February 3, 2014 - Holes in Your Faith

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.   Hebrews 11:1 Does your faith have holes? Where in the world would I come up with an idea like that, you might say?   Read on and you'll find out. (God speaks to me in most unusual ways sometimes!) The other day I was writing in a journal that my sweet friend Vicki gave me. As I closed the journal, I noticed the pattern of holes in it. It's really an interesting design - brown leather with various sizes of holes punched in vertical lines all over the front cover. Through the holes you see a bright pink suede-like fabric. As I stared at it, thinking about how clever the designer was, it caused me to think about my faith and how often I discover "holes" there. That is, places where I just don't believe. So many times, I do have strong faith, but other times I just have holes or even gigantic gaps in my faith. I'm dealing with one of those now, as a matter of fact. I get frustrated with myself as I want to be "sure of what I hope for and certain of what I do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).   Unfortunately, in those really hard things, I want to see the plan (or even come up with it myself and let God know the plan), sign off on the plan and make sure the plan is completed in my timing in order to "believe," and well...that's just not faith! Sound familiar? Faith is confidence that God not only can but will. It's trusting in God's plan, not our own. It's surrendering control to the One who really is in control. Faith is believing that even if God doesn't do it the way you see fit, it's for the good of the Kingdom and for His glory. Whew, that is really tough stuff! Just like the holes in my journal bring about a really interesting pattern of pink dots, so the holes in my faith paint a beautiful tapestry of God and His loving kindness to me. Every time He lovingly plugs one of those holes in my faith, He shows me I can trust Him in that difficult circumstance. Sometimes He does this through His Word that speaks directly to me in a moment when my faith is weak. Other times He uses a friend or pastor to reassure me of His promises. He also speaks to me with that still, small voice as I pray and confess my doubts and fears to Him. Let's be grateful for the holes in our faith. "Why?" you might say. Because in recognizing them, we see that God is at work in us. The truth is that growing in our faith is a process, but our faith builder is FAITHFUL. Verses to help fill the holes in your faith... ... Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 4:6 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 ... I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!Mark 9:23-24 Questions to consider ... Where are the holes in your faith? Will you ask God to fill them with His Word so you can trust Him more fully? Will you commit to take the verse He gives you and recite it to yourself each time you begin to doubt? Have a faith-filled week! Jacqueline Heider is the Director of Women's Ministry,  Prayer & Resource Specialist at Warren Baptist Church.  Visit her blog for more encouragement.

