The credit rating of the United States was downgraded by Standard & Poor’s.
One of our military helicopters was shot down in Afghanistan killing 30 of our most elite soldiers. My son-in-law will be deployed there next year.
As I write this, the DOW is down 450 points today.
The United States Army approved an atheism-themed rock concert at Fort Bragg where my other son-in-law is stationed.
The city of Philadelphia implemented a curfew to deal with rising violence.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said a severe solar storm could cause global chaos and disrupt satellite communications for years.
In Maryland, a 17-year-old robbed a blind man and then stabbed him to death.
These are just today’s headlines. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
Yesterday, I deleted an app from my iPhone that I used to access Twitter. Most of what I was reading was producing fear, worry and anxiety. And I mostly follow people I tend to agree with!
Recently, I stopped listening to a couple talk radio programs because they were causing the same kinds of feelings. And again, I was listening to people who were promoting the same beliefs I have.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough. I don’t want to hear any more bad news.
It’s not that I want to live in blissful ignorance, although I seriously believe that’s better than living in fully informed anxiety. It’s just that I can’t do a single thing to change most of what I read or hear. It’s like having a boss who gives you responsibility without authority. It only leads to discouragement, stress and declining health.
Been there. Done that.
So like I said, I’m done.
I’m fasting from Twitter. Fasting from the news. Fasting from political talk radio.
If something big happens in the world that I really need to know about–I’m sure someone will tell me. And if they tell me too much or too often–I’ll fast from them, too.
In the meantime, I’ll choose to believe God. It’s why I write this blog in the first place. I need the consistent reminder that God is bigger and stronger than the politicians and the criminals (who often seem to be one in the same). I need to focus on the fact that God’s promises are true regardless of how the stock market is performing or whether housing prices are rising or falling. I have to remember that God can protect my two sons-in-law just as easy in Afghanistan as He can in California or North Carolina.
But I won’t remember any of those things as long as my mind is constantly being bombarded with bad news and if I neglect time in God’s word.
So how about you? Do you need to join me in a media fast?
Will you try it for 40 days?
What do you have to lose other than fear, anxiety, worry and discouragement?
Tune out the bad news and intentionally spend more time in His word.
Isaiah 26:3-4 says:
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.”
The Hebrew word for “steadfast” literally means: to lean, lay, rest, support, put, uphold, lean upon.
If you and I will choose to trust God, not what we see or feel–we will experience peace. Our minds will lean on and rest in Him.
It doesn’t happen by accident though. And it doesn’t happen without a fight. Sometimes a hard fight. We have an enemy who is intent on deceiving and discouraging us. He wants our minds filled with anxious thoughts. He loves it when we focus on circumstances we cannot control rather than the One in complete control of all circumstances.
I’m starting my fast now. 40 days. At least.
Media is out. More Bible is in.
I’m looking forward to the peace and joy that will result.
Will you join me? Leave a comment and/or email me if you’re in: greggstutts@yahoo.com
When things go wrong, terribly wrong, we can’t help asking God, “Why?”
Why did You let this happen?
Why did you let him die?
Why can’t I get pregnant?
Why can’t I find a job?
Maybe you’ve asked one of those questions. Maybe you’re asking one now. Or a different one.
Often, no answer comes. Bad things happen, but we’re only left to wonder why. God just doesn’t provide us with a reason.
And in those times, we have to fall back on His character. If we forget or never realize that He is good, faithful, loving, kind and all-powerful no matter what happens, then we will quickly become angry, fearful, depressed or any number of other negative emotions.
Sometimes though, God pulls back the curtain and gives us more information. Sometimes He answers the “Why?” question. In John 11, Lazarus is sick and eventually dies, but Jesus says, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
Now of course the disciples heard Jesus say this, but Lazarus and his two sisters who had sent for Jesus didn’t get to hear what Jesus said. They saw the miracle a few days later when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but those were a rough few days of silence while they wondered why Jesus wasn’t coming.
In the first chapter of Haggai, we have another instance of God actually explaining why something bad was happening. The temple was in ruins and the remaining Jews in Jerusalem had been saying, “The time has not yet come for the LORD’s house to be built.”
They were wrong.
Apparently, the time had not only come, but had passed. As a result, the people were experiencing drought like conditions in all areas of life. They would plant, but not harvest much. They’d put clothes on, but not be warm. They’d earn wages, but it was like putting money in a purse with holes in it.
Nothing was working out.
Have you been there? I have.
