Conquering Faith- A Father’s Perspective

I am currently re-reading- Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge, with my 16 year old Son, Jordan.  What a priveledge to share this with my son!  It is a great way for father and son to connect and for me to share God’s view of masculinity.  Our world, now more than ever, needs real men to stand up and vanquish the blurred lines of masculinity so prevalent in our society.

As I read Wild at Heart, I am also reading- The Making of a Man of God- by Alan Redpath.   This is a book about the lessons we can learn from the life of David.  These books along with the devotional-Streams in the Desert,  are encouraging me tremendously.  As I walk in faith, trusting God and His perfect timing,  I am finding that “my faith” is being sorely tested and thus refined.  What God says through James regarding faith and patience have been in the forefront of my heart and mind.  My friend Greg, from VA, called me the other day inquiring about how I was doing.  Of course, he has been intimately involved in my journey and was concerned about how I was holding up.   I shared with him my deep desire to be a man of faith.  One who does not waiver, being tossed about by emotions and doubt.  That I would walk in child-like faith, trusting my father and His love for me.  That I would not let the “thief” steal my joy, peace and power.  

 Just last week I was really distraught in my spirit and mind and was wanting a “sign” from the Lord regarding my working with Tim and his foundation.  I was crying out to God and was not experiencing peace and joy and power.  Then the Spirit reminded me of this passage in James.

James 1:3-8

 ³Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

 ⁴But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

 ⁵If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

 ⁶But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

 ⁷For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

 ⁸A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

The next day, after sharing my desire with Greg for an “unwaivering faith”, we spoke again.  He went on to tell me what a blessing my words were to him.  In fact, he was having the best day he had had in a long while and he had shared my words with others in need of encouragement.  Wow!  What started as  prayer request turned into a blessing for others-  a Word of encouragement!  What can we learn from this? 

1.  It is good for brothers and sisters to come together and share.  We need each other!
2. We need honesty and vulnerability-  Not Posing! No masks allowed!
3. Be open and available to be used of the Lord- Pass it on!  Encourage, edify and show love and compassion.
4. We are all in a war and have an enemy bent on our destruction!  Regardless of how “good” things appear on the surfacc.

During this journey, My Wild Goose Chase, I have become accustomed to what I will call, “the timely words from the Lord”.  As I have been so focused on my faith and its purification of late- here is the devotion from Streams in the Desert from yesterday.

Believing Before Seeing
“The land which I do give them, even the children of Israel” (Joshua 1:2).
God here speaks in the immediate present. It is not something He is going to do, but something He does do, this moment. So faith ever speaks. So God ever gives. So He is meeting you today, in the present moment. This is the test of faith. So long as you are waiting for a thing, hoping for it, looking for it, you are not believing. It may be hope, it may be earnest desire, but it is not faith; for “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The command in regard to believing prayer is the present tense. “When ye pray, believe that ye receive the things that ye desire, and ye shall have them.” Have we come to that moment? Have we met God in His everlasting NOW?  –Joshua, by Simpson
True faith counts on God, and believes before it sees. Naturally, we want some evidence that our petition is granted before we believe; but when we walk by faith we need no other evidence than God’s Word. He has spoken, and according to our faith it shall be done unto us. We shall see because we have believed, and this faith sustains us in the most trying places, when everything around us seems to contradict God’s Word.
The Psalmist says,“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of living” (Ps. 27:13). He did not see as yet the Lord’s answer to his prayers, but he believed to see; and this kept him from fainting.
If we have the faith that believes to see, it will keep us from growing discouraged. We shall “laugh at impossibilities,” we shall watch with delight to see how God is going to open up a path through the Red Sea when there is no human way out of our difficulty. It is just in such places of severe testing that our faith grows and strengthens.
Have you been waiting upon God, dear troubled one, during long nights and weary days, and have feared that you were forgotten? Nay, lift up your head, and begin to praise Him even now for the deliverance which is on its way to you.  –Life of Praise
Faith Becomes Sight
“Have faith that whatever you ask for in prayer is already granted you, and you will find that it will be” (Mark 11:24).

 
When my little son was about ten years of age, his grandmother promised him a stamp album for Christmas. Christmas came, but no stamp album, and no word from grandmother. The matter, however, was not mentioned; but when his playmates came to see his Christmas presents, I was astonished, after he had named over this and that as gifts received, to hear him add,
“And a stamp album from grandmother.”
I had heard it several times, when I called him to me, and said, “But, Georgie, you did not get an album from your grandmother. Why do you say so?”
There was a wondering look on his face, as if he thought it strange that I should ask such a question, and he replied, “Well,  mamma, grandma said, so it is the same as.” I could not say a word to check his faith.
A month went by, and nothing was heard from the album. Finally, one day, I said, to test his faith, and really wondering in my heart why the album had not been sent,
“Well, Georgie, I think grandma has forgotten her promise.”
“Oh, no, mamma,” he quickly and firmly said, “she hasn’t.”
I watched the dear, trusting face, which, for a while, looked very sober, as if debating the possibilities I had suggested. Finally a bright light passed over it, and he said,
“Mamma, do you think it would do any good if I should write to her thanking her for the album?”
“I do not know,” I said, “but you might try it.”
A rich spiritual truth began to dawn upon me. In a few minutes a letter was prepared and committed to the mail, and he went off whistling his confidence in his grandma. In just a short time a letter came, saying:
“My dear Georgie: I have not forgotten my promise to you, of an album. I tried to get such a book as you desired, but could not get the sort you wanted; so I sent on to New York. It did not get here till after Christmas, and it was still not right, so I sent for another, and as it has not come as yet, I send you three dollars to get one in Chicago. Your loving grandma.”
“As he read the letter, his face was the face of a victor. “Now, mamma, didn’t I tell you?” came from the depths of a heart that never doubted, that, “against hope, believed in hope” that the stamp album would come. While he was trusting, grandma was working, and in due season faith became sight.
It is so human to want sight when we step out on the promises of God, but our Savior said to Thomas, and to the long roll of doubters who have ever since followed him: “Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.”–Mrs. Rounds

The question I have for you today is… do you have conquering faith that moves mountains?  Do you see your Heavenly Father as David did?

1 Samuel 17

 ³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷ The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

 ⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

What “philistine” do you have taunting you today?   Is it robbing you of your peace , joy and power?   Let us remember whom we serve and whose we are-  remembering where are power and victory come from!  That our security is not in “things” or others but the Lord our God- Our Father who art in Heaven.  Remember, as you wake each day that the Lord gives you- that we are in a war and our enemies are afoot.  Knowing your victory is in the Lord and that through His power working in and through you- you can be assured of victory as David was so long ago.  Remember this!  It is not how big your “philistine” is that you should fret about. But,  how small your view and perception is of your God and Father.  This is what you should be afraid of!

Jeremiah 32:27 

²⁷ “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?