Luke 8:22-25 – “Now on one of those days Yeshua and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let’s move to the other side of the lake.” So, they set out. ²³ Then as they were sailing, He fell asleep. A violent windstorm came down on the lake, and they were swamped with water and in danger.

²⁴ They came to Yeshua and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re perishing!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging wave of water. Then they stopped, and it became calm.

²⁵ Then Yeshua said to them, “Where is your faith?” But they were afraid and marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!” TLV

Last time we began considering the question of where our faith is.  We noted that it was not a question of having faith but of where that faith was placed.  So, the question, “Where is your faith?” is a question that we need to answer and realize if we are to enjoy the abundance of life Jesus promised and become those who can and do enforce the Victory of Calvary.

Matthew 21:22 – “And whatever you ask in prayer, trusting (belief), you shall receive.”

What are we to believe?  The obvious is, that we are to believe in Christ and the power of God!  But it goes beyond that, far beyond that.  We fall into one of two categories.  We believe that it will happen, and we will have that for which we have asked.  We will believe that it will not happen, and we will not have that for which we have asked.  So, the question – “Where is your faith?”

The foundation and heart of the matter are learning to point or direct our faith in the right direction and place it upon the right object.  Faith, as God intended, is simple, not complex, or complicated.  Man tends to complicate faith and everything in which he is involved.  We tend to infuse ‘sense knowledge’ or ‘human reason’ into the equation and call it logic.  We somehow seem to feel that we need to understand everything to trust.

Yet, at the same time, we place our total confidence in others and human means without hesitation or fully understanding.  We place our trust our lives in a medical doctor even without understanding medicine or the method of treatment.  We will hire an attorney because we do not understand the law.  Yet, we hesitate to trust the one who created us with our healing, guidance, and provisions, because we do not understand it all. 

I feel the need to insert this comment: “God made us, therefore, surely, He knows how to care for us!”  The bottom line is that it is a matter of trust.  We do not understand all there is to know about salvation or how it is even possible, but we believe it. Then, why is it difficult to trust God in everything?  It is a matter of trust!

Let me offer an illustration that may be of benefit.  I read that once Stonewall Jackson and his sister-in-law were crossing the boiling torrent, just below the American Falls at Niagara. They were in a small boat manned by two oarsmen. The current was so swift that it swilled the boat around so much that Jackson’s sister-in-law became hysterical and terrified.  She believed they were going to sink and be killed. 

He seized her arm and turned to one of the men rowing the boat, “How often have you crossed here?”  The oarsman said, “I’ve been rowing people across for twelve years.”  Jackson then asked, “Did you ever have an accident?”  The man said, “Never, sir!”  Jackson continued, “Have you ever capsized and lost lives?”  The man said, “Never, sir!”  Jackson turned to his sister-in-law and said, “Did you hear what they said?  Unless you think you can do a better and safer job, sit still, and let trust them, as I do!”

The question is, “Who can do a better job, you, or God?”  Can we do better than to put our full confidence in Him?  So, again I ask, “Where is your faith?”  In what do you trust?

Faith is not simply feeling, seeing, touching, tasting, smelling, or hearing.  Faith is believing.  In Hebrews 11:1 we read, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

So, I conclude with these declarations:

• You can trust God with your health.
• You can trust God with your finances.
• You can trust God with your life.
• You can trust God with your eternal soul.

Where Is Your Faith?

God bless you as you enjoy this walk of faith and may it grow ever more wonderful.  Have a wonderful day!

Luke 8:22-25 – “Now on one of those days Yeshua and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let’s move to the other side of the lake.” So, they set out. ²³ Then as they were sailing, He fell asleep. A violent windstorm came down on the lake, and they were swamped with water and in danger.

²⁴ They came to Yeshua and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re perishing!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging wave of water. Then they stopped, and it became calm.

²⁵ Then Yeshua said to them, “Where is your faith?” But they were afraid and marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!” TLV

The question for us to entertain is found in verse 25.  I have always found the topic of faith an interesting one.  For some, it is complicated and confusing.  For some, it is simplistic and clear, or so they say.  Some people have faith in action and others, like the disciples in our text have faith in the wrong place.  The question frightens some, fascinates some, and infuriates others. 

Many times, people talk about faith as though it were some mystical and lofty subject and believe that only the select of the elect can obtain and manifest it.  Some speak of faith saying things like, “If I just had faith or enough faith.”

