This morning I had the pleasure of speaking to the students of Margaretta who came to the Christian Community for Youth breakfast hosted by the Congregational Church in Castalia.  As I was seeking from God on what to speak for the few minutes I had to speak, I was clearly hearing a direction toward doing your very best.  So I now pose the question to you, what does it mean to give your very best?

My mind went to 1 Samuel 17 on the story of King David as a boy.  What we know is that he was a ruddy boy with beautiful eyes and very handsome (1 Sam. 16:12).  We also know that David was a skillful musician, a man of valor, a warrior who was prudent in speech because the people already knew the Lord was with him (1 Sam. 16:18).  Being the youngest of his brothers, David was somewhere in his early teen years at this time.  David was the errand boy given the lowly job of tending sheep, what the youngest one does while the older and stronger brothers are given the bigger and more important jobs, even serving in the army.

This time in David’s life is of extreme importance.  It was in the wilderness with the sheep where David learned how to give his very best, which I am convinced was something he learned from his father Jesse.  If you do something, you do the very best you can.  As David was watching over the sheep, when one came in danger he did his very best to protect the sheep.  When a lion or bear came after the sheep, he didn’t just sling a rock or two at it to scare it off to protect the sheep and call that his best even if the predator got one.  But when they got one of the sheep, he went after the lion and bear and took it down releasing the sheep and then killing the lion or bear when it rose up against him.  As a teenage boy, he would take down a full grown lion by his hands to save one sheep.  I would say he gave his very best to save the sheep.

I don’t believe it was just giving his very best at protecting sheep in the wilderness.  I believe he played the harp because it was worshipful to God, so he played his very best for God in the wilderness where God was the only one in the audience.  So what did all this “giving his very best” get him?  First came a place in the King’s house, because he was the best harp player around.  He became the best harp player by playing the harp with his very best to God.  Then God gave him the people of Israel and Judah when David had the opportunity to slay one giant.  After killing one giant the people gave David credit for killing 10,000 while only giving King Saul credit of a 1,000.  David first gave his very best in the wilderness, which prepared him for and gave him the necessary confidence to slay the giant, then God gave the best to David.

I also get the same picture of a scene from the movie “Facing the Giants” where this character named Brock was challenged on what his best was.  The football coach was simply asking Brock to give his best, when Brock thought he was already.  The coach blind-folded Brock and asked him to do a task that was extremely challenging, asking that all he wanted from Brock was his very best.  So Brock started crawling on his hands and feet from one goal line with another player lying on his back and couldn’t stop until his very best was fulfilled.  By being blindfolded there was no “goal” to stop at, no place to have a satisfying completion in the task and calling it his best; it was a “very best” request.  And in doing so, Brock accomplished at least 3 times more than he ever fathomed was possible when he fell across the goal line 100 yards from where he started.

So the question I ask this morning is, are you giving God your very best “blind faith,” a faith that doesn’t stop when a sense of accomplishment has been met?  Are you giving God what you consider to be your best?  Or are you giving God your very best?  There is a difference.  To receive the best, first give your very best to God.    

I desire to live a Faith-Full life, for His glory alone; giving God my very best.    

God was teaching me again this past week on what faith looks like in being Supernatural action.  He first took me to the single verse of Mark 14:7.  So I turned to that verse and read, “For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me” (NASB).  Immediately, I was then sent to a second specific verse of James 2:5 and read, “Listen, my beloved brethren:  did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (NASB).

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a doctoral theologian to see that both of these single verses are speaking of the poor in this world, those without financial resources.  However, it is not the similarities of the two verses that I was seeing, but the difference in faith between these two verses.  The passage from James is calling one without financial resources a rich person because of the faith they have while the passage in Mark seems to be highlighting individuals who fit the category of a beggar; one without financial resources striving to survive on their own or by the help of man, not God.

