The Choice Is Clear

Romans 1:20 tells us that God's attributes are CLEAR. So why is it that so many people don't believe in God?

Might I posit that it takes more faith to believe that there isn't a God than to believe that there is. 

Faith, like love and almost everything else in the world, is a choice. God won't force it down our throats. He'll lay out His evidence and then it's up to each of us to believe it or not. We can look at the world and choose to only see the chaos and destruction. Or we can look at the world and see the order and intelligent design behind it.

We can choose to believe that life is random. Or we can choose to see the times where divine intervention stepped in and blessed us.

The choice is always ours. But the choice is also always clear.

God bless,

J.W.

Bread Alone

"But He answered and said, "It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"" ~ Matthew 4:4

Today's scripture proves that our lives are not just physical. We don't just have a physical body, but we have a soul and spirit that needs to be fed too. So if you're living your life only focused on the physical world around you, you are missing out on a huge piece of life that God has waiting for you. 

Live life to the fullest today by remembering life is about more than what you can see.

God bless,

J.W.

Faith isn't Abstract

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ~ Hebrews 11:1

See also 1 Corinthians 13:4-13. 

Many of us believe that things like faith and love are ephemeral, abstract concepts. But these scriptures show the opposite. In fact, faith and love are tangible things. And as tangible things, they must be demonstrated or shown, not just said. Otherwise, it's not really faith; it's not really love.

Have your faith and love been demonstrated lately?

God bless,

J.W.

Strength of Faith

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." ~ James 1:2-4

In the words of Dr. Dharius Daniels, faith is not just how hard you believe. Faith is about how long you believe. According to James 1:2-4, God tests our faith through time. Thus, faith is based not only on the "bigness" of our prayers. It is also based on the consistency of our prayers.

In other words, many of us get frustrated because we feel that God hasn't answered our prayer. But if we were to go back and examine our faith, we'd see that we haven't really prayed or believed that long. We've got big prayers but we haven't erected a structure that will sustain those prayers over time.

That's why Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us to love God with all of our heart, soul, and strength. The strength of our love of and faith in God is measured by our patience.

It's not just about how hard we believe. It's about how long we believe. Our faith is perfected, i.e. made perfect, through time.

God bless,
J.W.

Follow The Leader (Part 7)

"But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you." ~ Proverbs 1:24-26

Proverbs 1:24-26 details the consequences of not heeding God's call on your life. 

Oftentimes, we let fear of stepping out on faith stand in our way. 

But... truth be told, the fear of not doing what God says should scare us even more.

God bless,
J.W.

Love, Faith, and Fear (Part 7) (Finale)

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13

Let's end the debate! God favors love over faith.

1 Corinthians 13:13 instructs us to live in faith, hope, and love. Yet, it specifically says that the greatest of these three is love.

Love is the epitome of who God is. And it's what He's most interested in developing in us.

May you increase in faith and hope.

But most of all, may you increase in love.

God bless,
J.W.

Love, Faith, and Fear (Part 6)

"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory..." ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18

Yesterday, we identified those areas that one needs to address in order to increase in love.

Identifying those areas is the easy part. The hard part is actually doing it.

But like anything, taking the first step is the key.

God doesn't expect us to be perfect, but he does want us to be better.

Take the first step today.

God bless,
J.W.

Love, Faith, and Fear (Part 5)

Now that we've (hopefully) established that increasing in love is more important than increasing in faith, the question is, how does one increase in love?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 gives us the blueprint (see above).

Increasing in love requires us to increase in all these areas.

Stay tuned for more.

God bless,
J.W.

Love, Faith, and Fear (Part 4)

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us." ~ 1 John 4:11-12

One reason that God is concerned about us increasing in love is because our demonstrated love is one way He is made manifest to others.

As 1 John 4:11-12 indicates, people can't see God. But when we show love, others get a glimpse of Him.

The more people see God, the more they'll have faith in Him. 

It all comes full circle.

Love > Faith.

God bless,
J.W.

Faith, Fear, and Love (Part 3)

"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" ~ Galatians 5:14

Still unconvinced that increasing in love is more important than increasing in faith?

Galatians 5:14 says it all. 

The scriptures are ultimately fulfilled, not by having more faith; not by saying more prayers; and not by following the law to a T.

No, the scriptures are fulfilled by us showing more love. 

That's the thrust of the Scriptures - to move us to increase in love! 

God knows that when we increase in love, we will automatically increase in faith. 

Stay tuned. 

God bless,
J.W. 

Faith, Fear, and Love (Part 2)

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

Need more proof that the way to more faith and less fear is through love?

See 2 Timothy 1 above.

Notice: God did not give us a spirit of FAITH instead of fear, but a spirit of love.

Why is that?

Because He knows that while faith is the ultimate goal, LOVE is the pathway that will lead us there.

The question is, are we willing to grow in love in order to grow in our faith?

More to come in the days ahead.

God bless,

J.W.

Faith, Fear, and Love (Part 1)

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." ~ 1 John 4:18

How can you increase your faith?

By increasing in love.

Why does increasing in love increase your faith?

Because according to 1 John 4:18, love casts out fear, which is the opposite of faith.

So, increasing your faith involves increasing your love.

In the days to come, we'll continue to explore the relationship between love, faith, and fear.

God bless,
J.W.

A Study of Romans 8:28 (Part 1)

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." - Romans 8:28

Many individuals enter the Christian faith thinking that their salvation means that life will no longer be hard, unfair, and full of challenges.