Just when you think a situation can’t get worse–it does. It looks like something will work out, but it doesn’t. You seem so close to getting out of difficult circumstances, but can’t quite ever make it.
Twice in chapter 1, God tells the people, “Give careful thought to your ways.”
I’m not sure we’re very good at that. We don’t stop very often to give careful thought to our ways. I think we just press on, wonder why things aren’t working and then blame God for not helping us.
But in Haggai 1:7-9, God is very clear about why things have not gone well: “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.”
There it is. God answers the “Why?” question. The people had been busy with their own homes, but had ignored His. God’s temple was in ruins, but the people were saying, “The time has not yet come for the LORD’s house to be built.”
They were wrong. It was time for the temple to be rebuilt. It was time for the people to be about God’s agenda.
You and I don’t have a temple to rebuild, but could it be there’s something else God has given us to do, but we’ve ignored it? We didn’t think it was important or we were busy or it would have made us uncomfortable or we simply forgot?
But the bottom line is we didn’t do it. And it has led to drought like conditions in our lives.
Press pause for just a moment.
PLEASE DO NOT HEAR ME SAYING THAT ALL BAD THINGS ARE THE RESULT OF OUR SIN OR FAILING TO DO WHAT GOD HAS ASKED US TO DO.
We live in a fallen world that’s badly stained by sin. Bad things happen. People get sick. Cars breakdown. Loved ones die. And it’s not because of anything we did or didn’t do.
Sometimes though, God does get our attention through frustrating circumstances. Is this one of those times for you? Maybe there’s something He wants you to do. Or maybe He wants you to start walking according to His ways, not yours.
If you ask Him, He’ll tell you, but if you’ll stop and “give careful thought to your ways”, I suspect you will know what He’s wanting you to do.
Yesterday, my son snapped this picture of a bee that was desperately holding on to our windshield as we were driving to lunch.
You could see that as our speed increased, the little bee was straining to hold on. The bee must have thought it was trying to survive a very windy day.
If the bee would have only known that to experience calm, it only needed to let go. It was only experiencing a turbulent day because it was holding on to the wrong thing.
What wrong thing are you holding onto today?
Have you placed your security in money?
Does your happiness depend on another person?
Are you only at peace if all your circumstances are good?
Do you only feel good about yourself if you think you’re pleasing everyone around you?
Do you look to your job or your children to make you feel significant?
Galatians 5:22-23 says:
“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
If we hold on to anything or anyone other than God Himself, our lives will feel out of control, turbulent, confusing and chaotic. But that’s not God’s intention for us.
When we surrender everything we have, everything we are and everything we desire to Him–we experience the fruit of His Spirit. We don’t produce the fruit–He produces it as a result of living surrendered lives and walking in obedience. And He even gives us the power to obey Him if only we will trust Him.
Yesterday morning, I was reading in the book of James. One of the passages I read was:
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:14-17)
Later in the morning, I was listening to a podcast of a sermon by Mark Driscoll. He was teaching from the parable about the unrighteous judge and the widow who kept asking for justice. The judge finally relented and gave her what she wanted because she simply wore him out with her asking.
Naturally, we will all want to identify ourselves with the widow and conclude we need to persist in our prayers, which is the point Jesus was making. But Mark first encouraged us to put ourselves in the position of the judge. Are we in a position to help someone, but are withholding our help even though it’s in our power to act?
Early yesterday afternoon, I was helping to breakdown a fireworks tent that we’d operated to raise money for Young Life in Fayetteville. As I was breaking down cardboard boxes and stacking them in my truck, a beat-up, old car pulled up to where I was working. An elderly man waved for me to come over to his car.
I’ll be honest, I was little annoyed at that point. I was tired and hot, and now some guy wanted me to stop what I was doing and come see what he wanted. He could get out and come to me, I thought. So I approached the car and stuck my head in the passenger side window. Then I saw it would have been difficult for the man to get out of the car. His seatbelt didn’t really buckle–he had sort of tied himself in with it.
The man asked me if he could help stack the boxes, because he needed money for gas. He showed me a clipboard that had a number of addresses and dates written on it. It was his list of odd jobs he’d lined up to do around town. He just didn’t have a job that day and needed to put some gas in his car.
I told him I was almost done with the boxes and didn’t have any cash. I even opened my wallet to show him all I had were some receipts and a couple of used baseball tickets from last week.
It was very hard to understand what he was saying, but he kept looking at the fuel gauge and mumbling about needing gas.
