Tag: GodIsFaithful

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Flip the Coin

I often hear folks say, “I wish I had more faith, or I wish my faith was bigger or stronger”. This morning, I would like to share a couple of thoughts on “Faith” and “Unbelief”.

Imagine you are holding a coin in your hand right now. One side of the coin is faith, and one side is unbelief. The outcome in the situations of our life is directly affected by the side of the coin that we are looking at.

There are many Scriptures when Jesus addressed “Unbelief” in the hearts and minds of those that he was ministering too.

In Matthew 13 it says that Jesus couldn’t do any mighty works in his own hometown because of their unbelief. In Mark 9 the man who had a demon possessed son brought him to Jesus for healing. Jesus answered if you can believe all things are possible to him and the father responded Lord, I believe – help my unbelief. After Jesus set the boy free, his disciples came and ask:

Then the followers came to Jesus alone. They said, “We tried to force the demon out of the boy, but we could not. Why were we not able to make the demon go out?”

“So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:19-20 NKJV

Jesus didn’t say that it was because of their “little” faith or even lack of faith but because of unbelief. He then goes on to say that with faith as little as a grain of mustard seed, nothing would be impossible to them. And as a side note when Jesus said “this kind” goes not out but by prayer and fasting, He was talking about the unbelief.

Faith, simply put, is our belief that God not only can do, but will do, those things that He has promised. Abraham is our walking example of this. He had a lifetime of evidence to support his unbelief in being able to have a child. Barrenness for both he and Sarah. If they had gone to the fertility clinic, everyone would have laughed at them and sent them home. But thank God, Abraham didn’t listen to all the unbelief (his own or that of others) he was strong in faith.

“And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” Romans 4:19-21

When we give our life to Christ and are born again, we are given faith as a part of our new nature. Romans 12 says that God has given all of us “the” measure of faith and then in Galatians 5, Paul tells us again that faith is a fruit of the Spirit.

We can all agree it takes faith to get saved. “For by grace are ye saved through faith”. Faith, believing that God will do what He says He will do, and grace, God giving us what we don’t deserve and can’t earn on our own. This was the time in our life that our faith in God was the smallest and yet it was enough to create the greatest miracle – salvation.

So now, what situation has you focused on unbelief. Go to God’s word, find His answer, feed your faith (Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God) and it will cause your unbelief to shrink.

It’s like putting weights on a scale – when the scale is balanced you simply decrease the unbelief because you know that “mustard seed” faith is more than enough to move mountains.

Flip the coin. Faith, we win. Unbelief, we lose. In God we trust!

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Building A House

Counting the Cost of building a house is something all of us should consider. Not just a physical house of wood, brick and mortar but the house we call life.

“If it is not the Lord who builds a house, the builders are wasting their time. If it is not the Lord who watches over the city, the guards are wasting their time.” Psalm 127:1 ERV

The last few days Dave and I have been busier than usual. On Friday, Kim & Austin came out to help us build furniture, put things up, paint and move boxes in. Saturday, Kaci & Stephen came and there were still boxes to move in and unpacked. Much to be shuttled from the RV to the new place. It was busy; we were tired and sore but very grateful to have had this time with them.

Memories were recounted, tears were shed, and laughter seasoned the hard work.

“Children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord. 4 Having a lot of children to take care of you in your old age is like a warrior with a lot of arrows.” Psalm 127:3-4 CEV

Just like building a home, building a life is hard work and we need people to help us along the way. It all starts with a good foundation.

“If you wanted to build a building, you would first sit down and decide how much it would cost. You must see if you have enough money to finish the job. 29 If you don’t do that, you might begin the work, but you would not be able to finish. And if you could not finish it, everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘This man began to build, but he was not able to finish.’…

33 “It is the same for each of you. You must leave everything you have to follow me. If not, you cannot be my follower.” Luke 14:28-30, 33 ERV

Jesus was talking to men who had physically left all to follow Him. We are called to follow Christ with our whole hearts. Making a commitment to Him, being obedient to His word and giving up our desires to take on His.

