Share your faith.

Philemon 6 (ESV)

And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

If you’re trying to ride a bike and you’ve never seen it done before you’d be pretty scared and unsure, but when you see that other’s can do it you begin to get a bit more confidence that you might be able to do it too.

When you see other’s journey of faith and how God helped them, you begin to get more confidence that you can have faith and that God will help you too. It works both ways, share what God has done for you so that others will be helped and their faith will grow as they trust God. Share what God has done in your life, so other’s faith can be lifted.

Dear Lord, we are so encouraged when we hear what You have done in the lives of others. We want to share our faith in You with those around us too, so they can grow in their faith. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Even if He doesn't

Hebrews 11:13 (ESV)

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Hebrews 11 talks about the Heroes of Faith in God’s Word, people like Moses, Abraham, Jacob and Isaac. They are all remembered as people that had great faith, but they did not even see the fullness of what God had promised to them. They had faith even when they were laughed at, thrown in prison, attacked, treated badly and made fun of. Nothing made them give up on their faith.

They had the kind of faith that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had. King Nebuchadnezzar had told them that they had to worship a fake God instead of the real one and only God or they would be put to death in a blazing fire furnace.

Here’s what they said Daniel 3:16-18  “King Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to talk about this anymore. We might be thrown into the blazing furnace. But the God we serve is able to bring us out of it alive. He will save us from your powerful hand. “But we want you to know this. Even if we knew that our God wouldn’t save us, we still wouldn’t serve your gods. We wouldn’t worship the gold statue you set up.” They had the kind of faith that said even if God doesn’t save us we will still have faith in Him. We pray that God does give us miracles in our lives but EVEN IF HE DOESN’T we still have faith in Him.

Dear Lord, We have faith in You no matter what happens. Help us to have the kind of faith that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Mustard Seed.

Matthew 17:20 (ESV)

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

As we trust God our faith will grow. We know that we can trust Him because He will never fail. But how much faith have you got? How much faith do we need to have? That’s what the disciples asked Jesus, they wanted more faith and Jesus said, “Suppose you have faith as small as a mustard seed. Then you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up. Be planted in the sea.’ And it will obey you.” Luke 17:5-6.

Jesus used this mustard seed example again when the disciples asked why they couldn’t perform miracles like Jesus did, He said, “Because your faith is much too small. What I’m about to tell you is true. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, it is enough. You can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there.’ And it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:21 Faith as small as a mustard seed was all they needed. A mustard seed is tiny especially when compared to the size of a mountain! Imagine something so small having such great power. When our faith is in God and He is working through us it is powerful.

Dear Lord, With You, nothing is impossible! We want to have mountain moving faith because we know You will never fail us. In the Name of Jesus,  Amen.

Measure of Faith

Romans 12:3 (ESV)

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Thermometers are used to measure temperature. Inside is a liquid, usually mercury, which is held in the round bulb shape at the bottom. There is only a set amount of mercury inside the thermometer. The amount of mercury doesn’t change, more isn’t added or taken away, it stays the same. There is a scientific principle that a liquid changes its volume depending on what temperature it is in.

Liquids take up less space when they are cold and more space when they are warm.  When a thermometer is placed in something warm the mercury expands, sending it up from the bulb showing higher and higher on the small narrow tube. With a guide on the sides showing what measure it’s reaching you can see what the temperature is.

We are each given a measure of faith. How we use that faith and what sort of environment we place our faith in it can grow, like  mercury in a thermometer. When we are placed in different situations, our faith expands, getting bigger and bigger! With faith in God we can face any challenge that we find ourselves in.

Dear Lord, Thank You that You give us a measure of faith. When we face challenges, help our faith grow bigger and bigger! In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Lesson of faith from Jarius

Matthew 9:18-26 (ESV)

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”  And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples.  And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.”  Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.  And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him.  But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went through all that district.

Jairus, a church leader, approached Jesus knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus got up and went with Him, and so did his disciples.

When Jesus entered Jairus’ house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.

As we trust God our faith will grow, bigger and bigger as we continue to put our trust in Him. We can have faith that God can do the impossible. Jarius knew that Jesus could do the impossible. The crowd at the house thought Jesus was too late, but He was right on time! What areas of your life could you

believe and have faith for God to move?

Dear Lord, You can do the impossible. No matter what we may be facing we can have faith in You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Noah's faith

Hebrews 11:7 (ESV)

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

The Bible is the story of God and His people. It is full of people that lived incredible lives of faith. They didn’t just talk about faith, they lived with faith and did incredible things as they trusted God. Living by faith is what set them apart and is the reason they are recorded in God’s Word. We can see their examples and be encouraged. One of my favorite heroes of faith is Noah. By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world.  As a result, Noah became close with God.

We can live a life of faith just like the heroes in God’s Word. Our faith grows when we hear other people’s stories of faith. Their faith was shown in how they lived. If Noah never had faith, he wouldn’t have built the Ark. What could God do through you if you live by faith? As we trust God, our faith will grow.

Dear Lord, Help us to grow in our faith. Step by step in obedience to You, having faith in the unseen. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Faith Always Wins

Psalm 34:4 (ESV)

I sought the Lord, and he answered me

    and delivered me from all my fears.

If you took faith on one side and fear on the other and set them to do battle, do you know who would win? FAITH! Faith in God defeats fear.

Faith in God defeats fear of the future. Faith in God defeats fear of the unknown. Faith in God defeats fears of any kind. When we focus on God and what He promises us in His word fear begins to retreat and is defeated.

No matter what is causing us to be fearful, faith in God will always win. If you choose to have faith in God over and over again instead of choosing fear, you’ll see that Faith wins every time.

Dear Lord, You are bigger and stronger than any fear, You have power over all of creation. Help our faith be strong in You. Thank You that You have power over our fears. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.