with the Word of God, he’s speaking with God given authority, and we would do well to not view him as “just the preacher” because 1 Peter 4:11 says he is to speak as “the oracles of God.”  When a police officer turns on those red and blue lights, he might be “just another human,” but he is a human with the authority to take my backside to jail if I don’t obey.  And if I rebel the wrong way, he has the authority to taze me, put me in handcuffs, or if necessary, kill me.  We don’t think twice about authority that is given by the government to man, but for some reason, when GOD gives authority to man, we want to make him “just another man” to be considered a source of “good advice;” but that’s not what the Bible said!  When Bishop rebuked us for not coming forward for prayer, there should have been a noticeable response, because I KNOW there were sick people in that room who never got prayed for during that conference. 

Last week, Bro Hood preached on understanding the value of what we have.  If we want God to move, if we want to see His power, if we want souls to be saved, if we want miracles to happen, and if we want to go to Heaven…then we have to understand the value of what we have been given.  God has sent His word and He chose to send it both in writing, and through human messengers.  We have the voice of God – but we have to see it for what it is and obey.  Not think about it, not toss it over our shoulder for someone else, but OBEY.

Easily Entreated

 James 3:17 tells us, The wisdom that is from above is “easy to be entreated.” That phrase means: readily accepting or responding to requests or persuasion, showing a willingness to be influenced or convinced.  Other translations use phrases like “willing to yield to others” and “submissive.”

I wasn’t in the mood to work the altar, if I’m being honest.  I was emotionally and spiritually weary and I was ready to coast through a service or two. As I was quietly coasting, aware of the lady praying in the back but figuring someone else would pray with her, an elder walked by me headed that way. He said not a word – he simply made direct eye contact with me, then looked toward the lady in the back. My “coast” came to an abrupt end in that second. I immediately went back and began to pray with the lady, and for the remainder of that conference, I stayed fully engaged, working the altars, and filling in on music as needed.

A wise saint is easily entreated to do things that are godly and spiritually healthy. They don’t have to be harassed and fussed at to get them to do what they should. They understand the value of allowing themselves to be easily provoked to good works. That elder didn’t need to come talk to me about coasting, nor even directly tell me to go pray for someone.  A split second of eye contact was all it took to rebuke me and correct my actions. And I didn’t just go pray for the lady and go back to coasting - he “told” me once and that was enough.

What about you? Are there things the pastor or his wife have to ask you to do repeatedly? Fuss about routinely? Pre-service prayer? Working the altar? Helping keep the church clean? Reaching out to those who missed service to let them know they were missed? Actively engaging in worship?

Are you easily entreated?

40 Days of Faith Devotionals

by Jason Hood  (Updated daily throughout March 12 2025)

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 40

“Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.” – Joshua 1:2

I’m not dying. I’m also not trying to compare myself to Moses. But I want you to consider a few things today. I was the one who started talking about this 40 Days of Faith. When I did it, I had no idea that the 40thand final day would fall on a Wednesday and that I would be called to Texas on business that would prevent me from being there.

In the week and a half since I realized I was not going to be with you tonight, the Lord has demonstrated by at least 3 definitive confirmations that it was His will for me to be gone. And, as I thought on this and wrestled with it, the Lord reminded me of Joshua 1:2.

Moses was dead. Joshua was now the leader of the people of God. Did Joshua know that Moses was going to die before they entered the land of promise? Did Joshua expect Moses to be the one to walk across the Jordon River and lead the people into the place God had promises? Joshua had walked with Moses all those long years in the wilderness. He had watched how God answered Moses’ prayers. He saw the miracles the Lord did for and through Moses. Joshua likely had a lot of confidence in Moses. He probably felt confident when Moses was around because he knew God was with Moses.

Again, I’m not dying and I’m not trying to compare myself to Moses, but I do feel compelled to draw out this parallel:

YOU DO NOT NEED ME THERE TONIGHT TO SEE GOD MOVE.

In fact, it might be better that I’m not there. I have my place, my role, my position in the Kingdom. But for 40 days now you’ve heard me daily speaking as much as I can about faith. I’ve been trying to tie every Sunday sermon and Wednesday Bible study back to the subject of faith. There’s almost nothing more I could say on the subject that I haven’t already said. Furthermore, there’s nothing left for you to hear.

Go to the house of the Lord tonight. Don’t make an excuse for not going. Make an excuse TO GO! Walk through the door giving praise to God. Focus on prayer, praise, praying for one another, worshiping the Lord. Speak words that are rooted in faith. Speak confidently. Testify. Uplift one another. Pray and receive.

Yesterday, I told you about tomorrow. Tomorrow is here. Won’t you come to the table and eat?

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 39

“Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.” – 2 Kings 7:1-2

Tomorrow is the last day of these 40 Days of Faith.

I don’t know what you had expected, but I know what I told you to expect when we started. I said what I said, and I said it with faith.

In 2 Kings 7 there was a problem in Samaria. There was a famine and people were dying because of the lack of food. Elisha lifted his voice and talked about tomorrow. He said that tomorrow there would be enough food in Samaria that it would be sold cheaply at the city gates. One of the rulers of Samaria doubted it. He mocked Elisha and said, “Well, sure, if the windows of heaven suddenly opened up!” Elisha’s word to him was, “you will see it, but you won’t eat it.”

Tomorrow is the last day of these 40 Days of Faith. I have already written the devotional for tomorrow. Don’t be shocked by what it says.

But, for today, I’m going to tell you only this much: You have every reason to expect great things from God. You can either believe me or not. But I am confident that if you can believe what I’m saying, you will see God provide and enjoy the blessing of it. But if you don’t, you will still see what God does, but you won’t enjoy the benefit of it.

There’s no reason for that at all. Jesus spoke to His disciples after the resurrection and said, “Come and dine.” If you’re hungry, there’s room at faith’s table. Come and dine. There’s no reason to doubt and starve. Tomorrow’s coming. Prepare to eat.

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 38

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith …” – Hebrews 12:2

The phrase “author and finisher” are very interesting here. Various English Bible versions translate it:

“pioneer and perfecter”
“champion who initiates and perfects”
“founder and perfecter”
“source and perfecter”
“source and goal”
“founder and completer”

When Richard F. Weymouth’s New Testament in Modern Speechwas published in 1903 (after his death in 1902), he provided this translation:

“Simply fixing our gaze upon Jesus, our Prince Leader in the faith, who will also award us the prize.”

I like that.

Verse 1 tells us to patiently run the race ahead and that we would be able to do it by looking at Jesus only. Jesus is described as “author.” It’s the word archégos and always conveys the meaning of someone who leads the way, usually from a position of authority. It was often used to refer to the founder or leader of a city or movement. Faith didn’t start with me. It started with Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ – Almighty God in flesh – blazed the trail of faith.

And He is described as the “finisher.” It’s the word teleiótés and speaks of one who brings something to completion or perfection. Jesus didn’t just start the idea of faith and leave us alone to figure it out. He gives it, He nurtures it, and He completes it in us.

So when we start feeling like we’re going to fail in our journey, that’s when we have to go back to the source of faith. We act based upon our belief which is sustained by confidence. So when we’re having trouble acting, we need to rediscover confidence. When our confidence is shaken, we need to rediscover belief. When our belief is weak, we need to rediscover the One who started it in the first place!

Faith isn’t built on me. I didn’t start it. I can’t keep it going. I have no ability to bring it all the way to completion. But Jesus can. Faith belongs to Him. He created it. And if we’re having trouble with it, go back to the source and watch Him restore!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 37

“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.” – Hebrews 11:20

The promise of God to Abraham produced a son named Isaac. Isaac would have two sons named Jacob and Esau. The events of Genesis 27 are very interesting. Esau should have had the greater part of the inheritance upon the death of his father since he was the older son. As strange as it might sound, Esau was very hungry one day and sold this birthright to his younger brother for a pot of beans. Some people will give up everything for next to nothing!

But then there came a time for blessings to be given to the children. In Genesis 27, Isaac is blind. Jacob is loved by his mother so much that she desires him to have the “better blessing” from his father. She devises a plan to help her son deceive his father into blessing him first. The plan works and Isaac blesses Jacob. When Esau comes along and realizes what happened, he begs for a blessing from his father. Isaac gives him a blessing as well, but it does nothing to help Esau’s anger toward Jacob. But that’s another story for another day.

What I want to focus on today was what Isaac did for his children. He blessed them “concerning things to come.”

What Isaac said to Jacob was this:

“May peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you; Be master of your brothers, And may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you.” (Genesis 27:29)

What he said to Esau was:

“By your sword you shall live, And your brother you shall serve; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck.” (Genesis 27:40)

The blessings were very different, but in both cases, Isaac looked into the future and, by faith, spoke about the future as if it were the present.

Faith always looks ahead. It never looks at the current situation and assumes it will be this way forever. It looks ahead and speaks the truth about the future. Faith looks where it’s going, not where it’s at.

Today, look ahead. Yes, God will work today in today’s circumstances. But what if it’s tomorrow when God will work? Why not speak with faith about tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and the next? Faith looks forward. Let’s look forward to what faith will produce.

