Forged By Faith

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV This faith of ours is a journey, and it's a long one. It's a life-long experience that brings with it plenty of highs and quite a few lows as well. It's a journey filled with endless opportunities to grow as well as plenty of mistakes that get made along the way. But I think some can get lost under the weight of how important this walk is. I think the seriousness of it all can begin to wear some folks thin and maybe even lead to doubts and frustrations that may create some massive stumbling blocks. The past couple of days I've been thinking back on how far Christ has brought me from who I used to be. And I wanted to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to do the same. Take a couple of minutes and think about the growth, the changes, the improvements that you've experienced in your life since finding Christ. I promise you'll be amazed at just how much He's done and how far you've come from the person you once were and the l

John 1:5 NIV We've all had those mornings where we're sleeping peacefully. Finally getting some rest, not a care in the world, just comfy and cozy lying in our warm beds. Then light pierces the darkness and forces us to open our eyes. We're awaken from our restful slumber and forced to get the day under way. Usually we want to ignore that prompting to rise and get after it. We just want to sleep a little while longer. But eventually the light of day wins and we rouse ourselves to face the unknowns ahead of us. The dark is easier. It's more comfortable. It requires almost no effort because it's all about resting. That's why our world loves existing in the dark. It doesn't feel compelled to move, to change, to act. People can just lie in these comfy and cozy shadows doing whatever makes them feel good. Darkness provides this sense of comfort and relaxation that will always appeal to those who have things they're trying to hide or who loathe the idea of bei

Romans 1:16 NIV I think so many in our world reject the idea of sin because it forces us to admit our imperfections and accept the fact that we're not without blame in all of the mistakes we've made. The reality of the Gospel hits us right in those places that we've spent so long trying to ignore or hide because they reveal our true nature. They point out that we're flawed, corrupted, broken, weak, and prone to being led around by things that we're in no way proud of. That's hard for us to admit. You see, our world is built upon this idea of perfection. We're surrounded by people who pretend that they never make mistakes or get anything wrong. Just the very thought of admitting a mistake brings this fear of rejection, disappointment, and disapproval that so many can't bear to imagine. And considering the reality that our sins and mistakes is a central aspect of the Gospel, well, you can see why many struggle with it or just reject it altogether. I think

Psalm 89:14 NIV One of the biggest questions that those outside (and even some inside) of our faith have is about God's wrath. He's supposed to be a loving God right? So many people talk about how much He loves us and how He is such a merciful and forgiving Father. So why are people punished for their sins? Why does hell need to exist? Why are many going to be turned away from eternal peace in Heaven? Because God is good. He is the definition of good. And if He compromised with our fallen nature then His goodness wouldn't be complete. He would be just as wishy washy as we all tend to be. If He allowed people to get by with doing anything they chose to do without repercussion then He wouldn't be a fair or just God. Many can't reconcile this idea of justice with our worldly view of love. They see this idea of being punished for our sins as evidence that maybe God isn't as loving and kind and understanding as many say He is. I think the problem is that this worldly

2 Chronicles 36:16 NIV And yet another one from my nightly reading that I couldn't help but have to read a few times. It really is incredible how the Bible has this timeless aspect that still fits the way our world operates all these years after it was first written. And what's maybe even more amazing is that there are some who doubt that the Bible is God's word or think that it only applied to one group of people in one place at one point in history. Open your eyes folks! This is another one that we're seeing unfold all over again in our society. Now I understand that there will always be those who loathe the idea of faith and think that our beliefs are foolish. There will always be those who can't comprehend why we would choose to live life doing what's morally right and refuse to go along with the wickedness that so many find enjoyable. But there's a line that gets crossed sometimes and it never really works out when people go too far in that direction. O

1 Peter 4:4 NIV Whether we like it or not, whether we want to admit it or not, lines are being drawn in our world. In a way it's unfortunate. It's creating a lot of tension and unnecessary strife. It's ushering in even more hatred and division than we already have around us. But as unfortunate and uncomfortable as it may be, it's also something that has to happen because the Bible told us it would. So with knowing what we know and seeing it begin to unfold it's on us to hold tight to what we believe as it's about to be tested. That's where the rubber is going to meet the road for everyone. It's quite easy to call ourselves Christians. It's easy to share Bible verses and go to church once a week. It's easy to stay focused on God when everything is going smoothly and we can stay on top of all that's happening around us. But when things start to get a little weird, when all of the sudden we find people not being so kind to us, and when our world