I guess these two things needed to be highlighted for me to grasp what He was trying to teach me, which is what came next.  He wasn’t saying that we all need to be poor in order to fully understand faith and to fully receive faith.  God was showing me the action of faith in fullness in the passage of Mark by using the passage from James.  Picking apart the verse from Mark, we see “whenever you wish you can do good” and also “you do not always have Me.”  What I was hearing was that you do not need Jesus in order to do good!  But in order to operate in faith (Mark 14:6 and 8), you need Jesus.  Mary had to hear from God in order to do the act recorded in Mark 14, which highlighted her faith and brought glory to God.  To have a good act as mentioned in verse 7 of Mark 14, you don’t need Jesus, you can just do it whenever you want.  This is the same as the passage in James highlighting faith to the ability to hear God and then act accordingly.

I see this difference as a “Good Plan” or a “God Plan” in our actions.  The God plan requires faith while the Good plan does not.  So welcome to the topic of Faith and Works as James continues to write on in chapter 2.  Doing works as one wishes is the “Good Plan” that anyone can do at any time and feel good about themselves for their action (works righteousness).  While an action done as directed by hearing the voice of God is done at the right time for the glory of God and thus being a “God plan.”  It is very easy to put together a “good plan” as we are the ones who derive it; while the “God plan” requires us to focus upon God and His voice.  How are you living your life?  Are you living a “good plan” out, or are you seeking to live a “God plan” out?

I desire to live a Faith-Full life, for His glory alone; a God plan.    

Living a life of faith is one that is encompassed by a life of supernatural action.  George Muller, a great man of faith, is one person we can learn many things from as he lived under four rules of faith.  The first three rules are:  Never receive a fixed salary, never ask another human being for help, and follow Luke 12:33 of selling all your possessions and giving it away.

The fourth rule of faith is one that is also difficult in our culture to follow; follow Romans 13:8 to completeness.  “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8, NASB).  To put this verse and this rule into clear words, do not take out loans or purchase on credit.

One thing I need to state again is that these rules are for those who are serious about God.  These are for those who are seeking not their own desires, but seeking to be conformed to the will of God in all things.  Those who are desperate for God and His ways are those who can lean upon the promises recorded in the Bible because these are the individuals who are seeking a personal relationship with Jesus at the deepest level.  Through this relationship Jesus will provided everything needed in life because He knows what we really need in life (Matt. 6:25-34).

In our culture today this is not easy, especially those who are just getting started in what we call the adult life.  Education at the university level requires money that typically has not yet been acquired.  This is also where we typically meet the one we are to spend the rest of our life with, which means a house and vehicle is required… and the list goes on.  So how is all this fulfilled without any bank loans?  Good question!  I am simply saying, seek the voice of God and trust Him by being obedient to how God is leading you.

I fully believe that if you are wholly seeking God’s will in all these directions that He will provide every penny at the moment the penny is needed.  Read Rees Howells, Intercessor if you haven’t yet.  By reading this book you will see many examples of how God provided and built Mr. Howells’ faith, and will be an encouragement to you in how God can build your faith.

The following story has taken place in these past couple months.

I have a good friend who has been called into the ministry and has recently started the education process.  The Holy Spirit led him to not enter into a ministry preparation program (which was my encouragement), but to study for his bachelor’s degree in ministry, though he did not have the money to do so.  So this friend went ahead and registered for classes in the bachelor’s program.  Upon starting his first class he was contacted by the university about receiving a full tuition scholarship; a scholarship he never applied for.  He also received grant money to cover the cost of all his books; a grant he never applied for.  With all the classes being online, it was apparent that he would need his own computer in order to complete the extensive work.  So the morning before his first class he made his first request to God in that God would provide him a computer.  That same day he opened up his mailbox and found an envelope with a visa gift card that had enough money on it to purchase a good laptop computer.  This is just one person being obedient to the voice of God and acting in faith so the supernatural action of God could happen in his life.

When we choose to operate in faith to the will of God, we will find it is then that God provides abundantly in the proper time.  This just means that we need to take action in trust so God’s supernatural action can be at work.

I desire to live a Faith-Full life, for His glory alone.