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 36

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” – Daniel 3:17-18

“But if not …”

Those are powerful words of faith. The context: God’s people were captive in Babylon because of their sins. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, built an idol and made a law that, when the music played, everyone bowed to the idol he had built. Anyone who didn’t bow would be burned alive.

The day came when the music played and three men stood there refusing to bow – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were not just any three men. They were friends with Daniel and, because of his influence, were made governors over the affairs of the province (Daniel 2:49). They were originally named Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Now, the king couldn’t afford to have foreigners promoted to positions of power flaunt the law. So, they were going to die.

Nebuchadnezzar brought them forward for questioning. They admitted that they did not bow and, furthermore, they will never bow. This enraged the king. As far as he was concerned, they were going to die and it was going to happen immediately.

But the three men said the words we started with today. “If you throw us in the fire, God is able to deliver us and He WILL deliver us. But, even if He doesn’t, we still won’t bow to you!”

“But if not …”

Faith is not convenient. It is persistent.
Faith is not reserved for good times. It endures.
Faith is not for the mount top. It thrives in the valley.

These three men were completely confident that God could and would deliver them. But their FAITH was in God REGARDLESS OF HOW THINGS TURNED OUT!

How often have we been bold in our faith as long as things turned out the way we wanted? But as soon as things didn’t, we became faithless, unfaithful, shaky, wishy-washy. A faith that can’t face the fire isn’t faith … it’s an emotional expression of empty words during convenient seasons. But the type of faith God desires for us lives just as strong through a “but if not” as it is in the seasons when everything is going right.

We may have this quality of faith. It is the gift of God for us to have if we’re willing to fight to hang on to it.

All reactions:

1Patricia N Gary Lowery

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 35

“And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” – Luke 17:19

I received a message last night that called me to prayer. And though I haven’t shared this passage with the individual (yet), it was the first thing that came to my mind. In Luke 17:5-10, Jesus taught his Apostles about the nature of faith and that, if their faith was as a mustard seed, it would be able to accomplish remarkable things. He went on to give a parable that, on the heels of His teaching on faith, implies that using faith is the least we can do as Jesus’ disciples.

The next scene thereafter is Jesus passing through a place where there were 10 men suffering from the highly contagious and normally fatal disease called leprosy. They cried to Jesus for mercy and Jesus “cleansed” them. This echoes back to Leviticus 14 and how, under the Law, a leper could rejoin the community. The Law said that the priests would know the leprosy was no longer present in a contagious form once the swelling and scabs were gone. That is called “cleansing,” and the word used in the New Testament means “ceremonially clean.”

But when the 10 lepers went away and were “cleansed” as they went, one of them turned around, returned to Jesus, and worshipped Him as God. Jesus told him to get up and go his way because “thy faith hath made thee whole.”

While I don’t want to make more out of this than is there, I cannot help but notice that the one who returned to worship Jesus as God was the only one of whom it was said they were made whole. “Whole” is the word sozo and it means “to rescue, to deliver, to heal, to preserve.” It’s the word that expresses the deeper spiritual sense of recovery. Not only was this man’s leprosy cleansed, but he was made whole!

We serve a God who is not only able to fix the problem, but is able to make us whole, complete, entire, lacking nothing, filling in the gaps, making up the difference, and putting us all together as we ought to be.

No matter what is it that we are facing, God is not only able to cleans us, but He is able to make us whole. Every part of us might be healed and preserved; not just a part. My faith reaches out, today, to a God with that kind of ability.

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 34

“And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” – Joshua 2:11

In an earlier devotional I wrote about Rahab and how she acted in faith, bringing about her safety and that of her entire family when Jericho was destroyed. Today, I’d like to draw our attention to something Rahab said about the people of Jericho when they heard about all that the Lord had done for God’s people.

The Scripture describes the condition of the people of Jericho when they heard about the amazing things God had done for His people as and since they came out of Egypt. When they heard these things, “our hearts did melt.” The Hebrew word is masas and it means “to liquefy, waste, or faint.” It’s used metaphorically to describe emotional, spiritual, or physical weakness due to fear or discouragement. And when the people of Jericho heard about what God had done for His people, they felt that fear.

Now, notice the first bit of news that caused the people of Jericho to respond this way. It wasn’t something God had done recently. The Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea 40 YEARS EARLIER! Yes, there was fear because of the recent victories against the Amorite kings which had happened only a couple of months earlier, but there was a testimony from 40 YEARS AGO that brought fear into the enemy of God’s people at Jericho.

Take out the people, insert Satan, and you will see the point of today’s devotional. No wonder we are told in Revelation 12:11 that we will defeat Satan by “the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.”

Last night I taught on the hearing of faith and the need to speak so we might be heard. I taught about bragging on God. If you want the enemy occupying the city to be afraid of you, just start talking about what God has done RECENTLY and DISTANTLY. I don’t care if I hear the same testimony over and over again for 40 years … that testimony can cause Satan’s heart to melt. How afraid he must be when we remember and rehearse all that God has done!

Hasn’t Satan discouraged you enough? Today, put the shoe on the other foot. Discourage him for a change. Open your mouth and tell what God has done. Discourage the enemy – brag on the Lord!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 33

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” – Psalm 56:3

It is well accepted that David wrote this Psalm during the events of 1 Samuel 21:10-15. David was running for his life from King Saul. Remember, David was not king yet when these words were written. He was a young man who had killed Goliath. He was going to be king one day. That promise from God was sure. But today, David was a frightened young man running from a king who wanted him dead.

David flees to Gath and, specifically, to Achish the king of Gath obviously thinking he would find some help there. He did not. Instead, according to 1 Samuel 21:12, fear gripped David’s heart. He was afraid of King Achish and pretended to be insane so the people of Gath would throw him out, thereby saving his life.

David made the common mistake many of us make. In the time of trouble, he thought there was help in his own wisdom and understanding. Running from one king to another wasn’t the answer. He needed to run to THE KING.

And so we have the 56th Psalm. David realizes his mistake and finds refuge in the only One who can really help him: the Lord.

What is very encouraging to me is to hear David say “what time I am afraid.” He didn’t say, “if I am ever afraid;” he said, “when.” In other words, fear was going to come. There were going to be times in his life when he felt the sharp edge of fear cutting at his soul. Just like us, he was human.

The remedy for fear is faith. And David already knew the right medicine to take before fear ever came along. When he was afraid, he would trust the Lord.

We will have plenty of opportunities to be afraid. In every one of those situations, we may trust in God and, in doing so, find peace knowing that our God knows all things, sees all things, and can do all things.

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 32

“Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” – Acts 27:25

The Scripture above was spoken by our Apostle Paul.

Paul was on a ship in the middle of the Mitterrandian Sea.

Paul was there in chains as a prisoner headed for Rome.

Paul had spent 14 days in a very violent storm.

Paul had been told by God that the ship was going to sink.

Get the picture? He was in the middle of nowhere with no help in sight. He was being held prisoner on his way to stand trial. Two weeks had passed and the storm was not easing up at all. The ship is breaking apart and even the most experienced sailors on board knew it was only a matter of time.

So, of course, Paul’s response is to stand up and say, “Be encouraged!”

“To be of good cheer” is only one word in Greek: euthymeite and it comes from two words meaning “good” and “mind.” Paul was literally telling these other men around him who were on a sinking ship in the middle of nowhere with no hope in sight and death all but certain … that they needed to be encouraged, maintain a positive outlook, and have some joy and courage.

How was he able to have that attitude in the face of death? Easy, “I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” He had the WORD OF GOD that the ship was going to sink, but that everyone who stayed on the ship would come out alive. He chose to believe God instead of his circumstances and emotions. He chose to believe God instead of those around him who thought all hope was lost. He believed … and he lived.

God, help me with my attitude and perspective. The same Spirit that was in Paul is in me. Let my ears be open to your Word, and let me be encouraged knowing that all of the evidence around me doesn’t matter. If YOU said it, Lord, then that’s the end of it!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 31

“By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” – Hebrews 11:31

The story of Rahab is found in Joshua 2. Joshua sent two spies into Jeruicho who stayed in the house of Rahab who was a harlot. You read that right. Rahab was a prostitute. Now, why they went into the house of a prostitute when they were supposed to be righteous men could be disputed. Prostitutes were often willing to rent rooms for the night to travelers even if they were not there for purposes of soliciting prostitution. It might also have been a wise place to hide out. After all, as one commentator said, it was a “place of public entertainment … most suitable for ascertaining the state of the public mind.”

The king of Jericho learned of the spies and sent men to capture them out of Rahab’s house. But Rahab hid them on the roof of her house and the king’s men left, searching all the way from Jericho to the Jordon River. But Rahab goes back on the roof and talks with the men. Her words in verses 8-14 are startling examples of FAITH:

I know that the Lord has given you the land.
I’ve heard what the Lord did to the Egyptians because of you.
I know your God is God in heaven and earth.
I beg you, then, to promise you will not destroy me or my family when you destroy this city.

They did. They told her to put a scarlet thread in the window of her house so they would see it and remember their promise.

