What To Do When Your Faith Is Tested

The world is in a crisis this very day. For the most part, there is nowhere one could go that the threat of sickness and even death, is not real, due to the corona virus situation. People are scared. The world has basically shut down and many people hiding out in their homes.

As a Christian, I am called to be different than the world. No, we Christians are not perfect, we still worry and get anxious, but to be Biblically truthful, we are not supposed to be afraid, nor are we to be anxious. We are all at different levels of spiritual maturity, so each of us will have our own struggles.

This begs the question, what are we to do with the current situation? What does this all mean? Why is this happening?

If you follow me on social media, you may likely know that I am one of those crazy Christians, who has the audacity to sat that this virus is a warning from God. I have always believed that the message of repentance is the correct one that ought to be preached. John the Baptist came out of the wilderness preparing the way for the coming Messiah, with this message saying “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” - Matthew 3:2. We see that Jesus began His public ministry with the same words, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” - Matthew 4:17. The call to repent is a serious one and I find no scriptural reason that we shouldn’t believe that we ought to be still preaching the same thing. The world we live in today has for the most part moved further and further from God and is very similar to the one we read of in Genesis 6, where man had become so corrupt, that God decided He would clean out mankind and start anew with Noah. We live in a world today that appears ripe for a cleansing.

No, I don’t believe God is going to wipe out mankind at this time, but I do believe that since we live in an age of grace, since the coming of Christ, and  that because “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.- 2 Peter 3:9, I believe God is showing His mercy in bringing a warning to this lost and godless world. The message to those who reject Him is simple; “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

But we Christians, though we all have things to repent of, are not guilty of the only sin that will lead you to hell, which is the sin of unbelief. We who are Christ’s have repented of that sin and are forgiven and have received the gift of eternal life.

Then what are we to do with this crisis?

The answer is simple and is found clearly in scripture. We are to see this as a trial and a test of our faith. Look at the Book of James and it becomes easy to see what we do.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” -

James 1:2-4  

We are to count it all joy. Clearly this is a trial and James tells us that trials of various kinds test our faith. I don’t know about you, but my faith is being tested. I’ve spent the last several years purposely trying to build my faith, for I know from past experience, difficult times come. But as hard as I’ve worked at it I still struggle. I’ve committed myself to a daily time of Bible study, have attended church regularly, joined a small group where I get encouraged, I’ve prayed and prayed that the Holy Spirit would guide me to greater faith, and made it my goal to believe every word that God has written down in the scriptures. But still as my faith is tested daily, I am struggling and fighting to avoid fear, anxiety, and doubt.

James tells us though that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. Steadfastness, if we let it have its full effect, will make us perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

These aren’t my words; these are the Words of God.  I know that because it says this in 

2 Timothy 3:16-17, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The answer to how we count this as joy, in the midst of uncertainty, sickness, and even death, is to lay hold of the truth that God is actually using these times, this pain and sorrow, to make us more like Jesus. James said that trials make us “perfect and complete” which would certainly describe Jesus.

I know this is hard. Some of us will face different levels of testing. I don’t know why God may test your faith differently than mine. Some of us will face tests that will seem impossible to bear and unless you keep your eyes on Jesus and you live in His strength, not your own, it may be impossible. But don’t try to do this alone. Let Jesus take you through it and believe what He has told us in the Bible. Moses had a message for Israel as they prepared to cross into the promised land and his message had a promise that is also ours. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." - Deuteronomy 31:6  

The same promise is echoed in Hebrews 13:5 which says, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

I don’t know what the immediate future holds for any of us. I know what the end result will be for all of us who “let steadfastness have its full effect.” We will lack nothing and will one day soon be free from this broken and corrupt world that has sin and sickness beating us down. We will live in eternal bliss with our Lord and Savior for all of eternity.

I hope this encourages you to dig deeper into God’s word and learn even more of the joy and the peace we can live in until he comes back or takes us home. If you have trouble understanding and knowing what to do next, James speaks to that as well.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. - James 1:5-6  

When your faith is weak, turn to Jesus with whatever little faith you can muster up and go to Him in prayer. Believe God. If you do, then you will be able to do as James commands us to.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” - James 1:2-4  

May God richly bless you.

Finding All You Will Ever Need In A Crisis - Grace

I just finished a study on the Book of Hebrews. The main point of Hebrews is that the New Covenant of grace is far superior to the Old Covenant of law. It is a lesson in the preeminence of Christ, our Savior.

I love how the author finishes the letter.

Hebrews 13:25

Grace be with all of you.

Grace. It is the most wonderful gift of God. It is what we must live both under and in. We must receive it to be saved and we must give it to live out our calling from God.

Grace. It is what we need to get through every step of life; both the good and the bad.

When Paul cried out to God to take away the throb=n in his side, God's answer to his prayer was this, "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

And how does Paul respond?

Paul said, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

We are in difficult times. I would offer this is a calamity.

God will answer our prayers for healing and protection in different ways.

