Tag Archives: faith

Having Faith in Where God is Leading You

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Have you ever had those moments where you felt like you were called to do something radical and different?  You sat and pondered the idea and felt like it was something you needed to act on.  Then in the midst of preparation and putting that idea together and bringing it to life you fall back and start having thoughts pulling against you.  Thoughts that may the result of fear and anxiety over what you are about to do and then quiet often, fear over what others might think of it.  Then you start to question your own motives and often questioning God’s motives and wonder if you can really go through with it and where He may be calling to go.

I’ve definitely had those moments.  Many of you saw my last post “My Faith Testimony,” where I stood in front of the camera for the first time and shared with everyone my personal faith testimony and journey of how I came to building a relationship with God and Jesus Christ.  Those reading my blog will know that I first posted about this idea over a month ago.  I knew that was going to be a big moment for me and faith journey and knew God was leading me to take that step.  Over the last month, time and time again, I questioned myself and even prayed if this was what God really wanted me to do.  It would pull me away from the idea and took me some time to finally get up in front of the camera to do it.

What you don’t know, is that it took three efforts of recording to finally get it to where I wanted.  After the first time through I was so caught up in critiquing myself and was so scattered that I almost scrapped the idea.  I felt throughout the days after that something was trying to stop me and I started thinking very negative about it.  After a few days of prayer and discussion with my wife, I was motivated again and trusted that God was leading me down the right path.  Since posting, I realized that it was the right thing.

Sharing my story and journey took a lot of guts for me.  I am quite the introvert.  Very reserved and am not one that goes out to seek attention and conversation.  God was telling me that I needed to take a giant leap of faith though.  I realized from this that when He is calling on you to do something new and big, you just have to trust Him.  Trust where God is leading you and have faith in the results.  I don’t do any of this, writing or the videos for my own sake and glory.  For me it is all about God.  It is all about drawing closer to God’s heart and helping to lead people to draw closer to God as well.

The enemy will try every way he can to stop you.  That is where the doubts and fears come from.  You begin to worry about what the world will say if you answer that call; if you make that big change or do the task thrown before you.  You start to stress about potential consequences and start hearing conflicting thoughts in your own head.  I dealt with those same thoughts.  I often deal with those thoughts when I write too.  That feeling of hesitancy before hitting the button to publish.

Simply put, trust in God.  Have faith in where He is leading you.  Have the confidence to take the leap.   You’re going to always have naysayers.  You’re going to always contend with some kind of negative trying to slow you down or prevent you from doing what your being called to do.  Spend time in prayer.  Listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  Know that God is using you for His purpose and have faith that your efforts draw you closer to Him.  Give God all the glory.  The results may not always be what you expect, but trust what God expects and what He’s doing.

You have a choice in it all.  God gave us that will to make the choice.  He knows where He wants to move, but we have to decide if we follow where He leads or go our own way and where the world tells us.  Have faith in Him.  Saint Augustine said, “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”  Your faith will bring about great reward in the end.  Hold tight to that.

Having the Courage to Change

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I have written many times over the past year since I started this blog about changing our life’s direction and changing ourselves and where we go.  We often times find ourselves on paths that don’t seem to make a lot of sense to us and therefore can get ourselves caught in a life of complacency and not motivated.  We simply just coast along and see where the chips may fall.  Trust me, I have been in that position many times.  A life with a mindset that is complacent and not sure what needs to happen next.

I’ve also written that we all have a purpose in life.  God created each and every one of us in a unique way and with a unique purpose and path.  All of our paths are meant to glorify Him, but the path that we take are often times very different.  Ultimately, however, no matter what assignment God inspires us to do, we are meant to complete those assignments in a way that brings Him glory and continues to share the Good News of Jesus Christ through our works and how we interact with others.

What about you?  Do you find yourself fixated on the purpose of glorifying God?  Do you feel that where you are right now is doing work that God purposed you for or you do you find yourself in a spot that seems to suck at your soul and keeps your heart and mind not fixed on God.  Max Lucado said that, “You change your life by changing your heart.”  If you don’t find that God is that center, then you need to change your heart so that He is.  Once He is, then you are more prepared to do the tasks He purposes for you.

People will often sulk because their not happy with their job or where they are in life.  They sit and complain, but don’t plant the seeds they need to plant in order to move.  They don’t talk with God to see where He wants them to move and sit in misery.  Again, I’ve been there too.  You can get yourself out of cubicle world or out of that job or task that simply has no purpose or value.  Don’t let that keep you from realizing what it is God purposed you for.

