Windows of the Soul

Faith

The pure strength of faith
Originally uploaded by MayJ

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see (Hebrews 11:1, NLT).

I find that people don’t really like to talk about their faith. Well, let me qualify that. Their faith in God. It seems like it’s because they really aren’t all that conversant about it. (We can truly only converse about what we know.) It’s not something most of us are comfortable talking about. Maybe some really don’t know what they believe, and maybe some don’t really care. After all, faith is not something you can see.

Or can you?

I think most of us like to hear about other people’s faith. It encourages us. We identify with the other person, on whatever level we can, and we may benefit from hearing their story. I find that I share my faith with others a lot.

On Saturday mornings when I ride my bike, and often in the evenings when I ride, I see people exercising their bodies. We intently move about and get the cardio going, keeping our bodies in top shape.

But do we exercise our faith?

I love Hebrews 11:1. The verse is inscribed in a picture of the countryside in the mist on the wall of my home office – just over my desk. It is a very rustic picture, something we might have seen in the early days in America when this country was just being settled. And you really have to look very intently to see the images in that picture. It’s as if there is a sheet of semi-sheer fabric over the picture, and you must look at the picture for a long time for the images to appear from the mist.

How similar is that to our faith? We must look intently into the scriptures to seek and find God. His Word says that when we seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). But we must seek Him. God cannot and will not be seen by the casual observer. But He reveals Himself and his plans to those who seek Him intently. That means every day seeking Him in His word, in prayer, in fellowship and in worship.

Pretty soon God shows up, and you see Him, sense His presence, know Him, and hear what He is communicating to us in His Word, in our lives, relationships and circumstances. He’s everywhere. In everything.

You can find Him and the answers you are looking for in your life by seeking him. Intently. Purposefully. Often. He will show up. Then you will find that the things said long ago by the author of the book of Hebrews is as true for you as it has always been and still is for believers today.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.

Selah.

Allure

J'adore Allure =*
Originally uploaded by ًWeda3eah*

Not too long ago I read these verses from the book of Hosea:

Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak tenderly to her.
There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
There she will sing as in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt (2:14-15, NIV).

As is often the case, the words spoke to me - into my life and circumstances. What stood out to me then, and still does today, is the idea of God alluring us. God is in the business of doing the pursuing, and drawing us to himself. God’s purpose for alluring us into the desert – a quiet and barren place where we can be alone with Him – is to communicate with us, restore us, our joy and hope.

Think about the word allure for a minute. We might think of a sexy perfume, or enticement to do something risqué. But the word allure actually does not have a sexual overtone, nor does it have a negative connotation. Other words of similar meaning do, but allure means to attract, fascinate, enchant, captivate or lure. But the attraction of the word allure has to do with something desirable. And the idea of alluring means to attempt to draw; but the lure here is to offer of something good, real or apparent.

So, the idea of being allured into the desert with God is a good thing. The word allure offers the prospect of some future benefit. And what allures us draws us in by gentle means to something positive. Like leading us into the desert where God speaks tenderly to us.

We are often enticed into evil by appeals to our desires or passions. We are drawn into danger by false appearances which represent themselves as good things - at least initially. We are seduced when drawn from the path of integrity, doing what is right. The things that entice us leads us by false promises, pretences and persuasions; decoys betray us into a snare, trap, or net; and what seduces us deceives us by artful appeals to our passions gone awry. Enticement, temptation and seduction tend to present an image of something good, but end up ultimately destroying us.

The book of Hosea is an allegory of the relationship between Israel and God. The prophet Hosea was directed by God to marry a woman he knew would not be faithful to him. Hosea’s name, by the way, means salvation. Despite her sin of prostitution and adultery, Hosea loves Gomer. He loves her, and he demonstrated his love by taking Gomer back, he purchased her back. This love parallels God’s love for us. God takes us back when we sin; He purchased us with the blood of his son, Jesus Christ (Rev 5:9).

There are several important lessons for us to learn from the book of Hosea. We all prostitute ourselves and pursue other loves: things of this world that entice – materialism, power, influence, recognition, fame, sex, pornography, drugs – the list is long. Yet, in the end, these things bring no real satisfaction, only emptiness, loneliness, addiction, collapse, or even ruin. There is one, and only one thing that will satisfy us, and that is God’s love for us. His desire is for us, in relationship with us, and thus, His pursuit of us. Regardless of what we have done in the past, we have available to us His love, compassion, forgiveness, restoration, and His amazing grace (I John 1:9).

Satisfy yourself with the one thing that will last – God’s love – for you and for me (John 3:16).

Selah.

