It’s Just a Skip

My Belief

                  

Both believers and non believers ask me the same question all the time. They ask me “Why is your faith so strong”. The answer to this is simple. It is the only thing that really makes sense! Knowledge is everywhere. There are arguments for everything. Our world is always in the mode of debating the opposing point of view. It does not matter if that view is right or wrong we just find facts to make the point. What if we stop doing that for a minute and really tested what we know. You can make the case that science supports evolution and you can also make the case that science supports the Bible. Now lets look at what else we know. History definitely looks like it supports the Bible. The more archeologists uncover the more and more the facts of the Bible stand the test. It is hard to make the same claim for evolution or any of the other theories. People try to do it through carbon dating, but there are all sorts of holes in that theory. The Bible however stands firm when it comes to ancient civilization, historic rulers and entire races of people. What else do we know? How about prophesy. God says in the Bible that He is God and there is no other and that He reveals things before they ever happen. This is a way of proving Himself and His book. To answer this you need look no further than the nation of Israel. The Bible specifically says that they would be driven from their homeland and then brought back as the end of the age draws near. This happened exactly as the Bible said it would. The Jewish people were driven out of their land in 70 AD by the Romans and were brought back almost 2000 years later in 1947. There is no other people that have ever been driven away and then brought back centuries later. The Jews still have many of the exact same customs and speak Hebrew exactly the same way now as they did then. Put the Bible to the test! It hold up every time. The Bible is the only puzzle piece that makes sense. It is the only thing that continues to explain all of life’s mysteries with remarkable accuracy.

Scripture

^{Matt 17:20} 

²⁰ He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Application for Life

Once you realize how accurate the Bible is, it give purpose to your life. It empowers you and makes you bold. The Bible holds up to everything that can be throw at it and it quickly becomes clear the main priority in life must be to live for the Lord Jesus. Personally, I realize in this ever crumbling world that the hope provided in the Bible is the only thing I have to look forward to. Look at the big picture. Don’t get hung up on a small rabbit trails. When you compare everything that is known to what is contained in the Bible, your faith will become strong. The things that seem important in this life will lose their luster and Jesus will become brighter with each passing day. When the Bible is compared to what is known, the leap of faith required to believe the Bible will shrink to a small minuscule little skip.

Through…Not Around!

My Belief

Today was a perfect day. It started out perfect anyway… I got a lot done. I fixed the toilet, I paid the bills, I cleaned the house and I even got myself all ready to start another trip tomorrow. It could not have been more routine and it could not have been more well organized!

When I entered my house from running my dogs around the neighborhood, I noticed my phone was ringing off the hook. The caller was crew scheduling. They were franticly looking for me. They said, “Captain where are you? You are suppose to fly in 10 minutes.”  There had been a miscommunication in my schedule. I had made a mistake with my flight schedule. I had been removed from work this week to do jury duty, but I had not realized the last little bit of my "removed” trip was still on my schedule. This was a stressful situation. I was still eligible to do this part of the trip even though I thought it was removed. Now I am going to have to deal with the hassle of explaining to my Chief Pilot and the possibility of being reprimanded for an honest mistake. To top it all off, my wife had a bad day. We are now fighting over the silly things that married couples fight over. My perfect day has quickly turned into a disaster. It is as though a myriad of trials have landed on me all at once and sucked all of the oxygen out of my house. There is only one thing left to do…PRAY.

God always takes us through trials NOT around. He took the 3 boys in the book of Daniel through the “Fiery Furnace”. He took Daniel through the “Lions Den”. He even took Jesus Himself though Satan’s temptations in the wilderness. He never takes us around trials, but He is always faithful to takes us through. The reason for this is 2 fold. One is that it brings Glory to Himself. God would have no reason to show His power if there was no furnace, if there was no lion, and if there is no temptation. The second reason He takes us through is to draw us close to Himself. We need Him to save us from the problems that enter our lives. We need Him to protect us from the flames, silence the roar of the lions, and to guide us away from Satan’s call. Just as God has protect His children so many times through out all of history, He continues to do the same today. When we call on Him in prayer He brings us through the trials in our lives. In the process His Glory is made known and we rely on him even more than before.

Scripture

John 16:33 - 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

2 Corinthians 1:44 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

James 1:12 -12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

My Belief

The closer I get to my Lord and Savior the more I need Him for everything. I find myself like a child incapable of doing things without His guiding hand. Often I wish the trials in my life would just disappear, but that would not do anyone any good at all. It would do nothing for the Lord, because I could not proclaim His greatness in triumph once again. It would also do nothing for me. I would not see His power in my life and realize I am helpless without Him. Trials will be set before us all of our days and our way out is always the same. By firmly holding onto the Lord’s hand and walking straight through it with Him together.

Falling away

My Belief

                           

I feel especially sad for the guy I flew with this week. I was up to my usual. I was dangling “spiritual bait” out there trying to get him into a conversation that I could turn into a chance to share Jesus. We flirted with politics a little. He was all about energy reform and green technology. He towed the California liberal line pretty hard, but would not let me turn the conversation into anything more than surface level stuff. We ran out of things to say faster than usual and I did not know how I was going to gain enough credibility or find an opening to share Jesus with this guy. I prayed about it. I said, “Lord, if there is an opportunity here, please show it to me.” That evening we were on a long flight together and we began chatting about politics again. One of the very first thing out of his mouth FLOORED ME! He said, “The problem with this country is all of these dang retards that call themselves Christian.” He also said, “I use to be part of the “God Squad”, but not anymore.” Well, talk about an opening. God dang near blew the door right off the hinges. I simply raised my hand to this guy and said, “I am one of those retards.”

This guy knew the Bible and the arguments for creation inside and out. I had nothing to give him. He knew it all and said that he use to believe it whole heartedly. He said that now after his research he believes God is an Alien and evolution is the mechanism of life. He had no evidence at all to support these claims. He simply told me that after having researched it heavily, this was his new conclusion. I didn’t know what to say. How could someone with so much knowledge of the Bible and someone who claimed to be a Believer most of their life now be in this position. He also told me, “well if all the Jesus stuff is true, then I am fine because I use to be saved and once saved always saved.” I said yes I agree with you that “genuine” salvation is permanent, but what about the encounter Jesus had with the fig tree? This guy had all sorts of leaves (Biblical knowledge), but he had absolutely no Fruit! He had no joy in his life. He complained about everything. For example: he didn’t like his job, he didn’t like his girlfriends, he hated that he only had an apartment, etc, etc…

I told him that I did not know how he had gotten so far off track, but that I would pray for him. I would pray the God would use the Holy Spirit to convict him and draw him back. That God would show him his original thoughts where not misguided and not to let Satan keep hold of him. I told him that there are traps everywhere and to do some real searching. Question everything and see where the evidence really lies.

Scripture

Matt 21:18-19¹⁸ Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

Application for Life

Even though this is my first time meeting someone who now repudiates his faith, it is not my pastors first time. I have heard him preach about “Leafy” people and “Fruity” people numerous times. Jesus even said that all “good soil” produces fruit. Some 10 fold, some 100 fold, but all produce fruit. We would be wise to test ourselves as to whether or not we truly believe who Jesus is and what Jesus did for us. Do you really believe there is hope after death? Do you have a passion to share Jesus with lost souls? Are you truly a fruity Christian or just a leafy religious person going through the motions? Will you fall away when your faith is rigorously tested?