Now, I know for many, change can be very difficult.  Change is hard on anyone, especially if it means doing something dramatically different than you’ve ever done.  For me, I’ve found my story has taken me on a path that enables me to share and relate with both worlds.  I know what it is like to sulk and feel life wasting away in meaningless work doing what I thought was the right thing.  Since I’ve been reborn and now see where God is leading me, I can share just how glorious that is.  No, I’m not all the way there.  It’s a long road that can be often times difficult and even test you when the world tells you what your doing is not right.

In this case, I look to Joshua 1:9, “This is my command – Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Even if we cannot see what the end result will be, and I surely don’t know how far God will lead me on this path, I know that I have to strong and courageous.  God will be with us through everything we do.  We need to not turn from Him, but rather let Him lead us.  He will always be there.  If you hear Him say it’s time to move, have faith in where He leads you.  While it may not make much sense on the surface.  He has a purpose for it and following through will show His glory that much more, not just to you, but to the world.

The Central Point of Any Marriage

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For those of you married out there, how many of you have had your marriage tested by worldly things (temptations, worries, anxieties, frustrations, etc)?  If you said you haven’t, then you may want to rethink that.  I believe every marriage can be tested at any point and is tested often.  This goes for people of faith and without faith.  As well know full well, the divorce rate in the United States is ridiculously high.  Why?  Because people lose site of where the strength of their marriage draw and the fail to turn to the one true source of everything when things get difficult.  They easily fall to temptations or they anger easily and snap at their spouses or continually worry about things in this world that quite frankly have no significance in your eternity.

Now, I’m not a marriage counselor, but having been married nearly 17 years and counting with the love of life, I know full well that every marriage can get tested, even mine.  The enemy is in always in this world and will try many tactics to try to tear into the covenant you’ve made with you spouse before God.  As you grow in faith, you can start to see this peak out its ugly head more often than you may expect and in the most simple ways.  It can cause you to lose site of your faith and in turn strain the strength of your marriage if you let it.

We are all called to glorify God in all we do.  This also applies to our marriage.  The bond your marriage is meant to reflect the image of God through the man and woman.  If you hold tight to one another, you glorify Him more.  Keeping Him first make it easier to brush aside the worldly struggles and temptations that can get thrown your way.  Paul said in Ephesians 5:31-32, “As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.”  You are meant to reflect that relations of Christ and the church in your marriage.  Don’t let things that are not significant get in the way.

You may be wondering why I make it sound so simple.  You see, it is that simple.  Keep God first in your marriage and you will glorify Him and make it easier to stand-up to the world of sin.  Pray together and pray for each other.  This will strengthen you both that much more in your daily lives and struggles.  It will make your marriage stronger and healthier and better capable to stand before anything and push away anything the adversary throws your way.  You will be able to manage through adversity together that much better.  Keep God at the center of your Marriage, always.  This is a life lesson I’ve slowly learned over the years and it so real.

We’re All People…We’re All Broken

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I’ve been greatly inspired these last several months, weeks, and days.  My family and I found a new worship home this year, rather found our way back to our worship home.  It’s been an eye opening experience to be able to worship God every week with so many believers.  So many people who have their own story as we all do.  So many people who have had their share of pain, struggle, and brokenness, as well as joy and happiness.  This morning on my way to the office I was listening to the radio and hearing discussion about an article that referenced the fact that throughout the Bible, New and Old Testament, God used people that were broken to advance his Kingdom and Glory.  Only Jesus pleased the Father and did not fall short of His Glory.

With the release of God’s Not Dead this past weekend, I started thinking more how God uses so many different people in so many ways to help advance His Kingdom and share the Good News of Jesus Christ.  I’ve been connecting with more and more people these past few days on social media, particularly Twitter that are involved in ministry, involved in the movie, and people that are connecting with God’s message.  I realized that we’re all people and we’re all broken.  God is using each and every one of us in a unique way for His Glory.  While we may have different assignments and paths, we all have the purpose of being Ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Each and every one of us now and throughout history has a unique story that has brought us through trials and struggles.  My pastor challenged each of to write out our testimony and share that with everyone.  Our story of life through struggle and brokenness and to redemption.  Our personal testimonies are a huge way to bring others in and show just how God is working in our lives and how faith in Christ transformed.  A few years ago, He transformed me big time.  I was lost spiritually for way too long.  I am writing out my story and you will all see it very soon.  I pray that it finds its way to many more as I show what God has done in my life.