January 27, 2014 - God's Ultimate Power Tool

I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.  Philippians 3:10 This is one of my favorite verses. It's so rich and full of truth. Not long ago this passage began to weigh heavily on my heart. I couldn't get it out of my mind. I thought about it over and over. God does this to me when He wants to instill a new truth in my heart or take me to a new level of understanding. Sometimes, in fact, He literally "wears me out" and "hounds" me with the Word until I get desperate, almost to the point of obsessing over it. That is where I was with this passage a few months ago. Let's start at the beginning. I want to know Christ ... what does that mean? It is certainly NOT a head knowledge of our Lord Jesus, but rather a deep, intimate heart knowledge of Him ... an intimate knowing, believing and understanding of Him. Part of that knowing Him is found in understanding the power of His resurrection. Let's park here for a moment. The power of His resurrection - I really want to know how to tap into that. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 1:19 that this resurrection power is available to us as believers. So ... if I have this power available to me (in fact, it is actually living in me through the Holy Spirit), why can't I use this power to its fullest potential all the time? I mean, I do have it. I know that it's there, and I use it sometimes, but how do I make it a "way of life" for me on a deeper level? Let's apply this to a common struggle. There are times in my life when I struggle with a lack of patience. Sometimes I have a short fuse. I also have three beautiful children (who are indeed children and do things that most children do!). At times I am easily angered and frequently become irritated with them because they are not "cooperating" and doing as I want them to (can you relate?). My question then is this: If I have this resurrection power within me, how can I control my temper and lack of patience (as Christ would) using this awesome power tool that God has given me? I believe the answer is in the next phrase of this passage - the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings becoming like him in his death ... I must surrender. I must die to my self and what I want. I must so share in Christ's actual death that there is nothing left of me except that which Jesus Christ sees fit to keep ... and He probably won't keep much! So, practically speaking, what does that look like, and how do I attain it? How do I live that out? I certainly can't do it on my own - it's too hard. I have habits and tendencies and behaviors that I have nursed for over 40 years, and it will take much relearning and retraining on my part and on the part of Jesus to "undo" that which is so ingrained. The first step, though, is surrender. I have to hold up the white flag and say to the Lord, "I give up! I can't do this!" There is nothing in me that can make this happen. "Crucify me, Lord!" Literally, kill my ugly flesh and make me beautiful like you. Take my impatience and my irritation and my selfishness and my harsh tone and my yelling and kill it all NOW in the mighty name of Jesus. Kill it! Bury it, and don't allow me or Satan to dig it up again. And every time I feel this sin (because that is what it is-sin) rising up in me like a pot boiling over, remind me of this verse: "I am crucified with Christ, therefore, I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) Okay, I know what you're thinking ... "but what CAN I do besides quote Scripture and die to self?" The most important thing you and I can do is pray! A sin or stronghold like this can be overcome only through submitting to God through prayer. Prayerlessness is an indication of pride (we think we can do it on our own!). Prayerfulness will indicate the opposite - I can't do this on my own, and I need Your help, God! I will slip up, I will fail (I'm human) but little by little, day by day, my precious Lord Jesus will change me into His glorious likeness. It will hurt. I will struggle. It will strip away pride and other ugly sins, but it will ultimately make me a better mother, a better wife, a better daughter, a better friend, a better example for His Kingdom ... and it will make me a more radiant bride fit for my King, Jesus. Let's recap the steps to living in resurrection power: Know Christ - and in knowing Him we must share in His suffering and death With that knowing comes surrender - I must die to self Claim a specific verse that you will deliberately recall each time you begin to fail (plaster this verse all over your house, in your car, at work - everywhere!) Pray, pray, pray! In all of this, believe what God's Word says when you are tempted to give up this hard task: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness..." When we are weak, He is strong. When we are surrendered, He is in control. Our hands are up. They are not trying to fix or do; they are raised in true acknowledgment that God and God alone is in control. This picture of submission shows our realization that God is working and is fully capable of handling us on his own. Resurrection power is attainable through surrender. Don't simply be  self-controlled; be God-controlled! That, my sister, IS the "ultimate power tool!" Jacqueline Heider is the Director of Women's Ministry,  Prayer & Resource Specialist at Warren Baptist Church.  Visit her blog for more encouragement.

January 20, 2014 - Thinking Outside of the Box

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord  establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9 A few years ago my mom and I went on a trip to New York City. The plan was to drive to Atlanta the night before our plane was to leave, spend the night, and fly out early the next morning. When we arrived in Atlanta, my mom realized she didn't have her driver's license. As you know, without proper identification you can't fly. So we quickly called my very sweet husband, Alex, and he decided it best to bring her license to us at our hotel in Atlanta late that night. All night long my mom kept beating herself up about it. She kept saying how ridiculous it was that she left it and how irresponsible she was. Over and over I continued to tell her to let it go, but she just wouldn't. Meanwhile, Alex secured a babysitter for our three children, picked up my step-dad, Jim, and began the quick trip to Atlanta. All the while, my mom continued to be mad at herself for the mishap!  Finally she said these words to me, "I know that God is in control and everything happens for a reason, for our good and His glory, but how could making Alex and Jim drive all the way to Atlanta be a "good thing"? As she said those words, a thought popped into my head. "Maybe it's not all about us." I told her, "Maybe this little incident has absolutely nothing to do with our family. Maybe we need to think 'outside the box' for a moment."  She looked at me rather perplexed and asked me to explain. "You see, most of the time we are such self-focused creatures, and we don't see the big picture," I told her. "Maybe this mishap was for someone else's good. Maybe our babysitter, Kayla, needed to be at our house that night watching the children rather than somewhere else where she could have been in harm's way. Maybe the guy in the lobby at the hotel needed to hear Jim witness to him about the Lord (which he did!).  Maybe ... life isn't all about us, and we need to get outside of our little boxes and look beyond ourselves.  Maybe ... we need to remember that we only see down the street, but God sees around the corner! Maybe ... rather than asking, "Why me?"or "Why is this happening?"we should be saying, "Use this to bring You glory, Lord!"  So from now on, as you go about your day-to-day activities and those unforeseen events occur, think outside the box and keep in mind that your current situation might have absolutely nothing to do with you. If you let Him, God may use you in His grand plan for the world. And that not only blesses you, but it brings Him lots and lots of glory! Take a look at the following verses and praise God today for His sovereign care over us! Proverbs 16:9 Isaiah 14:27 Isaiah 46:9-10 Ephesians 2:10  Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to His power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  Ephesians 3:20-21 Jacqueline Heider is the Director of Women's Ministry,  Prayer & Resource Specialist at Warren Baptist Church.  Visit her blog for more encouragement.