November 17, 2024

What Faith Can Do

January 17, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him.
Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.
But Jesus was sleeping.
The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”
Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this?
Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Matthew 8:23-27 NIV

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know
Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand-new
That’s what faith can do

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

Overcome the odds
You don’t have a chance
(That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can

What Faith Can Do  ~ Kutless

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This Week…Beginning a Series on FAITH (Matthew 8:23-27)

January 16, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him.
Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.
But Jesus was sleeping.
The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”
Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this?
Even the winds and the waves obey Him!”
Matthew 8:23-27

This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we’ve begun a series on Jesus’ words on FAITH.  There are quite a few accounts recorded in the Gospels where Jesus taught His disciples the value and the importance—the requirement—of having faith.  I believe that having faith is something we grow in as we mature in our Christian walk.

Listen to just a bit of what our sisters have shared this week…

In No Denial, Laura shared a story from just a few years ago of a woman who gave her life for her faith…and did not deny her Lord and Savior.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith:
2 Timothy 4:7

“The woman kept her faith even though she probably knew she was fixing to die.  She was not afraid to tell the gunmen that she was a Christian and followed Christ.  She had great faith—a faith that carried her home as she admitted she followed Christ.  She was probably afraid, but she had faith.  She obeyed her Lord and did not deny Him.”

❤

Tina reminded us, in Free, of the account in Mark chapter 5 where a woman who suffered for twelve years with a debilitating bleeding disease had faith to approach Jesus for healing.

And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me,
springing from faith in God) has restored you to health.
Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed
from your [distressing bodily] disease.
Mark 5:34

“The woman had heard of Jesus’ miraculous healing power and out of her desperation, she knew she would probably die if she did not find someone to cure her…Getting the courage to touch His robe in the crowd, she knew she could get into trouble if found out.  Women were and are still thought of as property.  But Jesus did not rebuff her.  He wanted her to have faith in telling her story to everyone that she was healed just by touching His robe.”

❤

In God Said It. So Be It. Fear Not., Ahmee encouraged us with the record of Joshua and the Israelites and their seven day walk around the walls of Jericho.

“The Israelites did nothing but march around the walls of Jericho to make them fall. That was simple. Should it have worked? No. Not at all. If I go outside right now and march around my house, I’m certain it will still be standing when I’m done. The reason it worked is because God said so.

God will call us to do some <for lack of a better word> crazy things. However, it doesn’t matter what we think we are capable of and it doesn’t matter what is supposed to be possible. All that matters, in the end, is Who said it was supposed to happen. When the Creator of the world says, “Let it be so,” believe me, it will be so, regardless of what opposition we face.”

❤

Ann laid out two great points, in Faith Jumps, about how faith and God’s Word go hand-in-hand.

“Faith is a raw material for a product we are going to have. As Hebrews 11:6 explicitly says without this raw material—faith—we cannot please God. For us to have our hearts’ desires we need to have faith in the Giver and believe His word with no doubt at all.
The disciples forgot that Jesus was everything and started doubting…hence Jesus’ question (Matthew 8:25). Jesus called Peter to walk on the sea toward Him. At first Peter did…and was not drowning but he started doubting and focused on the waters THEN he started drowning. The Bible records Jesus confronting Peter: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Read this record here.)

So little faith can be a raw material for us to have a product that is not attractive and leads to not having a product at all. We need to build our faith always. So, how do we build our faith? By hearing the Word of God.”

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17

❤

And in Why Are You Afraid, Cynda spoke a difficult truth to us.

“Being a Christian doesn’t mean bad things won’t happen. Storms will come at us, tossing us to and fro. But those storms are much easily weathered when we cling to our Rock. The second part of Matthew 8:26 (HCSB) reminds us “Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm.”

Look at 2 Samuel 22:3 AMP:

My God, my Rock, in Him will I take refuge;
my Shield and the Horn of my salvation;
my Stronghold and my Refuge, my Savior—You save me from violence.

With God as our Rock, we have no reason to be afraid.
All it takes is placing our faith in Him alone.”

❤

I so appreciate the encouragement given through these devotionals written by Tina, Laura, Cynda, Ann, and Ahmee.  Having consistent faith is among the more difficult requirements of our Christian walk.  Have you found this to be true yourself? Nevertheless, we must pursue every day believing God and His Word and placing our complete trust in it.  Remember,

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17

The time will come when each of us will stand before our Lord and there will be a reckoning of our lives and our obedience.  No doubt each of us wants to hear the words that Jesus spoke in the parable of the ten talents (Matthew chapter 25)…

‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’

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No Denial

January 15, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him.
Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.
But Jesus was sleeping.
The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”
Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this?
Even the winds and the waves obey Him!”
Matthew 8:23-27

This past weekend Dish Network gave their subscribers a free weekend of HBO and Showtime.  I woke up early and watched half a documentary.  I was able to watch the whole film later that night.  The film was “Terror at the Mall”—a documentary about the terrorist attack that occurred in 2013 at an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya.