But he has answered those who live by faith in His Son, Jesus, already in this sense:

He has given us grace. No matter what else happens in this life, in the coming days, weeks, and maybe months, He has given us grace and that is sufficient to get us through whatever earthly things happen until He calls us home to be with Him.

His grace is sufficient for you, for His power is made perfect in weakness.

So, Grace be with all of you.

How To Get Up When It Seems Hopeless

This morning is one of those mornings when I realize the value of the exercise of spiritual discipline. Every morning I commit myself to first telling God thank you for simply giving me another day. Then I open the Bible study I am working on. It begins with scripture, then it breaks it down verse by verse, providing interpretation and application, using scripture itself to interpret scripture, for that is proper way to study God’s Word. I ask the Holy Spirit to come be my teacher and to open my mind to understand things, I am not smart enough to do on my own. I make notes on the verses. When my study time is complete, I go into prayer mode. I start with praise, worship, and thanksgiving. Then I have a book in which I have written down the names of the prayer requests I am aware of and the names of those who God places on my heart. Because I am on the prayer team at my church, I then pray through those requests. Having completed all this, I can now go on with my day. Yes, there are days I might fail to do these things for various reasons. But most days this is the course I follow.

Sounds good doesn’t it. Makes me kinda look like some super Christian. I am not. I am probably the least of all, I give Paul a good run at the “chief of all sinners” thing.

This morning, in the midst of this chaos and uncertainty we are living in, I woke up and wondered, why even get up? I know the news today will be bad. The market will continue to drop, there are more sick people, and some have died. It’s dreary and rainy out. The government doesn’t want me to go out, there is little to do anyway, everything being closed, and when I do go out, some are going to call me selfish and taking risks that I shouldn’t be exposing them to. So why not just lay in bed and let depression have its way with me?

But I did get up. I thanked God for another Day. I made my tea and sat down and followed through with my morning spiritual discipline. You see, this discipline is more than what it sounds like on paper. It is time with God. Every single bit of it is God and I in conversation. It is God and I relating and loving each other. It is the spiritual equivalent of a husband and wife going through all the things two lovers go through. It is intimacy. It is conversation. It is finding comfort in being held and being touched. It is everything marriage ought to be. We are the bride of Christ. It is everything childhood ought to be. God is our father and we are His children. It is the perfect meal. My hunger is fed, and my thirst is quenched, for Jesus is the bread of life and He is the living water.

Here is my morning Bible passage.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. - Hebrews 12:1-3

What God had to say to me this morning is perfect to where I was when I woke up. I can look back at those great men of faith, who ran the race of life before me. They made it through many great and difficult trials and battles the same way we must. They looked to God, to the hope of the coming Jesus, who not only founded their faith, He perfected it. And because of their faith in Jesus, whom they had never seen and had far less revelation of than you and I have, they endured the agonizing marathon of life.

Because of Jesus, they did not grow weary or fainthearted. They put aside the weights of both worldly things, not sins, just weights of the world, and the sin that weighs us down.

Why get out of bed? Why go on? Because Jesus endured the cross, despised the shame, and now sits at the right hand of His Father where He has founded our faith and he is perfecting it until the day He takes us home.

These are difficult days. It would be easy to just quit.

But I shall not. I will look to Jesus. I will keep getting up every morning and spending time with Him and His Father. You must do the same. The only hope we have is Jesus and that hope is a sure hope.

I leave you with a scripture that, thanks to my wife, who gave me a little visor clip that had it on it, allowed me every day at work to remember its hope. This is what we need to remember in these scary days.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,  But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:28-31  

Fix your eyes in Jesus. Then run and don’t get weary.

The Battle Against Fear and Anxiety in the Midst of Death

Fear, worry, anxiety, and a plethora of other emotions are knocking at each of our doors as we begin another week that looks to be even scarier than the last. I’m not anymore immune to this than anyone else is. Though I’ve continually preached against panic and overreaction, the temptation to do so is attempting to rise up in my own mind. Adding to the fears are the government’s response to lock us all down, through the orders to close restaurants, bars, and prohibit public gatherings. I can get by without going to Cracker Barrel and Bandanas to eat. I don’t drink alcohol, so the ability to go to a bar won’t matter one bit to me. But the straw that threatens to break the camel’s back in my life, is the closing of parks and fishing venues. I need the outdoors. I need to be in my kayak away from the problems of normal life, much less the newest issues we all face in the midst of this craziness. Even worse, my ability to gather with fellow brothers and sisters to worship and pray is most likely going to be taken from us.

All of this contributes to the temptation to let the fear and anxiety win.

But I will not go down without a fight. As a matter of fact, I won’t lose the war. I might get my rear end kicked in a few battles, but the war has already been won by my King, King Jesus. Every day I put on the spiritual armor as we read of in Ephesians 6. In case you forgot what that says or aren’t familiar with it, here it is. We need to do what this says.

Ephesians 6:10-20  

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,  praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,  and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,  for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

The Sword of the Spirit and prayer are the only two offensive weapons we see in this. And as I stand against the enemy’s attack on my peace, I will yield these weapons with the full force of the Holy Spirit’s power.