Do you see just how close everyone is to entering the Kingdom? This woman was a prostitute. Nevertheless, she BELIEVED what God had said. She BELIEVED what God had done. She BELIEVED what and who God was. She BELIEVED enough to ask for a promise. She RECEIVED confirmation of the promise. She was told how to ACT when the time came. She ACTED in CONFIDENCE by hanging the scarlet thread from her window on the day of battle. And, when the day of battle came, SHE WAS SAVED BY HER FAITH THROUGH CONFIDENT OBEDIENCE.

If God would do that for Rahab, why wouldn’t He do it for you?

Stop judging yourself for who you’ve been and what you’ve done. Those are not the criteria God looks at when it comes to where, when, and how He moves. You’ve moved beyond those things into a life of FAITH. Let us learn, today, from this prostitute. Not a one of us is very far from the promise of God if we will simply ACT CONFIDENTLY based upon what we have BELIEVED of God.

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 30

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

A short one for today, but I would like to point out this wonderful reminder from the book of Proverbs. The Hebrew word for “trust” here is batach. If you were translating the Greek word for “to believe” (pisteuo) into Hebrew, you would use the word batach.

In the Old Testament, TRUST was the fundamental aspect of the covenant relationship between God and His people.

We understand “the heart” to refer to the seat of our feelings, will, and intellect – the center of who we are as human beings. It is there in the part of me that processes emotions and makes decisions that I am supposed to TRUST the Lord. Is it any wonder then that this is the same place where we tend to have the most struggles? We probably wrestle more with our own fickle emotions and making definitive decisions than any other aspect of our fleshly nature.

“Our own understanding” here refers to our insight and discernment. In other words, we have a choice to make: we can either TRUST in the Lord or in ourselves, but we cannot do both. That is because the superior knowledge and wisdom of God is always at odds with my own. What I “think” often contradicts what God knows. No wonder I should TRUST in Him. After all, He’s never wrong.

I’m thankful for the privilege to trust the One who knows it all and desires to share that knowledge with me through CONFIDENCE in Him. He knows it all, and wants to use that knowledge to bless and help me. How wonderful!

40 DAYS OF FAITH - Day 29

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." - Romans 15:13

Today's devotional is very late, and I apologize. However, I pray the power of this Scripture would grip you tonight.

Our God is called "the God of hope." As long as you have Jesus Christ, you are NEVER hopeless, the situation is NEVER hopeless, the problem is NEVER hopeless. As the God of hope, you can run to Him and always find hope.

The Greek word used here for "hope" is elpis and it comes from a verb meaning "to expect." You absolutely always have a reason to expect something from God since He is, after all, the God of hope (expectation).

Now, the God of hope (expectation) fills us with all JOY AND PEACE. And He does this how? In BELIEVING! When FAITH is used, it leads to JOY and PEACE. Why? Because FAITH is the evidence of things I haven't seen and the substance of things I have hoped for. So, since what I haven't seen and what I hope for ought to bring me JOY and PEACE, my FAITH comes with JOY and PEACE as natural accessories.

I have the right to live in JOY and PEACE today just as if I had the things I'm BELIEVING for because the GOD OF HOPE is the One from whom I am expecting. So it's just as good as done because I have TRUSTED in the GOD OF HOPE!

My FAITH in the GOD OF HOPE allows me to have JOY and PEACE so that I can abound in HOPE. Or, in other words, so I can have expectation after expectation after expectation with CONFIDENCE that the GOD OF HOPE is my provider.

How is all of this possible? Through the POWER of the HOLY GHOST. Be FILLED with the SPIRIT, and allow the SPIRIT in you to cause you to act in CONFIDENCE with EXPECTATION of receiving all JOY and PEACE because you have BELIEVED in the GOD OF HOPE!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 28

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” – James 2:17-18

There will always be someone around who says, “Well, I don’t see it that way.” James was dealing with that here. With his statement in verse 17 there is no doubt as to what he was trying to communicate. James wanted his audience to understand that a person who says they BELIEVE something without DOING something about it meant their faith was completely dead. But he knew human nature. He knew someone was going to disagree with him. And that’s why he starts verse 18 with the words (in our modern English), “Well, someone might say …”

There’s always someone out there with something to say, especially when you make absolute statements that really aren’t open to question. FAITH WITHOUT ACTION IS DEAD! That’s not a request for a debate. That’s a bold, blunt, clear statement of fact. But that doesn’t stop people from wanting to have their say.

Did you know that, when you start walking in FAITH, there’s always going to be someone come along with something to say against it? Someone who, in some cases, might even feel like their doing you a favor by trying to talk you out of trusting God. Sometimes, they have good intentions. Sometimes, they just don’t want YOU doing what THEY’RE not willing to do.

And they will come up with some wild reasons. “Well, some people have faith, but I don’t need faith. I can just take care of myself.” That’s the attitude behind the objection James records in verse 18. But his answer is PRICELESS:

YOU MIGHT THINK WHAT YOU’RE DOING IS GOING TO TURN OUT BETTER … BUT I’M GOING TO SHOW THAT I HAVE FAITH BY WHAT I DO AND WE’LL JUST SEE HOW THIS ENDS.

One modern English translation renders verse 18 like this:

Suppose someone disagrees and says, “It is possible to have faith without doing anything.” I would answer, “Prove it then, if you can, that you have faith without doing anything. Meanwhile, I will prove that I have faith by doing what I do.”

I like that. I have a hard time taking lectures about how I should serve God from someone who doesn’t, how I should pray from someone who doesn’t, how I should praise from someone who doesn’t … and I’m sure not going to let someone else who disagrees with God’s Word tell me how I should exercise my faith.

Today, I will ACT because I BELIEVE. And that’s not negotiable. And, no, I’m not interested in a different opinion. Opinions don’t matter when you have FACTS!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 27

“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” – Mark 9:23-24

A dad had a demon possessed son. The demon would cause the son to fall on the ground wallowing around, foaming at the mouth, and, at times, tried to kill the boy by throwing him into fires and water. The dad seeks Jesus for help, and Jesus assured the dad that EVERYTHING WAS POSSIBLE to the one who BELIEVES.

The dad’s response was to CRY OUT …

Let’s stop there. There was no room for bashfulness or embarrassment. The dad had a need and was in the presence of the One who could supply. He didn’t care who heard him. He didn’t care how uncomfortable it made those around him. HE HAD A NEED AND CRIED OUT TO THE ONE WHO COULD HELP!

Not only did he CRY OUT, but he CRIED OUT WITH TEARS. Since when was crying a shame? Since when was it wrong to cry? How long will we be uncomfortable with worshiping God with our emotions? After all, if He has asked for ALL OF US, doesn’t that include the tears?

“Lord, I believe,” was the dad’s answer. What beautiful words when we really mean them! LORD, I BELIEVE! But the dad didn’t stop there:

“…HELP THOU MINE UNBELIEF.”

Do we really understand what he was saying? “Lord, I believe what you just said that nothing is impossible to those that believe, so I really need you to help the unbelief that I still have.”

I BELIEVE WHAT YOU’RE SAYING, the dad cried, BUT I’VE STILL GOT UNBELIEF.

Notice this: BELIEVING what Jesus said was enough, especially when the man recognized in himself the possibility that this might not be enough. He was judging himself, and quite accurately, to not have faith in anything but the Word that just came from Jesus’ mouth. BUT THAT AMOUNT OF FAITH WAS ENOUGH.

If I can just manage to BELIEVE what Jesus has said and will be honest with Him about my own condition, HE IS FAITHFUL to make up the difference. It’s not an excuse for unbelief. We should NEVER excuse our own unbelief. We should confess it so Jesus can do for us what He did for this dad: He HEALED the dad’s son and HEALED the dad’s FAITH all at once.

BELIEVE what Jesus has said, BE HONEST about the condition of your own FAITH, and watch Jesus work a miracle beyond belief.

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 26

“And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.” – Luke 8:48

The account in Luke 8 is of a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for 12 years. She was dying one drop of blood at a time as every heartbeat drew her closer to death. The Scripture says, in verse 43, that she had spent all of her money on doctors and nothing she did helped. She was still dying.

I wonder how many doctors she had gone to in those 12 years. One thing is for sure: If she spent everything she had on doctors she had FAITH in those doctors. She was ACTING with CONFIDENCE based on her BELIEF that the doctors could help her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have given all she had. She would have held back something in reserve just in case it didn’t work. But if there’s an example in the New Testament that really demonstrates FAITH as the word is rightly defined, it’s this woman’s attitude toward her doctors.

She GAVE ALL.
She CONTIUED CONFIDENTLY.
She BELIEVED.

She was NOT a woman who didn’t have FAITH, but the object in which she placed her FAITH was not powerful enough to save her. Then, here comes Jesus.

According to the Law, the woman was unclean and never should have touched Jesus (or anyone else for that matter). But she had to arrive at a place where she said, “I don’t care that I’m not supposed to touch Jesus. I need some help! I don’t care if everyone tells me not to. I don’t care if religious tradition says I can’t come to God. I NEED HIM! Everyone here might hate me for coming to Jesus. No one might believe I’m worthy of His help. BUT I NEED HIM!”

In other words, she took the same FAITH that she had pointed at doctors for 12 years and directed it toward Jesus.

She GAVE ALL.
She CONTINUED CONFIDENTLY.
She BELIEVED.
She was HEALED!