After the attack, 60 people lay dead, including 12 children.  The Muslim attackers were targeting Kenyans and Christians.  They basically killed anything that moved. People hid in fear, and many prayed to make it out alive.  The last civilian killed, a thirty-something aged woman, answered her captors that she was a Christian when asked.  They killed her immediately.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith:
2 Timothy 4:7

The woman kept her faith even though she probably knew she was fixing to die.  She was not afraid to tell the gunmen that she was a Christian and followed Christ.  She had great faith—a faith that carried her home as she admitted she followed Christ.  She was probably afraid, but she had faith.  She obeyed her Lord and did not deny Him.  Amid great turmoil she still put her faith in Him.

Many people today are losing their faith and turning from God.  They are giving into the world’s demands and losing their way.  But for those who do not lose their faith, there is a great reward.  They will one day be living eternally with Christ and not suffering or living in terror anymore.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Heavenly Father: Our world is crumbling, and many of our brothers and sisters are losing their faith.  Please help us show them the way back.  Strengthen our faith and give us hope of Jesus’s return.  We are the light, and we burn brighter because of Your faith in us and the strength You give.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Free

January 14, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with His disciples.
Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat.
But Jesus was sleeping.
The disciples went and woke Him up, shouting,
“Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!”
Then He got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.
The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked.
“Even the winds and waves obey Him!”
Matthew 8:23-27 NLT

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me,
springing from faith in God) has restored you to health.
Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed
from your [distressing bodily] disease.
Mark 5:34

(To read the context, please click this link.)

Can you imagine those who live with chronic pain being freed from it forever? I know plenty of people who would love for this to happen. People look for the cure everywhere except for going to their Father in heaven who can heal.  Does He always? No.  We will probably never know why. It is not for us to know all of the answers.

The woman had heard of Jesus’ miraculous healing power and out of her desperation, she knew she would probably die if she did not find someone to cure her. If she were a single woman and had spent all of her money on finding a cure, this was her last hope. Getting the courage to touch His robe in the crowd, she knew she could get into trouble if found out. Women were and are still thought of as property. But Jesus did not rebuff her. He wanted her to have faith in telling her story to everyone that she was healed just by touching His robe.

Remember in the Old Testament, Elisha the prophet was like that. People would touch his bones and come alive!

Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb.
When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.
2 Kings 13:21
Elisha was a holy man of God…one of His great prophets.  And then there was Peter…his shadow would fall across people and they would be healed.  What a great testimony of one of the disciples that loved Jesus!
*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *
 
Father, help us have faith in Your Word.  Like the man asking Jesus to heal his daughter, ‘If you can’ and Jesus saying that  He can only do it if the man had faith. The father responded, “I believe, help my unbelief’.” We want that. You are our Sovereign God. There is none like You. Thank You for loving us more than anyone on earth ever could.  Forgive us and help us to show grace to others. Thank You for always being there and never leaving us. Thank You for second chances!  In Jesus’ name, amen.
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God Said It. So Be It. Fear Not.

January 13, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with His disciples.  Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat.  But Jesus was sleeping.  The disciples went and woke Him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!”  Then He got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.  The disciples were amazed.  “Who is this Man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey Him!”

Matthew 8:23-27

With God all things are easier.  Not like, ‘Oh, that was a piece of cake’ easier. but more like ‘Yeah, that shouldn’t have been possible, but it worked out’ easier.  A specific example of this would be the Battle of Jericho.

Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites.
No one was allowed to go out or in. But the LORD said to Joshua,
“I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors.
You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days.
Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn.
On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times,
with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast
on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can.
Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”
Joshua 6:1-5

See what I mean? The Israelites did nothing but march around the walls of Jericho to make them fall. That was simple. Should it have worked? No. Not at all. If I go outside right now and march around my house, I’m certain it will still be standing when I’m done. The reason it worked is because God said so.

God will call us to do some <for lack of a better word> crazy things.  However, it doesn’t matter what we think we are capable of and it doesn’t matter what is supposed to be possible. All that matters, in the end, is Who said it was supposed to happen. When the Creator of the world says, “Let it be so,” believe me, it will be so, regardless of what opposition we face.

