Do You Dare to Believe?

 

“You will ask Me nothing, most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My Name He will give you.” – John 16:23

This verse, and others like it intrigue me. What am I missing? What am I “doing wrong”? I pray, like many others, in Jesus’s Name – and yet, sometimes fail to see my prayers answered. Or, at least, that’s the way it appears to me. And let’s face it, the way it appears to me effects my faith, and can stir up doubt and unbelief.

Knowing Jesus doesn’t want me filled with doubt and unbelief, but with the faith of God He’s given me, I need understanding.

As I pondered this today, it occurred to me that I’m not just using or borrowing Jesus’s Name.  He’s given it to me; I am Christian, Christ-like. He is in me and I am in Him, in the same way that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. That’s why when I ask the Father for something in Jesus’s Name, I have the authority to use the Name of Jesus. Because He said so.

I’m not supposed to just slap on the phrase, “In Jesus’s Name. Amen.”

I am supposed to be in Christ; in Jesus, in the shadow of the Almighty, in His presence, in His Word, in HIM!

Am I abiding (staying) in Him?

Yes, I am.

Satan will try to weaken my resolve with whispers of lies and tell me I’m not in Christ. Sometimes my heart listens.

“You didn’t spend enough time in the Word today, your prayers won’t be effective.”

“You must be harboring some unforgiveness in your heart, you’ve been praying for this same thing for years now and yet, you see nothing.”

“You missed church last Sunday, don’t even expect God to be listening while you pray for your friends.”

“You were critical of that person yesterday, and you think your prayers for them today will be effective? Ha!”

“I heard you say a bad word this morning. You can’t pray with that mouth.”

“You fell asleep while praying last night. If your prayers are THAT uninspired, do you really think God was listening?”

Satan has all sorts of lies and they’re all meant to tear us down and steal our faith. Fortunately, we always know when he’s lying to us – when his lips are moving. I know, old joke. And we can’t even see his lips moving.

The fact of the matter is, God is not negative or confusing. He is not the author of confusion; He does not condemn us at all. When He looks at us, He sees the blood of Jesus, nothing here to condemn! Hallelujah! So, when our mind tries to tell us otherwise, those thoughts come from the evil source, not from ourselves, and certainly not from God.

Dismiss them.

Once we’ve submitted ourselves to God, He hears every prayer we pray – and He answers them.

When we are in Christ, when we STAY in Christ and keep His Word in our hearts, His Words will always fill our minds. We may be pulled away from them for a minute or two. Okay, in the midst of a pity party, we may be pulled away for even longer. But His Words are always there to return to.

With His Word in our minds and in our hearts, we can pray effectively because we can pray with authority.

(picture from branham.org)

A woman once told me that she would pray for me. Then she quickly tacked on, “Not that I believe or anything like that….” What? Why would you even pray if you don’t believe that your prayers are being heard or answered, or for that matter, if you don’t believe in the very God you claim to be praying to?

God wants us to believe IN Him and to rely ON Him and to snatch up the authority He’s holding out for us to grab ahold of and use.

We can do things our way.

Or we can do things His Way.

What is His Way? Jesus said, “I am the WAY, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6NKJV)

When we submit our hearts to Him, His Way becomes our way.

This is abiding in Christ. This causes the authority of Jesus Christ to operate in our lives.

Jesus didn’t tell us that once we reach a point where we never mess up, THEN we can use His Name.

We are perfect in Him; not as in we will never again make a mistake, but as in perfected, completed in Him. Once the blood of Jesus is applied to our lives, nothing can make us holier, and nothing will separate us from His love. Nothing else is necessary to gain access to God’s throne room.

What holds us back?

Believing those stupid lies.

We DO have the authority Jesus gave us, whether we missed church last week or not, whether we used inappropriate language or not, whether we read God’s Word today, or not.

(picture from etsy.com)

But we have to believe that in order to operate with the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. It’s that Spirit that fills us with the authority of Jesus Christ, Himself.

But, Helen, you don’t know some of the things I’ve done! God would never extend that kind of authority to ME!

Lies. Lies. Lies.

The Bible tells us this beautiful truth: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

He’s seen our sin and knows the blood He spilled at Calvary is enough to pay the cost.

Who better to believe than the One Who gave His life so that we could be free from sin?

