Forged By Faith

Isaiah 35:3-4 NIV Been really hitting the heaviness of sin and the horrible future that it holds. It is a really big, really tough topic to discuss. Nobody wants to think about the negative side of things. But friends, when it comes to sin, it's nothing but negative. That's why I've been talking it about it so much over the past few days. Sin is real and it will lead to an eternity of misery if we don't address it. But today I figured I would share the other side of this thing. The hope. The promise. The future peace that is coming for those who fight to be better and leave the sinful way of living behind. As we've talked about, there are a lot of people who are not only okay with sin, they are consumed by it. Our world loves it, and sadly, many people have basically accepted it as the norm. And even worse, they don't care to want better. So this thick darkness has covered this world and doesn't show any signs of giving up. No matter how bad things look or h...

Isaiah 33:14 NIV We talked yesterday about how some folks just don't want to hear about God. They just want to be left alone to sin and mess up as much as they want to. And if someone is dead-set on not listening to the truth, then that's unfortunately on them. The truth is that a whole lot of misery is waiting for those who willingly accept sin in their lives. I get that God's way may not seem as enjoyable as the filth of this world, but His eternal peace will sure be a lot more enjoyable than the other option! I read this one last night and I couldn't help but imagine the shock and awe when folks suddenly realize they're wrong. Christ is coming back. Could be tomorrow, could be years from now. Either way, He is returning to call the believers home and deal with the despicable filth of this place. And while it might be easier to just do whatever we want to do, it's not worth risking being on the wrong side of His return. This verse poses a very good question. W...

Isaiah 30:11 NIV Sadly, there are people in this world who would rather sink than to have someone tell them they're taking on water. I don't understand it. I'll never understand it. I guess because it's easier to just ride it out than have to face that panic of realizing that you're in a pickle. But whatever the reason is, it's not only sad, it's downright dangerous. As we've been talking, the truth isn't very popular. For the most part, many people just want to be left alone. They want to be left to do whatever they want to do without anyone telling them they might be wrong. They would rather wallow in their filth and sin than to step up and address it. I do understand that changing can be difficult. But if those changes save our lives, then why not put in the work? Nobody likes hearing that they're doing something wrong. It hurts, it's uncomfortable, and it's brutally honest. Being left alone to do as we see fit is just easier. We don...

Isaiah 30:10 NIV Reading through Isaiah last night and this little beauty hit me. Think it goes along seriously well with our discussion of worldly popularity and how it just doesn't work with our faith. The world enjoys living in lies. It finds comfort in being told that it's okay to do anything and everything you want to do. No need for responsibility. No need for morals. Don't have to listen to that pesky conscience. I don't think I'll ever stop being amazed at how God speaks to us through His word when we're simply willing to pay attention and listen. We've talked for a couple of days about how this world we're passing through isn't going to be very high on our faith. After all, our faith is built on things like love, truth, kindness, decency, self-control, humility, and all kinds of other things that aren't really priorities in this place. As I've talked about several times in the past, people only want to listen to folks who tell them w...

Matthew 10:22 NIV Yesterday I got a quick reminder of how easy it is to get caught up in numbers. I'm ashamed to say that I was momentarily disappointed by a lack of worldly feedback to this Bible verse thing. Thankfully, God quickly reminded me that's not what matters and that's not why I'm doing this. Truth is that our faith will never be popular in this place. So if we're thinking that following Christ is going to bring us fame and popularity, then we're going to be truly disappointed. Popularity and acceptance are mostly worldly pursuits. They so easily become our focus and our goals. We chase them and do anything to get them. We can even get to the point where we're willing to give up everything that we hold dear and everything that makes us who we are in order to obtain that fame and appreciation that we're craving. But that's not, nor will it ever be what matters. As another quite well known verse says, what does it profit a man to gain the wh...

James 5:20 NIV Most days I go back real quick and see what I'd posted the day before to see if there's more to say or another verse that it makes me think of. So I opened up Instagram and saw that I'd only gotten 2 likes on my post yesterday. And one of them was my Dad. That instantly bothered me a little bit. Only 2 people? But then I immediately thought of the shepherd leaving the 99 to rescue the one that got lost. How common is it to get caught up in the numbers? In this new social media world, it's all about the numbers. We all crave that instant feedback. We want to feel that gratification of reaching the masses. And when it doesn't happen, then we get all upset and wonder why. That desire to have millions of followers and this massive outreach is something that has become a pretty big distraction. So when I realized that I was actually bothered by such a petty thing, I remembered that's not the point. That's not why I'm doing this. That's not ...

Ephesians 4:29 NIV Sidewalk Prophets just released their newest record on Friday, and as you'd probably expect, it's amazing! Already listened to it a few times, and one song has really stuck out to me so far. It's called The Comment Section, and I don't know that I've heard a song more accurately capture the current state of things. I'll drop a link below for you to head over and give it a listen, just a perfectly timed song for our country. Social media is great in many ways. It helps us stay connected to family and friends who may not live close by. It allows us to stay up-to-date with things that are going on. It gives us the chance to learn more about and even sometimes connect with our favorite famous folk. And it gives us each a chance to express ourselves and share whatever is on our minds. And that's kind of where it can take a turn for the worst. We're able to comment on one another's thoughts and ideas. We're given the chance to chime...