Living by Faith Part 2

 A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg, TN. One morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant, they noticed a man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his wife, “I hope he doesn’t come over here.” But sure enough, the man came to their table.

“Where are you folks from?”

“Oklahoma.”

“Great to have you here in Tennessee. What do you do for a living?”

“I teach at a seminary.”

“Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I’ve got a really great story for you.” The gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with the couple.

The man pointed to the window and said, “See that mountain over there? Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up because every place he went, he was always asked the same question, “Hey boy, Who’s your daddy?” Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question, “Who’s your daddy?”

When he went to church, he’d always go in late and slip out early. But when he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church.

One Sunday, the preacher said the benediction so fast that the boy got caught and had to walk out with the crowd. Just about the time he got to the back door, the preacher put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and innocently asked, “Son, who’s your daddy?” Everyone standing near got deathly quiet.

The preacher sensed the situation and said, “Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see the family resemblance now. You’re a child of God.” He patted the boy on his head and said, “Young man, you’ve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.”

The boy smiled and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him, “Who’s your Daddy?” he’d now just tell them, “I’m a Child of God.”

The man got up from the table and said, “Isn’t that a great story?”

The professor said, “That was a really great story!

As the man turned to leave, he said, “You know, if that new preacher hadn’t told me that I was one of God’s children, I probably never would have amounted to anything!” And he walked away.

The professor called the waitress over and asked, “Do you know who that man was?”

“Of course. Everybody here knows him. That’s Ben Hooper. He’s governor of Tennessee!” Knowing who you are makes all the difference.

Most of us know our parents. That’s what connects us to our family heritage. Much of who we are, many of our characteristics come through that heritage. Knowing who our daddy is gives us answers. “Oh, that explains a lot.” But how does being a Child of God make a difference in us?

Singer, Tauren Wells said, “Mentally we understand that we are created by God, we are His children, but there is such a gap in us understanding how that applies to our everyday life and what that brings us.

Remember who you are.

What difference would it make to know: We are who God says we are. And that we have what God says we have.

I am REDEEMED.

I am a NEW CREATION.

I am VALUABLE.

I am CHOSEN

I am WISE. 

I am RIGHTEOUS.

I am God’s MASTERPIECE.

I am STRONG.

I am VICTORIOUS.

I am COMPLETE.

I am LOVED.

I am a CHILD OF GOD.

 

How do we know that? It’s in the Book. So, now that we know it, how might accepting it affect how we trust God?

Knowing what He has declared about His children and what He’s done for His children in the past bring hope for what He can do for His children right now.

It’s our family heritage. We belong to a family with a good Father who tends to the needs of His children. If I believe I am unworthy of His goodness, I will be less inclined to seek Him. If I know I am His child, I will depend on Him simply because He’s my Father.

A child had fallen down a narrow well. They found a boy small enough to be lowered into the hole. I’ll go if my daddy holds the rope. His confidence wasn’t in the rope but the one he knew wouldn’t let go of that rope.

Heb 11:1-2 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.

Commend comes from the root word for witness. One who shares testimony of what they believe is the truth. You know something vital to the story. If you’re called to testify in court, you have information that brings clarity to the case. A witness for God is one who simply shares what he/she knows is true. Telling what God has done for them.

But, interesting, that word also means martyr. One who gave their life because they lived the truth of God.

What were these ancient people being commended for? For speaking and living the truth of what they knew about God. When you take the word testify as a witness, you are affirming what you have seen or heard or experienced. You can’t erase what you know to be true. When you take it as a martyr, you willingly stand in confidence, regardless of the outcome, that what you know is greater than your life. How we live the truth proves what we believe and makes our lives a confirming testimony.

1John 1:1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also…

We testify of what we know is true while we live by that truth. These men and women set the precedent for how we are to operate as Children of God.

A commendation is recognition for a job well done. In the military, the Commendation Medal is a decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Service members who display acts of heroism or meritorious achievements while performing their duties are recognized for their contribution to their unit and the nation. Not picking up a cigarette butt expecting to get rewarded for beautifying the base.