Living a life of faith is one that is encompassed by a life of supernatural action.  George Muller, a great man of faith, is one person we can learn many things from.  The rules of living by faith that George Muller lived are not some simple guidelines to follow; these rules are for those who are serious about God.  Muller’s first two rules are; never receive a fixed salary and never ask another human being for help.  Both of these are a cake walk compared to this third rule, follow Luke 12:33 to completeness.

“Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys” (Luke 12:33, NASB).

It is one thing to say that you trust God in providing your needs, but if you sell everything you have and give it away then you can only survive if God intervenes.  This is trust in God at the deepest level, this is living by faith.  I am reminded of how the early church functioned in the book of Acts.  “And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need” (Acts 2:44-45, NASB).  The church survived at its greatest level when everyone had just one thing on their mind, God.  The church did everything together and had everything they needed, and nobody had anything of their own.  They just let God lead and they were obedient to what God said to do.

There is one individual that has come to mind who sought to live under Muller’s rules of faith, and thankfully we can read about this one man’s life of faith.  I encourage you to download a free book off the internet called, “Rees Howells, Intercessor.”  Rees Howells lived a life of faith and this biography explains what we all need to learn and understand in the life of faith being a journey of highs and lows.  His life is an example of learning from God in the school of prayer, being taught in the Holy Spirit.

One quote taken from this book is, “There is a golden rule in the life of faith, that Christians can never prevail upon God to move others to give larger sums of money toward God’s word than he himself has either given or proved that he is willing to give if it were in his power to do so” (Rees Howells, Intercessor, pg. 226).  How much this golden rule applies to the third rule of George Muller, give away everything you have so you can receive everything from God in faith.  Let us not forget the verse prior to Luke 12:33, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32, NASB).

The truth is God wants to give us everything He has (which far surpasses what we can earn on our own), but this means we have to release everything that we currently have received on our own merit.  Let us learn from the story with the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18-30.  The Kingdom of God with all its splendor has been given as an inheritance to have now, so why should we be seeking a kingdom to posses by our own merit?  Let us receive the fullness of His joy as we receive in faith His Kingdom and His daily provisions by being obedient to how the Holy Spirit is leading us to handle our personal finances.

I desire to live a Faith-Full life, for His glory alone.

Living a life of faith is one that is encompassed by a life of supernatural action.  George Muller, a great man of faith, lived under his first rule of never accepting a fixed salary.  This first rule may be considered easy when compared to his second rule of living by faith; never ask another human being for help.

At the first hearing of this second rule of living by faith, in never asking another human being for help, it is easy to say that it makes perfect sense.  Don’t forget this one important fact; it is much easier to talk about this topic than it is to live it!  There are many things we can learn from the Sermon on the Mount, and one of these important truths is just this topic itself of trusting God.  We can read Jesus teaching, “But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not so much more do so for you, O men of little faith?” (Matt. 6:30, NASB).  The key here is what God will do in providing for you today what you need today.  Therefore, “Ask and it shall be given to you, seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it shall be opened” (Matt. 7:7-8, NASB). 

In stating these passages, we must not overlook what is between these verses that glues them together, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33, NASB).  What does it mean to seek His kingdom and righteousness first?  How does this relate to not asking other people for help in life in meeting any of your needs?  It all comes back to the point of dying to self.  It is impossible to live by faith if you are living to your own desires.   

When a person is seeking to live by faith, they have a desperation for God.  They are not strangers to the life of prayer, a life of communing with God by listening and speaking.  In this conversing with God, they will learn the will of God and will be taught how to obey God.  The results of this is two-fold; there will be persons who will make their requests known to God in prayer as stated in Matthew 7:7-8, and then there are also those who God will use to provide the answers to the requests.  If your request is to the will of God, then it will be met by His perfect timing and His chosen provision.  Therefore, living by faith is obedience to the voice of God in giving just as much as it is in receiving.  One day you may be making your request known to God and the next day God may call upon you to meet another’s need.  It is all about being obedient to His voice, remaining in His will.