I was about to send him on his way and get back to work when…
It hit me that wishing him well and sending him off with an empty gas tank wasn’t right. It didn’t matter that I was hot and tired. It didn’t matter I felt annoyed. It was in my power to help him.
There was a Conoco gas station about 200 feet away, so I told the man to drive over there and I would use my debit card to buy him some gas. As I was walking over, I was looking for a friend of mine who had called about ten minutes earlier and said he was going to stop by.
I thought about only putting $20 worth of gas in the man’s car, but decided I would go ahead and fill his tank. The pump clicked off at $50.81.
By this time, my friend had walked over to the gas station. I explained to him the situation with the old man and then we talked as we walked back to the fireworks tent.
After several minutes, my friend pulled two checks from his pocket and handed them to me.
One was a $1,000 donation to Young Life. Surprise!
The profit from the fireworks tent was below what we’d hoped for, so that check went a long way toward making up the difference and was a great encouragement, especially to my wife, Robyn, the Young Life director in Fayetteville.
The other check was made payable to me. For $500. Surprise!
If I hadn’t read that passage in James or listened to Mark Driscoll’s sermon, would I still have put gas in that man’s car?
I don’t know. Maybe I would have allowed my annoyance to override doing the right thing.
And if I hadn’t put the gas in his car, would God have still provided that money through my friend?
Well, the checks were written and he was on his way to see me, so yes, I probably would have still been given the money. I guess God could have changed my friend’s mind, but I suspect I still would have received the checks. I just wouldn’t have received the blessing of helping an old man who needed me yesterday. And I would have kicked myself the rest of the day (and today too) and felt terrible for not being generous when God was being so generous to me.
As I was reflecting on how God must delight in surprising us with blessings the way he did for me yesterday, I wondered if it’s not so much that God is surprising us as He is just doing what He said He’d do. What we see as a surprise is God just being faithful. We’re surprised because we really don’t think He’ll do what He says.
Now I know we won’t always see God give back to us within minutes. The reaping often comes much later than the sowing. Let’s never forget though–the reaping does come. It’s not a matter of “if” God will act, it’s only a matter of “when.” God is faithful to His promises.
If we act in faith, we show that our faith is alive. And when we do, God shows up. And sometimes, He shows up with a surprise.
Is it within your power to help someone today? I mean with physical or financial needs.
In the mid-90′s, I was in a job I didn’t like and was looking for a change. A couple years later, I was without a job and looking for a change. Ten years later, I was again in a job that was no longer a fit and was looking for a change.
Last week, I visited a friend in the hospital who’d recently undergone major surgery to remove several tumors. A week after the surgery, he was fighting off a serious infection. He just wanted to start feeling better. He was looking for a change.
I’ve talked to numerous men and women who are unhappy in their marriages. They are looking for a change.
When our circumstances are difficult or unpleasant or just less than desirable–we’re all looking for a change. We want to move on. We want something better. We want God to do something. Sooner than later.
I’m sure the nation of Israel felt the same way.
They’d been slaves in Egypt for 400 years and when change finally came, it was short-lived. Because of their rebellion and unbelief, God made them wander in the desert for 40 years until all those over the age of 20 died off.
Once that generation had died, God led Israel to the east side of the Jordan River in preparation for crossing into the land of Canaan–the land He’d sworn to give to Abraham hundreds of years earlier.
Can you imagine the anticipation?
It would be like a few days before your wedding, Christmas and the best vacation ever all rolled into one. All you’ve ever known is slavery and living in a desert and now, you’re about to move into the land that God is giving you for your very own. They will live in cities they didn’t build. They’ll harvest vineyards they didn’t plant. They’ll be out of the dry, dusty desert and enjoying a land with streams and pools of water.
Everything is about to change for the better.
But is Israel ready?
Moses described them as a rebellious and stiff-necked people. They were prone to grumbling, complaining and wandering. They had short memories–often forgetting what God had done for them.
Are they ready for what God is doing for them? Will they be fully able to enjoy this good land He’s giving them? Have they learned anything from their past?
Still valid questions today.
Are you ready? Are you ready for whatever change God may want to bring into your life?
Are you ready for a new relationship? Are you ready for your marriage to become all God intended? Are you ready for the new job? The new city to live in? The new addition to your family? The increase in pay? New opportunities and responsibilities?
I don’t mean are you tired of your current circumstances. That’s a given. I’m talking about actually being ready to receive or enjoy or capitalize on whatever God is about to do.
