I wasn't planning on writing anything today. It is Sunday, and we had visitors coming and going all day, plus praying constantly for the finances for our new house to finish coming in. However, God had different plans.
In case you don't know, my wife and I have this opportunity to buy a house. Financially it is far beyond anything we have ever attempted to buy. The amount of money, $80,000, is vastly more than anything we have ever possessed. Yet for some reason, when the owner of the house told us it was for sale, such a faith rose up in me that we could do it. I have no explanation aside from the Holy Spirit. It should seem impossible, and utterly ridiculous to try. Yet even now it seems like eighty thousand isn't much more than ten.
I imagine this must be how David felt when he told everyone he could kill Goliath in God's name. Sure the Philistine was bigger, sure everyone else laughed and thought it was ridiculous, sure he could have quite easily have failed and that giant's spear could have pinned him to the ground like a moth on a cork board. But our great and mighty God has spoken something today that urges me to press deeper regardless of the circumstances. "It is the courageous who cut off Goliath's head."
I cannot back down now. Whenever I do start to feel doubt creeping up on me, instead of submitting to it I just run a little faster toward the battle line. I am fully aware that I could be pinned to the ground and look like a fool, but what if God rises up and let's me kill the giant? What if He shuts the lions mouth, or calms the storm, or keeps the fiery furnace from burning me up, or makes the sun stand still? I would rather fail attempting something great for God than fade away as a normal Christian without a least one giant's head in my hands.
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| An average day in the life of a normal Christian. |
God said something to me, and this all goes back to faith. He reminded me of Ephesians 6:12:
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world's rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
I can't remember if this is something I wrote, or something I preached, but I believe faith is defined as this, "Regardless of what you can see, taste, feel, touch, of think, you continue forward into the promises of God."
Unfortunately, most Christians fall into the Deuteronomy 1:28 category.
"Where shall we go up? Our brothers have broken our heart, saying, We have seen there a people greater and taller than we are. The cities are great and walled up to the heavens, also the sons of the giants."
Do you remember the story of the twelve spies? Moses sent them into the promised land to check it out. God had promised it to them, done all these miracles, and still, when the twelve spies came back ten of them said it couldn't be done. Joshua and Caleb, the only two who ever made into the promised land, and the only ones whose names we actually remember, said it surely could be done.
However, not only did the majority of the spies doubt God's ability to help them, but the rest of the Israelites followed right along with the mainstream rather than walking in faith like Joshua and Caleb. And yet it was Joshua and Caleb who actually obtained the promise while those who were too cowardly to even try all died in the desert.
I refuse to be one of those. I will at least try, and He is more than able to help me get the victory. "But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image which you have set up." (Daniel 3:18). In other words, no matter what happens I will follow Him until the day I die.
Going back to our war being against principalities and powers and so on, and not against flesh and blood. All victory comes through faith and prayer. In reality it has nothing to do with anyone but those praying, God, and those God speaks to. The enemy can be obstinate and try to slow things down, but if we stand firm, and pray with true earnestness and sincerity he must back down and cede the way in Jesus name.
As I write this we have just over $750 toward the $80,000 we need to buy this house, which is not just for us but for all the ministry we will be doing for who knows how many years, and when we die it will continue to serve God from generation to generation. It is not a frivolous or selfish thing to ask, otherwise God would certainly not help us. That may seem like a massive giant looming over us that is utterly unbeatable, and yet those are the kinds of battles God likes to swoop in on and win for you.
The money is actually a small thing for God. It isn't difficult at all for Him. He could make a whole pile of
money appear right in front of me if He wanted. He doesn't though, and it isn't because He lacks power, or because the devil is standing in His way, it is because He wants to do it in partnership with us.
He wants to work with me, wrestle with me in prayer. He is so humble it is amazing. He could flex His muscles and show off His power so easily, and yet He actually allows Himself to be restrained by our faith. He wants to work with me, and He wants to work with the rest of the body and build unity so this can happen.
