Tag Archives: faith
3 Questions About Prayer
“Miracles are the byproduct of prayers prayer by you or for you. That should be all the motivation you need to pray.” – Mark Batterson
“A lot of our prayers revolve around trying to get the problem to go away rather than having God come into it and perform a miracle. Prayer is your highest appeal, not your last resort.” – Steven Furtick
“I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” – Jesus
Those are the quotes, here are the questions:
1. What BOLD prayer are you praying? (Mine is , “God, give us this city for Your glory.”)
2. Do you pray about your problems more than you talk about them?
3. What if today was the day God answered your prayer?
I Feel Good
About this time last year my body was a wreck. I was in the middle of a horrible Bells Palsy episode, a Crohns flare, and I was dealing with some serious rage issues because of all of the steroids I had to take. Last summer was one of the roughest times of my life for those and some other reasons. But God is good. A year later I feel better than ever. I’m thankful. If you are in the middle of the test of your life right now be encouraged. I can’t tell you when things will get better. Actually, they might get worse…for a season. But God is good. Put your trust in His goodness. You’ll feel good again.
“I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.” Psalm 37:25 ESV
Look How Far You’ve Come
I’m not really a proponent of looking back. I know to many folks who live stuck in the past. However, sometimes it is important to look back so you can see how far God brought you. When you are on a long journey not seeing the finish line can become discouraging. When I was stationed in California we used to take our PT test on this horrible straight away. No matter how far we ran, this finish line felt like it was getting farther away.. But a quick look over our shoulders would show us how far we had come and give us a burst of energy to keep pushing forward.
So, maybe you haven’t accomplished that dream yet. So what! Look how far you’ve come.
You aren’t the man or woman of God that you want to be? Neither are we, but look how far God has brought us.
You feel like life has been two steps forward and three steps back? Trust me, you are a lot farther along than that. Keep moving forward.
Get Your “But” Out Of My Face
If you take a step toward God’s best you can count on someone sticking their “but” in your face. You try to do something radical and they’ll say “Yeah, but it’ll never last.” You try to blow up the status quo box and they’ll say “But we don’t do it like that.” You challenge others to join you in a cause greater then themselves and someone will say “But what if no one comes with us?”
I’m in no way saying ignore WISE and BIBLICAL advice that comes from a FRIEND.
What I’m saying is that you’ll never see where you are going if you are constantly staring at someone’s “but”.
Days Like This
At 3:45am it was pouring outside. It wad also cold. I was not looking forward to spending the next 5 hours outside in that weather. I went out anyway because I had a job to do.
My wife called me 4 hours later to tell me that our only vehicle had broken down, was smoking, and that she and the kids were now stranded on the side of the road.
Who has random money for crazy repairs like that? Who has patience for crazy situations like these? Who wishes for crazy days like this?
Why am I surprised that in the rain, in the cold, and in the complications God has given shelter, peace, and provision? (Lord, help my unbelief)
He never let’s us down. We might not have all of the problems fixed, but we sure do see him working on our behalf.
Sun Stand Still
“On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: ’Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.’ So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on[b] its enemies,” Joshua 10:12-13
What would happen if we stopped watering down the promises of God and instead “dared to ask God for the impossible”? In Sun Stand Still, Steven Furtick hits a home-run while unpacking that question. He’s not the first guy to write a book about faith, prayer, and the power of God. However, he is the first guy I’ve heard in a long time speak so powerfully and authoritatively on the subjects. This book is not about cliche and spiritual hype. Sun Stand Still will get in your face and boldly welcome you to “Live a life of audacious faith.” This is a must read for anyone who wants to grow in their faith. Pick up a copy here.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
I Have To Admit It’s Getting Better
God is good. I’m not ashamed to say that. I know there are people who are hurting and even dying as I type this. I know that there is much pain in this world. However, I am convinced that God has not called me to dwell on the bad. You can be an optimist and a realist. You can have big faith and still be sensitive to the suffering of others. You see, the reality is this: Everyday with Him is better than the day before. How we see things is how we will see things. Perspective is everything. It’s not about looking at the bright side…its about looking at the God side. When I look at the God side I see peace, hope, love, mercy, faithfulness, and goodness. Instead of saying “it can’t get any worse”, I choose to stand on the truth that life is “getting so much better all the time.”
“…I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13 (NLT)
Miracles of 2009
1. In February my team and I got in the middle of a fight between black ice, a 15 pax van, and a bridge. We walked away. Thank God for keeping us out of the water. He literally slowed us down. (my Macbook survived too!)
2. Things turned around for my mom health wise. They are not 100% now…but thank God its not as bad as it used to be.
3. I’m almost 5 years pain free in my back!
4. We paid off our vehicle!!!
5. I gave $10 that I really couldn’t spare in an offering and 40 minutes later someone handed me a card with $40 dollars in it. I’m not one of those “give to get” types…but I believe in the principle of sowing and reaping a.k.a the Bible.
6. I opened up my home to a friend and my water and electric bill went down! That’s an extra room using electricity, extra toilet flushes, extra laundry, and extra showers…and the bill went down!
7. My son seriously injured his knee during a fall. I saw the swelling and weird shape. I thought for sure he dislocated or tore something. He was back to normal in a week.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! What did He do for you in 2009?
What a difference 30 Days makes
This month started out in a weird place. Uncertainty was all around. It’s amazing what God does in just 30 days. I see his hand moving in a powerful way not just in my life but in the life of friends and family. The prayers I prayed the first week of October have been answered in some very specific ways. He’s restoring what has been broken in the lives of several friends. He’s providing clarity in my own life. He’s bringing boldness to some who needed it. He’s putting some of us in the position to experience the miraculous. He never ceases to amaze me. Today’s victory was yesterday’s crisis. What a difference 30 days makes.
