Forged By Faith

Ephesians 5:14 NIV Yesterday we discussed what it is that God sees when He looks down at us from His Heavenly throne. Does He see a people after His heart, or a people stubbornly following their own? Does He see soldiers of faith willing to uphold the difficult task of sharing the truth in a world that finds joy in lies, or servants of self that bend and conform to whatever message society wants to hear? Does He see anyone boldly standing in the light of Christ desperately reaching out to those who are hurting, or just a bunch of folks still lost in the dark but oblivious to that reality? Does He see movement and action and passionate revival of faith, or just a bunch of lukewarm religious devotees who think they’ve done enough already? Sadly, much of what we're seeing are the latter of those sets of possibilities. And considering the rapidly declining state of things down here, it really makes you wonder just how things have gotten this bad and why there’s so few saying anything a...

Ezekiel 22:30 NIV In these evil times in which we're living in this warped and twisted generation, I'm afraid that it's all too easy to assume defeat and refuse to try. We see so much going the wrong way and so many completely enamored by it all that I think many of us start to wonder just how much we can do that makes any difference. How can we make a difference in a world that's adamant that it doesn't want to be different than it is? If we stand up against the filth and depravity, what impact will it have when the masses are completely happy in the downfall? Wouldn't it just be easier to turn our focus inward and live out the rest of our time on this earth quietly flying under the radar of the violent and angry that seem to be growing in number? Well, yeah, that would be easier. But it also wouldn't be who God calls us to be. As I mentioned yesterday, if we don't speak up against the sinful issues that we see in this world, then not only are we not he...

Hebrews 12:1 NIV Yesterday we discussed the fact that every single follower of Christ is more than just someone who shows up on Sunday and listens to some music and a message and then leaves only to return to hiding in the shadows the rest of the week trying to not rock the boat. We are called to share this Gospel, and honestly, if we truly believe in the saving power it holds, we should be desperate to share it. We should want everyone to know what we've come to believe because we are the ones who claim we've been changed by His grace. But in our modern world, with all of this ongoing and ever-increasing pressure to conform to the wants and wishes of the wicked, that task is becoming harder, more challenging, and in some ways, even more terrifying. People on the other side of the coin aren't stopping at calling names and yelling anymore. There have been churches set on fire. There have been businesses that have been sued and lost income. There have been people attacked bot...

Acts 20:28 NIV There's been this continually revolving message going through my mind of late that I can't seem to shake off. It's a message from Ezekiel chapter 3. If we don't warn people about the dangers of the sin that is swirling around us and fighting to control us, then not only will they be found guilty upon the culmination of these temporal lives, but we too will bear the guilt of their blood. We will be guilty for having known the truth of the Gospel and failing to share it with those who end up being guilty of the sins that could have been atoned for had they heard the message and believed in Christ. This world has already made up its mind collectively. The masses have chosen the path of sinful indulgence and they're not only ready but more than willing to fight back against anyone who stands up and shares any message that rattles the comfortable complacency in the wickedness that they have found so appealing. Many simply do not want to change. They do not...

Deuteronomy 30:15 NIV There's this growing sense of hatred toward those who share their Christian beliefs and stand firmly upon the Word of God. It's not really anything new, but the ways in which it's being unleashed are in many ways sudden, surprising, and saddening. This world has been running from God literally since the very beginning. The very first humans chose to ignore Him and His commands, and society as a whole has never changed or veered off that course. And that initial choice to believe a lie and let the darkness inside has grown into problems that we're seeing today. So many in this place preach equality and acceptance and inclusion, and yet of late, Christianity has been on the receiving end of all sorts of hatred, threats of violence, and a whole plethora of misunderstandings and misplaced anger. I guess that this western civilization is all for inclusivity as long as you're not different. If you hold a different set of values, a different moral sta...

Proverbs 14:12 NIV One of our biggest stumbling blocks as humans is that, given enough time, we can convince ourselves that just about anything is right. We seek out these loopholes in life and reality that allow us to continue following our deceitful hearts toward our selfish desires because we just can't let go of this belief that once we get everything we want, we'll find happiness and meaning and peace as well. But deep down we know there's a cost. We know there are consequences. So we start brainstorming ways to work around them so that we can end up at that same selfish result without having to feel like we did anything wrong. We're really good at this! Humans have been doing it forever. Started with an apple and never looked back. We instinctually want what we're told we can't have. We want to prove people wrong who tell us that something isn't good for us. We want to horde up all sorts of worldly riches in this effort to prove that we matter. We want...

Romans 15:4 NIV In all of our advancement and progress and improvement, we've gotten awfully big for our britches. Our heads have swollen and we think we've moved beyond the wisdom of the past. We know better now than they did back then. Yesterday is gone and has nothing left to teach us. History is just a bunch of ancient facts that are good for nothing but memorizing by those who are interested in the past. Simply put, today's world doesn't think anything from the past is worth anything today. And I really do think that may be why there are so many nowadays that don't believe in the divine authority of Scripture. The Bible was written thousands of years ago, so what could those old people have possibly known about how our world works today? What do they know that could help us in any way? Why should we read some old book that tells us how to live when in our modern world we've figured out all sorts of things that they never would have even dreamed of back then...