2 Chronicles 29:6 NIV I was reading through 2 Chronicles last night and this verse really stuck out to me. Hezekiah is beginning his reforms, restoring the temple, and making a new covenant with God because the prior king had led the people away from their God and done evil in His sight. It really clicked with me for some reason. It's like we need this sort of thing all over again today. We need this reminder that we don't have to repeat what's already been done. You know, I think we settle for what we're handed. I guess we find it easier to just keep doing as those before us have done rather than undertaking the hard work of finding our own way. Maybe we assume that those who came before us knew what they were doing and got everything right. Maybe we don't want to take the time to have to consider things and look for ways to improve. Whatever the case, simply continuing what has been done before us may be easier, but it may also be completely wrong. That's what

Ephesians 6:11 NIV I've been hitting this topic of being careful what we let in and making sure our faith is built upon the truth of God's word because something dangerous is coming. It's absolutely crucial that we understand that those outside of our faith aren't just going to give up and stop being hateful and foolish. This world's penchant for sin and wickedness isn't just going to fade away. If anything, and the Bible makes this point pretty clear, it's only going to get worse. We're headed straight for a war unlike anything we've seen in our lives. If you've read through Revelation then you know exactly what I'm talking about. The time for weak-minded and compromising Christianity is nearing its end. This Sunday-only kind of faith isn't going to cut it. The filth and evil around us will only continue to grow. People will only drift further and further away from God's truth and His calling for people to live righteous and holy liv

Psalm 119:18 NIV What's truly sad to me is that there are some out there who will never give Christ a chance. They see this worldly religion that humans have created and they want nothing to do with it. Or maybe they're the ones who see any kind of laws or rules as these limiting factors that they don't want to adhere to. Or maybe they've just fallen so deeply in love with our society's version of freedom that they don't want to let go of the ability to run wild and live without restraint. Whatever the case, running away from God because He has some expectations or rules or standards is a sad choice to make. But again, it's one that many will choose because they only know how to put themselves and their desires first. After all that's basically what we're all taught from a very young age. And these past few years that way of thinking has exploded in our culture. The utter lack of humility, decency, and morality is downright terrifying. And what makes

Psalm 119:105 NIV Can you imagine our faith without God's word? Can you wrap your mind around how hard this walk would be without His guidance and the lessons and power found in the Bible? Yet sadly that's exactly what some forms of worldly religion have chosen. They've chosen to make self the priority and to do so they have to push Scripture out of the way. I guess some are just more worried about making people feel comfortable and justified than helping them grow. It honestly scares me when I hear and see some of the things that I have recently. People who call themselves Christians putting one another down and throwing stones. People who claim to follow Christ yet won't hold to the truths found in His teaching. People who deny the law and the realness of sin and the dangers it poses to every single one of us. I'm afraid that if we keep making comfort the priority then we're only going to keep wandering further from God's word and the changes that it encou

Jude 1:4 NIV I read something last night that someone posted in another Bible group on facebook. I honestly still can't believe it. It literally stopped me in my tracks and hit me so hard that I'm still in amazement today. This person posted a message talking about how Christians today talk too much about sin and the devil. He said that we need to lighten up and stop taking things so seriously. NEWS FLASH FOLKS: SIN IS DEATH!!! This is a war and in a war you have no choice but to take things seriously. We're all up against an enemy that is trying to steal our eternal peace and hope. We're facing an enemy that is trying to lure us away from the very God who created us and loves us so much that He sent His Son to die in our place for our mistakes. We cannot take this thing lightly for even a second! In my opinion we don't take sin seriously enough. We don't talk enough about it. We see these megachurches talking about prosperity and worldly comforts. We hear rocks

Psalm 101:3 NIV I've got another little nugget of wisdom that I'd like to share with you all today. "You can't control what you see, but you can control what you look at." I heard that the other day and I think it goes right along with what we've been talking about for a while now. We're surrounded with things that just shouldn't be happening. Our world is completely enraptured with sin and wickedness. It's everywhere and people are soaking it up like it's the greatest thing ever. But if we think that we can play along and pretend that it's not that bad then we're fooling ourselves. As Christians we're called to flee from what is evil. Not to entertain it. Not to allow it to entertain us. We should be completely disgusted by it. We're to have nothing to do with it because it pulls us in the opposite direction of where we're supposed to be heading. In Christ there is no sin. There is no evil. There is no room for deception or

1 Peter 5:8 NIV This one has been on my mind for quite a while now. As you know we're right around a couple of weeks from a rather different kind of holiday. As I've grown in my faith my view on halloween has changed. Now there are a bunch of different aspects to it and we could spend plenty of time discussing the finer details of it all. But this one part has really weighed heavy on my heart in recent years and I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about it a bit. Be very careful what you allow into your life. We're taught to consume. And entertainment is all around us. We have instant access to all kinds of different things that we can pick from. As we get closer to halloween there is this influx of some pretty messed up movies and shows that suddenly come pouring into our world. As harmless as they may seem please understand that isn't the case. We're so focused on being entertained that we rarely stop to consider what we're looking at or listening to. Th