Let me end with a quote from Matthew Henry:

“This woman came trembling, yet her faith saved her. There may be trembling, where yet there is saving faith … But in perfect faith there is no fear; the more we fear, the less we believe.”

Go out today and BELIEVE like this woman believed. You will be made whole.

40 DAYS OF FAITH - Day 25

Today’s devotion is short and simple. Go read Hebrews 11. Read the names of every person and what FAITH did through them in their lives. Read that chapter and, after each name, say out loud “their God is my God, and my God can do this for me.”

Some days you just need to see yourself in the Word.

40 DAYS OF FAITH - Day 24

"And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city." - Hebrews 11:15-16

Verses 13 and 14 point us toward a group of people we could call PEOPLE OF FAITH. They are individuals who might have never seen the promises of God come to pass while they were living, but they continued to believe confidently and lived according to that knowledge. Because of their faith, God is not ashamed to be called their God.

Think about that! Wouldn't that imply that there might be actions we can take and attitudes we can have that would cause God to be ashamed to be associated with us? God forbid we ever end up like that. And God gives us a sure remedy to keep us from catching that disease: FAITH!

But notice something particular about HOW FAITH WORKED in these people. The writer of Hebrews says, "If they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned." Let me put that into modern English for you:

"If they kept looking backward, they would have gone backward."

These were FORWARD LOOKING people. The object of their FAITH was ahead of them, and they just kept walking FORWARD.

When our fathers were coming out of Egypt and stood at the banks of the Red Sea, they complained to Moses and to God. When Moses cried out to God, the Lord's answer was, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to go forward!" In other words, "I didn't bring you this far to leave you. JUST MAKE UP YOUR MIND THAT YOU'RE GOING FORWARD!"

FAITH always takes you FORWARD, never backward.

Today, let's forget about how we used to think, used to feel, used to, used to, used to ... NO MORE! WE HAVE COME THIS FAR BY FAITH AND WE ARE GOING FORWARD BY FAITH!

40 DAYS OF FAITH - Day 23

"And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand." - 1 Kings 18:44

I'm actually very glad to have had the opportunity to wait and write today's devotional thought after service. This will be brief, but I hope you see the power in it that I saw.

On the way home this afternoon, Sis. Hood made a comment about clouds. When I said, several weeks ago, that rain was coming and that someone other than me would see the clouds, it never occurred to me to think about the nature of rainclouds. What do rainclouds look like? Are they white and fluffy? NO! RAIN CLOUDS ARE DARK AND CAN LOOK VERY SCARY!

The reason they look dark is because they are FULL OF RAIN. Little white wispy clouds aren't full of rain. They're full of themselves. The wind blows them around and they fall apart. Even big billowy white clouds aren't full of rain. They're just full of themselves. But let a big, dark, angry looking cloud come along and you know what's about to happen? RAIN!

My Brothers and Sisters, it never occurred to me that the rain that is coming would have to fall from clouds that look big, dark, angry, and scary. But how else can it rain? Where else would rain come from? The cloud that Elijah's servant saw wasn't some white, fluffy, wispy, full-of-itself cloud. IT WAS A RAINCLOUD, because that's where rain comes from.

Now, servants of the Lord, go back out again and look for the cloud because IT'S GOING TO RAIN!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 22

“By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.” – Hebrews 11:29

I’m jumping ahead quite a bit today to the statement regarding how our fathers crossed the Red Sea, obtaining their freedom from slavery in Egypt. The event is recorded for us in Exodus 14. God’s people were following Moses when, on their way to freedom, they encountered the Red Sea. Now, the most likely place for the crossing of the Red Sea was not miles and miles wide. However, which of us wants to stand at the edge of even a river with an enemy coming up quickly from behind wanting you dead?

What had the people experienced up to this point that should have caused them to TRUST GOD? God sent 10 plagues to the land of Egypt and against the Egyptians in order to secure His people’s freedom:

The waters of the land appeared as blood so that no one could drink it, but God’s people were okay.
Frogs appeared out of no where with so many that even the kitchen bowls were filled with them, but God’s people were okay.
Gnats that covered the people and their animals, but God’s people were okay.
Flies that filled the land, but God’s people were okay.
A great death among the livestock of the Egyptians, but God’s people were okay.
Festering boils upon the Egyptians and their animals, but God’s people were okay.
Hail falling and destroying crops, but God’s people were okay.
Locusts devouring every king of tree and plant, but God’s people were okay.
Darkness covering the entire land except where God’s people were, because God’s people were okay.
The death of every firstborn son, but God’s people were okay.

Do you see the recurring theme? In the worst of everything GOD’S PEPOLE WERE OKAY! Then why in the world did they decide to PANIC on the edge of the Red Sea!?!?!? True FAITH looks back at what God has done and says, “I will march boldly FORWARD, because He did it before and HE CAN DO IT AGAIN!”

Moses was alone in FAITH. Everyone else, according to Exodus 14:10-12, “cried out unto the Lord,” but immediately thereafter they were complaining to Moses. “You just brought us out here to die. Didn’t we tell you this is how it would turn out? Why didn’t you just leave us in Egypt?”

Moses gave the people three things to do: 1) Stop being afraid. 2) Stand still and see how God is going to work this thing out. 3) Shut up.

When Moses cried out to the Lord, the Lord told him just tell the people to go forward, lift up your walking stick, wait, and watch. The waters parted and our fathers crossed on dry land while their enemy was drowned.

Today, I’m going to do the things Moses told the people.

BY FAITH, I’m going to stop being afraid.
BY FAITH, I’m going to stand still and see how God works this out.
BY FAITH, I’m going to shut up.

I’m also going to do what Moses did.

BY FAITH, I’m going to speak to God’s people and tell them that we’re moving forward even though it may not look possible.
BY FAITH, I’m going to lift up what God has given me.
BY FAITH, I’m going to wait.
BY FAITH, I’m going to watch.

And finally, BY FAITH, I’M CROSSING OVER! No, that’s wrong – WE ARE CROSSING OVER!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 21

“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” – Hebrews 11:4

Today is day 21 of our 40 Days of Faith. It also marks 26 years since I was baptized in Jesus’ name and filled with the Holy Ghost. I have told this story before, but I feel like it’s very appropriate considering what this particular day means to me and this season of FAITH we are in as a church family. This will be a little longer than our previous devotions, but I pray it is received well and understood.

My great-grandmother was Mary Francis Hood. While living in Pampa, Texas, her son Gerald was diagnosed with polio. Gerald was in such a terrible condition that he was certain to die. The polio was doubling his body over backward. With her 3-year-old son admitted to the hospital to die, Mary Francis had no hope for his recovery.

A next-door neighbor attended an Apostolic Church in Pampa and approached Mary about their FAITH IN GOD for the healing of the sick. They asked if they could pray for Gerald. They did, and the next day the phone rang. It was the hospital. Gerald was STANDING in the bed with no signs of the polio. They could take their son home. He wasn’t going to die after all.

From that, Mary Francis and her husband Ardrey Lee came to church, were baptized, and filled with the Holy Ghost and served the Lord faithfully along with their five children. When Gerald was a teenager, he decided to serve himself instead of God. He died on January 3, 2002 from lung cancer and cirrhosis of the liver from years of smoking and drinking. He was only 52 years old. He never returned to God.

Gerald had a daughter named Tina. He abandoned her and her mother before the baby was even born. The daughter grew to be a drug addict and prostituted herself to pay for her addiction. Tina had a son – a very small, very unhealthy baby boy named Jason. Tina left her son to be raised by her mother and would die in an accident at around 10AM on Tuesday, April 28, 1987, aged only 19.

Tina’s funeral was held at 2PM Thursday, April 30 at Gene Roden’s Sons Funeral Home in Paris, Texas. Afterward, she was buried in Evergreen Cemetery. At the funeral was her grandmother, Mary Francis Hood, and her not yet 3-year-old son, Jason. Mary Francis took Jason in her arms and prayed for him that, one day, he might have an opportunity to serve the Lord.

Mary Francis died six years later in 1990. A little less than nine years later, Jason answered an invitation from a school friend to go to church. That was Sunday, February 21, 1999 and, in that first service, Jason was filled with the Holy Ghost. That night, he was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Obviously, I am that Jason. Tina was my mother. Gerald was my grandfather. Mary Francis was my great-grandmother. She never lived to see her FAITH become SUBSTANCE. But I fully believe that SHE FULLY BELIEVED her prayer had been heard that day. And whether or not her FAITH gave her the SUBSTANCE while she was alive, her FAITH was all the EVIDENCE she needed for things she HAD NOT SEEN!

So, what does this have to do with Hebrews 11:4?

The Scripture says that Abel, though he was dead, yet spoke. Remember in the account of Cain and Able from the book of Genesis that God said ABLE’S BLOOD CRIED OUT TO HIM from the ground. God testified of Abel’s faith (remember our devotional from yesterday) and, even though Abel was dead, HIS FAITH WAS ALIVE!

See, child of God? No matter what happens, FAITH LIVES ON. You can’t keep FAITH down. Kill the BELIEVER and their FAITH just keeps on working. Don’t worry about it. God’s got it all in control.