But Romans 8:28 tells a different story. It says that ALL things work together for good. Not just good things. Not only open doors or positive experiences. But ALL things.

If that's so, we can't look at challenging circumstances or short-term failures as evil. Closed doors are often God's way of guiding us in the right direction.

More to come tomorrow.

God bless,
J.W.

Faith At Work

"So Jesus answered and said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.'" ~ Matthew 21:21

Last weekend, I saw the power of faith at work first hand.

During the delivery of my son, my wife was in labor for just over 20 hours. Things were going well until the pain started getting too intense for her. Her contractions were coming rapidly, but weren’t strong enough to push our 8 pounds, 11 ounce baby down the birth canal. The doctors were sure that they would have to do a C-section.

Then, faith stepped in. I texted my family and they started praying. They sent the word out to other family and friends, and they started praying too. After just under an hour, we got word back from the doctor that despite her certainty that Michele would have to undergo a C-section, her contractions were now strong enough to deliver naturally. The doctor said she couldn’t even explain it.

If that’s not God at work, I don’t know what is.

God bless,
J.W.

Crucify The Flesh

"And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." ~ Galatians 5:24-26

Our flesh can be deceiving. Often, we think our fleshly desires are what are natural to us. We say things like "follow your gut" and "listen to your body."

But the Bible tells us to crucify our flesh. That means to control it by not giving in to its wishes and desires.

God calls us to walk by faith, and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Thus, to live according to His will, we must learn to control our emotions and fleshly desires by crucifying them. Don't let them control you.

God bless,
J.W.

Who Wan Come Test?

"'And try Me now in this,' says the LORD of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it." ~ Malachi 3:10

I know it's often times hard to believe in what you can't see. You think something is supposed to be happening in your life and nothing does. Or you're waiting for a sign from God to show you that He exist and He cares.

But God is looking for you to take the first step. He says "try Me now in this and see if I will not open up windows in heaven for you." God is waiting for YOU to exercise your faith. As soon as you're willing to step out of the boat and trust Him (Matthew 14:28-31), that's when He'll show up in your life.

God bless,
J.W.

It's The Real

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ~ Hebrews 11:1

To those atheists, nihilists, and agnostics who might say "God is not real because I cannot see, hear, or touch Him," God has an answer for that. It's Hebrews 11:1. Despite many of our misconceptions, it is not God's appearance that brings us to faith, but rather it is our faith that manifests God's appearance. It is our belief in Him that makes Him real, not the other way around.

If you want to see, know, or hear God today, have faith! He will surely reveal Himself to you.

God bless,
J.W.

Go and Make Disciples

God has called us to make disciples.  In fact, it was Jesus' last commandment to His disciples before His ascension into Heaven after the resurrection.  According to Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus told His disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

So, why is it, then, that we as Christians are having such a hard time making disciples?  God said He'd give us a Comforter to help us accomplish what He's called us to do.  So, why don't we do it?

For many of us, it's because we are ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We hide our light so no one can see.  We tell ourselves that faith is a private matter not to be shared with others.  We keep our testimonies to ourselves. 

In fact, the opposite is true.  Our faith is a very public matter, and God wants us to share it with the world.  Like my Pastor says, we don't have to know every book in the Bible to share what God has done in our lives.  We've all got a testimony that we should be sharing with the people around us.

So, why aren't you making disciples today?

God bless,
J.W.

Open Doors

"You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe —and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? ~ James 2:19-20

In the Christian community, there’s a cliché that's pretty popular – “God opens doors that no man can shut and shuts doors that no man can open.”

But what happens when God opens a door? Are we, as Christians, automatically guaranteed success? What lies on the other side is undoubtedly a blessing, but do we automatically receive that blessing simply because God opened the door? Is our success solely reliant on God’s work or do we have some responsibility?

As many doors as God might open for us, we won’t actually receive the blessing that awaits us if we’re not prepared and positioned to walk through the open door.

Perhaps it’s because we’re carrying so much spiritual baggage that we’re no longer able to fit through the door that God has opened for us. Or perhaps we’ve made our own plans and have decided to stand in front of the wrong door, expecting God to bless our mess. Or maybe we’re just so afraid of what lies beyond the door that we remain paralyzed by fear, and miss our opportunity to walk through the open door.

Whatever the reason and whatever the excuse, God does not expect us to be passive in our walk with Him. He’ll open the door, but we have to walk through it. God will make a way out of no way, but we have a responsibility to walk boldly in that way.

The Bible says that faith without works is dead - and that's true. You can have all the faith you want, but if your faith is not matched with some corresponding action, you’ll never achieve everything that God has in store for you.

Walk boldly in the path that God has laid out for you today!

God bless,
J.W.

What Are You Hearing?

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." ~ Romans 10:17

One of the areas in which I struggle the most as a young Christian is in the things I listen to and watch. For instance, sometimes, I listen to Hot 97, where the songs are all about getting drunk, being promiscuous, and irresponsible. I tell myself I just like the style of music.

Sometimes, I watch movies where the subject matter is overtly sexual or violent. I tell myself I just like watching movies.

Sometimes, I watch way too much TV. I tell myself I'm just taking some time to relax.

But like the saying goes, you are what you eat.

God says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by His word. So, what are you hearing today? Are the things you listen to or watch pleasing to God? More importantly, are they properly feeding your spirit?

God bless,
J.W.