Dare to believe.

 

(picture frp, etsy.com)

Was It Something I Said?

 

picture from slater. com

Our assistant pastor, David Cowart, spoke the other night and said, “People make a place beautiful.” Have you found your place?

He shared a story about visiting a place of business and discovering that we may choose whether we come back, based on how we’re treated by the employees there.

You go into a local store and are treated poorly; the employees treat you as if you’re a burden rather than their bread-n-butter. But go to the same store, in a different location and you’re treated like royalty, where the employees go above and beyond to meet your needs. In the future, whether you consciously make the decision to or not, you may find yourself driving out of your way to go to the location where you felt valued.

While I’m not an employee representing a business, I am a Christian, and I represent the body of Christ. Maybe I need to consider more closely, how I treat the people around me.

Am I the woman in the foyer at church that people run up to and greet with a smile on their face? Or do I noticed people seem to deliberately walk in another direction when they see me? Or maybe worse, do I feel invisible standing there? When you’re at work, are you the man they ask for help, or purposely avoid?

picture from wallpapercave.com

When we look at the people that are part of our everyday interactions, are the people we feel more comfortable talking with the ones that complain all the time, or the ones who listen when someone else is speaking, the know-it-alls, or the ones we know have a favor to ask us, or the ones that we believe are judging us by what they say or the way they look at us?

What makes us decide who we trust with a concern or ask for advice? How do people make us feel valued and respected?

We all feel and act differently when interacting with the many different people in our lives. But, looking at how these people either put us off, or allow us to feel welcome in their lives, might help us better see why people relate to us the way they do.

Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We can’t be all things to all people. But, do we leave people thinking that life is beautiful? If someone is judging the body of Christ based on their interactions with us (not saying that’s fair) do they see the servant’s heart that Jesus showed us? Are we pointing them to Jesus, or do they see no difference between us and the people they know who have no hope at all?

picture from wordgrabber.com

We can’t dictate how other people feel, but what can we do, personally, so that the people God brings across our path know that they are valued and loved?  

When you interact with others today, whether it’s serving your children breakfast, taking care of a customer at work, or waiting in a check-out line, what can you do differently, so that the people around you recognize the love of God in you?

In Matthew 22:39 Jesus tells us, “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself…” But just before His crucifixion, Jesus ups the ante. In John 13:34 He says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

How do we do that? You can’t share something you don’t have. You can’t pour out love if you’re empty, yourself. But, if you’ve invited the Spirit of God to live inside of you, you have everything you need. If you haven’t asked Jesus to be the Lord of your life, now is the time to do that.

““Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts.” -  Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV)

Before we can share love, we have to seek the One Who IS love. He has all the answers. Whether we’re speaking to Him directly in prayer, or reading and meditating on His Word, He’s already equipped us and He’ll show us what to do.

“Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” -Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV)

picture from youtube.com

Content to Change?

 

(picture from Dillards.com)

New beginnings; we hear about them all the time, especially around the first of the year. But, resolutions?

I have to ask, “Am I content with the way things are in my life right now?”

The Apostle Paul learned how to be content when he was well off and when he was hungry, when he was sitting in a jail cell or before a king. But, being content where he was didn’t keep him from pursuing his mission to a share the gospel everywhere. (Philippians 4:11-13)

Perhaps we think that being content means accepting things as they are, making no moves to advance ourselves or our missions in life. But, in fact, what it means is to not let our enemies steal our joy, no matter our circumstances.

Can I be content with what the scale said this morning, while pursuing healthier eating throughout my day? Of course!

Yes, that’s not a number I’m happy with, but I CAN do something about it. I can put into motion a plan to bring that ridiculous number down to something healthier.

Allowing myself to get angry with the scale will set the tone for my day and can send me off to Dunkin Donuts for a donut. Or two. That’s not the direction I want to go.

So, perhaps we can become content with where we are in the moment, so that we can enjoy all the other blessings God has us for today and reach out with love to those around us. We can head into our morning huddle with God and come up with a plan for the day, the week, the month – the year, or even just for the next few minutes, that will take us in the directions He’s leading us.

Whether it’s the weight scale or career changes or mending relationships, let’s take a moment to appreciate where we are at the moment and join hearts with the One that loves us best and move forward.