The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. I will live and I will pray through it and by it. In the midst of this battle, I am reminded of the story of three men who stood firm against the threat of death. They refused to submit to a king who demanded they worship him instead of God. Their names are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their story is found in Daniel 3:8-30. Take a few minutes, open your Bible and read the story. But it can quickly be summed up as this.

They were ordered to worship the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. If they still refused, they were to be cast into a burning fiery furnace.

Listen to their response, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.”

I love it. Pure, unadulterated rebellion against the king, who not only wanted to stop them from worshipping God, but also wanted them to worship his man-made god.  These are my kind of guys.

But what they said next is of even more importance.

“But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

We must understand something here. God has the power to deliver us from every and any danger this world might throw at us. Scripture tells us that nothing is too hard for God. Look at Jeremiah 32:26-27. This is God speaking. “The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” Matthew 19:26 says that “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego believed God would save them from the fiery furnace. They knew with 100% certainty, He could.  But even if God did not save them, they were still going to worship the one and only true God, not the false image of the king.

That, my friends, is faith. Faith in God. The kind of faith that says, God, whatever it is you allow to happen today, is okay with us, because we trust you.

The story ends well. More than well, it ends in a preincarnate appearance of Christ, who performs a miracle that changes everything.

Daniel 3:24-25

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, "Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?" They replied to the king, "Certainly, O king." He said, "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!"

Daniel 3:24-25  

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, "Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?" They replied to the king, "Certainly, O king."  He said, "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!"

It gets even better.

Daniel 3:28-30  

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king's command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.  "Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way."  Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.

Our faith will be tested today. The stock market will most likely crash even more. Some of us will catch the corona virus. Some people will die today. Fear will continue to grow. And our government will continue to ask us to trust them. In a sense, they are like Nebuchadnezzar, they want us to cower in fear and place our faith in them. That is a form of worship.

I am tempted to be afraid.

But I shall stand against the enemy and I will refuse to bow to the world and its false offer of protection.

My God whom I serve is able to deliver me from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver me out of their hand. But even if He doesn’t, if by the end of the week my entire pension fund is gone, if this virus has invaded my body and takes my very breath away, and even if the National Guard sets up a perimeter around my house and tells me I cannot go to church Sunday, I will not worship the king. Instead I will worship THE KING, my Lord, my Savior, Jesus Christ.

I will pray. I will worship. I will read His Holy Word. I will do more than believe in God, I will believe God. And I will not be alone, for Jesus has promised me this.

Matthew 28:20  

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Deuteronomy 31:6  

"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."

Faith and Science

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. - Hebrews 11:3  

Man has an innate desire for knowledge and understanding. In his quest to attain such knowledge, he created something we call science. Science comes from the Latin word scientia, which means knowledge. Merriam-Webster defines it as “the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding.” Knowledge then is defined as “the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association.

Man has been practicing the art of science since around 3500 years before Christ came. There is probably no greater quest in science than the quest to explain where all this came from. We Christians refer to this as the creation. Every single thing that exists within our entire universe had to come from somewhere. Logically, it would make sense that there must be a “science” to it. There must be a fact or condition of knowing how the creation got here. There must be knowledge distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding.

Yet, in the 5500 some years man has used science to try and explain how everything came into existence, the truth is that he has yet to prove anything. Yes, we have theories. But we do not have knowledge, there are no proven facts that explain the beginning. So far, science has failed us in that area.

Then we have us Christians. And even those who believed in God before the time of Jesus. Hebrews 11:3 is our science. “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”

That has just as much factual proof as does the Big Bang Theory. Or any other of man’s scientific efforts to prove where it all began.

I am a very logical person. I’m not the smartest. But I do believe in logic. I have yet to meet or hear anyone speak who can logically explain the universe without admitting that the only logical explanation has to include the concept of something being eternal. Logic completely defies any though that includes the theory that something came from nothing. Yet in our finite, human mind, eternity seems illogical. It’s a bit of a paradox, I think.

Enter the Bible. The Bible says that God is eternal, and He always existed and always will. The Bible says he spoke everything into creation. Interestingly, the Bible never tries to explain how God could be eternal or where He came from. It just says that He is. In the Old Testament, God simply refers to Himself as “I AM.” When Moses asked who he should tell the people sent him, God said, “Tell them I AM has sent me to you.” God has no interest in proving Himself.

It takes faith to believe that. I believe it. Logically, I shouldn’t. I am one of the most untrusting and skeptical people you will ever meet. I question everything. I challenge things people say all the time. I have always tried to prove or disprove what people say. Yet, when I read the Bible and God says I AM, I simply believe that. Since that doesn’t line up with my own logic, I can only believe this; my faith is from God.

Hebrews 11:6 says that “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Hebrews 12:2 says that “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

My logical nature is overridden by the author and perfecter of my faith. I did not drum up this faith. God has given it to me.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God - Ephesians 2:8  

So, I know where we came from and how we got here.

By faith I understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

That’s all I need. How about you? If you took the time to read all this, even if you doubt at this time, God has a message for you.

For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.  'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:11-13  

Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. - Isaiah 55:6  

Have you? Will you?