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 20

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” – Hebrews 11:3

One of the greatest mysteries humanity has pondered over the years has been how this big beautiful planet we live on got here. It’s very difficult to look up into the night sky and watch a blanket of stars without wondering about what it all means and how it formed. Some scientists will tell you that nothing exploded billions of years ago and here we all are – something from nothing. Others will tell you the universe shows there must have been an intelligent Designer that Created it all.

Nevertheless, as great a mystery as creation might seem, the Scripture is clear: “BY FAITH WE UNDERSTAND.”

What do we understand? That it was all “framed” (literally “formed, put into order, and set about for its intended purpose”). The creation is not just random and meaningless. Even the stars so far away that we couldn’t see them without telescopes invented in the last centuries have a purpose and meaning. God is not the Lord of randomness. HE ALWAYS HAS A PLAN, EVEN FOR THE THINGS WE DON’T SEE.
What do we understand? That this framing happened BY THE WORD OF GOD. It wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t a bunch of nothing that somehow started spinning because of a lot of energy and then – BANG! – a universe appeared. The point at which God said, “LET THERE BE,” the time, space, and matter all came into existence. THE WORD OF GOD made it happen.
What do we understand? Well, we understand 2 Peter 1:4, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises…” Where did these promises come from? THE WORD OF GOD! The ALMIGHTY GOD who framed the entire creation SPOKE just as He did at the beginning. Now, what happened when He spoke in the beginning? IT HAPPENED.

So why am I worried about whether or not God will keep His PROMISE that He has SPOKEN through HIS WORD for me now? It just doesn’t make sense NOT TO BELIEVE!

Today is day 20. We’re halfway through these 40 days of faith. Are we learning anything? I hope one thing we’re learning is that the reasons to not act confidently in what we believe from the One we believe in are NOTHING compared to the reasons why we SHOULD! Let’s do it! Let’s go out and believe again today. SAY WHAT THE WORD SAYS. It’ll be a good reminder of what’s about to happen!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 19

“For by it [faith] the elders obtained a good report.” – Hebrews 12:2

We all like to be bragged on. Let’s just admit it. It feels good to have someone acknowledge your accomplishments, even when all you’ve done is the work that’s expected of you anyway. A kind word costs nothing but might have the highest value of anything else you give in a day. A word of recognition can change the entire tone, attitude, and thought process of another person.

This is one of the reasons I try to express and overexpress appreciation.

Hebrews 11:1 taught us about the NATURE of FAITH. Hebrews 12:2 teaches us about the RESPONSE to FAITH.

Who are “the elders?” Well, you’ll get a long list of them if you keep reading the 11th chapter of Hebrews. These are the people written about throughout the Old Testament. People like Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Sarah, Hagar, etc. Simple, every-day, ordinary people who did the supernatural thing and TRUSTED GOD. People just like you and me who had struggles, problems, and hang-ups, but who, through it all, TRUSTED GOD beyond anything else.

Our King James Version says that, by FAITH (acting on their beliefs confidently) they “obtained a good report.” That phrase comes from one Greek word. (Are you learning that sometimes it takes several words in one language to explain one word in another?) The word is emartyrēthēsan which is a form of the word martureo which means, “to bear witness, testify, give evidence, affirm that one has seen, heard, or experienced something.” It’s another term (like ones we learned yesterday in Hebrews 11:1) that has a legal context.

Today, I want us to ask ourselves a question: WHO TESTIFIES ABOUT US WHEN WE TRUST GOD?

I believe I have a biblical answer, and it comes from the book of Job.

Job 1:8 in the New Living Translation says it this way, “Then the Lord asked Satan, 'Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth …'"

GOD HIMSELF TESTIFIES ABOUT HIS PEOPLE!

Yes, BELIEVING GOD and ACTING according to that CONFIDENCE might cause others around you to stop and admire your FAITH, but isn’t it worth TRUSTING GOD just to have GOD TESTIFY ABOUT YOU!?!?

WHAT A THOUGHT! Go out today and live by faith in a way that would make God brag about you.

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 18

“Now faith is … the evidence of things not seen.” -Hebrews 11:1

The word “evidence” here was a legal term in the Greek world. It refers to the act of providing evidence or proof that leads to a conviction. In the old movies they would call it the “smoking gun,” the proof beyond a reasonable doubt that someone was guilty of the crime of which they were accused. The undeniable, unarguable evidence that the claim made by the prosecutor was absolutely 100% correct.

You will sometimes see it translated as assurance, evidence, certainty, or proof. As one commentator said, “Faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses.”

It reminds me of our Apostle Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” FAITH is not “I’ll believe it when I see it.” FAITH IS “I’LL SEE IT WHEN I BELIEVE IT!”

I ACT based upon my BELIEF which is sustained by CONFIDENCE in the One who promises, the One who cannot lie or fail, and that’s enough evidence for the things I cannot see.

Did you catch that? It’s not just about BELIEVING as an intellectual or mental exercise. It’s about TRUE BIBLICAL FAITH – that enough. I BELIEVE HIM, and since He cannot lie or fail, I CONTINUE to BELIEVE Him. And because I CONTINUE to believe Him, HE IS ALL THE EVIDENCE I NEED to accept the unseen things He has promised to me.

Do you see how much this takes the burden off of you? YOU ARE NOT THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING THE PROMISE. You're just responsible for keeping yourself in the CONFIDENCE of the One who promised. And we keep CONFIDENCE in Him based on WHO He is, WHAT He has done, His NATURE which is Truth, and His POWER which is without equal.

Because I know Jesus to be faithful, I will have faith.
Because I know Jesus to be truthful, I will have faith.
Because I know Jesus to be powerful, I will have faith.
Because I know the promise came from the mouth of the same Jesus who spoke the entire UNIVERSE into existence, I will have faith.

JESUS is all the EVIDENCE I need in order to BELIEVE!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 17

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for…” – Hebrews 11:1a

Note: If you ever see a Scripture reference that says “a” or “b” after it, that means it’s specifically talking about the first or second part of a verse. For long verses, you might even see “c” or “d” used, but it’s not common.

The New Living Translation says it this way: “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for.” But I hope to make this much clearer so we can really see what the Spirit through the author of Hebrews is trying to tell us. FAITH shows that the things we hope for are not just figments of our imaginations. The basis of our hope is the WORD OF GOD. What God has said is the foundation of what we hope for, and the FAITH we have in Him and His promises is enough for us to say, “I’m not just making this stuff up.”

The word “substance” here is difficult for translators because it literally means “stands under.” In Greek philosophy it’s intended to mean the “underlying reality of a thing.” And while I don’t want to get too deep into philosophy here, I do think that’s a very good way of thinking about the word “substance.”

Our FAITH is the REALITY of what we HOPE FOR. You could say it this way: FAITH brings PROMISE into EXISTANCE. Because I BELIEVE in the promise and, most importantly, in the One who made the promise, it WILL come out of the invisibility of promise into the tangibility of reality. One of these days, I WILL actually see, hold, feel, touch, what I have hoped for from the Lord.

My FAITH forms the foundation of my hope. My hope is more than a dream. It’s a reality waiting to happen. It’s made out of GOD’S PROMISES, but it’s brought forward by FAITH.

What is the basis and support for the PROMISES? The fact that I BELIEVE.

As long as I BELIEVE, you’ll never be able to take the fulfillment of the promise away from me. NEVER.

READ THE WORD and discover God’s promises for you. Then BELIEVE them. As the old song says, “Prayer is the key to heaven, but FAITH unlocks the door.”

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 16

“And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.” – Joshua 6:15-16

Every now and then the King James Version does something that I think is just wonderful. The phrase “it came to pass” is deleted in most modern Bible translations. The reason is because it’s felt like it’s not a necessary phrase, even though it’s in the original text. I disagree, especially in the Hebrew Old Testament.

The phrase comes from the word “hayah” and is the root from which the phrase I AM is derived. In other words, it’s a simple word translated into an English phrase that means, “You better believe this happened. It’s absolutely true.”

Moving right along … this is DAY 7, and look at everything we’ve learned while marching in silence the past six days. We’ve learned HOW to FOCUS. We’ve learned that we CAN FOCUS. We’ve learned that we CAN exercise self-control over our mind and our mouth if we actually FOCUS on doing so. And we should have learned that we hear a lot more of the JOYFUL SOUND when we’re not so busy raising a COMPLAINING NOISE!

It's DAY 7. But notice what happens in the Joshua account. They marched SIX MORE TIMES in silence. You could say it was a reminder of the struggle and the lessons learned from the past six days. So, as we get ready for the SHOUT, think back about the past six days. Think back about ALL THE PRAISEWORTHY AND VIRTUOUS THINGS we’ve been focusing on.

Take the OBEDIENCE you’ve exercised over the past six days and apply it today when you hear the command to SHOUT.

DO NOT SACRIFICE TODAY’S VICTORY TO EMBARASSMENT, BASHFULNESS, DOUBT, FEAR, OR ANY OTHER EMOTION!

Be obedient to the voice of the Lord, lift up your voice and SHOUT because the LORD has given you the VICTORY!

I hear walls falling. How about you?