This particular event stands out as Jesus speaks to them and says, in effect, “You thought I was sleeping but was it me, or your faith that was asleep?”  Some say, “Where is the LORD?”  But the question should be, “Where is our faith?”  So, I proceed by asking each person reading, “Where is your faith?”  To unravel the question several things are important to consider and realize.

It Is Not A Question of Having Faith.  We were told in Romans 12:3b – “God has assigned to each person a measure of faith.”  Thus, according to the Bible, everybody has faith in something and exercises that faith daily.  We could not operate in this life without faith, in something or someone.

It Is a Question of Where We Put or Place Our Faith.   I find it amazing, and it would be amusing were it not so serious, how many people put their faith in the second cause rather than the first great source – God!  I have often said, “We trust in what we know or believe.”  If we do not know who God is or the present application of His promises, we will trust what we know (self) rather than God.

I urge you to remember that most of these men in the boat were fishermen and well acquainted with the water.  They had undoubtedly had many experiences watching the winds and clouds.  What they say brought fear to their hearts.  Their faith in the storm was strong but their faith in the LORD or what they could achieve through faith was weak.  They viewed the danger from the position of their weakness not God’s strength. They understood the limitations of the boat they were in. 

Too frequently we trust the means as though everything depended on the vessel.  Co-dependent people hang on to others as though those people were in total control and were the source of life for them.  A businessperson may work diligently to establish networks, and, in those connections, they trust as though they were the source of success or failure.  A farmer may focus on the weather and act as if his crops had no other source but the sun and the rain.  A politician focuses on which party is going to be in the majority and makes decisions as if that party were the source of his political success.

Their faith is in second causes rather than the first great source – God!  So again, I ask “Where is your faith?”

I am going to pause here and pick this up in the next devotional.  May the LORD be with you and help you to place your total confidence in Him and His word rather than what you see, hear, feel, and think aside from Him! 

I am praying that you will have a wonderful day!

Mark 9:23 – “‘If You can’?” Yeshua said to him. “All things are possible for one who believes!” TLV

Last time we considered the reality that God is the Creator of All Things!  We looked at the truth that He is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient.  Today, I would like for us to take another step, in learning “How To Trust God.”  How can we trust God more and more in our lives and rest in His Promises?

Consider the Success of God.  

The Bible, history, and personal experience testify to the incredible success record of God.  He has no record of failure!  He did not fail Abraham on Mt. Moriah when He revealed Himself as Jehovah-Jireh the Provider.  He did not fail the Three Hebrew Children in the fiery furnace when He revealed Himself as their Protector.  He did not fail the woman with the issue of blood when He demonstrated Himself as Jehovah-Rophe.  He is the Great I AM and whatever we need He is, He was, and He will be.

The Gospel of Mark records nineteen miracles that demonstrate the supernatural power Jesus exercised.  Eight of them prove that the man of faith has power over disease.  Five of them demonstrate the power of the person of God over nature.  Four of them reveal the authority the believer has over the demonic and two show the power of Jesus’ conquest over death.  Jesus never fails and in Christ, we can do all things through the God who never fails.

Consider the Truth that God’s Very Being Denies the Possibility of Failure. 

There is no disease that is unconquerable.  There is no task that is impossible to God.  Death could not hold Jesus and it will not hold us.  Jesus said in the Gospels that He has given us His Power and Authority over the powers of darkness.  There is Power in His Name, Power in His Word, and Authority in the Blood of Jesus.  He cannot fail, therefore, if we abide in Him and His word abides in us then we should not fail, because it is Christ in us that we live.

Consider That His Ministry is to You and Me – It Is Personal. 

He desires to operate through us through the Power of the Holy Spirit.  He said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to the one who believes.”  In Isaiah 53 we are informed that He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes, we are healed.  His ministry comes from Him to us and then through us.  We are vessels.  He has paved the way for us to do the works He did and greater works. 

Therefore, if we see in our hearts and minds who He is and realize His unfailing success we will be encouraged.  If we take not of His inability to fail and realize that we are in Him, and we live our lives through faith in and of Him, we will be emboldened.  If we realize that He came to minister to and through each of us, we will become those who depend on and trust Him explicitly.

We can depend upon His ability to do what He said.  We can believe that He cares for us and is concerned about every situation we encounter.  If we present ourselves before Him expecting Him to do what He Promised, He will do what He Promised.  He will honor your faith and do abundantly above that which you could ask or think.  That is a life-changing revelation.

