FAITH CHALLENGE

I am on a faith-walk of late and stretching my beliefs about an all powerful God, particularly in the area of seed faith giving. We all come from different backgrounds and different denominations, but we have the SAME God who says he is the same yesterday, today, & tomorrow. I recently watched a story of a miraculous happening on the news and it made me wonder why Christians only believe the miraculous once in awhile. In the New Testament there are many references to a God that has given us awesome power-to do even greater things than Christ did while on earth(SAYS THE WORD)-and the power he left for us was the Holy Spirit! But, how do we see that? Do we take the scriptures at face value or do we cloud them with our pre-conceived worldview thoughts & beliefs? How do we choose what to believe & what not to believe? Isn't it all the Word of God?

What does the Word of God say about the gifts of the Holy Spirit? What are they? What are they for? When will they cease? (the Word says when Christ returns) Why do we have them? Why don't we believe them??? Why don't we use them?? What is our reasoning for not believing the Word of God, and not using the gifts God gave us? FEAR is one reason we shy away from operating as the spiritual beings God made us to be. (Remember, in his image) We put a precious, valuable, powerful gift our Lord left for us to use on the shelf and about all we can say about the Holy Spirit is to maybe include reference to Him in a prayer? Remember, Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are ONE. He created us, died for us, and left a part of himself here with us. We say we are indwelt by his spirit at salvation, but then we do nothing with that. Does that really sound right? One thing I like to anchor on when thinking about our worldview prejudices about what seems "odd" to us-would you have believed Jesus when he healed a blind man with MUD?

Why is our prayer life, our faith, and our growth sometimes seemingly drab, ineffective, or confusing? What does Paul say he wishes we all would do? I would challenge you to read the scriptures about the Holy Spirit-every one-pray about them, and see if God shows you what you may be missing to bring greater power to your walk with God. You have nothing to lose, and as a believer who is growing in the area of seed-faith giving, I can say you may be ready to grow in the area of Holy Spirit-believing faith. When I first became aware of the immenseness of the Holy Spirit it made SO MUCH sense and it has brought enormous power & comfort in my walk of now 35 yrs. The part of the Bible we get the most out of, is the part we believe. I am so glad I chose to believe it all, even though I am still growing in areas, as we all are. I heard about a man who got to heaven and God took him to a room of unopened gifts. He explained that had he opened these gifts his life would have been more victorious. I hope to open all my gifts & I hope you do too.

Easter Blessings

Hello all...thanks for checking the blog from time to time. Hopefully it challenges you and blesses you. Resurrection Sunday is nearly upon us & as I will possibly be away I wanted to put something here before I leave. A little bout of bursitis has limited my online time recently but a dear pastor friend is praying, so I know it will soon be healed...by His stripes...as the word says...we ARE healed, & in more ways than physically. As we enter this season let's reflect on the sin that Christ so sacrificially bore for us, that we might inherit eternal life if only we call upon his name to be saved.


If you have been a C&E(seasonal) believer, consider taking a step beyond as you reflect on the depth of the pain Jesus bore for you. I know, many are put off by the hypocritical attitude of some believers & would rather stay home and I don't blame them, but you know what-what better place for hypocrites to be than in church! So, go anyway-set an example for them that is present & visible, and go ahead and enjoy a close relationship with your Lord, not letting them deter you! Find a solid Bible preaching church and soak up all the Word you can! Ask the Lord to illuminate your mind and touch your heart as you seek his will for your life & to ever know more & more of him. The walk of faith is not easy always-sometimes it is downright hard, but God promises he will never allow more than we can handle, and I can attest to the fact that the blessings of God are so awesome that you will never understand why you didn't run hard after him before.