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 15

“…whatsoever things are of good report …” – Philippians 4:8

You have made it to the FINAL DAY of walking in silence. I want you to think back over the last five days. Was it easy? Did you have to repent? Have you challenged yourself? Did you do better than you thought you would? Have you learned anything about your God-given ability to have control over your FOCUS?

Today’s FOCUS is to think on things of GOOD REPORT. Now, this is only one word in Greek and it isn’t all that deep. It’s exactly what it sounds like. However, when we translate it as GOOD report in English, that word GOOD just isn’t quite GOOD enough to suit me. And that’s because of how important this concept was in the New Testament world.

The Greek word here is euphemos and it was considered an extremely high complement. Someone who was euphemos was highly honored, highly valued, and held in high regard in public and private. These are the super-positive social influencers that impact those around them for good and are known for their honorable speech and action. Strangely, this is the only time the word is found in the New Testament.

We are called to FOCUS on things that POSITIVELY INFLUENCE us. Things of GREAT VALUE. Things of HIGH HONOR.

The word euphemos is built from the prefix eu- meaning “good” and the word phemi which means to “to speak or say.” This is the day to FOCUS our thoughts on the things that, if they were coming out of our mouths, would give POSITIVE INFLUENCE to anyone who heard it. This is the day to consider whether or not what we’re thinking would BLESS those around us IF we were to say them out loud.

THINK as if the whole world was LISTENING to your thoughts.
THINK as if the person next to you depended on your thoughts.
THINK as if your own ears would benefit from hearing what you have to say.

I hear the JOYFUL SOUND this morning. It’s coming up behind us. Right behind that, is the PRESENCE OF THE LORD. Keep walking, warrior! It’s almost VICTORY TIME!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 14

“…whatsoever things are lovely …” – Philippians 4:8

I woke up this morning in an extremely bad mood. In fact, it has taken me a couple of hours to even pull my thoughts together enough to write this. But here’s a reminder of a couple of things: 1) I’m no different than anyone else. I struggle like everyone else. I have my battles. And 2) NOTHING about the mood I woke up changes ANYTHING about what is TRUE, HONEST, and JUST, nor does my bad mood this morning change my ability to FOCUS and REFOCUS.

I think it’s very appropriate that I’ve had this struggle this morning considering today’s FOCUS. Whatsoever things are “LOVELY” is our section of Philippians 4:8 for this day of walking in silence. Now, this word is interesting to me because of the two words that it’s derived from. The first is pros which means “extending toward.” The second is phileo which means “affectionate caring.”

Now, that second word in particular is very beautiful. It’s one of the New Testament Greek words for “LOVE.” Phileo is like the love between two people who respect and honor each other. It’s brotherly love. In Greek culture, it was considered an essential element of maintaining social relationships and building community. It was tender, heartfelt consideration.

So, you could say it this way: LOVELY here means “things that stretch me toward affection and caring.”

How often do my thoughts stretch me toward emotions of anger?
How often do my thoughts stretch me toward apathy and not caring?

Think about this: GIVING UP is the result of NOT CARING enough about the goal to CONTINUE on the road toward it. But we have a PROMISE we ought to FOCUS on. It’s not like God has left a doubt about whether or not we will have victory. HE IS CONFIDENT we will be victorious. That’s why we ACT CONFIDENTLY because we BELIEVE in the POWER of the one who PROMISED!

I’m going to walk away from this devotion today and REFOCUS. I’m not going to allow myself to follow my feelings down a path that stretches me toward thoughts that separate me from LOVE and what is LOVELY. I DON’T HAVE TO walk that road. I can CHOOSE to be stretched toward what is LOVELY, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 13

“…whatsoever things are pure …” – Philippians 4:8

There are times when a Greek word will have a direct Hebrew equivalent. That is the case with today’s FOCUS. The Greek word is hagnos and it is a ceremonial term meaning “in a condition prepared for worship.” It comes from the word hagios meaning “holy and sacred.” The Hebrew equivalent is tahormeaning “morally pure and ceremonially clean.”

In other words, thinking on things that are PURE means we are to FOCUS on things that are fit to bring before God in an act of worship. Things that are CLEAN. Things that are HOLY. Things that are not mixed with GUILT or CONDEMNATION.

As I’ve said many times before, we cannot control what we SEE, but we can control what we LOOK AT. I can’t help that there are things that are going to come into my sight today that do not fit the definition of PURE. But I absolutely can control what I allow to stay before my eyes, in my ears, and ultimately in my heart.

I want us to think about our entire day as being spent in the presence of God because, in fact, it is. If we are at work, we are working as unto the Lord. If we are resting, we are resting before the Lord. Our daily life is an act of worship before the Lord. So, I have the right and the responsibility to keep the sanctuary of my mind clean.

Remember when Jesus sat down, braided a whip, and cleared out His temple? If you haven’t read the story lately, read Mark 11:15-18, Luke 19:45-47, and John 2:14-16. Why did He do it? Because the FOCUS of those in the temple was not PURE. It distracted from the purpose of that place: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations,” Jesus roared in rebuking anger.

I think it’s time we all sat down and braided some whips, walked into our daily life of worship, and cleared out every thought that isn’t PURE. Every time a thought comes into our mind that robs us of the knowledge of our PURE, HOLY, and CLEAN state before God, BREAK OUT THE WHIP and drive it out. RESTORE your own temple as a house of prayer.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” - 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 12

“…whatsoever things are just…” – Philippians 4:8

We’ve made it to our third Day of Silence and, I must say, some of the comments that have been shared with me confirms that this was the right direction at the right time.

We have FOCUSED OUR ATTENTION already on thoughts that are TRUE and thoughts that are WORTHY. Today we move on to thoughts that are JUST. The word is dikaios and has a legal connotation. It refers to being brought to trial over something you’ve done and being declared JUSTIFIED. In the spiritual sense, it means to be APPROVED BY GOD or that which is in conformity to God’s own being and will.

This is an extremely exciting day! We get to MARCH while listening to the JOYFUL SOUND behind us, knowing the PRESENCE OF GOD is not far behind. Now, we get to FOCUS our attention on WHAT PLEASES GOD.

Does it PLEASE GOD for us to doubt when He is the most TRUSTWORTHY?
Does it PLEASE GOD for us to be afraid when He is the strongest WARRIOR?
Does it PLEASE GOD for us to complain when He is the best PROVIDER?

Why do we feel like we HAVE TO do, talk, and think about these things that fight against FAITH? It’s almost like there’s a compulsion inside of us. One would almost think our HUMAN NATURE draws us toward doubt. That’s because it does.

Remember a few days ago I wrote about how the FAITH of the Roman soldier AMAZED Jesus? Our Lord is still amazed when we bypass the natural thing and do the SUPERNATURAL. He is AMAZED when we FOCUS on what aligns with HIS WILL.

Today, we get to FOCUS on EVERYTHING THAT GOD APPROVES. Just imagine the list!

God approves of PEACE, JOY, and LOVE.
God approves of FAITH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, and GRACE.
God approves of HUMILITY, MERCY, and UNITY.

Let’s think on these things today. Listen to the JOYFUL SOUND. Keep marching in silence.

WE’VE GOT VICTORY AHEAD!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 11

“…whatsoever things are honest …” – Philippians 4:8

Yesterday we FOCUSED on things that are true. Today, we add to it things that are “honest.” Now, the word here is semnos and comes from the word sebomai meaning “to worship.” In the first century when this was written, the audience would have understood the context. It was a word that reminded them of the call of God to live lives that were distinct from the surrounding culture and embodied the values of the Kingdom of God in a visible way.

Let us FOCUS our thoughts on BEHAVIOR that is pleasing to God and reflects what a child of God – a citizen of God’s Kingdom – ought to be.

Let us FOCUS our thoughts on ACTIONS that could be viewed by others as deeply respectable and even majestic.

Let us FOCUS on CHARACTER that is honorable.

Have you ever heard a complaint and thought, “My, isn’t that majestic!” Is your problem, “majestic?” Is your trial, “majestic?” Is your enemy “majestic?” Absolutely not! Complaints just add frustration to our situation. Yes, it makes us feel better temporarily to blow off, but does it do anything to fix the situation? Are our trials “honorable?” Absolutely not! So why would I FOCUS on them when I can FOCUS on things that are actually honorable. Is my enemy “respectable?” Absolutely not! Anything but respectable would be true, but certainly not respectable. Why give him the honor of a place in my mouth this week?

Today, as we enter day 2 of our 6 Days of Silence in this march around Jericho, I’m calling us to think on worshipful things – things that are actually WORTHY of being thought about. Just imagine spending an ENTIRE DAY JUST THINKING WORTHY THOUGHTS.

I’ve often said about gossip, “You can’t stop someone from throwing away their garbage, but you can keep them from throwing it in your can.” We shouldn’t gossip to ourselves either. That’s not WORTHY content for our hearts.

By the way: where was Paul when he wrote this letter? You guessed it. He was in prison and was going to die. NEVERTHELESS (remember that word from a couple of days ago?) he COMMANDED the Philippian saints to THINK ON things that were virtuous and praiseworthy. If it worked for them, why not for us?