God bless you as you enjoy your new walk of faith in Jesus!

Mark 9:23 – “‘If You can?” Yeshua said to him. “All things are possible for one who believes!” TLV

Did you discover that once you became a follower of Jesus, you did not automatically begin trusting God with miracle-working faith for all your needs?  Maybe you still find it difficult to trust God for everything.  That in no way means you are not saved and a Christian.  It means that you are not or have not learned to exercise your faith to the fullest extent possible.  Please do not take that to mean I am saying I have mastered that.  I, like many or most believers, struggle from time to time.

There are four areas I believe it is important for us to consider and grasp in their fullness if we are to become more adept at trusting God for everything.  God wants us to walk by faith.  In fact, the Bible in Hebrews 11:6 informs us that “without faith, it is impossible to please God.”  It goes on to explain, “For the one who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”  TLV That is essential information and a challenge for every believer.

What are those four considerations?

• We Need to Understand the Position of God.
• We Should Consider the Success of God.
• We Should Remind Ourselves That He Never Fails.
• We Need to Consider the Reality that His Ministry is To and For You and Me.

First, God is the Creator.  He is not a god but ‘The Living God’ who created the heavens and the earth and all that is in and on it.  In Genesis 1:1 we are told, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”  It did not happen via the Big Bang or osmosis; it was a definitive act of His will. 

In John 1:1-3 we are reminded, “In the beginning was the Word.^[a] The Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that has come into being.” TLV

That brings us to three things we need to note regarding God, the Creator. He is Omnipotent.  He is All-Powerful.  He does not have Power, He is Power!  In Genesis 17:1 God declared Himself to be almighty.  In Genesis 18:14, the angel asked, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”  In Deuteronomy 32:29, God declared that nothing and no one can deliver out of His hand.  In Isaiah 40;15, we are reminded that the nations are a mere drop in the bucket to God.  In Jeremiah 32:17 we find that God created the heavens and the earth by His Power.  Jesus said in Matthew 19:36 that with God all things are possible!

Everything that exists come only because He has allowed them to be.  All life is given and sustained by God.  Man’s existence is like a note on an organ, and it lasts only so long as God’s fingers are on the keys.  He is God!  He is All-Powerful.  He is All Power.  He is Omnipotent. 

He is Omnipresent.  He is unlimited by time or space.  He is every at once, even though we do not see Him, He is there!  Genesis 28:15 God declared, “I am with you and will keep you in all the places you go.”  In Joshua 2:11 we read the announcement that God is God in heaven and on the earth.  In Psalm 137:7, David asked, “Where can I go, and God not be there?”  Proverbs 15:3 declares that God’s eyes are in every place.  Jeremiah 23:24 asks, “Can anyone hide himself in secret places and God not see him.”  Why?  Because God fills the heaven and the earth.  There is no limitation on God!

God is Omniscient.  He knows everything.  1 Chronicles 28:9 tells us that God searches the hearts and understands the imaginations of the thoughts.  He knows our thoughts even before we think them consciously.  In Psalm 139:1, the Psalmists declared, “O LORD, you have searched me and known me.  You know when I sit down and when I get up.  You understand my thoughts afar off.”  In Job 42:2 we read, “I know that You (God) can do everything and that no thought can be withheld from You.”  And in Luke 16:15 we discover that God knows our hearts, therefore our minds and our thoughts.

God is perfect in every way.  That God, the Living Creator God who is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient is our God!  If that ever becomes a reality for us, we will find it easy or easier to trust Him more and more.

I will dig a little deeper in the next session.  Until then may the God of Peace comfort your hearts in Christ Jesus.  Have a fantastic day!

Luke 14:11- “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  NASB

In this passage, Jesus was using a parable to address the guests and noticed that they were picking out places of honor for themselves.  He used the occasion to bring to light the fatal flaw in that tendency and thinking.  Sadly, many today are so driven to be recognized and esteemed that they exalt themselves. 

Jesus reminded His audience of this truth by using the illustration of the guests being invited to a wedding feast.  He warned them not to take the place of honor because someone more distinguished and recognized than they might arrive, and the host would embarrass them by asking them to move down to a lesser position. 

The result would be such embarrassment that they would assume the lowest position in shame.  Public humiliation and self-pity would be the by-products of this.  He suggested that when invited, go, and recline at the lowest place and the host would come and ask them to move it and the result would be recognition by everyone in the room rather than embarrassment and shame. 

