Living The Supernatural Life Of Faith In A Natural World

“I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet, not I but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” – Galatians 2:20

Supernatural living in a natural world.  It is a life that is so very often in conflict with what the world says is right and true. That is what we are born again into, a super-natural life.  Does that statement seem strange when you read it?  Excessive perhaps? Maybe - but it is Biblical.

“Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” – 2 Corinthians 5:16-18

The supernatural life – our new life – is one that is totally dependent upon the One who saved us.  It is no longer our will but His will. For most of us, the events that we face in life are not any different from any of the people around us who are living natural – unspiritual lives. We face the same issues.  We do many of the same things.  We work in the same places.  We suffer through the same tragedies of life.

 But that is where the similarity ends and the difference begins.  The difference between the natural and the supernatural, is that as sons and daughters of the Creator God, we are sealed and indwelt by the Spirit of God.  And so, you, Christian, have at your disposal the power of the Almighty.  You do not have to face this life alone.  You have the power to stand when others fall.  You can endure life with confidence when others wither under the pressures that this mortal life brings. And why can we be so confident?

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.  Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:31-39

That’s why !   

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Trust - Not Understanding Is The Prerequisite For Obedience

"Let us go to Judea again." The disciples said to Him, "…are You going there again?" —John 11:7-8

Just because I don’t understand what Jesus Christ says, I have no right to determine that He must be mistaken in what He says. That is a dangerous view, and it is never right to think that my obedience to God’s directive will bring dishonor to Jesus. The only thing that will bring dishonor is not obeying Him. I know when the instructions have come from God because of their quiet persistence. But when I begin to weigh the pros and cons, and doubt and debate enter into my mind, I am bringing in an element that is not of God. This will only result in my concluding that His instructions to me were not right. Many of us are faithful to our ideas about Jesus Christ, but how many of us are faithful to Jesus Himself? Faithfulness to Jesus means that I must step out even when and where I can’t see anything (see Matthew 14:29). But faithfulness to my own ideas means that I first clear the way mentally. Faith, however, is not intellectual understanding; faith is a deliberate commitment to the Person of Jesus Christ, even when I can’t see the way ahead. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest 

Knowing the “why” before they act is a big deal to many people. For most, before they will do something they want to know the reason. Why? Because they want to know so they can decide if they agree with it. And so it is with receiving God’s direction often times.  

What we are asked to do may not make sense …. Get out of the boat and walk on water … walk across a flooded river … march around a fortified city 7 times … wash yourself in the river 7 times … put your faith in Jesus and walk … draw from the well that never will run dry … trust in the Lord and do not lean on your own understanding … confess and believe and you will be saved.  

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. - Isaiah 55:8

When my daughter was taking Algebra in school, she asked me how to solve a particular problem.  I showed her but then proceeded to explain to her “why” we solved the problem that way.  A page and a half later, her eyes were glazed over and like Charley Brown listening to his teacher, all she heard was “Wah Wah Wah Wah Wah”.  OK - maybe I could have done it in half a page. :)

The only way we will understand the “why” when God speaks is by the Spirit of God, and truth be told, we may still not “get it” fully - even then.  But, with God, understanding is not the prerequisite for obedience, trust is.  Our mental capacity is not adequate enough to fully understanding God.  He is the potter and we are the clay. 

But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. - Isaiah 64:8

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Serving God Without Conditions

It is one thing to follow God’s way of service if you are regarded as a hero, but quite another thing if the road marked out for you by God requires becoming a “doormat” under other people’s feet. God’s purpose may be to teach you to say, “I know how to be abased…” (Philippians 4:12). Are you ready to be sacrificed like that? Are you ready to be less than a mere drop in the bucket— to be so totally insignificant that no one remembers you even if they think of those you served? Are you willing to give and be poured out until you are used up and exhausted— not seeking to be ministered to, but to minister? Some saints cannot do menial work while maintaining a saintly attitude, because they feel such service is beneath their dignity. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Personally, my greatest desire is to always walk in the will of God (Matthew 26:39) and fulfill the purpose that God has planned for me. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Have you ever known someone who had to have things go their way or they would withdraw from whatever was going on?  It might be a game, work, ministry, or perhaps a relationship.  Or maybe you are that person. If we live our lives as Christians in that way, we have a conditional faith? Demanding that things go our way if we are to comply with what God has called us to.  While serving in Haiti, I visited a pastor in a remote village in Southwestern Haiti some years ago, Donglise (Dawn gleece).  The pastor was not well.  I prayed for him.  Not to just that he be healed but that God would give him the health he needed to do what God had called him to.  It is not important for any of us to be completely healed of our infirmities, although that would be a good thing.  But we should ask that God would give us the strength we need to accomplish His purposes through us.  And if He does nothing, some would say it is because we lacked faith.  But I would contend that the healing does not matter with respect to our call from God. We must continue to serve in spite of it. 