Mighty to Save

Love...
Originally uploaded by rainbow11

Today in church we sang a song about our God being mighty to save. Not too many months ago, I saw the following verse in a church bulletin. I highlighted it, circled it and shared this verse with a friend. It held a lot of meaning for me. Still does.

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17, NLT)

If you aren’t saved, it is a promise that God is able – completely capable of saving the lost. That may mean you. Or those you love. If you are saved, it is a wonderful reminder that the God of the universe lives in us. He is with us.

We are reminded that He is mighty to save – for us and our lost friends and loved ones. The God of the universe has reached out to us; he has sought us out, provided the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. John 3:16 says: “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (NLT) God provided the means of salvation – He cares that much for each and every one of us. Not only did he provide the Son, the sacrifice, but the Son was raised to life (the resurrection) so that we, too, may experience everlasting life with God in heaven.

He delights in us. What a wonderful thought! God delights in us. I don’t know about you, but it just doesn’t come naturally to me that God delights in me ... in you. We think about delighting ourselves in the Lord (Psalm 37:4), but not God delighting in us. Yet, the Scriptures tell us that God does delight in us; in character qualities that reflect His own, and in our truly knowing and understanding Him (Psalm 18:19; Proverbs 11:1, 20; Jeremiah 9:24).

And he will quiet us with his love. Imagine that. Think about these words. Have you ever appeared cool, calm and collected on the outside, but there was a war raging within? God quiets, quells the storm within, with his love. As we accept His love into our lives, we are changed - from the inside out. We are once and for all time accepted, and completely acceptable. We are loved, just the way we are. There is tremendous power in this. Do not underestimate the power of love – God’s love – to transform your life and mine.

Finally, he will rejoice over us with singing. Do you ever find yourself singing? It’s usually when you are happy, at ease, joyful, rejoicing. A heavy heart doesn’t find itself singing. The word picture is amazing. God singing over us – rejoicing in us. Now, how wonderful is that!?!

Brothers and sisters: dwell on these things. Marvel at them. Contemplate them. Ponder this verse. Imagine the words and picture each phrase in your mind. Meditate on this until it becomes your reality: your joy, your strength, and your faith. Selah.

God Acts on Our Behalf

Though Him who Loved us.
Originally uploaded by ¸.•*J A B E Z¸.•*

I take a lot of comfort in the character of our God and the promises of God found in His Word, the Bible. In the book of Isaiah, chapter 64, verse 4, we find the following:

For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!

We cannot imagine the things God has prepared for us. No ear has heard, no eye has seen a God like our God. He works for those who wait for him.

Many of us imagine our futures, we think about who we are and who and what we wish to become. We dream, set goals, and work to achieve them. We imagine a bright future. We believe in ourselves and our abilities. Yet we cannot imagine the things God has prepared for us. We cannot even imagine. Not only in heaven. But here on earth – as we walk every day, the wonder of what lies ahead – we cannot imagine.

Many times in life I have run ahead of God. As a young independent (and sometimes not so young, but still independent) woman, many times I went after what I wanted in life. I set goals, met them, and worked through whatever I set my mind and heart to do. And there is nothing wrong with setting goals and achieving them.

Still, as I have grown in my walk with Christ, and as I have matured in life, I have realized that at times I really pushed my agenda rather than listen to and wait for God. When I did things I knew I should not have done, or when I did not wait for God’s timing, I have had regrets, and I have reaped the results. At times the results were nothing short of devastating. And sometimes those devastating results have taken years to fix. And some things I must live with for the rest of my life.


While God forgives us when we sin, if we confess our sin, there are still the consequences. Sometimes it’s not so much that we are hell bent to sin, but rather hell bent to have our own way. This, too, is sin.

As we mature in Christ, it is important to listen to and heed the still small voice of our Creator God (I Kings 19:12). When we do, we reap the results God wants and has ordained for our lives. He made and formed us in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:12-13), and he knows us better than we know ourselves. The Scriptures tell us He even knows the number of hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30)! In light of this, it becomes so very important to really seek the will of God in any and everything we set our hearts to do.

And then, once we have committed our lives, ourselves, our words and deeds to God, we listen and wait for His leading. There are times when we know what God has clearly said to do, yet the doors seem closed, or blocked. When this happens, it is important to believe what God has said, and wait for Him. These are the times when He is working out the details, the timing, or working in us to build our character - or even our capacity to do His will.

Wait for God. He is working for you … and for me. And while you are waiting, intently seek Him, in order to truly know Him (Philippians 3:10-11). And trust that you cannot even imagine the wonderful things He has for you – and for me.

Remember this as you wait and ponder the things God has for you and for me; the things we cannot hear nor can we see yet:

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV).

Selah