Jesus told them in verse 11 – Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and that is painful. I know I have tasted it.  He went on to declare that the one who humbles himself will be exalted and I have tasted that as well.  I like the feeling of the latter far better than the former.  We have all, at times felt more important than we are or should feel about ourselves and that is a dangerous mindset and attitude. 

I am not suggesting self-flagellation, but rather humbling ourselves in the sight of the Lord and allowing Him to cause us to be elevated or lifted up to the place He would desire.  You are not the focus of all things, nor it is required that you be the center of attention.  You do not have to lead in every situation unless leading by example demonstrating humility is the leadership that you demonstrate. 

If God wants you to be the head, He will cause you to be promoted to that position.  If God wants you to develop humility, then He may allow you to be given a lesser position without fanfare and notice.  Since it is His Church that is being built the position is not what is important but obedience.  It is allowing God to place the gift required for the situation in the lead spot and placing you in the mix where you can best lend to the advancement of the Kingdom.

May God be with you as you go through this day!

Jeremiah 28:16 – “Therefore thus says Adonai: I am about to send you away from off the face of the earth. This year you will die since you have spoken apostasy against Adonai.”  TLV

Truly Life is short compared to Eternity and it is important and necessary that we make the most of our time here on planet earth.  Today I feel compelled to ask the question, “What if this year was your last?”

THERE MUST BE A FULL AUDIT OF OUR LIVES, SOMEWHERE, SOMETIME…

That was one of the reminders that our LORD and his disciples frequently addressed.  Jesus spoke of a day of honor and reward.  He spoke of the final reporting day when we would receive our final report card.  A day when our lives would be an open book for all to seek, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

We dare not miss the Bible’s reality that everybody will be there.  People from all ages, eras, nations, tribes, and people will stand before God.  Those we loved and those we had dealings with will be there.  Our grades will be posted and there will be no secrets that will not be disclosed.  Every evasion, deflection from honor, and integrity will be exposed. Every postponement and procrastination.  Every quibbling with conviction, every hidden act and thought of dishonesty, every theft, ever misused influence will be there.  Also, every honorable deed, righteous action, and godly act will be identified.

We will be seen as we really are!  That can be wonderful or frightening.  We will be exposed as we are not how we think we are or how others think we are.  The real us will be on display.  That is why I pray daily, “LORD let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight.”  I pray for the Holy Spirit to help me be conformed and transformed to godliness.  I want no wicked thing to live in me!  Do I fail?  Of course, but when I know I have, I run to the Cross and seek His pardon, then move forward in His mercy and grace.

YOU AND I MUST COME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT OF THE BREVITY OF LIFE…

You and I are commissioned to make our lives count.  We have an assignment in life, a job to do, a work to accomplish.  The question is, “Am I, are we doing it?”  We have a mission and a commission. 

I say to the husbands, fathers, wives, and mothers, that each of us should live as though this text was the sentence of our life – This could be our last year.  This could be our last day.  We need to live every moment as if it were going to be our last moment on earth.  That would solve most of the world’s problems if everyone did.

Parents, we should all be asking ourselves, have we shaped the character of our children in a godly fashion.  We may have a large amount of insurance, but do we have assurance?  Are we instilling that assurance in the hearts of our children and those within our sphere of influence?

The training of our children cannot be delegated to the babysitter or the educational system, it is ours.  Every ship carries life jackets, hoping they will never be used.  But, just in case there is an emergency they are there.  Can it be less important to provide for the spiritual needs of our families?

I suggest that because this year or this day could be our last, we need to Look Back.  I know Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.”  However, looking where we came from and learning from our mistakes is not what He was addressing.  If we look back and long for what we left, that is a disqualifier for kingdom service.  We cannot repair the past, but we can learn from our mistakes.

I remember reading of an account in a city in the western part of the United States, on the edge of an Indian Reservation, an old man and his nephew were given shelter by a local farmer.  During the night, the nephew and the old man had a disagreement. The nephew packed his belongings and left.  The next day the farmer went to the police and reported that the nephew had killed the old man and ran off with $5,000.  The nephew was captured, tried, and executed. 

The farmer sold his farm and moved out of state.  Thirty years later the farmer returned to the city and confessed that the nephew was innocent and that he had killed the old man and stolen the money.  The burden of guilt was more than he could bear.  He confessed before the judge and died a few days later in jail. 