Like Gabriel said to Mary,

“Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.”
Luke 1:30

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, help us to remember Who is in control.  You created the world with nothing, but Your words. You say it, so it is!  Life is that simple for us. Your Word has many promises for us and, yet, we struggle to believe them. In the end, it doesn’t matter what our minds say or what our eyes see or what our hearts feel. If the Word of God says it—it most definitely is possible.  Help us to not fear those things that are unnatural to our limited senses.  And, give us understanding that we may unwaveringly serve you. Amen.

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Faith Jumps

January 12, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him.
Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.
But Jesus was sleeping.
The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”
Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this?
Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Matthew 8:23-27 NIV

I have always known that faith take you up high while fear hesitates and drags you down. There have been many times we have failed to exercise faith and we have ended up disappointing God. In Hebrews 11:6 the Bible says “...without faith we cannot please God.” What is this faith we are talking about?

Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen
Hebrews 11:1

Faith is a raw material for a product we are going to have.  As Hebrews 11:6 explicitly says without this raw material—faith—we cannot please God.  For us to have our hearts’ desires we need to have faith in the Giver and believe His word with no doubt at all.

The disciples forgot that Jesus was everything and started doubting…hence Jesus’ question (Matthew 8:25).  Jesus called Peter to walk on the sea toward Him. At first Peter did…and was not drowning but he started doubting and focused on the waters THEN he started drowning. The Bible records Jesus confronting Peter: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”  (Read this record here.)

So little faith can be a raw material for us to have a product that is not attractive and leads to not having a product at all. We need to build our faith always. So, how do we build our faith? By hearing the Word of God.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17

Meditate on the Word of God (Joshua 1:8), personalize the Word, receive it with gladness and obey what it says and, in so doing, we shall eat the good of the land.

Our God is good and He has made everything possible for us. It is our own wrong choices that lead us not to reach out to the great benefits that God has planned for us…if we only obey Him.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Heavenly father, I thank You for Your lovingkindness that endures forever. Thank You for who You are in our lives. Thank You for You are our Father who hears our prayers. We give You glory and honor. We pray, Lord, that You help us build our faith everyday as we study and meditate on Your word and as we listen to Your voice. Open our ears to hear what You are talking about and open our eyes to see Your greatness in the Word. May we live a life pleasing unto You always, in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

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Why Are You Afraid

January 11, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with His disciples.
Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat.
But Jesus was sleeping.
The disciples went and woke Him up, shouting,
“Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!”
Then He got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.
The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked.
“Even the winds and waves obey Him!”
Matthew 8:23-27 NLT

Luke 8:25a (NIV) asks a tough question: “Where is your faith?”

One thing I have learned—if I am afraid…I have lost my faith in God.  I am no longer trusting in Him.  It means I don’t trust Him not to hurt me.  It means I don’t believe He has my best interest at heart.  When I trust God and place my faith completely in Him, there is little room left for fear or doubt.

Bad things happen.  Whether it is a result of my poor choices, someone else’s choice, a trial I must go through, or discipline I need…bad things happen.  It is a fact of life. Hebrews 12:11 (NIV) states, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.”  What I must remember is that God is in control.   And there is a purpose for the bad things. Everything in my life has been filtered through Him.

Being a Christian doesn’t mean bad things won’t happen.  Storms will come at us, tossing us to and fro.  But those storms are much easily weathered when we cling to our Rock.  The second part of Matthew 8:26 (HCSB) reminds us “Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm.”

Look at 2 Samuel 22:3 AMP:

My God, my Rock, in Him will I take refuge;
my Shield and the Horn of my salvation;
my Stronghold and my Refuge, my Savior—You save me from violence.

With God as our Rock, we have no reason to be afraid.
All it takes is placing our faith in Him alone.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, please forgive me when I feel afraid.  Remind me You are my Rock and my Refuge.  When fear pokes at me, bring doubts to mind, strengthen my faith in You.  For if You are with me, who can stand against me?  In Jesus’ name I pray – Amen, It Is So.

