Obedience, The First Step of Faith

There are several acts and steps of faith that I am going to write about. The first one is obedience. My reasoning for discussing this first is that the first visible action of faith that we have to show is obedience. The very first thing that is asked of us as Christians is to tell someone that we believe. Often we do this in the form of walking down an aisle at church, the bigger step after that is baptism. I talked to one person about baptism, she said she was a Christian, knew all the reasons for it, but simply had not felt like being baptized yet. I did not know what to say then, and I still am unsure about what to say now. To me, if you do not follow a command, or request, you have no desire to please or obey that authority. From there, my question turns to, how can you believe in what God did for us and not want to show him love in return by obeying his wishes?

Let me back up for a minute. Before we can obey, we need to understand what obedience is and what it means to us individually. So, what is obedience? When I started thinking about this, two words came to mind and they are a little scary, yet seemingly appropriate. The definition that I have learned is that obedience is Sacrifice and Submission. Like I said, a little scary. What I have learned is that in order to obey a command we have to submit to another’s authority. In order to obey a request, which can often be a command as well, we have to sacrifice our desires and our will to fulfill the will of someone else.

Now, how does this relate to faith? When we have faith in someone, we trust them, and when they ask us to do something we probably will want to do what they ask. We are not going to want to do it every time, but more often than not we will want to. When God asks us to do something, what is our response? We constantly show how much faith we have in God in our obedience, or lack of obedience. The hardest thing about obeying a command or request is that we often do not have the full picture and therefore we have to trust that the person in charge does know the big picture and is not leading us astray.

An example of obedience without question is Abraham, in Genesis 22. God tells Abraham to take Isaac, his only son, and sacrifice him. Abraham starts the journey with Isaac, and at one point when Isaac says to him “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham replies,  “God himself will provide the lamb.”  Abraham trusted God to provide because God had already made promises to Abraham and he had kept them. When they got to the mountaintop and Abraham tied Isaac down and was raising the knife to kill Isaac when an angel called out to him and told him to stop. When Abraham looked up a ram was caught by its horns so he took the ram and sacrificed it instead. He called the place “The Lord Will Provide.” Without hesitation or question of the request, Abraham trusted and obeyed God.

When was the last time we stepped out, completely in faith and obeyed the command God had given us? The things that God can ask of us range from small to large, insignificant to life changing. It can be something as small as telling someone else who you believe in, or it could be walking away from something you want but is wrong. Now, I am a big picture person, I like knowing all the details and puzzle pieces before I start putting the pieces together. I understand wanting all of that before making a decision but I do not always get to do that, because God is above me. His ways are higher than mine and I have to learn to trust him. When I am trusting God completely and I have faith that he knows what he is doing and he will always be there for me, I can do anything he asks because I know him, I trust him. In order to obey, we have to establish knowledge and trust in who God is, as our authority and as our friend.

Having said all that, here is the question that I want to leave you with, what is holding you back from what God is asking you to do?  

The Question of Faith

What is faith? It seems like an easy question to answer, but maybe it’s not. Lately I have been contemplating it and it seems a little more difficult to answer than what it appears at first glance.

In order to help answer here are a couple of definitions:

Faith is trusting in a person – Be it friend, family or acquaintance, we have knowledge that leads us to believe that we can trust in this person.

Faith is trusting common sense, or knowledge – The idea that you know a stool has four legs and a seat, it is put together with glue, screws and/or nails and therefore, it should hold your weight if you sit on it.

Faith is also trusting in the unseen – Whether it is the wind or the smell of cookies hot out of the oven, we often believe in things that we cannot see. Sometimes, we can see the cause or effect of something, but not always. Whatever the case might be, we trust that our senses know what is around us and therefore believe in things that we cannot see.

To sum it up: Faith is a belief based on trust in a point of knowledge.

The faith that I have been thinking about lately is faith in God and how it requires the same faith that trusting a person does, yet, we make it a lot harder on ourselves to trust him. To have faith in God as a person, we have to have some knowledge of him, the more knowledge we have the more we can trust. So, how do we find knowledge on God? We can talk to other people, we can talk to him ourselves and we can learn about him in the Bible. Which brings us to trusting in common knowledge. In order to trust what the Bible tells us, we have to trust that it tells us the truth, and that it is the Word of God. We also have to trust in the unseen. This seems like it should be the hardest thing to trust. Yet, we believe there’s wind because the leaves in trees move when it blows through them. Why is it harder to believe in a God that when he moves, miracles happen, people change, people move? I think in some cases it’s easier to believe that there’s an unseen God then it is to believe in a God that we can trust as a person. We can see the evidence of God in many things, but often we do not trust enough to take him up on his offer of friendship and fatherhood.