Our world is full of the "evil of the day" that comes at us from every direction, but the armor of God shields us from that-the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the sword of the spirit-if you picture this in your mind you will see there is nothing for the back-why? Because we are to ever move into battle against the evil one, and the Bible says the glory of the Lord is our rear guard! Some of the evil will not be clearly seen, beloved, so stay in touch with the Father every day, all day. Pray without ceasing as his Word says. When you find that place of divine interaction with the God of the universe, the things of this world WILL grow strangely dim. If folks fail to understand you as a believer, that's OK. They didn't understand Jesus either-they thought he was a fanatic, a fraud, & a failure-we know better-if we read the end of the book! Celebrate the new life in Christ that we can all have only because Jesus Christ died a horrible death on a cross in our place-yours, and mine! If you have never seen The Passion movie, I recommend it highly. It IS hard to watch, but it may help cement in your mind and heart the incredible sacrifice Jesus Christ made for you & for me at Calvary. May God bless you this Easter season in ways never before!

Agape & Shalom,

Liz

Negating the salvation message?

FOX News says "we report, you decide" so I am going to say..."I ask, you decide." Does the doctrine of Predestination, which theologians have argued for decades dismiss the very purpose of Evangelism and the reality of Free Will? I never thought about it a lot until recent conversation & study have led me to. It would seem that the doctrine of Eternal Security that also negates a choice on our part might also negate the truth of our Free Will, but I find it less troubling as those subscribing would simply feel the person wasn't ever saved and would continue to evangelize the person. However, if God already has chosen those who would be saved, what point is there in evangelism? God surely foreknew all of us & all of our choices, but I find it hard to believe he would not want our love to be unconditional just as his is, and that means we get to choose if we love him, even with the conditions of his "just" nature. He knew who would elect to choose him. God's movement in our life, post salvation, is conditional for our protection and spiritual growth. Salvation is a decision we make, prompted by the Holy Spirit, not something we grow into or are baptized into (in fact we are told to follow salvation with that as our public testimony), or acquire from our parents. Do you really think God "programmed" that into the lives of certain select persons and programmed the rest to spend eternity in hell? Does that even make sense? Scripture says that God is not willing that any should perish, yet he does know many will, and he knows who will. Is this important enough to worry about-it is if these doctrines shortcut evangelism and it indicates God indeed did not create us all equal. Scripture says God is no respecter of persons. He sees us all the same, so how does that resolve with Predestination? Hell we know is eternal separation from God. Would he really create with pre-determined separation from him? A final thought-if we are eternally secure & unable to fall away after salvation, what does that say about blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? I believe this sin is meant to address the believer. I do not believe many fully understand it, and I believe it is sin to the extreme that few would ever reach. Scripture states those who do this are not able to be restored. This is entirely different from backsliding where God tells us the person can be restored to a point of Lordship salvation where they are living a Christlike life.

The living testimony of Faith

As we walk out our days we are a living testimony & witness to the Lord Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the love of the Father...or...we are a living testimony to the opposite... or we exhibit a weak & powerless faith that few could believe in. I don't know about you but I want to be a fiery, compassionate, and everlasting living, breathing, walking testimony to our all powerful & ever present GOD! I have come to understand, in a deeper way, the importance of God working not only in us but through us. We may have some understanding of preaching, teaching, giving, serving, etc. in general terms, but do we have an understanding of living in such a way...so close to the heart of God, that we can't wait to let him use us, and we do see the miraculous happen because we allowed God to speak to us, change us, move us in the direction he desires? This requires real deep & abiding FAITH and it comes only by deliberately connecting with God is such an open way that we give him our permission to do as he will, no matter how silly or strange or foreign it may seem to us. The Lord has been doing a great work of patience in me, and it is transpiring into a work of Faith. At some point most of us require a true breakthrough in Faith-not just a hohum whatever happens I will accept as God's will for my life, but rather a profound unwavering belief that God has done a work in me that has literally changed me, my life, and the circumstances around me. Step out, step out, step out! The time has come to STEP OUT & serve God by allowing him to work through you, not just to "do works" for him. What does the Bible say about that? Faith without works is dead, BUT it is Faith we are saved by, not our works. Ask GOD what he wants you to do-allow him to take you out of your comfort zone-if satan tells you not to...remember, that is a LIE.

