Faith…
Holy Spirit…this is big…I ask that you would open our ears to hear your voice…open our eyes to see…help us to understand you more…speak to us…
God is so good…so good and so faithful…He has a perfect plan for each and every one of our lives…
This year in the plan for me, God has decided to just rock my world…I have been rocked over and over…God rocks me in so many ways, one of which is that He answers all my prayers…
Isn’t that awesome…God is good…
But the hard part of this for me is that He usually doesn’t do it in way I want him to…in fact, it usually happens in some backwards and often extremely frustrating way…
But I have learned a lot…like when you pray big prayers…you better be ready for what is coming…for example…I like to pray that I will be stripped of things in my life…God doesn’t just say “abracadabra” and “poof” and then I am stripped without feeling anything…this prayer usually leads me to a place of trial and pain and it usually hurts and requires me to submit to him…
Which, in my opinion, is the best thing that can happen…
That might sound weird to you, but that is how it has been going for me…and I love it and embrace it…that is how God has worked in my life over and over…
And honestly, I don’t want a short cut…I don’t want God to take it easy on me…I don’t want any free lessons…I want to earn the lessons He has for me so that they sink in and stick…I need the pain to teach me…the pain brings me to my knees at the foot of the cross crying out to Him…and He comes to me…He comforts me…He saves me…He brings me back to life…
Or I should say a better life…more of what He wants life to look like for me…
And this process has happened over and over to me…and I am getting closer and closer to Him…PRAISE GOD!!!
He is drawing me in…but I am still so far away…
THANK GOD FOR GRACE…AMAZING GRACE…
Wow…this stuff gives me chills…
So I am learning a little bit about how God works…and I really do mean a LITTLE BIT…my God is huge and I can never even begin to think I am understanding something…
Anywho…I was having a little solitude time the other day…and as I sat there I realized that I have been holding back from God…on purpose…because I am scared…scared but in a healthy way…it is the fear of the Lord…because I know He is in control…and He can do anything…
Knowing that He is so powerful and knowing that He is in control has lead me to say to my teammates, “Be careful what you pray for.”
Forgive me Jesus…
Because my God answers prayers…you pray…He answers…that is just how it works…
If you take the fact that He is powerful and in control and mix that with the fact that He doesn’t just wave a magic wand and “poof” things change…I have found myself getting a little nervous when it comes to certain prayers…I have said to people that I don’t want to pray for more faith…because that means I am going to have to change…which is scary for most of us, and me too…and that change will probably come about through God bringing a trial of some sort my way and I will need to submit to Him…put my faith in Him…
If I do that, endure the pain…and submit…I will change, and have more faith…(I just want to point out that this isn’t a formula…or a however-many step process to have faith, just my experience)
If I pray for faith…faith that will move mountains, He will say ok…
And then something to the effect of…
Kyl e, I love you…
Remember this…ok?
Remember that I love you…
Now…you have no idea what you said yes to, but trust me…I need you to really put your faith in me…I am going to put you into a place to strengthen your faith…
Now in my mind…eek…that can mean anything…
But it for sure means that it will cost me…nothing is free…right?
God offers us everything for nothing…for free…but the crazy thing is that it actually costs us everything…
Such a weird concept…but it is amazing…
Does that make sense…
Think about this for a second…
It is free, but it will cost you everything…
Wow…so deep…
Now that will look different depending on God’s plan for us…
We all face different trials…for some people I know, their family or friends have gotten sick…
God asks you in that time, “Do you have faith?”
For others, they might lose their job…
God asks you, “Do you have faith?”
To others, it may seem like their whole world is falling apart…
And God will ask you in that time, “Do you still have faith?”
Do you have faith in Him that He will get you through it…
Do you believe that He is bigger than any problems life can throw at you…
He tests our faith…He says, “Ok, you want it…trust me…put your faith in me. You said you want faith…have faith….I AM GOOD! I HAVE A PLAN FOR YOU! DO YOU BELIEVE THIS! HAVE FAITH!”
I realized that I was holding back…I repented…and I prayed for faith…faith that would move mountains…
God use me…transform my mind…
For the first time in my life…I prayed for faith…which if you understand the even a small piece of this statement…if you understand the responsibility that comes with it, and you will know that I am completely out of my mind…
And I love it…PRAISE THE LORD!!!
Later that night, something amazing happened…We were having dinner with the Rutta family here in Botswana and afterward we were praying. Musa, the amazing servant of God we are staying with, was praying for them…when he finished he came to me to pray for me…and when I say pray I mean PRAY…with some serious authority…I have never experienced authority like this in the states…something hit me…like a ton of bricks…he prayed for faith…something no one has ever prayed over me before…
It rocked me…God heard me…He is working…this is what He does…PRAISE THE LORD!!
All this on the same day I said yes…said yes to faith…I want it…I want it all…
And I know He will answer me…
The next day…we were at church, and after experiencing the presence of God like I never have before during worship, Musa was preaching…and I hadn’t said a word to him yet…he gave his message…on Faith…
God you are amazing…
Faith…
This is a term that I have heard over and over…and never really understood…maybe there are others out there like me…
Faith…
Faith…
Faith…
It hit me…
Faith…
Hebrews 11:1–Now faith is being sure of what you hope for, and certain of what we do not see.