So, here is my question for you: At what point do you say, “This is the point of knowledge that I trust in and therefore, this is why I believe”? If you can answer that, I think you have a strong grip on the first step of trusting God completely.

Now, as I said, I have been contemplating faith a lot lately and I wanted to just do a short post about it, but it has turned into a bit of a series. So, this is the first installment and below is a preview of the next couple of posts, which I hope to post in the next week or two. Please feel free to leave some feedback, ask questions, start a discussion, whatever you would like to do. If I take too long in posting the next installment, send me a reminder! Thanks for reading!

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Faith in Action

Obedience: What is God waiting on you to do?

-       How to take the step that God is asking you to take.

The Orphan’s Cry

-       Trusting God enough to cry out with our needs and know that he will hear us and respond.

Above the Influence

-       Showing daily faith in an environment that is contradictory and detrimental to your faith.

Time Flies By

Things have changed a lot since the last time I posted. One reason it has been awhile is because I lost my username and password but recently found them and decided to get back to writing.

I could take the time to go back and reflect on the past year and everything that has happened but I think that would take far to long to actually do. So, I'm just going to pick up here and see what starts coming as I start writing again.

Hope to post again soon!

Always a Witness

A saying that I have always heard is that in everything you do, you are a witness; you are either a witness for God, or for Satan. So, who are you witnessing for? In this society it seems that we have forgotten to stress how important actions are, or perhaps is more along the lines that we have begun to think that actions are not important. After all, in most cases our society judges only by outer appearances. This is why you have women going and spending their money on magazines that tell them what the newest trend is and then buying the hottest trend, only to find out that there is a new trend! For guys, all I will ask is how many hours a week do you spend in a gym working out and trying to get the toned body and overall look?
Here is what I am getting at: What do people see when they look at you? Do they see a materialistic girl who cares only about how she looks? Or do they see a God-fearing, loving and worshiping woman, who cares about how she can show God’s love to those around her? What about you guys, do people see a guy who is egotistical, selfish and cares about nothing other than himself? Or a God-fearing man who is not afraid to show the more vulnerable side of himself in order to prove how weak he is and how strong God is? Who are you being a witness for, Satan or God? As you go through your day, just think about that, think about the things that you do and how they affect others. Is there something you need to change, and if so, are you going to?
True devotion calls us to be like Christ in everything we do and say. True devotion calls us to take up our cross. Take up our cross, and carry it. To nail our pride to the cross, along with everything that holds us back. Whether it is memories, other people, selfishness or anything else that entangles you, throw it off, nail it to the cross! Live your life for Christ. Be a witness for that which you believe in, not the thing that tries to drag you down. Something I once heard was that “your life might be the only Bible that people read.” Think about that, what are people reading when they read you?

“I hope that my achievements in life shall be these - that I will have fought for what was right and fair, that I will have risked for that which mattered, and that I will have given help to those who were in need that I will have left the earth a better place for what I've done and who I've been.“ C. Hoppe

Snow in East Texas

Today I woke up to a beautiful snowy spring wonderland. As the day went by I managed to get some pictures (shared below) and had some fun snowball fights. Including one fight that consisted of 2 cars driving and at the red lights hopping out, grabbing snow off the top of the car and throwing it at the other car. ...lots of fun... Enjoy the pictures!
Mercy, Joy and Dedication,
Marissa

My beautiful truck, Patriot (Patty for short):




Some random guy sledding down the hill behind my dorm:


Snowman that a couple of my friends made:


Line of cars covered in snow:


The willows:

True Treasue

The worth of a king
The worth of a pauper
The worth of a heart
The worth of a soul

What is the cost of each of these?
What is the purpose of each of these?

Are they worth sacrifice?
Are they worth abandonment?

The gift of life
The gift of love
The hope of today
The dream of tomorrow

What is the worth of each of these?
What is the desire of each of these?

Are they worth sacrifice?
Are they worth abandonment?

The worth of youth
The worth of beauty
The worth of wisdom
The worth of knowledge

What is the cost of each of these?
What is the purpose of each of these?