We can all do the same.  If your faith has transformed you, share it with others.  Open up about your own brokenness and how Christ redeemed you.  We can all do this.  We all have a story, we all are just people, and we’ve all been broken to some degree.  Pray and figure out where God wants you to work for His Kingdom and use your story to bring others to the Kingdom.  It’s a huge battle that we all as a body must take part in and are purposed to do.

God is Good…All The Time

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Have you ever really stopped to think just how awesome  and good God is. No matterwhat we go through in life, no matter our struggles, joy, good times, or bad times, He is always good and always there. This weekend, my family and I went to see the movie, God’s Not Dead. We have been seeing yhe previews for this movie for months and have very much looked forward to its release. If you have not seen it yet, I highly recommend going to see it. I rarely go to the movies, but I was not missing this one. So amped up to see faith driven movies hit the mainstream box office. Oh, and even on limited release, it came in 4th at the box office, which was awesome to read.

I won’t spoil the movie, but there are two men, pastors in the movie. A line the repeat back and forth throughout the movie, through good and rough times is, “God is good…all the time…and all the time…God is good.” I just thought, how powerful that one simple, yet true statement is.  God is good all the time.  We should never lose site of it, ever.  No matter what may come through our lives.  What troubles we may encounter or what joyous times we may encounter.  Remember that through all of it, God is good.  God is there for us.  God loves us unfailing.   Even when we don’t deserve it, God is there to pull us through.

Think of that today.  In everything you do, think of that statement.  God will never let us down, ever because He is good all the time.  I won’t over analyze it.  It’s simple and I want to keep it that way.  God is good all the time and all the time God is good!

The Restoration of Spring

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So today, spring arrives.  For many it has been a long and miserable winter.  Even in my neck of the woods in the Georgia, we’e dealt with more winter than we care to.  With that said, while many may still have to deal with winter weather for a while longer, the coming of spring brings new restoration to our world.  We start to hear the birds singing, the trees begin to bud, and we see new life beginning all around us.  It is a fresh start as we look forward to longer days and warmer weather.

In my reading this morning, I was pointed to look closer at God’s creation and how His coming kingdom restores our world.  God gives us a glimpse of this restoration each year as move out of the darkness and cold of winter into spring and summer.  Through Jesus, wherever humanity was broken, He restored it.  Just has the blind man could see, the deaf could hear, the lame could walk, and the dead returned to life.  Jesus restored and restores all who have faith in Him and seek Him.  My reading this morning was and excerpt from John Eldredge’s book Epic.  John explains that “the restoration of the world played before us each spring and summer is precisely what God is promising us about our lives.  Every miracle Jesus ever did was pointing to this Restoration, the day he makes all things new.

As the warmer days come back upon us, think about this restoration and the promise that God has made to us.  He sent His son Jesus Christ to live among us and be sacrificed so that we could be made new.  So that we could be restored to God once again as we had fallen so far.  No matter how broken our lives may be and we all have that struggle to contend with, Jesus is the answer and restores all.   We get a taste of that restoration every spring with new life.  Jesus brings us new life if we have faith in Him.

I am in the process of producing my first video blog.  As I mentioned in my last post, I will be sharing my personal testimony with you all.  Part of that will show just how much Jesus has restored me.  I’ve gone through my own share of struggles, doubts, and fears.  It was not until I was 33 years old that I realized just how far I had strayed and I found my way back to God and let me tell you, He has restored me so much.    I still struggle with daily troubles that life will bring in this world, but I have new hope and Jesus was and is that answer and He is yours too.

My prayer for everyone that reads my posts and who will watch my videos is that my life and testimony will be a beacon that will be draw others in.  That people who may be struggling and not know who Christ is will find there way to get to know Him.  He is always there and like the prodigal son, will pull you in with open arms when you find your way home.  He will restore you.  Look at His creation and how awesome it is.  He can do so much more within you, no matter where you are in life.

Faith is So Simple

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Do you ever think of faith in God in terms of complexity?  Have you ever felt that having faith and worshiping Him is too complicated and involves too much?  Sometimes it does appear that way.  All too often there are churches that try to over complicate matters of faith with man made ideas and dogmas.  They drive believers to jump through so many hoops that it starts to clutter the real purpose of faith and what it means to be faithful to God.  Truth be told, it’s not that complicated.  What does faith mean to you?  Do you find yourself trying to do a lot to follow someone else’s rules for worship and devotion?