“The people who come to me, who listen to my teachings and obey them—I will show you what they are like: 48 They are like a man building a house. He digs deep and builds his house on rock. The floods come, and the water crashes against the house. But the flood cannot move the house, because it was built well.

49 “But the people who hear my words and do not obey are like a man who builds a house without preparing a foundation. When the floods come, the house falls down easily and is completely destroyed.” Luke 6:47-49 ERV

Building a house, whether physical or spiritual, is not without its rewards. One for this life and the other for life everlasting.

Yesterday it was just Dave and I. Still much to do – boxes to unpack, things to move in – we are building a home, creating memories and making a place where friends, family, and acquaintances can come to rest.

“We must not get tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time. We must not give up.” Galatians 6:9 ERV

Let me encourage you. Don’t get weary, don’t give up, don’t quit! Building a house is worth the effort.

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What’s Missing?

When you get up in the morning do you feel things are missing in your life? Or do you get up with a smile on your lips and a song in your heart knowing that life is good?

Too often we are focused on the wrong things – what we need, what we want, what we don’t have. Instead, we should be seeing what we have been given – it’s definitely more than enough.

“ I always thank my God for you because of the grace that he has given you through Christ Jesus. 5 In him you have been blessed in every way. You have been blessed in all your speaking and all your knowledge. 6 This proves that what we told you about Christ is true. 7 Now you have every gift from God while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again. 8 He will keep you strong until the end so that on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes, you will be free from all blame. 9 God is faithful. He is the one who has chosen you to share life with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” I Corinthians 1:4-9

Did you see that – God is faithful!

We have every gift from God, now, while you wait. Heaven will be glorious, but God has a plan while we’re here. These verses were written by the Apostle Paul, but Peter said the same thing.

“Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, 4 through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want.” II Peter 1:3-4

We have been given EVERYTHING we need – we have been given the Father’s great and precious promises!

If Peter and Paul aren’t credible enough, let’s look at what John has to say on the subject.

“So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them. 17 If God’s love is made perfect in us, we can be without fear on the day when God judges the world. We will be without fear, because in this world we are like Jesus. 18 Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love takes away fear. It is his punishment that makes a person fear. So his love is not made perfect in the one who has fear.” I John 4:16-18 ERV

In this world we are like Jesus! I didn’t say that, the Apostle John did. Jesus had the promises of God and lived by them and expected to see God’s word work in His life. He lived a life of love – loved by the Father and loving the Father. There was no fear in Him. We have the same promises; we have the same Father’s love and so we can live in this world with the same power and blessing.

That pie, with the missing piece, should serve as a reminder of the “goodness of God” that we have already enjoyed. It should also be an indication that there is more than enough left to nourish us each day.

When we let the Scripture be our source of authority it will overrule our circumstances and fill our days with His power.

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Mending Fences

All through the Bible we have verses that tell us to remember – remember the good things the Lord has done.

We are told to teach our children God’s ways; make sure they know of the times the Lord has delivered us, protected and provided.

“You must be very careful not to forget the things you have seen God do for you. Keep reminding yourselves, and tell your children and grandchildren as well.” Deuteronomy 4:9 CEV

“Someday your children will ask, “Why are these rocks here?” Then you can tell them how the water stopped flowing when the chest was being carried across the river. These rocks will always remind our people of what happened here today.” Joshua 4:6-7 CEV

So, this morning the Lord reminded me of a special time we experienced years ago, and I wanted to share it with you. Some of you have read it before but ask the Lord what He is wanting you to learn as you read it again.

I had the privilege to preach the funeral of a dear friend. This old cowboy had lived a good life but not always a godly one. In fact, it wasn’t until a couple years before he died that I had the opportunity to lead him to Jesus. How special it was to know that God’s love had touched this man’s life and that he accepted Jesus as his Savior.

Dave and I made the trip from Montana to Nebraska for the celebration of his life. I remember asking him just a few days before he died if he was ready to see Jesus and he responded with a resounding “Yes, I just didn’t think it would be this soon.”