Biblical commendation is an expression of God’s gratitude when He sees faith in our actions. It is an acknowledgment by God that we’re pleasing Him by living as He intends for His children to live.

The writer is saying by their actions, what they believe became visible. It goes from acknowledging a truth in their hearts to that truth becoming a component in their lifestyle. And as a result, God accepted their faith as evidence of the surrender of their lives to Him.

Faith operates as the light we shine from the truth of God to the path of our lives.

Ps 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Jesus said: Matt 5:16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 

Faith – our ability to trust God – not only becomes the testimony of our life but the basis upon which we live our lives. As a result, our testimony shows how Great God is. From which He then commends us for pleasing Him.

Heb 11: 4-5 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 

Gen 4:2b-12 Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.  But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor. So, Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”  Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.  Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.

 

Gen 5:21-24 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Able commended as righteous by doing what was right. Enoch commended as one who pleased God by walking in agreement with God.

Writer adds an “Oh by the way:” Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God.

If faith is the mechanism of pleasing God, living without exercising faith displeases Him.

Does He commend us today as He did the ancients?  They were the prototypes – the first-built examples of what was to come. When we do as they did, we get the same results. We are declared righteous and please God. God acknowledges that we are walking in sync with what He expects from His children. Which makes us sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. That then defines our expectations.

A dad was going to take his son fishing the next day. That evening as he was putting his son to bed, the boy hugged his dad’s neck and said, "Daddy, thank you for tomorrow."

Trust—builds expectancy

Heb 11:6…because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Deut 4:29-31 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey Him. For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which He confirmed to them by oath.

Faith comes from knowing God is our Father. He is faithful to His children. And when we look for Him, we will find Him. The desire to seek Him is evidence we have the ability to trust Him.

Heb 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

Why would we draw near unless we knew who it was we were drawing near to?

There was a certain old recluse who lived deep in the mountains of Colorado. When he died, distant relatives came from the city to collect his valuables. Upon arriving, all they saw was an old shack with an outhouse beside it. Inside the shack, next to the rock fireplace, was an old cooking pot and his mining equipment. A cracked table with a three-legged chair stood guard by a tiny window, and a kerosene lamp served as the centerpiece for the table. In a dark corner of the little room was a dilapidated cot with a threadbare bedroll on it.  They picked up some of the old relics and started to leave. As they were driving away, an old friend of the recluse, on his mule, flagged them down. “Do you mind if I help myself to what’s left in my friend’s cabin?” he asked. “Go right ahead,” they replied. After all, they thought, what inside that shack could be worth anything? The old friend entered the shack and walked directly over the table. He reached under it and lifted one of the floor boards. He then proceeded to take out all the gold his friend had discovered over the past 53 years – enough to have built a palace. The recluse died with only his friend knowing his true worth. As the friend looked out of the little window and watched the cloud of dust behind the relative’s car disappear, he said, “They should have gotten to know him better.”

“Living by faith provides glasses that enables us to see God’s work all around us. But some Christians intentionally close their eyes or look around with non-believing sunglasses. They don’t recognize God’s activity around them.” – Miracles Today: the Supernatural Work of God

The Children of God can trust their Father. So, if you are struggling to see God at work in your life, start with making sure you are one of His children.

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 

Then, check to see if your eyes are open or if you’re wearing sunglasses that block out your ability to see God at work. And even then, if you are struggling to see, go back to what you know is true. It could be Satan has confused you into doubting what you once were convinced was real. What we believe affects what we see and how we understand what we see.

Back up until you can stop at a point of which you are convinced this is true.

Years ago, on a dirt road in upstate New York, there was a sign that said, "Choose your rut carefully; you'll be in it for the next ten miles."

There are ruts of disbelief – paths of refusing to trust God – habits of not depending on Him. We can fall into one of those ruts and go for miles.

I don’t want to be guilty of that. I want to see God everywhere, in every circumstance, working out what is good on my behalf. I testify that my hope is in my Heavenly Father.