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This Little Light Of Mine

January 10, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

In the same way, let your light shine before men,
so that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 HCSB
There’s a little flame inside us all
Some shine bright, some shine small
The rains will come and the waters rise
But don’t you ever lose your light
In this life you will know
Love and pain, joy and sorrow
So when it hurts, when times get hard
Don’t forget whose child you areThis little light of mine
I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I’m gonna let it shine, gonna let it shineMay you live each day with no regret
Make the most of every chance you get
Let your eyes get wide when you look at the stars
With the same sense of wonder as a child’s heart
With the ones you love treasure the time
And for those who are gone keep their memories alive
Hold on to your dreams don’t ever let go
There’s a fire inside you burning with hopeThere will be days when you want to give up
When the clouds settle in
But after the rain comes the sun
Don’t you ever forget

One day there will be no more pain
And we will finally see Jesus’ face
So until then I’m gonna to try
To brave the dark and let my little light shine

There’s a little light inside us all

 

This Little Light Of Mine
Addison Road
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This Week…Let Your Light Shine (Matthew 5:16)

January 9, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

In the same way, let your light shine before men,
so that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 HCSB

Oh, I have so enjoyed reading the devotionals this week here on the Seeking Him blog!  Our theme verse is such a glorious one.  And Ahmee, Ann, Cynda, and Laura have shed light on it (no pun intended!) in ways that really encouraged me; how about you?

Here’s my thoughts:

– we simply have to ‘let’ our light shine (it has already been given to us)
– as our light shines it will help others to ‘see’ our good works
– and (best of all!) they will then give glory to the One Who deserves it

Now listen to a few thoughts that our sisters have shared….

In Being The Light, Laura gave the analogy of a flashlight.  She wrote: “We need to be a flashlight now more than ever.  By accepting Christ, we can bring light to an ever-darkening world.  There are many ways that we can bring light to the world.  We can serve in local and foreign ministries.  We can serve our church by volunteering our time.  We can help our neighbors when they need it.  We can watch out for one another.  By being a light for God, we can show others that God loves them too.”

❤

Cynda asked us two questions about light in Let Your Light Shine—

1) What is the Source? … and … 2) What does it DO?

“Jesus told us He is the Source of our light:

Then Jesus spoke to them again: ‘I am the light of the world.
Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.’
John 8:12(HCSB)

While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.
John 9:5 (NASB)

Jesus is the only Source of our light.

So what does light do?  It expels the darkness.  It illuminates…and that’s what we are called to do.  Others must see the Light of Christ in us before we can share His Light with them.”

❤

In Good Works, Ann focused on the benefit of light shining so that others can see our good works and then praise God.  She also had a question for us…and gave some great answers.

“This shows us that we are required to always do good as Christians. As we are doing that then we are doing the work of God of which we are called to do. How do we do good works which praise the Lord?

  • Speech
  • Character
  • Attitude
  • Personality
  • Spiritual life
  • Giving”

❤

And Ahmee shared a great life example in How Will They Know based on her daily interaction with children at her pre-school job….

“When a child learns to walk, they walk! What is the purpose of being able to walk if you are not going to walk? Many of our kiddos learn to walk…and then you can’t stop them! Sometimes, you wish they would just crawl. (Although, some of them can crawl as fast as a person can run!) The point is why be given something and then not use it?
The same applies for our relationship with the Lord. When we come to know Him, we are changed, and people see this. Don’t try to hide it…you will be different! People notice you are different! LET THEM SEE! Why? Because that difference—that light—that change is what is going to make them ask the question…’why?’ And then, your actions have already set the foundation for the words that are about to come out of your mouth.”

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Being The Light

January 8, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

In the same way, let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16

My kids love to play with flashlights—mainly my son.  He and his sister can come up with some of the most vivid imaginative uses for the flashlights.  Flashlights have become an every year stocking stuffer either at our house, my parents’ house, or my in-laws’ house.  They have gone looking for monsters, camping, and acting like the lights are out just to be able to play with a flashlight.  When they shine the light into your eyes, it is blinding.  Thankfully, I am usually in the living room when they do this to me.

Here is the point: think about how bright the light projected by a flashlight can be….  It can be so bright it can blind someone for a moment.  However, if it is dim (because the batteries are getting weak) then it is easier to look into.  Now think about yourself and your walk with Jesus.  Our daily lives should be shining examples of Christ’s love for us.  Like a flashlight, we should shine bright with Jesus’s love.

Our world is growing darker and diving deeper into chaos every day.  We need to be a flashlight now more than ever.  We can’t count on other people to be the ultimate flashlight.  Yes, people can be a flashlight.  They can shine bright for the people in this world, especially if they have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  By accepting Christ, we can bring light to an ever-darkening world.

There are many ways that we can bring light to the world.  We can serve in local and foreign ministries.  We can serve our church by volunteering our time. We can help our neighbors when they need it.  We can watch out for one another.  By being a light for God, we can show others that God loves them too.  By shining our light, we can show others that Jesus loves them, too, and help lead them to God.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Heavenly Father:  Thank You for being our flashlight.  Your light brings hope to a world that is darkening.  Be with those that serve You and bless those who are in a relationship with You already.  Give them the strength to carry on Your work.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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