Are they worth sacrifice?
Are they worth abandonment?

A heart of gold
A heart of love
Strength for today
Forgiveness for tomorrow

What is the worth of each of these?
What is the cost of each of these?

They are worth abandonment
They are worth sacrifice

The love of God
The mercy of Christ
The forgiveness of God
The comfort of the Spirit

What is the worth of each of these?
What is the cost of each of these?

They are worth sacrifice
They are worth abandonment

Is anything worth more than these?
Is anything more important than these?

Waiting on the Divine Timetable

What are the consequences when we take a desire out of its proper time? What happens when we allow emotion to rule our minds, and not Christ? We mess things up, mistakes happen and we lose control.

“There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven… A time to cry and a time to laugh…A time to love and a time to hate...”

- Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 and 8

Too often people feel as though they are wasting time in school. For some this might be true, yet for others it is a useful tool that they will not be able to survive in a job without it.
I see students getting discouraged because they see what they are meant to do, yet are stuck in school learning things that might not always apply to them and where they are going. It is frustrating when I see this because in every moment there is an opportunity to grow and become more than you currently are. In every class there is something to learn. What is also frustrating about this attitude of wasting time is that it becomes real. When students think that they are wasting time, they start actually doing it. Instead of getting involved around campus or speaking up in class they go hide in their rooms or play games on their computers. It is frustrating when students simply give up because they are not getting what they want, when they want it.
In truth, each person needs to remain focused on the cross and what it represents in his life; the fact that Christ comes before all and is placed above all. Even when it seems like the right time for something, sometimes it is not. No matter how much you want it to happen; sometimes it is better to wait. The majority of the time we can only see a small portion of the big picture, and while that seems to be perfect, in reality it is not. Yet, when standing on the edge of a cliff, how hard is it to fight gravities pull? How hard is it to say no to the desires that we face every day? It takes will power, determination and trust that the right time will come later. This applies to everyday situations, from relationships to jobs to school. With God’s strength we are able to fight the desires that pull us down. We are able to soar on wings of eagles because Christ’s strength and grace is more than sufficient, it is perfect!

“Those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faith.”

- Isaiah 40:31

We press on knowing that God has a plan; knowing that his timing, his purpose is perfect! He is never early and never late. We press on with hope of tomorrow. When we walk in step with him, the thoughts and desires of our heart and soul will be in line with his. He will give the strength to wait. He will give hope and peace that only he can grant.

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.

Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.”

-John 14:27

Therefore, perfect peace takes over us and we can relax in trust; knowing that we can rely on him and follow his lead. In doing that we are enabled to lead others and share his love with them. That is our purpose, to lead and disciple others, showing them who Christ is and what he is able to do. This causes us to wait on our desires. We wait in hope and peace, knowing that God’s timing is perfect and that in him and through him, we can do anything.

The Complexity of Relationships

"Ring by Spring, or your money back!" A statement often joked about on the East Texas Baptist University campus. The statement is quite simple compared to the relationship that has to take place before a ring is even considered. Relationships are difficult and often complex. This applies to all relationships, not just the ones of fiancées, boyfriend/girlfriend and married couples. It applies to every relationship that you have.
Every day we influence the relationships that we have. We do this by the choices we make about who we talk to, spend time with and exert emotion towards. Relationships take time, effort, passion and faithfulness. Relationships take time to earn trust, effort to build and strengthen them, passion about touching other people’s lives and making a difference and faithfulness to stay consistent in all responses and actions. Yet, there is one thing that strings these four together and that is love. Relationships take love that forgives mistakes, sacrifices itself and shows through in every action and word.
Why go through all the trouble? Why are relationships worth all of the complexities that we go through in order to enjoy them? They are worth the trouble because we are created to be in relationships. In Genesis 2:18, God is looking at creation and he sees that every creature has a partner and a helper, except for man. He then states that this is not good, and creates a helper for the man. God and Adam were in the perfect relationship with each other. There was no sin and they walked daily with each other. Yet, God said it was not enough. Therefore, we see that man needs human companionship.
Relationships are important. Yet, ultimately each relationship should be between three people; your friend, yourself and God.

“A cord of three strands is not easily broken.”

-Ecclesiastes 4:12

In every relationship there is a need for someone stronger than you to be in ultimate control. Yet, if you place that control and trust in the hands of another human, things are going to get messed up. By placing that control and trust into the hands of God, you are depending on the one person that will not steer you wrong. One way of looking at is like a tricycle. You have probably heard of, and possibly been, someone complaining about being the third wheel in a group. Here is a challenge: start thinking of relationships as tricycles, where there is always a third wheel. Picture a tricycle, it has three wheels and the largest is in front leading the way. The two wheels in the back are of equal size, helping to keep balance. Now, relate that to relationships. The two wheels in the back are you and your friend. The wheel in front is God. Sounds simple, right? You see, if God is leading the way in every relationship you have, and your friends and you are balancing each other out, you create a tricycle that is stable and will not topple due to small bump in the road.

“We loved, because he first loved us.”

-1 John 4:19

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your mind..Love your neighbor as yourself.”

- Matthew 22:37 & 39

The complexity of relationships is actually quite simple. To have strong, healthy relationships we must first love God and then let his love flow through us, into the lives of those around us.

Churches Need Rejuvenation

Churches are dying, why? Why is it that in every town you go to in Texas you will find at least 3 churches; one of which might be truly on fire and ministering in the way that Christ has commanded and the others dying? The church is called to minister through discipleship, honesty, love, forgiveness and biblical teaching. Yet, most churches that I have gone to are filled with politics and cliques. Churches are known for being snobbish and not loving; for covering up their problems and pretending to be perfect, when in reality they are humans that make mistakes and are forgiven for them.

I have been in the church my entire life and there have been several times where the church was the cause for heartache and loss of faith in my life. Discipleship and community were jokes in these churches! I look back now and wonder, if it was that bad for me, what is it like for someone who has not been in the church his entire life? What is it like for someone who does not know that the church is supposed to be more than a calculator of numbers? For someone who goes into these churches and is essentially assigned a number and that is their worth? I would walk away. I think that and want to scream out that there is more than numbers to Christianity; more than politics and cliques. It is a relationship, not a religion!

Church is a place where believers are supposed to come together, fellowship with and build one another up. They are to encourage each other so that each individual is more than a number and each wants to go out on his own and strengthen his relationship with God. The church is meant to disciple those who come hungry and teach them how to feed themselves. I know there are churches out there that are like this but I also know that you have to search for them.

Another thing that I have seen and been told about is the hypocrisy of those in leadership, those who teach and lead the body of Christ; the hypocrisy of Army chaplains that get drunk every night and cheat on their wives because they are in Iraq and will not get caught. The hypocrisy of youth ministers that lie to their youth groups, flirt with married women and ignore their families to the point their wives having an affair with a church staff member. How do Christians overcompensate for the hypocrisy that covers the church and its leaders? I have seen people give up and walk away, others sit and ignore it and a few that try to stand up and say “this is not Christianity, this is not Christ”!

It is a near impossible task to erase the actions of fake Christians from the thoughts of those who know no better, unless you show true Christ-like love. Christ-like love which welcomes all, no matter skin color, gender, age or occupation; love that shows in every action and shouts through every word. If Christ-like love was the basis of the majority of churches today there would be no need for massive number seeking. Instead, people would search for the source of love that overflowed from the church body.

The change that needs to take place is simple. No more cliques based on wealth, gender, age or occupation. No more snubbing those who look, act or dress differently. Instead, welcome them with open arms and show them who Christ truly is. No more allowing those in leadership to get away with hypocrisy and lack of responsibility. Hold them accountable! Without these changes the church will continue on the downward spiral that it is in and it will lose all influence in ministry and reaching those who need it. The church family needs to re-evaluate their priorities and re-establish their foundation in the Bible and Christ-like love.

Roses Vs. Chameleons

Identity matters, it is a core feature that each person has within him. It is a combination of character and personal history. It means taking away friends and fads and truly discovering who you are. Identity not only defines who a person is, it helps define the path that he walks in life.
In my life I have struggled to find my identity. As a teenager I played the part of a chameleon. I went from group to group in hopes of being accepted by someone. I only ended up lonely, and it did not matter that I was with a group. I still felt alone because none of my friends saw me for who I truly was. Part of the problem was that I did not know who I was. I spent so much time focusing on what the people around me expected of me, that I was too busy to realize that I was my own person. I was someone that God had created. An individual made for a specific reason, completely unique.

“I will praise you, because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well.”