When Israel came out of Egypt, God led them to Mt. Sinai where they received the 10 commandments. They would camp there for some time as God revealed many other commands. And before they were ready to cross the Jordan, Moses reviewed God’s commands and explained how to live them out in the new land they would possess.
There are a couple significant passages from what Moses taught that may help us answer the question: Are you ready for a change?
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (Deuteronomy 6:4-10)
Love God. Have His commandments on your heart. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them.
Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God. He also said we demonstrated love by obeying Him.
Moses also said:
Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. (Deuteronomy 8:1-5)
During the 40 years in the desert, God was humbling the Israelites and teaching them that they didn’t just live on bread, but on every word of His. They were to love and cherish and depend on His words. Regardless of how you got to where you are today–God desires to teach you that you cannot live apart from knowing and believing His word.
Are you ready for a change?
We can answer that question with a few other questions…
Are you growing in your love for God? Is your desire to obey Him and walk in His ways increasing?
Do you find yourself talking more about God’s word with others? Are you sharing what you’re learning?
Are you realizing that His word is life to you and that it can be trusted even when your feelings and circumstances aren’t making sense?
Are you only seeking relief from your circumstances or are you seeking God? (If you’re only seeking relief, then it will be easy to forget God once “you eat and are satisfied.”)
A new land, a change of scenery, a better life, relief from present pain and difficulties in the desert–they may be right around the corner.
I began this blog several years ago, because I’m a worry-aholic. I’m in recovery, but I still battle it everyday.
I forget what my mother was worrying about one day, but when I was about 20-years-old and thought I had the Christian life mastered, I said to her, “Just don’t worry.”
Just don’t worry. I wish it was that easy. The problem is that you and I have a lot that could cause us to worry:
I have a herniated disc in my neck that causes my right arm to feel weak sometimes. I’ve been told by two doctors that the nerve damage could become permanent which would lead to some loss of the use of my arm.
The economy isn’t getting better.
Terrorists aren’t giving up.
I still have a large tax bill to pay.
There’s no guarantee the next round of tornadoes won’t wipe out Fayetteville just as they did Joplin, Missouri.
Your circumstances are different than mine, but we both face the same choice everyday:
Will we choose to believe God or our circumstances?
Right before Israel was going to take possession of Canaan, the land God had promised to Abraham, Moses sent in twelve men to explore the land. After 40 days, they returned to give a report. All twelve agreed it was a good land, but ten of them were worried and fearful. They said, “…the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.”
Caleb tried to convince the people that they should go take possession of the land.
But the ten said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”
The worry and fear of the ten was so contagious that the Israelite community talked about appointing a leader to take them back to Egypt where they’d lived as slaves. These were people who saw God inflict ten plagues on the Egyptians. They experienced God protecting them by parting the Red Sea so they could escape the Egyptian army who was pursuing them.
Once in the desert, they saw God provide water from a rock. They heard God’s voice speak to them at Mt. Sinai where He gave the law to Moses. And every single day, they saw God lead them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
God could not have been any more real and active in their lives. And yet when they arrived at the land God had promised to give them, they shrunk back in worry and fear because ten men refused to keep their eyes on God rather than what they could see. Read the whole story here in Numbers 13 and 14.
And that error, that sin, cost them their lives. Because they refused to believe God, He ordered them to head back into the desert where they stayed for 40 years while God waited for all the Israelites over the age of twenty to die. They forfeited the Promised Land because they believed their circumstances, what they could see, instead of believing God.
I wonder how often we forfeit God’s blessings, because we refuse to believe Him. How often do we continue to wander in a desert of our own making, because we shrink back in worry and fear when God is calling us to go up and take possession of what He has for us?
I don’t want to miss out on anything God wants to do in me, through me or for me. I don’t want you to miss out either. It’s why I write this blog. And it’s why I put together the devotional: I Believe God: a 40 day adventure. The price is only $2.99 and is available in multiple formats. If you’d like the Amazon Kindle edition, it’s here.
Believing God is a choice to embark on an adventure of filling our minds with truth while learning to recognize and reject the lies of the enemy. It’s an adventure we were designed for by God.
Have you ever been doing well one minute, but felt worried or anxious the very next minute? It happens to me. Sometimes it’s not even apparent why my feelings have changed. One minute I feel peace and the next minute I’m anxious. Usually though, if I stop and think about it, I can identify the thought that led to the change in feelings.
Maybe you can relate.