A person seeking to live by faith will give to one in need whatever God says to give without human communication of the need.  Through this, both the giver and the receiver will have an increase in their faith.  What is the last request you prayed for without mentioning it to another person and received it?  What is the last gift you gave to someone without another person informing you of the need or the need being requested from the individual?  Are you seeking to live by faith? 

I desire to live a Faith-Full life, for His glory alone.    

Living a life of faith is one that is encompassed by a life of supernatural action.  These are actions that take place and cannot be explained by any other way than to say that God had to do it.  One man in particular exemplified this life of faith, and that is George Muller.

George Muller lived in England during the 1800’s as a Christian Evangelist, but it was his faith that has made him a name worth knowing today.  There are several books and articles that you can read to better understand who George Muller was, besides the numerous quotes of his that paint a clear picture of his beliefs.  However, I only wish to share about the four rules of living by faith that Muller lived by as these are rules that we too should be considering.  Today is rule #1.

As George Muller was a full-time minister, his first rule of living by faith is also intended for those called into full-time ministry.  This rule is pretty simple; never receive a fixed salary.

This rule Muller lived under is of great importance in not receiving a fixed salary from the church you are called to serve.  Ironically, before I found this rule of Muller, God was already speaking to me this same point.  If I as a minister of God to a local body take a fixed salary then where does my faith in my dependency upon God come in?  Where then is there room for God to do a supernatural action if I have already placed my trust of income into the hands of men within the body I serve?  Essentially, receiving a fixed salary from the church is turning the call of God into a job, having a similar vocation to those who are working in the secular world. 

As God was teaching me about this topic, He sent me to the Old Testament church.  When a parishioner brought their sacrifice to the temple, the priest would take the offering and complete the sacrifice as described in the law.  Specific portions of the sacrifice were to go to different places.  Of these portions, there was a section that was to go to the priests and their families to consume as this was what they were to live on.  The same is to be true today; there is a percentage that is to go to the shepherds of the house and their families.

Taking a fixed salary typically means that either too much or too little of the offering is going to provide for the shepherds of the church.  The result of this will either maim or kill the church or it will maim or kill the shepherd.  We wonder why statistics say over 7,000 churches close their doors each year and over 1,700 ministers abandon the call per month in the USA?  I know it is not all based around a fixed salary, but I will venture to say it is based around faith, the lack of supernatural action of God.

I guess what bothers me the most on this topic is that many of our universities are instructing young men and women who are called to a life of ministry to have a strong minor so they can be bi-vocational ministers.  They are saying that the church cannot support a full-time minister, so they must support themselves outside of the church.  Essentially they are saying that God cannot meet the needs they will have in life.  To use plain and clear words, these ministers are being trained to not live by faith.  So if we are training our ministers to not operate in faith, then how can we expect our churches to operate in faith? 

For us ministers, are we taking a fixed salary now?  Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you about faith, and let Him guide you into how to go about changing your church.  For those who are not called to a life of full-time ministry, are you currently doing your part in tithing into the church?  Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you about faith, and let Him guide you into your role in supporting your Shepherd and encouraging the rest of the body to also live in faith.

I desire to live a Faith-Full life, for His glory alone.    

What exactly is faith? If it could be measured physically, we know that at maturity it would equal the size of a mustard seed (Matt. 17:20).  The story mentioned in Matthew 17:14-21 has always grasped my attention because of where it is located in the sequence of events of the disciple’s ministry during Jesus’ life. 

In this story, a man comes forward to Jesus out of a crowd to make his request known on behalf of his son.  He had already taken his son to the disciples in order to be healed and he was not.  In perseverance this father goes up the ladder to the Teacher of the disciples to receive the healing his son so desperately needed.  Jesus responds to the disciples in what is interpreted as disgust to their inability to overpower the spiritual binding on this child.  The reasoning for this failure was, “Because of the littleness of your faith” (Matt. 17:20a, NASB).  Their faith was yet to mature.

