Rock Solid Addendum

We recently finished a series called “Rock Solid” addressing the subject of developing rock solid faith.

We spent 4 weeks discussing “Faith Stealing Experiences” that WILL come into our lives and how to be ready for them and be strong through them coming out the other side of the battle victorious.

Our first week we addressed that faith is trust, not some weird super-spiritual thing. We also looked at the importance of faith and all that it accomplishes in our life and the world around us. We also saw that the non-Christian world and the spiritual forces of wickedness are not only going to not support and encourage our faith, but will down right assault and undermine it.

So, the first step in “Rock Solid” faith is to be alert and on guard. Recognize how important our faith is and don’t take it lightly. Remember we live in a world system that will try to at best twist and distort your faith and at worst steal and destroy your faith.

The next step we looked at was the importance of saturating our lives with the knowledge of God’s word.

We saw that faith comes by hearing the message, and if we want strong faith in Christ then we must be hearing His message over and above the message of the world.

Our lives are constantly bombarded with secular messages in commercials, books, movies, tv shows, magazines, radio, internet, and people we’re around. It’s important that we make the time to fill ourselves up with the truth of God’s word. If we are diligent to do this we will find ourselves having stronger faith in what God says than in what the world says.

The next (third) step we addressed was the importance of putting the Bible into practice. It’s not good enough to know what it says. We must do what it says. If all we have is knowledge of what the Bible says then all we have is an intellectual philosophical argument, but if we do what the Bible says we will experience God in the process and this strengthens our faith even more.

By doing what the Bible says we are cooperating with God and what He wants to do in our lives and through our lives in the world around us. These cooperative efforts (obeying what the Bible says) produce experiences with God that out weighs any intellectual philosophical argument. We should always use the Bible to help us interpret and analyze our experience, because it is the measuring stick of truth by which we measure and evaluate all information and experiences of life, but having the experience solidifies all the more what you believe. You may not know all the answers to every question and mystery regarding God and the Bible, but you will know that you believe and whom you believe in, because you will have knowledge of the parts you understand and the experience of working with God Himself and seeing Him do great things.

We said the last step (fourth) is to filter all that we hear (learn) and experience through the filter of God’s word and our experiences with God. We learned that we must not believe just anything we hear or experience. We learned that there is deception out there. There are things that sound and feel like the real thing, but are a deception.

We must not have a double standard in our filtering. We cannot give favor and merit to the non-Christian scientific community when their theories have many unanswered questions, but look with disgust and consider Christian Faith foolish and naive because there may be mysteries or questions that we don’t have answers for, yet. We must be fair on how we evaluate, measure, and filter.

We learned that everyone is a person of faith, even the atheist, because faith is trust and we are all going to put our trust, faith, into someone or something. The question is not do I have faith, but rather where do I choose to put and grow my faith/trust? Will it be in what man can do and understand or will it be in what God can do (has done) and understand? I know people well enough to know that no matter how smart they are they will never scratch the surface of the intelligence of God.

We also saw that there is a cost, no matter where I choose to place my faith, be it in God and the work of Jesus Christ or in man and what he understands and has achieved, either way it will cost me… everything!

To live life God’s way and get His results it will cost me everything in this life, but I will gain so much more for all eternity.

To live life the worlds way and get all that it has to offer it will cost me everything in this life and in the life to come. I may gain everything the world has to offer, but I will loose it all and so much more for all eternity.

There is a choice to be made and make it we shall. Where will we put our trust/faith?

Now the addendum:

After all that we learned I was disappointed because there was one more key ingredient to “Rock Solid” faith that I didn’t get to address due to time issues.

So, here it is… Community/Fellowship. I know, some of you are like, “oh no, here goes Mike on his soap box again” and others of you are thinking, “that’s it? I read this whole stupid thing to have you tell me I need fellowship/community?”

Before you stop reading let me tell you, you cannot over emphasize the importance of community/fellowship. It is a key reason my faith is so strong today.

When I am weak others are strong. There is strength in numbers. We can do more and know more together than we can alone.

Community provides things I don’t like to do on my own, like holding myself accountable to do the things I should do and not do the things I shouldn’t do.

Community/fellowship provides alternative viewpoints that can help us better answer those questions we struggle with.

Community/fellowship provides encouragement in those times we would feel weak, weary, and want to quit.

Community/fellowship provides prayer support. Not only do we sometimes fall short in our prayer life and their prayers help fill the holes, but even when we are faithful in our prayer life there is strength in numbers. Our prayers may accomplish much on our own, but they accomplish so much more when coupled with the prayers of others.

Community/fellowship provides growth opportunities as I learn to serve, think about, and help others as well as learn to get along with people that are different than me and resolve conflict. As I learn to live life outside of just me, when life includes more than just what I want and prefer, I begin to live life to the full. As I share life with others, our good times and bad times, life is so much fuller than it would be if I lived a self-centered self-absorbed life where all I live for is me.

Lastly, Community/Fellowship provides fun/refreshment. We all need times to just chill out with good people that we know love us and just have fun; Fun that is constructive, not destructive. We need others to spur us to get out of our depressive funks, to pull us out of those isolationist tendencies.

I hope it’s clear that God knew what He was saying when He said, “Two are better than one” (Ecclesiastes 4:9) and “Do not give up meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25).