Rom 15:13  I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

TAKEAWAYS:

1.  Faith is the fuel of the Christian’s life.
2. It is our renewable resource for living as Children of God.
3. Our tank gets drained, not by use, but by neglect.
4. To be fully prepared for living faithfully we must stand convinced He is our source for life.
5. To refill the tank, we acknowledge we are children of God who want to live out our heritage so that our Father is honored and pleased with us.

Living by Faith Part 1

 QUESTION: What do an airplane, bicycle and Christian all have in common?

ANSWER:  They’re all designed to get where they’re going by relying on something they can’t see.

There is an invisible resource that gives them the ability to do what they are designed to do:

            Fly

            Ride

            Please God

But, each has a counter force working against them to deny them that pleasure. Gravity – either physical or spiritual – is trying to stop them from moving forward.

We know, what goes up is eventually coming down. And the reality is, an airplane is too big and heavy to fly. A bicycle on its own can’t stay upright. A Christian without the intention to trust God will never discover the fulfillment of the abundant life. Gravity will try will try to stop them every time.

So, if we can’t stop gravity, there must be a way to overcome it. Another invisible force perhaps? But how can you count on what you can’t see to be real?

How can you overcome gravity?

Determination – a pilot on the runway starts to roll then strains to lift his plane

off the ground.

Fear of falling (learning to ride my bicycle)

Our depending on our own ability to live lives that please God.

Faith – trusting in how each is designed to operate.

• Airplane—the designers discovered how they could overcome gravity by the law of aerodynamics. Once that was discovered, they could trust in the law to work on their behalf.
• Bicycle—the rider learns he/she can overcome falling by the principle of balance. Once that is discovered, they can trust balance to work on their behalf.
• Christians—when they realize it pleases God when they rely on His faithfulness, they can trust Him to work on their behalf.

The law of aerodynamics, principle of balance and the supernatural forces of relying on our God, are all invisibles, but when applied these become substance. What is substance? Something that becomes of such importance, validity and significance that it is able to be considered as solid as concrete.

Heb 11:1  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. 

The word assurance was translated substance in the KJV. It is the word hupo-histemi. hupó, "under" and hístēmi, "to stand" – used to describe standing under a guaranteed agreement. Like holding the title deed. It grants the privilege of ownership. It affirms the statement: this is mine. Hupo-histemi is a legitimate claim because it literally places us under a legal-standing – entitling us to what is guaranteed under the particular agreement.

In other words, faith permits us to stand under or claim what God has promised by guaranteeing we are entitled to what God grants.

Rom 14:22  The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. [condemned because he tries to bypass faith in order to live according to his own pleasures.] 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin. 

Failure to trust God is as rebellion against Him. James 4:17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. 

How does the application of faith make the unseen real? Or, from where does faith gain its substance? Faith’s substance comes from the conviction we can rely on God. It’s discovered the moment we connect God’s activity in the past with today. Faith is not trusting God for what we hope He can do, but for what He’s proven He can do. That’s when invisible faith becomes solid. Our assurance has proof.

1Sam 17:34  But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God." 37  And David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you." 

What’s David got to do with me? What does any of the Bible stories have to do with me?

1Cor 10:11  Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. 

We look at the results of their choices, then compare what they did or didn’t do with what we’re doing or not doing. That can tell us we are either on track or off, moving forward or backing up. They trusted and look what happened. They didn’t trust and look what happened.

Well, I just don’t have that kind of faith. Yes, you do.

Well, maybe they just had more faith than I do. No, they didn’t.

It’s never an issue of having inferior faith or needing more faith but using faith.

Luke 17:5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" 6 And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea'; and it would obey you. 

We can’t quantify faith by some measure – a lot or a little. Faith isn’t a commodity. It’s simply an ability to trust. Feeling we don’t have enough means we lack confidence in the target of our trust.

Luke 8:24  They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. 25 And He said to them, "Where is your faith?"

In the first, they said they didn’t have enough faith. After Jesus had assured them they had did, in the second He asks them why they aren’t using it. The issue is being faithless. Not without, but – dis-believing – choosing not to exercise it. Why aren’t you using your ability to trust?

Woman of great faith…

We have faith. It’s our ability to trust God. It’s how we take what we believe and apply it to our lives.

Ps 9:10  And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. 