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 10

“…if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” – Philippians 4:8

FAITH involves FOCUS. Thinking on the message yesterday, I want you to image the extreme amount of FOCUS it took for the warriors to walk at the head of the parade around Jericho for them to stay absolutely silent. They had to FOCUS on Joshua’s instructions, FOCUS on their confidence in God’s instructions through Joshua, and FOCUS on the promise of God, “I have given you the city.”

If we’re going to make this 6 Days of Silence successful, we’ve got to FOCUS. We’ve got to REPLACE our talking about the battle with the JOYFUL SOUND that looks ahead to ultimate victory. There are six categories of things to think on given in Philippians 4:8 we are told to think about. These are described as having “virtue” and “praise.” In other words, this list of six categories of things to think on are excellent and praiseworthy – things actually WORTH FOCUSING ON.

The first, “WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE TRUE.”

“True” is the Greek word “aléthés” and was a word that connects closely to the faithfulness and reliability of God. It means “that which accords with fact or reality” or, literally, “what can’t be hidden; obvious.”

The Lord Jesus Christ who calls Himself, “TRUTH.” (John 14:6)

The Word of God is called, “TRUTH.” (James 1:18)

We should THINK on what we KNOW TO BE REALITY. We should SPEAK what we KNOW TO BE REALITY. We should FOCUS on what we KNOW TO BE REALITY. And when we do, we will find ourselves thinking, speaking, and focusing on Jesus Christ and the Word!

Today, before you say “I feel,” ask yourself, “Do my feelings align with what is true from what God has said?”

Today, before you say, “I can’t,” ask yourself, “Does my assessment align with what is true according to what God has said?”

Today, before you say, “It’ll never happen,” ask yourself, “Does that forecast align with what is true according to what God has said?”

Remember the order in which they marched around Jericho for six days: 1) the warriors walked in the front keeping their mouths shut, 2) they were followed by the seven priests blowing the trumpets making the joyful sound, 3) following the joyful sound was the Ark of the Covenant or the presence of God, and 4) the rear guard of soldiers.

WE’LL NEVER HEAR THE JOYFUL SOUND WITH MOUTHS FULL OF COMPLAINTS!

The presence of God is right behind the joyful sound. Let that sound be what we hear for the next six days as we FOCUS on those things that are TRUE!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 9

“Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” – John 11:21

The final source of doubt I’d like to address is emotion.

The Scripture I chose for today is from the death of Lazarus. We remember that Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, were friends of Jesus. We don’t know exactly how far away Jesus was from Lazarus when the messenger came telling Him that his friend was sick and could die. What we do know is the timeline: the messenger came, Jesus waited two days and then headed toward Bethany (where Lazarus was) and arrived when Lazarus had been dead for four days.

In New Testament times, it wasn’t unusual to travel 15-20 miles per day. Two days of travel time may have meant Jesus was from 30-40 miles from Lazarus. He knew Lazarus was dying. In fact, He knew Lazarus had died. Nevertheless, He waited two days before even starting to make the long journey to Bethany.

On His way toward Lazarus’ house, his sister Martha comes out saying, “If you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” A few moments later Mary, the other sister, comes out saying the same thing.

Notice their FAITH. They both BELIEVED Jesus could have prevented the death of their brother, but that was as far as their faith could go. They had put Jesus in a box. He COULD HAVE HELPED before, but now, it’s too late. Though they had FAITH, they were not CONFIDENT in Jesus’ ability and their faith failed.

Could their words have been motivated by emotions? Absolutely. Their brother had died. They loved their brother. They had FAITH in Jesus to heal him and prevent death. That’s why they sent a messenger to tell him Lazarus was sick in the first place. But they had DOUBT about Jesus’ ability to do anything for their dead brother.

Sadness. Disappointment. Discouragement. Why didn’t Jesus come when WE WANTED HIM TO? Why didn’t Jesus do what WE WANTED HIM TO? We FEEL like this is unfair! If Jesus cared, He would have already been here and kept me from FEELING this way.

“When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.” – John 11:33

They had all become OBEDIENT TO THEIR EMOTIONS and it had robbed them of FAITH in Jesus Christ’s ability to do something about this “too late” situation.

The phrase “groaned in the spirit” literally means, “to snort like a frustrated horse.” JESUS WAS FRUSTRATED because they had more FAITH IN THEIR FEELINGS than they had in His ability.

A few minutes later, Jesus told Lazarus to come out of the grave, and he did. Every feeling Mary, Martha, and the crowd had LIED to them. But the one called The Truth stood in their midst and DID what only GOD can do! If He did it before, He’ll do it again … no matter how I feel.

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 8

“And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.” – Luke 5:11

We have discussed two of the four sources of doubt already: conflicting information and personal experience. Today, we take a look at the third which is uncertainty about the future. There is really only one event in the future that we are cautioned to keep in mind, and that is Christ’s return to earth on the last day. Beyond that, the future is to be laid into the hands of the Lord. Tomorrow simply isn’t ours to wrestle.

The events of Luke 5 are a beautiful picture of faith in action. Simon Peter, James, and John were partners in a fishing business. At this point they were not disciples of Jesus, however Simon Peter had already seen the Lord’s power at work when Jesus came to his house (in chapter 4) and healed his mother-in-law. Luke 5 finds the three fishermen tired and frustrated. They had been fishing all night long and hadn’t caught a thing.

Jesus comes along and says, “Take me out there with you and throw your nets down where I tell you to.” Simon Peter responds with, “We’ve been fishing all night. We haven’t caught anything.” And then, faith kicks in:

“…nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” – Luke 5:5

WOW! Look at this ACTION Peter is willing to take based only upon a BELIEF in the WORD OF JESUS! Peter’s KNOWLEDGE replaced his FEELINGS. Do you see this? Peter starts by an honest confession of his feelings about the situation: “We’ve been fishing all night. We haven’t caught anything.” In other words, “I’m tired. I’m dirty. I’m done!” But there’s POWER in that word NEVERTHELESS.

Do you know what that word means? Simply, regardless of what I just said I WILL DO WHAT YOU WANT. Regardless of how I feel I WILL OBEY YOUR WORD. Regardless of the fact that my knowledge of fishing tells me you’re wrong and my experience last night tells me you’re wrong, NEVERTHELESS I will do what you say, Master Jesus.

Simon Peter obeyed, and they brought in so many fish that the nets started to break and other boats had to come over and help them.

Are you ready for your nets to be filled? Are you ready for God to move in a way that you will need the assistance of others just to handle your blessing? Then it’s time to put a NEVERTHELESS where you’ve been putting a BUT, and a WHAT IF, and a THAT CAN’T HAPPEN TO ME!

Don’t you think it’s about time to kill the fear of the future with a healthy, strong, and faith-filled NEVERTHELESS? It’s time to obey. Don’t overthink it. Just do what God has said. ACT CONFIDENTLY in your firm BELIEF in what GOD HAS SAID!

Notice what Simon Peter, James, and John did immediately thereafter? Jesus made them the offer to follow Him. They did. They left behind all of the fish, the boats, and the business and followed Jesus. Why be afraid of the future when you're walking with a God like this!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 7

“As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.” – Matthew 9:32-34

Doubt comes by personal experience. The multitude here lived in a day of great spiritual and religious coldness where miracles just didn’t happen. Much of the reason why miracles didn’t happen is because the people had adopted a dry, dull, formal, carnal religion that, even though it called itself Judaism, had completely perverted the Law covenant.

Miracles didn’t happen. Healings didn’t happen. God either “couldn’t” or just “wouldn’t” anymore. They had FAITH in a stagnant God.

So, here came the LIVING GOD walking among them – the Lord Jesus Christ. John said of Him that the world was made by Him, but the world knew Him not nor did it receive Him. The CREATOR, the MAKER, the PROVIDER, the HEALER, the DOER, the I AM THAT I AM was now walking on the face of the earth in a human body. And He started doing exactly what He had always done.

By the time we get to Matthew 9, we have the case of a person who both had a devil and was unable to speak. Jesus casts out the devil and caused the person to speak again. The reaction of the crowd was to say, “We’ve never seen this before!” Some walked away believing. Others not only didn’t believe but said, “This is just the work of the devil.”

Why?

Personal experience says devils don’t come out and the mute don’t speak. They had never seen it happen before so, obviously, it couldn’t happen. They had FAITH. They had FAITH in their personal experience that robbed them of FAITH in God.

DOUBT is a form of FAITH. The doubter ACTS IN DOUBT based upon BELIEVING A MESSAGE OF DOUBT, and they CONTINUE DOUBTING CONFIDENTLY that the Word of ALMIGHTY GOD just can’t happen to them today.

Let’s not do that today. If God has said it, God will do it. Period. Full stop. That’s the end of it. No more discussion. No more questions. NO MORE!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 6

“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land …” – Numbers 13:30-32

Conflicting information is one of the sources of doubt.

In the Book of Deuteronomy, we have some background information about what happened in Numbers 13 and 14. The people of God had come all the way from slavery in Egypt through God’s mighty power and miraculous works. Now, they were standing on the threshold of the land that had been promised to Abraham and his children.

Notice the information God gave:

“Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.” – Deuteronomy 1:21

God said: DON’T BE AFRAID OR DISCOUAGED. JUST GO POSSESS THE LAND!