We have to admit that the disciples had a pretty remarkable faith by this time frame.  They had already been sent out as the twelve to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleans the lepers, and cast out demons (Matt. 10:8).  They had already been doing the works of the Lord, operating in faith.  A lack of success happens and when the answer was sought as to why the failure happened, it was because the faith they did have was not enough.  So I am led back to the original question of what exactly is faith?

Before one can have faith, they must first have hope.  Once they have hope, then there must be belief in the hope being accomplished.  Once these two things are in place, then the hope and belief is put into action resulting in faith.  Faith is an action word.  It is easy to quote a Scripture verse stating, “…but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26b, NASB).  We believe this verse in that all things are possible with God, but it is a totally different topic to put this belief or confidence into action.  Therefore, I define faith as, supernatural action.  It took a supernatural action to save you from your sins.

So when I ask, do you live by faith?  I am asking if you live a life that is completely encompassed by supernatural action?  Little faith accomplishes little actions, such as those things mentioned in Matthew 10:8 (this is what Jesus implied as being little actions).  How is this greater faith that Jesus implied we need to have in the passage from Matthew 17 attained?  It is by following Jesus’ answer to the disciples; we must understand what Jesus meant when He said to live a life of prayer and fasting (Matt. 17:21).  He wasn’t merely talking about speaking general prayers and not eating food!

I desire to live a Faith-Full life, for His glory alone.    

I truly believe that we are in a season of prodigals coming home.  Individuals who have been living in selfish indulgence will be returning to the love of our Father; whether they have been sitting on pews or on a bar stool.  Therefore, I praise God for His redeeming love that is going out to so many of our friends and family members.

In this, there are a few items that must be taken care of within the existing body of the church.  I was sent to Isaiah 58 a couple weeks ago to be reminded that in our churches there are issues that need addressed.  There are some who have been distracted in ministry.  They seek honor and personal glory within ministry in the church.  They love Jesus; they love the Father, but have been distracted from knowing who the Holy Spirit is.  They have become more concerned about obedience to their perceived laws of God, which are the ways of man.  Following Christ has become a series of things you do or do not do; things you say or do not say.  It has become a religion and not a way of life.  They have lost the humility of the love of God and desire others to do what they do.

In Luke 15 we see a small portion of discussion about the son that stayed on the farm.  I see this story as someone who sought obedience to perceived laws for what would be gained personally.  This “obedient” son lost his compassion for his brother because of this distraction.  The one important part of this story that we must understand is that it is a story where Jesus has placed God the Father as the father of both sons.  We must also understand that the “obedient” son who stayed home was working in order to receive an inheritance.  He was seeking to inherit the estate when his father died.  Do we forget that God our Father will never die?  This obedient son was distracted by a personal gain that would never come because the inheritance was already received.  The father said, “My child, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours” (Luke 15:31, NASB).  The inheritance is being with the Father; this is the fullness of life.  The inheritance was already given, but distraction prohibited the son from recognizing what was already placed before him to obtain.

The inheritance of the Kingdom of God has already been given as Jesus stated in Luke 17:21.  This is what Jesus promised in John 14.  We as the church need to understand this as there are some in our churches who are preaching legalism, seeking a later inheritance for personal gain.  Receive the inheritance now in being one with the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, in the humility of love.  May our churches have a spirit of repentance flow through them so we can truly love each other as Jesus instructed us in John 15. 

I ask you to pray the prayer I pray often, “God search my heart to see if I am being obedient to the ways of man or to Your ways; whether I am seeking approval of man or of You.  If I am seeking even a small portion of Your glory, God, please convict me so that I may repent.”  Then wait patiently for His answer and act upon what you hear.  If these within our churches do not repent, then my only prayer is that these returning prodigals meet the Father before they run into the other son.

This I speak for His glory alone.    

I again have to ask you, how is your hope?  Do you have hope?  Is your hope increasing?  There is so much to say about hope.  Colossians 1:27 states, “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (NASB).  The hope of glory, Christ in you, is what God wants to make known to all.  This is then our hope, to let out of us what has taken place within us, which is His glory.  The greatest miracle of all is the receiving of His forgiveness, His love, His fullness, life everlasting.