You feel confident God will meet your financial needs, but then you think about that tax bill or medical bill that’s due. And a wave of panic washes over you.
You believe God is going to heal you, but you remember that your type of illness usually gets worse, not better.
You’ve applied for several jobs and even had a couple of good interviews. You’ve felt God’s assurance that things will work out, but several weeks have passed and you haven’t heard any news.
One minute we feel God’s presence and sense His peace. We feel so confident He’s going to come through for us. And then, almost without warning, we’ve overcome by worry or anxiety or fear. Then God seems distant and our situation feels hopeless.
I think Peter could relate to us. Check out this story in Matthew 14:22-33…
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distancefrom land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
This isn’t the first time the disciples have experience a miracle while on the lake. Previously, they encountered a great storm while trying to cross the lake. It was so bad they feared they were going to drown. Where was Jesus? He was in the stern of the boat. Sleeping.
They weren’t in any danger. God Himself was in the boat with them. Jesus stood up, calmed the storm and then asked His disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
This time though, Jesus isn’t in the boat. He sent the disciples on ahead while He prayed. In the middle of the night, He walks out on the water to them.
Of course, they’re frightened, but Jesus tells them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
That’s not good enough for Peter though. He’ll believe it’s Jesus if he’s able to walk on the water.
Don’t you love Peter? Maybe he made mistakes and said some dumb things, but at least he took action. We don’t see the other eleven disciples willing to get out of the boat. Just Peter.
So Peter gets out of the boat and begins to walk on the water toward Jesus. Stop there for a minute. Peter. Walked. On water. He was just a regular guy. He was no different than you or me, but when He listened to Jesus, he was able to walk on water.
Everything changes in verse 30 though:
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
It has always struck me that Peter “saw the wind.” You can’t really see wind, right? He saw something that you really can’t see. I guess he actually saw the effects of the wind blowing the waves around. Still though, Matthew makes the point of telling us that Peter saw the wind and was afraid. And once the fear hit him, he began to sink.
Peter was fine as long as he was looking at Jesus and walking toward Him. It’s when he took his eyes off Jesus and got them on the situation that he was afraid.
That’s what happens to us. We’re fine one minute–walking on the water in the midst of a storm, but then we look around at what we can see (or can’t see) and we panic.
We’re not meant to live by sight though. We’re meant to live by faith, by trusting God, not our circumstances. We worry and feel anxious and afraid when we start looking at the wrong things. Yes, the bills, the diagnosis, the broken relationship–they’re all real, but they’re not to be our focus.
Jesus calls all of us to get out of the boat and walk toward Him. And when we do, we can experience His supernatural presence, protection and provision in the midst of the most terrible storms…if we will keep our eyes on Him and trust that He is able to keep our heads above water.
When you feel the waves of worry and fear starting to pull you under, choose to stop looking at the wind. Choose instead to focus on Jesus and continue walking toward Him.
Very interesting, huh? What you were seeing didn’t match up with what you were hearing, so your brain told you you were hearing a different sound. The truth was that the sound never changed. Only your perception of it did.
I think the same thing happens with our circumstances.
We “hear” God say in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Or Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Then in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
And yet everyday we encounter circumstances that seem impossible for us to handle or overcome. A medical diagnosis. A larger than expected tax bill. Unfair treatment from a supervisor. A rebellious child. A never-ending mountain of laundry, a sink full of dishes and an infant that won’t sleep.
We “hear” God say everything will be okay and we even believe Him for a moment or two, but then we “see” our circumstances again and we become fearful, worried, anxious or discouraged.
Is there any hope for us? Is it really possible to rise above the up and down feelings of this life? Is there any way to truly experience the joy and peace of God regardless of what we see?
The answer is “yes.” The key is to see with the right eyes.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
A few verses later, in 2 Corinthians 5:6-7, Paul says:
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
We live by faith, not by sight.
Abraham was an old man when God told him to leave his home and go to the land God would show him. Abraham had no children when God said, “I will make you into a great nation…”
David was a teenager with no military experience when he faced down Goliath, the Philistine’s most feared soldier.
Noah built a boat. On dry ground.
Moses led Israel out of Egypt and through the desert for 40 years.
Despite a overwhelming odds and a ferocious propaganda campaign, Nehemiah led the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem in just 52 days.
A woman who’d been bleeding for 12 years new if she could just touch the cloak Jesus was wearing she’d be healed. She did. And she was.