Look back in scripture and think long and hard about moments of faith that shown throughout history and displayed for us in the Word.  Start with Noah.  He was instructed to build an Ark because God planned to destroy a world that had become so evil.  Noah trusted God and did so.  Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac to test his faith.  As much as he did not want to, he trusted God and took him to be sacrificed only for God to stop him right when he raised his blade.  Moses was told to free the Israelites from Egypt and trusted in God’s power to guide him through the task.  David trusted God to help him defeat Goliath.  Then, above all, Jesus showed tremendous faith in God and His mission throughout his life and surrendered His own life so that we might be saved only to be raised again and conquer the grave.

Do you see the idea and simplicity behind it all?  Faith is complete and full trust and devotion in God.  To seek Him in all we do and and seek to glorify Him in our lives.  It’s that simple folks.  Full and complete surrender.  2 Timothy 2 tells us that we should pray.  Pray for everyone and ask for God’s intercession on their behalf.  Give thanks for everyone.  God wants us all to be saved which is why He sent his son to purchase our freedom.

I was thinking about this this morning when reading scripture and it talked about about the Israelites continuous complaining to Moses about being led out of Egypt.  If they would have simply surrendered and trusted where God was leading them, it would have been a different journey.  God would probably not have made it a 40 year journey to ensure that the older generations died before reaching their promised land.

It took me a while to realize this all.  Through my life I’ve been to numerous churches from different denominations.  Each having different rules of worship, different dogmas, and more.  When sitting in church a couple of weeks back.  My pastor talked about just how simple it was to be faithful and pray.  We don’t have to over-complicate folks.  Walk with God each day.  Build your personal relationship with Him.  Accept Christ as your savior.  Show faithfulness each day in your life and glorify God in all you do.  Faith is so simple.

Having Courage to Pursue

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How often have you ever had an idea or thought come through that you wanted to pursue after, but then decided against it?  It’s in those moments where you know have a great thought or idea and you know it can be powerful, but you hear something discouraging you or you fear what others may say about it.  It could be a simple idea for a new project at work or it could be a life changing move in life such as starting a new business or something.  It could be anything.  Something lights you up and gets you motivated but when crunch time comes, you shy away.

I’ve certainly been there.  I’ve been there a lot in the past year since I started writing to this site and posting to my Facebook page.  I get motivated and then discouraged or just lose motivation due to distractions or wonder if people even care about what I have to say. I wonder if what I am doing here really made any impact.  While I don’t write as much now due to a busy family schedule, I realized that even if only a few people read it makes a difference that can impact more.  I share my thoughts and testimony in hopes that people will be able to find their God given purpose in life and pursue it with no excuses or apologies for it.  Part of my gift and purpose, I’ve realized is writing here and when I hear others mention it knowing they read, it’s encouraging to know that just maybe I’m having an impact even if it is just on a few.  I start with a few in hopes of impacting many more.

Anyway, I digress.  My example is just one, but to my point, if you ever have that idea or passion that you know you are called to pursue in life, that is when courage is needed.  Your faith in God can be a big factor in building that courage.  That naysayer that you hear in your head telling you no or being discouraging is the adversary trying to cloud you thinking.  Don’t listen to that.  Talk to God, get on your knees every day and I promise you, your faith will build your courage and when the time is right, God will tell you when it’s time to move.  Marcus Tullius Cicero said that, “A man of courage is also full of faith.”  Your faith will drive you forward and God will prepare you to battle this world and pursue your purpose.  Don’t let world distractions get in your way and discourage you.  Have faith and courage and you will succeed in achieving what God purposed for you.

4 Years in the Whirlwind

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I have not taken the time to write as much as I would like these last few months.  A few blog posts here and there, but as often happens to us, life and priorities get in the way.  This morning, however, I felt compelled to make sure I wrote something new.  I’ve mentioned this some in my writing and its definitely something that has taken precedence in my book.  4 years ago today, on October, 13, 2009, my entire family and I were tossed into what I call, the whirlwind.  On that day, we lost my Dad after a terrible rush hour accident that claimed his life and two of his co-workers, with injuries to six more of his co-workers.  It was a day we never imagined would happen and dealing with that tragedy was something we never thought we would have to deal with.  We were forced to come to terms with a lot from dealing with our own struggles of faith in why this happened, to dealing with the person that set this event rolling by an act of stupidity.  It was an emotional roller coaster that still plays out to this day.

In dealing with this tragedy, I have had to come to terms with a lot in my own life.  First, the loss of my Dad in such a tragic way, profoundly scarred me and sent me into a dark shadow for many, many months.  I tried to find my way through my faith, but honestly, it was not strong enough yet.  For some time, I did not think a thing else in life mattered.  If something like this could happen to someone like my Dad, who was a wonderful man of God, and an awesome Father, what was the point of things.  I was not angry at God, but I just did not know what to make of it all.