I have heard this verse before and read it a bunch of times…probably just kept reading without thinking twice…actually I thought it was good and I highlighted it and moved on…maybe you can relate…I dont know…
But what does that mean…
Faith is being sure…
That means without a doubt…it means 100% certain…it means I believe it…I know it…
Of what you hope for…
That means for something I want…but the key thing to see is that it isn’t referring to now…it is referring to something to come…something in the future…
When I put that together…
Being sure of what you hope for…
That means I am 100% certain, or I believe in my heart without a doubt that something is going to happen in the future…wow!!!
Please take a second to see how big this is…
Faith…
Wow…that is huge you guys…
That means that you need to expect God to do something…wow…
I know that might not sit well with some of us…to expect things from God…but for example…do you expect eternal life…to you believe without a doubt that you will have eternal life…that is His promise…
Do you believe it…
Do you have faith in that promise…
Do you expect it…
The bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:7–We live by faith, not by sight.
What?!
That is right…we need to live like this…in a constant state of expectation…expecting God to do things…living by what we hope God will do, and with a 100% certainty that He will do it…
Not living by what we see…that doesn’t make sense to me…it even seems irrational, a little on the crazy side, and for sure extreme…
Well…I need to be honest…that is the God I know…an absolute wild man, He can’t be controlled…He is untamable…He doesn’t work the way we think He should…He is so extreme…and I love it!!
This is big…Holy spirit open our hearts to you…open our ears to hear you…speak to us…
We have to live in a constant state of expectation…expecting things we can’t see…
To men, this is foolishness…to God…well…He calls it Faith…and it pleases Him…
And we have to live like this…if we want to please God…
That is right…WE HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS…
Hebrews 11:6–And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone that comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Wow…
AND WITHOUT FAITH, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD.
This should send chills down your spine…
If we don’t have faith, we can’t please God…If we don’t live in a place where we dream big…hope for amazing things in the future…and expect him to do it…with a 100% certainty…we can’t please God…
Wow…that strikes a chord with me…in fact…I bothers me…actually, it offends me a little…
Which I am learning that only God can offend…
It is what He does it when He needs to teach us something…
God teach me…teach us…
I was thinking about this…and I was thinking about why I go to church…maybe you can ask yourself these same questions…it is up to you…
Why do I go to church?
Is it because it is Sunday and it is time to go through the motions…or to feel good…or to see my friends…or what is it?
Why do we want to come before God?
Do we hope for something when we come before God?
What do we expect Him to do?
Are we coming without faith…without expecting Him to do something…if we do, it doesn’t please him…
We need to go before him…in faith…being sure of what you hope for…being sure of the future…that is his gift to us…eternity with him…we have to come before him expecting something…anything…
For Him to speak to you…
Maybe to feel His presence…
Maybe to just be in His presence…
Maybe to have an encounter with the living God…
Maybe for Him to give you a word…
Or for Him to heal you…
Or for Him to bring peace and comfort…
We really need to sit and pray about this before we go to church…and figure out what we want…we need to expect something…we have to come expecting our awesome personal God to do something in our lives…
Otherwise why go…we are just wasting our time…aren’t we?
He rewards those who earnestly seek Him…
Wow…
If you seek Him…really and truly seek Him…He will reward you…
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; those who seek find; and to those who knock the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8
God…wow…you leave me speechless…
And we can find joy in taking a step of faith…because “I have plans to prosper you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
We need to believe these scriptures…have faith in them…they are huge…this is real…the word of God…
Do you believe it…
You don’t have to…we have that choice…to step out and say my God is this great…or we can say He isn’t…
What do you want to believe…
Do you have faith…
Do you want faith…all you have to do is ask…
Ask and you will receive…
Ask for faith…
We have to have faith…
We have to be sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see…
Wow…
Which also means that we don’t give up…we seek it out until it comes to pass…you wrestle with God like Jacob did…
Otherwise, do you really believe…100% means you don’t give in when times are tough…when your faith is being tested…
Remember the Bible says in James 1:2-4 that the testing of our faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
The testing of our faith…
Do we really believe…will we stick it out…are we 100% certain…will we give up when it gets hard…
Perseverance…
Wow…
Beautiful…and so essential…
Faith…all we have to do is ask…
We just have to say yes…yes to the mystery of God…
Lord…I want faith…faith that will move mountains…I know it will cost me…I don’t know what it will cost…but I say yes to you…I say yes to your mystery…God draw me in…open my heart to believe…to believe your words…to have faith…God I ask that you would give me dreams…big dreams for my life…God I want to hope big things…and believe them with 100% certainty…God give me faith…give me the passion and desire to get on my face and cry out to you until you answer…God shape my heart…Thank you Jesus…for you are faithful…
Oh…I came across an amazing verse…1 Corinthians 2:9–What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived, these things God has prepared for those who love him…
Can you believe that…
Will you believe that…
God has prepared things for us beyond any of our wildest dreams…Dream big…
Have Faith…
God is good…all the time…