The truth is, we cannot do this alone… not faith and not life. We need one another. Together we are stronger. Together we are “Rock Solid”.

What on earth am I here for?

It seems that I am regularly talking to people who are confused about which step to take next.

Life is full of decisions and even as Christians the buffet of choices can be a bit overwhelming.

We pray and ask God to show us the next step and sometimes we feel He shows us, sometimes we feel like He’s withholding from us, and other times we feel He spoke but then circumstances get weird and we begin to second guess and question whether we really heard from God.

This little post isn’t meant to answer the question “How does God speak to us” and “how can we be sure it’s God”, but rather a different issue, but one that is of vital importance if we are ever going to get this “following God” thing right.

It has to do with our launch pad or starting point of decision making.

You see, most of us find ourselves in a situation where we are asking God to guide us and show us His will, but then we start weighing the options; Which choice has greater “earthly” benefit?

We all make decisions based on natural reason. Reason was given to us to operate on a daily basis, but if we are walking with Jesus then we have to be open to Him leading us in ways that don’t make sense. That’s where life moves from natural to supernatural, from just life to Life-to-the-Full.

Most of us look at a situation and say… Hmm, I should go to this school, because it offers this or that, or I should work at this job, because it pays more or has good benefits, or that couldn’t be God because it’s not a sure thing, it’s not a guarantee, or it doesn’t pay as much.

Here is where we miss it. We are asking the wrong question(s).

Do we really think God moves us to a place just to become informed, make money, get benefits, or because it’s a sure thing?

God’s ways, purposes, and plans are much higher than that.

What on earth am I hear for? NOT to get educated, NOT to make money, NOT to get good benefits, NOT to have it all and do it all. Material, Intellectual, and Ego gain are not high priority on God’s list.

Each of these (excluding unhealthy pride/ego) are a byproduct of following Jesus, but they are not THE POINT.

I don’t go to work to make money; I go to be a witness/missionary. God didn’t give me this job to make money or even make a living, He gave it to me as my mission and in doing it I will make money/a living.

God can send you anywhere to make money and get educated. In fact, He can do both these things without the aid of any man, so if we’re going to get better at this “following God” thing, then we must clear our vision from those things that are obstructing the view.

Jesus said, “31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:31-34

We are not to be trying to play God and figure it all out. We’re not to be trying to make sense of it all. That is great if we do understand and can see how it all works together and how it will work out, but we must learn to trust God and know that often times He leads us in ways we would never reason out for ourselves, because He is God and He knows factors that we do not.

We can trust that He is always desiring what is best for us, so though He plays outside the box of what we can understand in natural reason, we can understand one thing for certain… He loves us and wants what’s best for us and He knows what is best for us better than we do.

Jesus said that our launch pad for decision making is NOT earthly concerns/gain. Nor is our launch pad for decision making to be one based on worry (trying to be in control and figure it all out).

Instead THE launch pad for ALL decision making is “seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”.

There you go! That is it!!!! That’s is why we are here!!!!! This is the starting point of my decision making process!

I should pray and ask God where He wants me to God, what He wants me to do, and then watch… not to see which choice has greater earthly benefit from what I can see and understand, but rather to see which choice God is moving in.

Where do I see Him more at work? Where do I see my life having the biggest impact for His kingdom? Where do I see myself growing in Christ the most? Where do I see my life shining the biggest light for Jesus? Where do I see myself compromising, getting distracted, settling, or getting involved in a lifestyle or behavior that is not right in God’s eyes?

When we get our eyes on the things of this world as factors in our decision making we can miss what God wants. That is what the non-Christian world chases after and lives for. That is their ambition and priority. Not so for the Christ Follower.

In fact, Jesus warns us how the earthly things (though they are not evil or wrong in and of themselves) can blind us to God’s best or choke out God’s guidance in our life.

“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” Luke 8:14 and “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” Mark 4:19

Jesus said that the direction or message is given, but it is choked out, not heard, not clearly seen or understood, because of an earthly focus. As we get our focus on the worries of this life, riches, pleasures, and the desires for other things we get distracted or worse blinded and cannot see or hear clearly what God is saying and wanting to do.

So, let me say it this way…

You are NOT here on earth to build an earthly kingdom, for yourself or someone else. You are here to build an eternal kingdom.

The issue that gets so many Christians side tracked and confused on what God is leading them to do is that they get caught up in “seeking first their kingdom or the worlds kingdom and their happiness and provision and pleasure” instead of “seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”.

We don’t have to worry about chasing after/pursuing those things because Jesus makes it clear that all these things will be taken care of and given to us if we make our first priority His kingdom and His righteousness.

So, there you go. What launch pad are you starting your decision making process from… “What’s in it for me?” or “What’s in it for God?” Do I put my trust in what I can figure out and understand and make happen and control, or will I put my trust in God, even when his infinite wisdom and purpose doesn’t fit in my finite understanding, reason, and plans.

Only one launch pad is the right one. Only one launch pad will produce the results and kind of life that Scripture describes for the believer.

What will you choose? How will you look at things (from God’s perspective or earth bound perspectives)? How will you reason out situations? What approach with capture your heart and mind? What will you be caught up in?