Why do I share that?  I share it because some reading this have been lugging things around that should have been confessed long ago.  For some, the two-minute warning has sounded and the sand in the hourglass is almost emptied.  Therefore, for some, it is vital to look back and do the right thing. There are things you have postponed cleaning up and correcting.  The time is now to do what should be done!

The homegoing of a person who is prepared for eternity is a blessed event.  Blessed is every person who can look back over their life and say, as did the apostle Paul this.  “The time of my departure is at hand.  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the LORD the righteous judge, shall give me at that day.”  (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

I pray that you are ready, but if you are not TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION!  Jesus is calling now and awaits you to confess and forsake your sin. 

God bless you and may the Peace of God embrace you!

Mark 9:23 – “‘If You can’?” Yeshua said to him. “All things are possible for one who believes!”

This verse is powerful when believed, understood, and applied but useless when rejected, doubted, or ignored.  The statement in this text is that the person who believes [something], has an open door to the realm of the impossible making it possible in this life.

It should demand a more thorough examination.  I say that because faith is based on evidence, not speculation.  A casual cursory glance at any verse is insufficient to result in any lasting conclusion as to the truth contained and applicability of that passage.  In 2 Timothy 2:15, we read, “Make every effort to present yourself before God as tried and true, as an unashamed worker cutting a straight path with the word of truth.” TLV

I believe we need to examine this passage in the following manner at a minimum:

• The Person of the Passage.
• The Reason this is Possible.
• The Provision of this Passage.
• The Implication of this Provision.

So, I ask that you join me in a brief examination.

First, let us consider the Person of the Passage – “the one who believes.”  I suggest that for this to become personalized, you must believe.  The question is, believe what?  Is it believe anything?  No!  This is a specific exercise of faith that must follow an experience of faith or the New Birth! 

Back to the question, “Believes what?”  Believes this declaration that what this person asks for they will receive.  But that must be based on and in harmony with the Word of God and the Will of God.  So, the person of the passage is the one who believes God’s Word and believes that this is possible for them.

Next, let us consider the reason this is Possible.  Shall we rehearse a few realities for the Child of God?  The believer, the born-again child of God is a family member and according to Romans 8:17 – we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus.  We have access to the Father and the storehouse of God in our prayers.

Additionally, the believer, the born-again child of God is dependent upon God’s ability and power.  They do not trust the arm of flesh or the ability of man but the power of God.  Taking it one step further, we realize from the Bible, history, and personal experience God’s demonstrated desire to care for us and give us the Kingdom of God.  We can look at the history of Israel biblically and historically and see that reality.  We can look at the early church and find that reality unmistakable. 

John 10:10 – – We are promised Abundant Life.

Luke 12:32 – – We have the declaration of Jesus that the Father’s good pleasure is to give us the Kingdom.

Romans 12:3 – – We find the declaration that God has given to each person the measure of faith.

Thirdly, Let us Examine the Provision of the Passage – “all things are possible.”  In Mark 19:26 the Bible declares that with God, all things are possible and repeats that in Mark 10:27.  It is not fantasy or wishful thinking, it is God’s declared reality. 

But what is possible?  The qualifier is, “All Things!”  My go-to passage in time of need is 1 John 5:14-15 – “Now this is the confidence we have before Him—that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have the requests we have asked from Him.” 

We have a condition revealed in James 4:2 that if we ask and do not receive, we just may have asked amiss.  That is a great place to examine our hearts and motives for our requests.  I suggest that you consider and meditate on these passages – [John 15:7; John 14:13-14; John 15:16; Hebrews 4:16; Mark 11:22-24; Romans 8:17].  I believe they will be challenging and enlightening.  We answer the question, “What is Possible?”  ALL THINGS!

Then, We Must Consider, the Implication for Us Personally.  We are, according to the Bible, ‘more than conquerors through Jesus.’  If we make John 15:7 – “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you” the pattern and reality of our lives – Amiss Asking Will Be non-existent.  In that condition then the signs of Mark 16 will be ours.  We will pull down strongholds as the Bible declares and although we may lose some battles, we will not lose the war.

We need to come to the place in our walk with God that, Impossible is no longer in our vocabulary because Impossible is not Possible with God!  God Can!  I suggest that a specific need requires a specific request and specific faith.  I believe it would be helpful to visualize the answer, verbalize the request, and verify our authorization through the Word of God.  What does God say about it?  Why do we desire it?

God bless you as you embark on a new journey of Making the Impossible Possible in Jesus!