In stating this, it is not difficult for us to lose hope.  It is easy to be distracted and lose hope.  It was the distraction of Martha noted in Luke 10:40 that caused her to not have hope of her brother receiving life again in John 11:21-27, and expressed clearly in verse 39.  Martha had faith; she believed, but had no hope.  We can let ministries distract us like it distracted Martha.  When one is focused on Jesus alone and His glory, we have an increase in hope; this is where the greater ministry is accomplished for the glory of the One alone.  We then have a Mary; a true worshiper who worships in spirit and in truth.  Learn from the early church.  It required men of righteousness in order to minister by waiting on tables (Acts 6:3).  These were men of hope and we must have this same hope as we serve, starting on our knees.

Delayed answer to prayer can also cause us to fall into hopelessness, or hope deferred.  An example can be Abraham, the man of faith, who was promised a son and many descendants in Genesis 15.  Though Abraham believed and had faith (Gen. 15:6), he and Sarah lacked hope that it would be accomplished.  The result was that Abraham and Sarah acted in the flesh to accomplish the fulfillment of a promise by the giving of Hagar to Abraham, and an Ishmael was conceived (Gen. 16).  There was no glory in this result for God.  In fact, the act of flesh resulted in an opposition to the promise.  In order for God to receive all the glory in fulfilling the promise, He had to wait until the time that it was beyond possible for the flesh to achieve the promise.    

It is also safe to say that fear may have stolen our hope.  We have faith in Jesus Christ that He can do anything (John 14:14), but we lack the hope that He will act on our behalf.  We believe in faith that He heals, but our lack of hope prohibits the supernatural from taking effect.  We struggle even asking for His touch because we worry that the desired answer will not come and thus hurt our faith.  So in fear we choose not to seek His touch, as one with no hope. 

God is in the miracle making business for one purpose alone, and that is for Him to receive all the glory.  So if you are running low on hope right now, first fall to your knees.  Ask Him to search you, and listen.  If you have been distracted, then repent and receive hope.  If you have been seeking to fulfill a promise of God by your own means, then repent and receive hope of God fulfilling His promise.  If fear has consumed your hope, then choose to give your fear to God and let His peace come upon you to increase your hope.  You are His beloved, through whom He wishes to glorify Himself!  Let this renewed hope combine with your faith to be released for His glory alone.   

I desire to live a Faith-Full life in hope, for His glory alone.    

About a year ago Dan Bohi spoke some words that I will never forget.  If you don’t know who Dan Bohi is, I can simply say that he is a man called to live a life of service as an evangelist; a lay person who God anointed and sent.  A man who I call ordinary and uneducated, just like the Peter and John were called by the Pharisees (Acts 4:13).  You just can’t deny the power of the Holy Spirit; whom was on Peter and John, whom is also on display through this one man, Dan Bohi.

On this particular occasion Dan was speaking to only the pastoral staff of our Sandusky Nazarene church.  He was led to speak to us on the topic of hope out of Job 14:7-9.  As Dan made a statement about when our reality seems to be without hope, it is here in God’s kingdom where most of the hope is.  It is in these dire circumstances where the only possible solution is God; it is where God gets all the glory.  Dan went on to say, “I think hope is the most powerful force on the planet.  If you have hope, nothing can stop us.  Faith without hope is powerless.” 

As I was seeking to listen to His voice today I was led to Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (NASB).  We often talk about the importance of having faith, but we must not neglect the importance of first having hope.  If faith is the assurance of things hoped for, then hope must come first.  Let us learn this lesson of having a steadfast hope from the writer of Hebrews, as our God and Father is faithful.  Don’t let the circumstances of life diminish or steal your hope.  Accept the circumstances as your weakness and praise God through them; maintaining the fullness of hope.  It is in this weakness where you should have the most hope as it is here in this weakness where God does His greatest work, for His glory alone.  Let hope arise and your faith increase to the glory of God.

I desire to live a Faith-Full life in hope without wavering.