It is like the story of Exodus 35 and 36. Moses needed to build the tabernacle, and of course God could have just blinked and the whole thing would have appeared, but instead Moses sent out a call for help to the Israelites. What happened? Verse 29 says:
"The sons of Israel brought a willing offering to Jehovah, every man and woman whose heart made them willing to bring for all kinds of work which Jehovah had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses."
God had to touch their hearts, and cause them to be willing for them to bring the gifts. It isn't about flesh and blood. I can send out as many newsletters and updates as I want, I can write blog posts, make videos, and tell stories, but in the end if God doesn't touch the heart of the people not one penny is going to come in for this miracle.
In that case God did touch the hearts of the people, and the result is found in Exodus 36:5
"And they spoke to Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which Jehovah commanded to make."
It doesn't matter if the people are living in a desert, God can make streams of water come out of a rock if He has to.
Let's believe in God. Let's take risks for Him. It is in the heat of battle that we see His mighty hand.
I can't remember if this is something I wrote, or something I preached, but I believe faith is defined as this, "Regardless of what you can see, taste, feel, touch, of think, you continue forward into the promises of God."
Unfortunately, most Christians fall into the Deuteronomy 1:28 category.
"Where shall we go up? Our brothers have broken our heart, saying, We have seen there a people greater and taller than we are. The cities are great and walled up to the heavens, also the sons of the giants."
Do you remember the story of the twelve spies? Moses sent them into the promised land to check it out. God had promised it to them, done all these miracles, and still, when the twelve spies came back ten of them said it couldn't be done. Joshua and Caleb, the only two who ever made into the promised land, and the only ones whose names we actually remember, said it surely could be done.
However, not only did the majority of the spies doubt God's ability to help them, but the rest of the Israelites followed right along with the mainstream rather than walking in faith like Joshua and Caleb. And yet it was Joshua and Caleb who actually obtained the promise while those who were too cowardly to even try all died in the desert.
I refuse to be one of those. I will at least try, and He is more than able to help me get the victory. "But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image which you have set up." (Daniel 3:18). In other words, no matter what happens I will follow Him until the day I die.
Going back to our war being against principalities and powers and so on, and not against flesh and blood. All victory comes through faith and prayer. In reality it has nothing to do with anyone but those praying, God, and those God speaks to. The enemy can be obstinate and try to slow things down, but if we stand firm, and pray with true earnestness and sincerity he must back down and cede the way in Jesus name.
As I write this we have just over $750 toward the $80,000 we need to buy this house, which is not just for us but for all the ministry we will be doing for who knows how many years, and when we die it will continue to serve God from generation to generation. It is not a frivolous or selfish thing to ask, otherwise God would certainly not help us. That may seem like a massive giant looming over us that is utterly unbeatable, and yet those are the kinds of battles God likes to swoop in on and win for you.
The money is actually a small thing for God. It isn't difficult at all for Him. He could make a whole pile of
money appear right in front of me if He wanted. He doesn't though, and it isn't because He lacks power, or because the devil is standing in His way, it is because He wants to do it in partnership with us.
He wants to work with me, wrestle with me in prayer. He is so humble it is amazing. He could flex His muscles and show off His power so easily, and yet He actually allows Himself to be restrained by our faith. He wants to work with me, and He wants to work with the rest of the body and build unity so this can happen.
It is like the story of Exodus 35 and 36. Moses needed to build the tabernacle, and of course God could have just blinked and the whole thing would have appeared, but instead Moses sent out a call for help to the Israelites. What happened? Verse 29 says:
"The sons of Israel brought a willing offering to Jehovah, every man and woman whose heart made them willing to bring for all kinds of work which Jehovah had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses."
God had to touch their hearts, and cause them to be willing for them to bring the gifts. It isn't about flesh and blood. I can send out as many newsletters and updates as I want, I can write blog posts, make videos, and tell stories, but in the end if God doesn't touch the heart of the people not one penny is going to come in for this miracle.
In that case God did touch the hearts of the people, and the result is found in Exodus 36:5
"And they spoke to Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which Jehovah commanded to make."
It doesn't matter if the people are living in a desert, God can make streams of water come out of a rock if He has to.
Let's believe in God. Let's take risks for Him. It is in the heat of battle that we see His mighty hand.
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