For the past three days, I have been working with a good friend who is helping me with a task the Lord has given me. The task. in and of itself, may see small. I am making napkin holders from oak wood with the engraving of a Cross and the word "Faith" on the front. The purpose is that the recipients, widows, would be reminded daily that God is faithful and we must live by faith.  We are working outside and the temperatures have been over 100 degrees. I told my friend that it matters not that the ones who will be gifted these holders may never know our names or that we labored in sweltering heat so they might be encouraged. My joy is found in my obedience to our Lord's call to visit the widows in their affliction - James 1:27. With that thought I am reminded of what Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.  Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 

The absence of adversity is not affirmation that you are in the will of God. Steadfast obedience in the face of that adversity is.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Things That Hinder Our Hearing And Obeying God

Who are You, Lord? —Acts 26:15

“The Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand…” (Isaiah 8:11). There is no escape when our Lord speaks. He always comes using His authority and taking hold of our understanding. Has the voice of God come to you directly? If it has, you cannot mistake the intimate insistence with which it has spoken to you. God speaks in the language you know best— not through your ears, but through your circumstances. God has to destroy our determined confidence in our own convictions. We say, “I know that this is what I should do” — and suddenly the voice of God speaks in a way that overwhelms us by revealing the depths of our ignorance. My way will not be to foster a meek and quiet spirit, only the spirit of self-satisfaction. We presume that whatever is unpleasant is our duty! Is that anything like the spirit of our Lord— “I delight to do Your will, O my God…” (Psalm 40:8).” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Knowing what the right thing … the God-thing … to do is and then doing it are two entirely different things.  Just like knowing you should not cross the tracks when a train is coming and deciding to wait for the train to pass are two different things.  When you approach the tracks a thought comes to mind … “I think I can beat the train to the crossing.”  Sometimes you are right and other times .. you are dead-wrong.  That is the way it is with believing and obeying God.  God offers His best, and even if you beat the train to the crossing - that meaning, something bad does not happen, you have settled for less than God’s best for you. 

Your decision may bring satisfaction for a moment, but God deals in the eternal .. not the temporal.  The heavenly not the earthly.  The spiritual no t the natural. I have shared this before, Dr. Henry Blackaby, in Experiencing God, said that God speaks to us in four ways – by His Spirit (the still small voice saying “This is  the way”) – through prayer – by His Word (the sword of Truth, a light and lamp for us to see the way) – through other Believers – and, as Chambers suggest – through circumstances.  

Dr. Blackaby went on to say that our problem is not in knowing what God said to us – the problem is obeying what God said to us.  The Scripture is replete with examples of disobedience.  People choosing to go their own way and expecting God to bless it or at least tolerate it. Hearing God and doing something else because they thought they knew better. 

So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice - 1 Samuel 15:22

Hearing God requires two things to be true.  First, our heart must be right … unconfessed sin will hinder your hearing.  Second is the practice of spiritual discipline in our lives .. if you don’t pray .. if you don’t read the Word … if you don’t associate with other Christians who are doing those things … if your focus is on yourself and not God as you live life, then don’t expect anything more than the conviction of the Spirit. 

To obey requires that we be submitted to the will of God - like Jesus in the garden. We may have a preference, but we yield our will to His.

All too often we want to be our own god and decide what is best for us.  We won’t accept any advice that is not consistent with what we have decided is the best for us.  “I am going to beat that train and you are bad if you don’t agree with me!” We ignore our sins .. having decided they are really not that bad. In fact, they are acceptable, and perhaps preferred, as far as we are concerned.  We pray asking only for things that support our plan for peace and fulfillment.  We avoid other Christians who will not agree with us.  

The fact of the matter is that we are practicing vain religion.  We have a form of godliness but deny the power of God in favor of our own devices.  In short we are carnal but are convinced we are spiritual.  My best and only advice to a Christian who is living like this is repent – you need more Jesus and less you.  You have accepted a life that falls short of God’s plan for you  .. and one day … sadly ... predictably .... you won’t beat the train.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Looking For Jesus - Take The Path On The Right

The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):  that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. - Romans 10:8-10

For background - each morning I pray that the Lord will give me the opportunity to share Jesus with someone.

A friend of mine sent me a text today after listening to someone on Facebook explain the plan of salvation from Romans 10. They texted me writing - "If that’s all ya gotta do….I'm good" 

To which I replied - 

With respect to the first part of your text, – Yes – that is all there is to it. Romans 10:8-9

1. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and 

2. Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.

But wait, there are a couple of things to consider.. 

First

In Matthew 16, when Jesus asked the disciples who people said He was  - eleven of them said the people thought He was a teacher or a prophet. But Peter said “You are the Messiah – the Christ – the Son of the Living God” to which Jesus replied to Peter – “man has not revealed this to you but my Father in Heaven”

The point is that confessing as Peter did and as you have comes by a Spiritual revelation from God – not us figuring it out with our human wisdom.

The second thing -as simple as the way to salvation seems to be – 

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:18

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. - 1 Corinthians 1:21

But the natural man (an unsaved person) does not receive the things of the Spirit of God (like who Jesus is), for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. - 1 Corinthians 2:14

So – when you believed and confessed that was a spiritual experience and a spiritual birth. You were born again. 