A Roman soldier requested that Jesus heal his servant. The father of a dying 12-year-old girls asked Jesus to heal her. The servant was healed. The girl, who died before Jesus arrived, was brought back to life.
We fix our eyes on what is unseen. We live by faith.
God gave us His word, the Bible, to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways to us. As we read it, we get to know Him better. We see what He’s up to in our lives and in the world. We see how He works. And our faith grows stronger.
The more we read it, the more we understand and trust Him. We are better able to fix our eyes in what is unseen. We find that we are more equipped to live by faith, not by what we see.
None of the people I mentioned above were perfect. Abraham passed his wife off as his sister so he wouldn’t be killed. Twice. David committed adultery and murder. Moses disobeyed God and wasn’t even allowed to enter the Promised Land.
No, they weren’t perfect, but they didn’t give up. They kept going despite their sins and circumstances. They chose to fix their eyes on the unseen. They walked by faith, by believing that what God said was true even though what they saw didn’t line up.
A couple times a week? A couple times a day? Or is it closer to “all the time”?
Sometimes we can become so conditioned to responding to certain situations that we simply default to a negative emotion.
Unexpected expense?
Worry.
The doctor wants to run some tests?
Fear.
Marriage is strained? Kids aren’t handling it well? And work is piling up?
Anxiety.
It doesn’t have to be this way though. It really doesn’t. Philippians 4:6-7 says…
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
What’s our responsibility?
In every situation, we are to present our requests to God. We do that by praying and giving thanks.
The result?
God’s peace will replace our anxiety.
Is it easy? No. This will take serious effort on our part, but God wouldn’t tell us He’d give us peace if He didn’t mean it.
A number of years ago, I was part of a ministry that believed in taking the initiative to tell others about Christ. I mean, really taking the initiative, like randomly knocking on doors or approaching people you didn’t know in a public place. It certainly meant sharing your faith with the person sitting next to you on the airplane.
I’m not suggesting there’s anything wrong with this approach. I’m just not sure how effective it is.
On the other end of the spectrum is the idea of simply “living good lives” and then waiting for others to ask us how we do it. This method also has limited effectiveness for at least a couple reasons.
First, there are many people who don’t know Christ, but are attempting to live good, moral lives. Many of them do a much better job of feeding the homeless and caring for AIDS patients than Christians do.
The second problem with the “wait to be asked” method is that most of us aren’t being asked.
Are you with me?
We get into debt. We worry about money. We spend more on ourselves than spreading the gospel. On average, those who profess to follow Christ give just over 2% of their income. When is the last time we did anything radical for Christ with our money?
We spend several hours watching television everyday, but we’re too busy to read the Bible or volunteer to mentor a child.
Our marriages aren’t all that great and most of our kids are running from the church once they leave our homes.
When difficulties come, we worry and get anxious. Just like those who don’t know Christ.
No wonder we don’t have many people asking about our God. They just don’t see Him in us.
In Deuteronomy 4:5-8, Moses writes…
See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?
As they are preparing to enter the Promised Land, Moses is urging the Israelites to obey God’s commandments. Why? Because when they obey, other nations will take notice.
This is a passage about the nation of Israel entering the Promised Land, but I can’t help thinking there’s a principle here for us. If we are careful to obey God, then we put ourselves in a position for God to work our lives in such a way that others will notice. And maybe even ask us about it.
Psalm 34:8 says:
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
It doesn’t say the one who tastes is blessed. It’s the one who takes refuge, the one who runs to Him for protection, the one who trusts in Him–he is the one that is blessed.
Could it be that we’ve tasted the LORD and we’ve learned that He is good, but we have failed to take refuge in Him. Like the person who is offered a bite of chicken from a vendor at the mall food court, we have tasted, enjoyed it, but moved on to find something we like more.
Maybe if we were to actually take refuge in Him, to trust Him enough to obey Him, our lives would be different enough that someone might actually ask us about Him.
Is there anything keeping you from taking refuge in God? From radically placing your trust in Him? From obeying His commands?
Now is the time to turn back to Him.
Maybe our prayer simply needs to be:
Lord, please make my life one that’s worth asking about.
Gregg Stutts - Executive Pastor of The Church at Arkansas in Fayetteville. Husband to Robyn and father to Rachel, Erica, Amy and Rob. On a continuing journey of believing God.
Gregg Stutts - Executive Pastor of The Church at Arkansas in Fayetteville. Husband to Robyn and father to Rachel, Erica, Amy and Rob. On a continuing journey of believing God.