When we entered the mortuary, I saw his favorite saddle was positioned at the end of his casket and tied to the saddle was a pair of fencin’ pliers. I wondered how many times he must have used those as he rode fence and checked on the cattle.

As I preached his funeral the next day, I made comment that Derald wouldn’t need those pliers anymore because there are no fences to mend in heaven. However, down here on earth we still need them.

How many times have I needed a pair of spiritual fencin’ pliers? How many times have I needed to have the lines around me pulled tight and secured, once again, to a strong post? How many times have I tried to grab a loose strand of wire with my hands and been stuck on the barbs?

“These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he says something, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. So these two things are a great help to us who have come to God for safety. They encourage us to hold on to the hope that is ours. 19 This hope is like an anchor for us. It is strong and sure and keeps us safe.” Hebrews 6:18-19

To me, hope is like a pair of fencin’ pliers. It pulls things up tight and keeps us for running off beyond the fence of safety that God has established for us.

God can’t lie. Trust His Word, pull your fence tight, and He will keep you safe and sure.

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All The Time

My thoughts are all over the place this morning. For the first time in months I slept in. I was shocked when I woke and saw that it was already 4:30 am.

I came to my chair in the living room, after starting the coffee, and told the Lord I loved Him. My heart was instantly stirred with the words of the old hymn, How Great Thou Art.

Oh Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art

I sat here – reading, praying, and letting those words minister to my heart. How Great Thou Art!

In the morning God is great! At noon time God is great! In the evening, God is great! There is never a time when God is not great, loving, kind and good!

“Let the name of the Lord be praised now and forever. 3 From dawn until sunset  the name of the Lord deserves to be praised. 4 The Lord is far above all of the nations;  he is more glorious  than the heavens. 5 No one can compare with the Lord our God. His throne is high above,” Psalm 113:2-5 CEV

No matter the time, the day or the year God is great – all the time! Tell Him of your love today.

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A Special Gift

Every morning I thank the Lord for the opportunity He has given me to share words of encouragement with you. It’s what I love to do!

This is the 4th anniversary of Kristi’s Morning Devotional and it has been such a joy to lay my fingers on the keyboard and write what the Father has put on my heart. Who knew there was a lesson to be learned from mushrooms?

I appreciate the comments you share through email and on Facebook. Knowing that the Holy Spirit is encouraging you touches my heart. If these brief morning thoughts strengthen you throughout your day, if they remind you that you are never alone and if they help direct you in the decisions you are facing then I am thrilled.

Each day the Lord gives us is a special gift. Each morning is a page waiting to be filled with His goodness and grace. Each evening is an opportunity to reflect on the His love and mercy. Each hour is an opportunity to draw on His strength and direction.

“This day belongs to the Lord! Let’s celebrate and be glad today.” Psalm 118:24 CEV

I am committed to continue writing as long as the Lord gives me the words to pen. I want the Father to be glorified through each posting. He, alone, is worthy of all praise and adoration.

Last night I had a dream that I was teaching at a church gathering. The theme of the message was “A Deeper Relationship”. Never do I want to present religious ideas or manmade doctrines. My goal and desire is for all who read my writings or hear my words to know that our heavenly Father is a father who desires relationship.

One of our children once told Dave and I “I see now how much you guys gave up, how much you sacrificed for us as we were growing up. I want you to know how much I appreciate it all. I love you”.

As I grow in relationship with the Father each day I appreciate His love so much more. I want that for each and everyone of you. And I hope that you desire that as well; for yourselves, your friends and family.

When Jesus sent His disciples out to preach the message of the life changing power of God, He told them this:

“Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: …7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!” Matthew 10:5-8 NLT

We have been given the same instruction. Freely give. The life giving message of God’s love is a gift to be freely given. It is my hope that as you receive from this daily blog that you will share it with others.

In the past four years, the blog has been read nearly 50,000 times. That humbles me. But my hope is that many more will read it and come to know the unconditional, amazing love and joy that come from being in relationship with the Father.

Will you help me spread this good news? Please share my blog with your friends and let’s see God’s word reach thousands more. There is no greater gift than the gift of God’s love.

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