We can share the Gospel with others, but it is like planting seeds or watering what has been planted - it is God who brings the spiritual increase. We can't save anybody but we can do our part and tell everybody.

My mom wrote a poem some time back that she entitled, "How Do I Find A Savior" which I recently converted to a song. Take a listen below

Click Here

Oh - and try not to be surprised when God answers your prayer :)

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Reasons Why You May Not Be Content

By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain… —1 Corinthians 15:10

The way we continually talk about our own inabilities is an insult to our Creator. To complain over our incompetence is to accuse God falsely of having overlooked us. Get into the habit of examining from God’s perspective those things that sound so humble to men. You will be amazed at how unbelievably inappropriate and disrespectful they are to Him. We say things such as, “Oh, I shouldn’t claim to be sanctified; I’m not a saint.” But to say that before God means, “No, Lord, it is impossible for You to save and sanctify me; there are opportunities I have not had and so many imperfections in my brain and body; no, Lord, it isn’t possible.”  …. always be humble before God, and allow Him to be your all in all. There is only one relationship that really matters, and that is your personal relationship to your personal Redeemer and Lord. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

You must be careful to never compare yourself to other Christians and imagine that you can never be like them.  It’s true, you may never do what they do, but if you are born again .. you are exactly like them.  You are exactly like Paul … exactly like Billy Graham … in your position as a child of God, but you may be a different part of the body.  

The body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. […] The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it. - 1 Corinthians 12:14-25

God has purposed us (Ephesians 2:10).  You might decide to be a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker in the natural, but you do not decide what part of the Body you will be in the supernatural.  God does that.  Exactly like Paul and Billy Graham.  Now that is not to say that you might not be envious of someone who is the mouth.  But that is your flesh at work.  Perhaps your insecurities are at work or maybe your pride. I have known men who demanded that they have a certain leadership position in a local church.  Not because they were called to it, but because they lusted after it.  They want to be significant in the eyes of men or perhaps to overcome some feeling of inferiority.  Or perhaps they needed validation that the old had indeed passed aways and all had become new. 

Maybe you feel like God can’t use you because you have nothing to offer.  You do! You do!  You can and must offer … you.  Then trust that God will use you as He sees fit. It may be to fulfill a place that people won’t see or ever know about.  Is that OK with you?  If not, examine your heart.  If your desire is to glorify God .. the first step is to submit your life to Him and to His will.  A song you may be familiar with … “Yes Lord yes to Your will and to Your way.  Yes Lord yes.  I will trust you and obey.  When the Spirit speaks to me, with my whole heart I’ll agree and I will answer .. YES Lord YES!” 

God will provide the opportunity for you to fulfill your purpose. You don’t have to make those opportunities.  Just do what God puts in front of you.  If it seems bigger than you are .. for whatever reason .. it is most probably God.  There was a man, Brother Lawrence, who was known for his spirituality.  He was a monk.  One thing he did not want to do was work in the kitchen.  He decided that.  Any guesses where God put him?  For 15 years.  During that time, he made a huge impact in many people’s lives.  He served faithfully where God put him and glorified God and blessed others in the process.  Are you ready to work in the kitchen? To set side notoriety and the praise of men.  (Mark 9:35) [Jesus said] “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”  Hope that puts things in perspective for you. And gives you a reason to find contentment in your new life in Christ.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

I Have A New Life Just By Trusting My Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. - Proverbs 3:5-8

That is the message of the Gospel - turn you heart to the Lord. But trusting God is not a "one and done" thing. Even a cursory reading of the Old Testament you can see even the greatest fell away - trusting in things other than God - influenced by relationships with people and the culture they were immersed in. It is so easy to shift your eyes toward something else. "In all your ways" does not give us any wiggle room. We may think that ALL does not really mean ALL. Surely there are some things that are not under God's dominion. Just think about that for a moment. Times up. There is nothing in the universe that is not under God's dominion - the Creator of the universe. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. - John 1:1-5

What we are talking about is a spiritual truth not a carnal one which can change with the popular opinion of man. It is not the confidence that someone might have in their experience and thinking in some-one or some-thing. It is entrusting our body, soul and spirit to God. Returning to Him that which was stolen by sin. That kind of trust is tied to and dependent upon faith in God the Father.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. - Hebrews 11:1-2

Our challenge is not trusting solely on the day of our salvation  - if that were not significant enough - but to continue to trust God - Jehovah Jireh (the God who provides) every day in everything thereafter. And as you know it is too easy to not do that!

As an inheritance - my mom entrusted some poems she had written to me two years before she passed. Over the years, I have written some poems as well - some about faith and some about my love for my wife.  I have converted some of hers and mine to songs. Like the song I shared with you the other day that I wrote using AI to create the music and voices to go along with the words.  Mom passed in 2010 long before people were putting the letters A + I together. She would be amazed to hear her words set to music. This is one of her poems put to music about Trusting God.

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Who do you know that needs to trust Him?

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone