Don't STOP Believing


Jim Cymbala wrote in Fresh Wind Fresh Fire, “I despaired at the thought that my life might slip by without seeing God show himself mightily on our behalf.”  What might it look like to see God move mightily on my behalf?  For God to take something that was completely impossible in every way for me to accomplish and bring it to pass with ease.  I’m always praying for a greater vision and asking God to move mightier than I’ve ever seen Him move so that others might see His glory.  I remember when I was younger getting so angry that every Sunday I was taught God is the same yesterday, today and forever and I wasn’t getting to see Him bring sight to the blind, lock the jaws of lions, just move in any way small or huge I did not care I just wanted to see God at work.  I remember hearing all the stories about how God use to move and all the things the elders had seen Him do… well how come we were not STILL seeing Him do it!  Are we still craving a mighty move of God?  Have we let ourselves stop believing in His power?
Nothing compares to seeing God move.
Another thing that ticks me off is people thinking I am some fantastically loving midwife serving the poor sacrificing my Western comforts and doing some amazing thing for God.  People are always saying, “You are so brave.” Or “Oh I could never leave my family, eat that, give up hot showers?”  Really you couldn’t?  Jesus gave His freaking life on a cross for you and it is only by His grace that we find salvation from death, hell and the grave and you don’t want to even take the time to ask Him what He might want you to do with your life.  If you put my life’s story in scripture would it really look radical?  Or would it look like, “Oh she played it safe!”  So I’m in the Philippines trying to share God love while reducing infant and maternal mortality.  It’s not like I’m being thrown in a lion’s den or fiery furnace. How about being asked to take the freaking city of Jericho down by simply marching? Now that is an uncomfortable battle plan Joshua had going for him.  However it was God’s plan and the vision God gave him.  If we are not willing to be uncomfortable we will eventually become unfaithful.  Besides when in the Bible did God ever ask anybody to do something easy?  Perry Noble puts it this way, “If you have never had an “Oh crap!” moment then you’ve probably not heard from God.”  Are we using scriptures for our standards of faith?  Do we still believe God can use us to do GREAT things?  Hebrews 11:33-34 gives us Biblical examples of these great things.  It says they “conquered kingdoms through faith, administered justice, gained what was promised, who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of flames and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength and who became powerful in battle and put foreign armies to flight.”

Now before you go off thinking but they were extra special or that God gave those mighty men super powers, let’s take a look at James 5:17  “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain and for three years and six months it did not rain on earth.”  Elijah was a man just like us.  This scripture allows us to know that we can pray huge impossible prayers with audacious faith just like Elijah and our Heavenly Father will hear and answer. It’s the same God.  Moses wasn’t a super hero.  We think we could never be that great but I challenge you to believe that you could.  I realize it is a fight to keep believing.  It was by faith people crossed the Red Sea on dry ground and it was by faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they marched around it for seven days.  Are you living your life with audacious faith and praying for God to do incredible things?  I want to be right smack dab in the middle of a move of God and see Him do so much so fast that the whole flipping world will just have to take notice.  Steven Furtick sums my rambling up with, “If you are not daring to believe God for the impossible, you are sleeping through some of the best parts of your Christian life.”

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