Now, notice the information ten of the spies that went into the land gave:

“We are not able to go up against he people; for they are stronger than we.” – Numbers 13:31

Man said: BE AFRAID AND DISCOURAGED. WE AREN’T STRONG ENOUGH TO POSSES THE LAND!

Conflicting information. And it stopped the people dead in their tracks. FAITH left them and, now, they’re dead on their feet. This led to 40 YEARS OF WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS, because DOUBT always comes with a PRICE.

But here’s the thing: The ten spies were right about one thing – the people of the land were stronger than God’s people. BUT THEY WEREN’T STRONGER THAN THE PEOPLE’S GOD! The ten spies forgot about that.

Conflicting information doesn’t mean the information is incorrect. It’s just IRRELEVANT. God said … so that ends it. Even if the conflicting information that would produce doubt is contrary to what God has said, GOD SAID … so that ends it. Everything else is IRRELEVANT.

Now, get up and IGNORE the conflicting information, even if the information is true. OUR GOD is GREATER! Place your CONFIDENCE in Jesus Christ for whom NOTHING is impossible.

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 5

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” – James 1:6

Brother James sure had a lot to say about the issue of faith, didn’t he? In this passage we have the word “wavereth.” It’s the same word translated elsewhere as either “doubt,” “separation,” or “hesitation” depending on the context.

To “doubt” is related to the word “double back.” It’s a direction word. You could translate James 1:6 this way, “Ask in faith without looking back. He that looks back is like a wave of the sea …”

It’s a direction word. We are supposed to look in ONE direction: toward Jesus Christ alone!

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith …” – Hebrews 12:2

Doubt is to look in a DIFFERENT direction. (Lord willing we’ll talk about this more tonight in Bible study, "Where Does Doubt Come From?" You won’t want to miss it!)

But back to this “wave of the sea” business. The wave is “driven” – it’s pushed around. How? By the wind. In other words, it changes directions based on whatever it happening around it because, rather than being focused on the author and finisher of FAITH, it’s focused on circumstances.

What’s driving you today? I CHOOSE TO BE DRIVEN BY FAITH!

FAITH will always drive me in ONE direction: TOWARD JESUS. Why? Because that’s where I’m looking!

When I was learning to drive my driver’s ed instructor told me, “Wherever you’re looking is where the car will go.” He was right, and it’s a great spiritual principle. Point the car in the direction of JESUS, drive CONFIDENTLY by FAITH. Completely IGNORE THE TRAFFIC. Just keep driving, and see where you end up!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 4

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” – James 2:17

I don’t believe I can repeat this too often. FAITH IS ACTION. Simply believing something without doing anything about it is described by James (twice) as “dead.” In verse 26, James gives an analogy that ought to help us understand – the comparison between the function of the human body and the function of faith.

In his example, we are told that the human body, having no spirit, is dead. It is interesting to me that, if we draw the parallel exactly, James is comparing the human body itself to “believing.” It is ACTION (works) that would be “spirit” in this case. In other words, James says if we don’t actually TAKE ACTION with our faith, then what we believe is as useless as a dead body.

ACTION breathes LIFE into our FAITH!

Between verses 17 and 26, James mentions Abraham and Rahab. Both of these individuals are mentioned in Hebrews 11 in what we sometimes call the “hall of fame of faith.” Every single one of the people mentioned in this chapter was a DOER.

· By faith Abel offered … sacrifice (vs 4)

· By faith Noah … prepared an ark … (vs 7)

· By faith Abrham … went out (vs 

· Through faith Sarah … conceived (vs 11)

· By faith Isaac blessed … (vs 20)

· By faith Joseph … gave commandment … (vs 22)

· By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing to suffer with the people of God instead of enjoying the pleasurers of sin for a season (vs 24-25)

· By faith the walls of Jericho fell down … (vs 30)

Remember something else James said:

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” – James 1:22

What are YOU going to DO about what you’ve HEARD? What have you been waiting to do? Are there things you know are wrong, but you’ve not yet stepped away like Moses? DO IT! Are there sacrifices you haven’t made for fear of the loss? DO IT! Are there prayers you haven’t prayed and blessings you haven’t given? DO IT! Are there walls in your life you haven’t yet been brave enough to march around with praise in your mouth until victory comes? DO IT!

Today’s the day to preform some CPR on your faith. Take ACTION, and watch it breathe LIFE back into your FAITH!

40 DAYS OF FAITH – Day 3

“But without faith it is impossible to please him …” – Hebrews 11:6

Have you ever noticed this: that behind every direct negative is an implied positive? Think about God’s statement to Cain in Genesis 4:7: “if you do well …”. Even if the Lord had not gone on to say “if you don’t do well,” we can imply that there are consequences to not doing well. In the same way, when Scripture gives us a NEGATIVE, such as in the Scripture above, there is the implication that a POSITIVE exists.

In other words, if it is impossible to please God without faith then we must be able to believe the opposite to be equally true: FAITH PLEASES GOD!

Think about the account in Matthew 8 of the Roman military leader who had a sick servant. He came to Jesus and asked for his servant to be healed. Jesus offered to go with the Roman and heal the servant, but the servant said, “You don’t have to do that. I know how authority works. When I say something, it gets done. Just say it and it’ll happen.” Jesus’ response should really get our attention:

“When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” – Matthew 8:10

Notice that word “marveled.” It carried the meaning of amazement. But in the way it is used in the New Testament, it is amazement that the “natural order of things” has been disrupted by something unusual. It is the word that is used to describe people’s reaction to the miracles of Jesus. Now, the tables are turned and it is JESUS WHO IS AMAZED. What amazed Him? One person’s faith.

Why would faith amaze Jesus? Well, consider the question He asked in Luke 18:8 – When I come back, will I find faith in the earth? It’s not that Jesus didn’t know the answer to the question. It was a question that should have shaken up His Disciples. Will anyone even still be trusting Me when I come back?

If you want to please God … use your faith. Use it daily. Use it in ever situation. Use it! Use it! Use it! It pleases God when we do. It’s AMAZING to Him that we would stand against the “natural order of things” and do the supernatural thing by ACTING on what we BELIEVE in total CONFIDENCE in the One who promised.

40 Days of Faith – Day 2

“But the fruit of the Spirit is … faith.” – Galatians 5:22

In just a couple of hours we will gather into the House of the Lord. There will be teaching. There will be prayer. There will be praise and worship. There will be preaching. Above all else, there will be the presence of the Lord. The Almighty and Holy Spirit will be present with the “us” we talked about yesterday – the “us” to whom God has given exceeding great and precious promises.

The “fruit of the Spirit” given in Galatians 5:22-23 could be described as those things which the Spirit of God produces in us. On this list is the word FAITH!

Faith is a fruit (karpos in Greek) which means it is a product, action, or result of the Spirit. Think of that! Faith is the action of the Spirit toward us so faith can be our action toward all things by the Spirit. In other words, God pours faith into us so it can continue to pour out through us.

So, if faith is a fruit of the Spirit, what does that tell us about doubt and unbelief? They are NOT the product of the Spirit, but of the flesh and the devil. But we can overcome this BY THE SPIRIT!

Today will be an opportunity. You may be confronted with doubt and unbelief as soon as you walk through the church door. Your flesh and the devil will tell you to ignore the banner you will pass in the foyer that says “expect great things from God.” You’ll be tempted to believe those voices, but they are NOT of the Spirit. How do we know? Because the fruit of the Spirit is FAITH!

Stand boldly and declare confidently: NO! I will believe God. His Spirit is in me and produces all the faith I need today, tomorrow, and forever!

Do it today and prepare to spend the rest of your life confronting fear with faith … and winning the confrontation by the Spirit that is in you.

40 Days of Faith – Day 1

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (1 Peter 1:4 KJV)

On this first day I want to establish a foundation for the next 40 days. The promises of God are given to a very specific group called “us.” Consider the text above. The promise of forgiveness of sins is given upon the condition of faith, repentance, and baptism. That is the only promise given to the sinner. Even then, once sin is forgiven, the sinner is a sinner no more.

Every other promise of Scripture is reserved for that group called “us.”

“Exceeding great and precious” are these promises. Magnificent. Marvelous. Wonderous. Bigger than big. That’s the nature of the promises to “us.” By what God has already done, these promises belong to “us.” So, if I’m one of “us,” I have every right to anticipate, expect, believe, accept, and by all means KNOW that these magnificent, marvelous, wonderous, bigger-than-big promises have been given to ME.

Because we have become one of “us” (escaping the corruption that is in the world), God has given “us” promises so we can be “partakers of the divine nature.” But what does this mean?

Well, what is the divine nature? Colossians 2:9-10 gives us the answer:

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”

The promises of God belong to “us” so that we can bring from the invisibility of eternity the reality of the power of Almighty God in Christ. We are COMPLETE (lacking nothing) in Jesus Christ, and it’s through the promises He has given that we can enjoy that completeness.

So, let us begin these 40 Days of Faith with the assurance of an old chorus:

Every promise in the book is mine,
Every chapter, every verse, every line;
All are blessings of His love divine,
Every promise in the book is mine.