Ps 31:14  But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, "You are my God." 

Ps 56:3  When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. 4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid.

How do we put our trust in God?  First make sure you belong to Him. He’s given you the ability to believe so you can accept Jesus and become a child of God. Then, start reading your Bible. Accept what it says is true. That means, letting the demonstrations of God’s faithfulness in Scripture apply to your life. How can we know what to believe unless we know what’s possible to believe?

How can I trust God to care about me unless I believe:

Cast your cares upon Him for He cares about you.

How can I trust God to lift my burdens unless I believe:

Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I’ll give you rest.

How can I trust God to heal my hurts unless I believe:

I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the LORD

How can we trust god to bless our lives or this church unless we believe:

Jer 29:11 For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 

That’s why David wrote: Ps 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. 6 The LORD performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed. 

How did David know God did that kind of stuff? He had experienced it for himself, or he’d seen God do so in other lives, or he’d read about God’s faithfulness in the stories of Scripture.

Seeing what God has done in the lives of others gives me courage to trust Him in my life. If God did that for them then, surely, He can do this for me now. That’s not presumption, it’s faith. It’s having the confidence to trust.

Well, I don’t want to bother Him with my problems. Know what pleases God? Us trusting Him. The only thing that bothers Him is our unwillingness to trust.

What are you trusting God for right now, at this moment?

Faith is not just hoping good things happen.  It’s more substantial than that.  It is counting on the God Who has given His word to work out the details according to His word. That puts Him in charge of the outcome.

Three schoolboys were asked to write their definition of faith. One wrote: "Faith is TAKING hold of God." The second wrote: "Faith is HOLDING onto God." The third wrote: "Faith is NOT letting go!"

Rom 2:13 for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. 

A man of his word/A man of His word

Tendency is to set the Word aside, close our eyes to the spirit and open up the eyes of our flesh to determine our own preferred outcome. That’s living by sight which is contrary to the requirement of living by faith. Living by faith is a command, not a suggestion.

In the movie The Matrix, the Spiritual leader of the remnant is Morpheus and the young deliverer who he believes is the promised one is Neo. Not everyone agrees that Neo is the promised one. In fact, almost nobody else shares his belief. In one scene Morpheus stands before the council and is asked to defend his actions. One of the military leaders said, "Not everyone believes what you believe Morpheus." Morpheus replied, "My Faith doesn’t require that they do."

Our Faith doesn’t depend on what others say. It isn’t weakened when someone else doesn’t believe what we believe. Our Faith doesn’t change to suit the climate of the current culture. Our Faith is built upon our relationship with the Lord. We don’t allow the world or our circumstances to define our Faith.

Faith is the ability to count on God’s faithfulness. How do we know the extent of that faithfulness? How far can we trust Him with the issues of our lives? It’s in the Book.

During an especially trying time in the work of the China Inland Mission, Missionary Hudson Taylor wrote to his wife, “We have twenty-five cents—and all the promises of God!”

Living by Faith demonstrates my assurance, my conviction that I can rely upon what I can’t see to become solid substance in my life.

If I am flying somewhere, I know I’m not being lifted up by the will power of the

pilot. I’m counting on the law of aerodynamics.

If I am riding a bicycle, I’m not staying up by my determination not to fall. I’m

counting on the principle of balance.

If I am living my life, I’m not relying on what I hope is true. I’m counting on what

God has said being true and choosing to believe what He’s promised, He

will do.

A defendant was on trial for murder in Oklahoma. There was strong evidence of guilt, but there was no body. In the defense’s closing statement, the lawyer, knowing that his client would probably be convicted, decided on theatrics. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you all," he said looking at his watch. "Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom." He looked toward the courtroom door. The jurors all looked at the door. A minute passed. Nothing happened. Finally, the lawyer said, "Actually, I made up the previous statement. But you all looked. I, therefore, put it to you that there is reasonable doubt in this case as to whether anyone was killed and insist that you return a verdict of not guilty." The jury retired to deliberate. A few minutes later, they returned and pronounced him guilty. "But how?" inquired the lawyer. "You must have had some doubt; I saw all of you stare at the door." The jury foreman said: "Oh, we did look. In fact, everyone in the room looked. Everyone but your client."