GOD outside the box.

It is said that we often put God in a box, and I believe we do. Has God ever moved on your heart in such a way as to make you feel so in AWE of his wonder & greatness that you could hardly contain yourself? Is this the "norm" or is this the "exception"? What was it for the apostles? What was it in the Old Testament? Is God the same, yesterday, today, & tomorrow? Does he keep his promises? Do you really believe every jot & tittle in that Bible you read? Do we, in today's world reserve such allowances of AWE for moments of salvation or trips to the Grand Canyon? Do we LIVE in AWE of a mighty, mighty God that affords us miraculous dreams, visions, and gifts so far beyond what our brains want to believe we truly have? We should...every single day! He said so!

Do we truly use the power that Christ gave that HE said would cause us to do greater things than he? IS the Holy Spirit of Pentecost that he sent to us alive & well today? The Bible says he is, and I believe my Bible. Did Jesus mean what he said about what we could do? Indeed he meant it! Satan puts a lot of "ideas" in our heads about how things are that directly refute the Word of God, and by golly, it has become more & more clear to me that we actually believe those lies above the word of God if we are honest with ourselves! Imagine that, the father of lies has duped us. Jesus Christ sent us a power to use after he left! Are we using it to it's fullest, or are we saving it for emergencies? Doesn't the Father care about even the sparrow? Did Jesus say the HS was for just a few days? Did he say it was for just a few things? NO! When something is given to you, until you use it, it is of no use to you. God cared enough about you & me every day of our lives to give us the comforter, the counselor, the power to do GREATER things!

I challenge you to look at 3 people...the Father, the Son, and the person of the Holy Spirit. Look at the Old Testament, the New Testament, and TODAY. Now, do you think the HS is for today? I believe that the completion of the Bible is the VERY reason the HS is for us today-it IS what empowers God's Word to us to live victorious lives in the here & now! Don't be short-changed by fear, man or the enemy. Take God at his word and live like the believer he said we could because your life will never be the same again. Take God at his word...his entire word, & be blessed!

So many many things...

So often of late, as I watch the world events unfold, ponder our nation's state of affairs's , and reflect upon the God of the universe I wonder so many things and so many things come to mind. Some of these things have been:

Are we really hearing from God, and how can we be sure?
How often do we practice complacent Christianity?
Can our focus be too small?
Do we mean what we say and say what we mean?
Is our faith a CAN DO or WILL DO faith?

At the moment I only feel led to toss it out there to you and not comment further. I would ask that you consider reading the rest of this blog if you've never visited before and to also visit www.divineappointments.vpweb.com
Please feel free to refer people to the website and to this blog who might benefit from it.

God Bless You!
Liz

Let Christ decorate your life.

Our heart is often like the undecorated tree or the empty stable. It is barren, awaiting the glories of God to come and reside there. Do we reach for the both delicate and sturdy beauties of God? Do we hang them upon the branches of our lives? Is the crowning touch of our life the guiding star of the living Christ? Do we fill our lives with the gifts of God, the wisdom of his servants and followers? Is there awe in our hearts and minds at the wonder of the Christ all year long? As you remove the decorations from the tree and as you take down the stable this year you might ponder these thoughts. What do these items represent to you, beyond the excitement of the Christmas season? What deeper meaning might there be as you remove an ornament from an old friend, one of your children, or a grandchild? What thoughts are there as you pick up a shepherd to place him in his box for the rest of the year? We might pause to reflect as we remove the baby to storage, but how often do we wonder about the importance of the animals presence? How can our lives hold the beauty of the decorated tree? How can our lives reflect the immense miracle of Christmas?

When the non-believer's challenge the reason for the season, remember that the miraculous Christ has offended the non-believer for over 2000 years. The fact that we believe is the essence of faith and the enemy of our souls will always challenge that. Rejoice that you stand for truth, whether or not it is believed.