After the first year or so, I began to refocus my life and worked to really make sense of all of the emotions I’ve had to deal with.  I have a wife and children that depend on me and I knew that I could not spend my life dealing like that.  I began to read more books related to faith and then finally found my way to the Word of God.  I made it a point to read every single day.  I knew that through God’s word I could find the answers I was looking for in life and a way to make sense of all of of the emotions I dealt with from this tragedy.

Through this journey, I have learned the power that forgiveness has.  I’ve learned that despite the anger I have for the one that set this whirlwind in motion, I knew that forgiving was one of the only ways to release that anger.  It freed me from the burden of constantly worrying about this guy and was a huge step to move forward.  From there, I learned to simply surrender to God’s will.  To let him take control of my life and understand that He is in control and has a purpose for everything we deal with in life.

So what of this purpose?  What does it all mean?  Truth be told, my brother, Rob, said it best at my Dad’s funeral when he said that we may never know all of the answers until we go to meet God face-to-face.  I do however think there is a reason that has been revealed now.  We often hear the question of why God allows these terrible things to happen.  The purpose of it all is quite simple actually.  These tragedies are are allowed as they bring us back to God.  Often times people stray away.  I’m know exception, but through tragedy, many times people find there way back to God as they search for their own answers.  This was no exception.  I sometimes think that God looked at Dad, knowing he already had a devoted son, and this was a way to grab the attention of the rest of us.

We all deal with tragedies in different ways.  The bottom-line however is that through any tragedy in life, if we surrender and turn to God and find redemption through Christ, there is nothing we cannot overcome.  Nothing is impossible through Him.  Let Him take control.  We will always go through all of the pain and emotions that come with any tragedy, but know that God loves you through all of that.  He is there with you and waiting for you to turn to Him and I promise you, that you will find the healing and the power you need.  He is so Awesome!  If I did not have Him to turn to, I don’t know were I would be now, 4 years later.  I certainly would not be here writing this.  His love and His healing is so real, if you choose to seek it out, surrender, and let Him take hold of your life.

Thank you for reading.  I am closing today with this little prayer that you can say just help on your own journey.  God Bless you all!

Father, thank you who you are and for continuing to love us everyday.  Help us to love you and love each other more and more each day through all of the events of life. Thank you for the redemption we have through your son Jesus Christ.  Guide us each day as we learn to seek you more and let you take hold of our lives.  In Christ’s name – Amen

Dad and me Christmas 2008

Let The Spirit Work Through You

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Do you ever recognize that feeling that God is using you for a purpose?  That feeling comes where you feel like you are being called to something bigger than you have ever faced before.  It is quite a feeling and many of us meet that calling in different ways.  Some embrace it and let the Spirit guide them while others chose to maybe stay on the sideline and not act.  That choice can come from fear of the unknown or lack of faith in where you are being guided.

There are also those times where you may feel that you are not being guided or you are just not sure what it is God wants you to do.  These feelings may come in times of uncertainty.  Maybe career disappointments, challenges with your family, or any of a number of other things.  Maybe you were pursuing a career opportunity you hoped and prayed would pan out.  Then at the end it does not pan out and you are left wondering what next.  My brother Rob, said something to me yesterday that was pretty powerful.  We recognize God’s hand during those joyous times, but we often fail to realize that even in those times of what may be disappointment, it is really the God’s hand sheltering you.  Maybe protecting you from what may not be a good road or maybe he is just not ready for you to move just yet.  Believe me, when He is ready for you to move, He will move you.

Life presents so many challenges and also so many reasons to celebrate.  We were created for God’s purpose, so the best thing that any of us can do is to get out of our own way and let His Spirit work through us.  We allow that to take place and we will be guided to where we were meant to be.  It may be a bumpy road.  It may be filled with many trials, but you will be that much stronger for it in the end.  St. Francis of Assisi is quoted as saying, “If God can work through me, He can work through anyone.”  That’s just another example of how important each of us are.  We all have part to play if we just let the Spirit work.  The Holy Spirit is always here to guide us.  Paul said in Romans 8:26, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”

So what stops you from opening up to God’s plan and letting Him work through you.  It may not always be evident, but He is always at work in our lives.  I’ve seen in through my family and friends and in my overall outlook of life and faith.  If you close off from God’s purpose for you, how can you ever expect t come alive fully.  Our spiritual growth is the foundation of who we are.  Without it, nothing will matter.

SpiritofPower