Romans 16:18 NIV If it doesn't line up with Scripture then it's not leading us in the right direction. It really is as simple and difficult as that. You see, God gave us His word to help instruct, correct, rebuke, and lead us along the right path according to His perfect definition of truth. That is why we have to run everything we see and hear through His word. As much as we may enjoy something, if it doesn't match the truth found in the Bible then it simply isn't the truth. The issue that we run into is that all of us are a bit naive. We all have this inherent hope inside our hearts that everyone around us is good. We truly want to see the best in people. That's what love and kindness does. We want to believe that the people we trust are doing right by us and not taking advantage of that trust. We want to believe that those who are considered teachers and leaders are only worried about doing what's right by those who listen to them. But that's just not alw

Colossians 2:8 NIV Please don't trust me. Don't take everything you see or hear me or anyone else say or do to be 100% correct 100% of the time. We're all human and we all make mistakes. We all get things wrong. And we're all learning, or at least we should be. Sadly our world has stopped trying to learn. People have stopped looking into things for themselves. They simply let someone else do all of their thinking for them. Friends, do we not understand how dangerous that is? Don't we see the damage that can do? If we only trust in other people to tell us what's right, what's true, what's important then what if they're wrong? What if someone is leading people astray with pretty sounding words and comfortable messages? What if we put our hope and trust in those that the Bible calls wolves in sheep's clothing? Sadly there is far more of that going on around us than we realize. Our society today is so wrapped up in so many things that are simply evil

Isaiah 30:10 NIV Now don't get me wrong, I firmly understand that this world and this twisted generation wants nothing to do with what's right. They've made that perfectly clear. Sin is the preferred path of the populace. So it's definitely no surprise that the vast majority of people aren't interested in God's word or in walking the narrow path of self-control and righteousness. The problem is that way of thinking has no place in our faith. But sadly, as we discussed a bit yesterday, that's exactly what's happened. We've taken a wrong turn somewhere and just never really acknowledged it. We've allowed our priorities to get all out of whack, our goals to be shifted, and our purpose to become watered down. To put it bluntly, some have chosen to ignore God's call to be holy and do what He says is right and listen instead to what their wicked hearts prefer. One of the biggest problems in our faith these days is that we've started catering to

2 Timothy 4:3 NIV Those times have arrived! Sadly when we look around at some of what is called Christianity today a lot of it looks pretty worldly. I heard something yesterday and it was one of those simple little statements that just stops you in your tracks. In our faith we've gone from a sacrament to a sermon to a show. We've allowed what we want to become more of a concern than what we need, and friends, our faith just isn't supposed to be that way. These days we’re far more likely to find some lavish production than a simple study of Scripture. People want to be entertained more than they want to grow. That’s a direct reflection of our society’s priorities. We have been taught to consume, to seek what entertains us, and to prioritize what gratifies our personal preferences. We want to be afforded this opportunity to remain comfortable. We don’t want to be confronted with the fact that our desires stand in opposition to what God requires. It’s one more example of how w

Titus 2:12 NIV What God asks us to do isn't easy. It goes against everything that our human hearts desire. That's why we struggle with it. That's why so many eventually give up and walk away from faith. That's why this Christian way of life will never be the most popular way to live. Because it's hard. It asks us to say no to things that our world is saying yes to. It requires us to walk a much different, much more controlled, far more narrow path. But I want us all to remember one very important fact: We have a chance. We have a chance to be decent people in a very indecent world. We have the chance to be a light in the darkness. We have a chance to live for something more than some shiny trophy or worldly ideal. We have the chance to experience something new and radically different than anything our past lives gave us. We have the chance to experience the eternal reward that a life of faith leads toward. But if we're not willing to do what's hard then we w

Proverbs 7:3 NIV I wanted to circle back to my post from the day before yesterday. We talked about how Christ is the culmination of the law. He bore our imperfections and our rebellion upon Himself when He hung on the cross. He is the final sacrifice that covers our iniquity. But I felt like I need to make something clear. He is the culmination of the law, but that doesn’t mean we should just ignore it. That’s a very dangerous but albeit common mindset in modern religion. There are actually a few different subsections of Biblical law. There are cultural laws like what food is considered clean or unclean to eat. There are the ceremonial laws about the proper order of events for the ancient festivals that the Israelites celebrated. There are rules about different sacrifices and how they’re to be prepared and what is to be included with them. Those are the laws that are summed up and covered in Christ’s final sacrifice. Christ is the beginning of a new covenant that is still based upon Go