-Psalm 139:14

It took me a long time to understand this verse. I looked at myself and saw everything I had done wrong and could not understand how that made me remarkable. Then one day I finally understood grace. The mistakes of the past make us unique. God’s grace covers those mistakes and gives us a new identity. Like a rose that starts out as a small bud and then blossoms into a beautiful, unique flower, God forms each of us, every day.
Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet, “What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
When I think about this quote, I think about the fact that it is not the circumstance that makes us who we are; it is our character that makes us who we are. Who are you? Who is God creating you to be? Do you sit and listen to the ideas and expectations of those around you or do you listen to the one that created you? God made you, inside and out. He created you for a specific reason, listen to his directions. Sometimes that means taking the path less traveled. Often it means sticking out in the crowd. Every now and then it means you lose a friend because you chose to stand up for what was right and not go along with the crowd. It happens, but just like a rose is beautiful, it has its thorns. Becoming the person that God created is never easy. Please do not let this stop you from finding the path that God has laid out for you.

“’For I know the plans I have for you’ – this is the Lord’s declaration – ‘plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”

-Jeremiah 29:11

Every person is a unique diamond. Each has a different sparkle and facet. Every person has varying dimensions to his identity. As opposed to changing to fit in with the crowd, one can go from being introverted to extroverted. The facets of your personality represent the different angles that you allow others to see of your character. When you change to fit in with different crowds you deny part of yourself, whereas facets are simply different sides of the same object.
I still battle the impulse to give in and be a chameleon. I find the strength to keep fighting that battle every time a friend sees who I am and not a mask that I put on. When God uses something that I have gone through to help me understand someone else’s trouble and pain; it makes me realize that I would not be able to do that, if I was not following his path and being who he created me to be. I found my identity when I realized that my past was not a hindrance, but a blessing. It is not always easy being me. It will not always be easy to be you.
Do not be afraid to stand out. Take off your mask and stop being a chameleon! God created you to be unique. Find out what that means for you. Do not expect your friends to act a certain way and accept them for who they are. If they do not know who they are, help them find out.

“Yet Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we all are the work of your hands.”

-Isaiah 64:8

Become like clay in the potter’s hands and let go of control. God can and will take care of you. You are unique, never forget that.

The Need to Achieve

The need to achieve is a powerful source of motivation. When one has a need to be the best that they can be, it can destroy him, or make him stronger. Yet, needing to achieve or be the best is not enough. Living life takes more than mere motivation. It takes strength and courage. Because to truly live one must be who he is, no matter what else is going on.
I am many things, but most of those things are simply roles that I play and not who I am. Among other things, I am a student, photographer, friend and a Christian. Yet, these roles are mere images of the things that drive me. I have a yearning for knowledge, therefore I am a student. I love to capture moments of time, therefore I am a photographer. I love making people smile and be comfortable with who they are, therefore I am a friend. I have a consuming love for Christ and I have been washed clean by his mercy, therefore I am a Christian.
Sometimes my need to achieve gets in the way of who I am and who I want to be. I get involved in more things than I can handle, just to have a challenge. Then I lose track of friends and the things going on in their lives that they need someone to be there for them. I get caught up in learning how to minister through book knowledge and I forget how to minister through people knowledge. Lately when people ask me about what I am going to do after I graduate I give an automatic answer. Yet inside I have a gnawing voice telling me that I do not have a clue. I get scared. I have a crippling fear of failure. This fear is caused by the fact that everything I am being taught is mere theory and not reality.
Where is the line in between theory and reality? As students we are being taught the things that we will need to know when we get out into the real world, but we are not in the real world. Some students study until their hair falls out, others skate through their classes and still others do not even care. What is the point? How often do we stop and ask ourselves is this who we are? Am I achieving simply to say I did something, or am I actually reaching a goal?

“Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”

- Philippians 3:12-14

“Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord – you serve the Lord Christ.”

- Colossians 3:23-24

These verses demonstrate how we should act towards every goal. Instead of trying to achieve for ourselves we should be trying to achieve the goal that God has placed for us.
Ultimately there is one purpose in living life and that is to glorify God by being the people he created us to be and love and minister to those around us. Yet too often people get caught up in achieving purposes that they set for themselves and they forgot about the opportunity to minister and love the people that God places in their lives.
Here is the challenge for all reading this and myself. Get out of the mood of achieving for ourselves and take the time to minister to those around us. Even if the most we can do is stop and ask a friend how they are doing, genuinely mean it and listen to them when they need someone to talk to.