When you know the truth, you aren’t taken in by the downward tug of doubt or trickery of the enemy. You won’t let your eyes deceive you. You can stand firm because your hope rests on the promises of our faithful God.

To fly – trust in law of aerodynamics.

To ride – trust in the principle of balance.

To live – trust in God.

TAKEAWAYS:

1. Having faith is a challenge to someone struggling.
2. Either God has become too small or their confidence in His faithfulness has been tainted.
3. Neither of those takes away from His power or our responsibility to trust Him.
4. When we do, we will learn:  He is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.
5. What is that power? The ability we have to trust Him - Faith.

Living On Purpose

It’s been God’s intentions from the beginning to get His people to walk with Him. Amos says: How can two walk together unless they agree? What God is wanting us to agree with, is that we will walk by faith not sight.

Our eyes may help us live successfully in a physical world, but they are of little use as spiritual people living for the glory of God. In fact, living by sight can be the greatest hindrance to living by faith. It challenges us when we want to rely on God with messages that make us doubt instead. But, living by sight is our natural programming. It’s how we’re wired as people. To live by faith, we have to be reprogrammed.

Ezek 36:26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 

The old heart functioned in an old life, but God was going to change life. A changed life needed a new heart. Jesus said: John 10:10 I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. As a Christian, life will no longer be lived successfully by relying only on our abilities to adapt to our physical world but how we may live abundantly in Him.

In fact, we will find that the original programming for sight will actually conflict with living by faith.

Gal 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 

We’ve used a lot of contradictory terms in describing the same thing. Ezekiel refers to the original programming as a heart of stone, insensitive to the presence and purposes of God. The promise is changing that heart of stone into a heart of flesh so it can respond to God.

Paul talks about the flesh as the default setting of life, by flesh he means the natural desires that drive us to please ourselves and resist God. The Spirit is the new setting that connects us with what is necessary to please God by trusting and obeying Him.

But the picture is the same: heart of stone or our flesh are our default settings of sight by which we process life in response to what we see. However, as people of faith, we can’t let our eyes tell us what’s true or not, neither can what we see suggest how we live.

Which means we choose to live by faith and not sight. If we do not purpose to live by faith we will fall back to living by sight. It doesn’t matter if we’ve been with the Lord for a week or seventy years. We have to choose the target for where we will place our hope and then set on that target the intentions for how we live.

Last week we looked at Elijah defeating the prophets of Baal. It was a challenge God set up to prove He was the genuine God. The God who answered by fire was God. The one who didn’t was the counterfeit. Fire fell, people cheered and the prophets of Baal were destroyed. But have you ever read on to see what happened next?

You’d think Elijah would ride the high of that experience for years to come, retelling the story of what God did in that crucial moment. “There I was on Mt. Carmel. Just me against 450 prophets of Baal.” And then building on that success with even greater things that God would call him to do.

1Kings 19:1 Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." 3 And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers." 5 He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, "Arise, eat." 6 Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, "Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you." 8 So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 He said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." 

Doesn’t even sound like the same man. “God, this isn’t fair. The best day of my life has been ruined by this evil woman. My life is over. I just want to die. I don’t want to be killed, just die.”

How could a man of God fall so far in such a short time? James answers that: James 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours…

Charles Spurgeon said, “The best of men are but men at best.”

What was he doing? Reverting back to his default settings. He lost touch with faith and was now living by sight. A prophet of God can do that? Anyone can do that.

Rom 8:5 For those who are walking according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are walking according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 

Elijah wasn’t doing something out of the ordinary. In fact, that is the ordinary way to deal with set-backs. If we don’t choose to walk in faith, we will walk in the darkness of sight. That’s the natural response when we look at life through the eyes of the flesh. We see how things look and then believe that’s all that’s going on.

Elijah was dealing with basic problems we all experience:

Fatigue – He was tired. He’d just run 50 miles from Carmel to Jezreel. Then another 100 miles from Jezreel to Beersheba.

1Kings 18:46 Then the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel. 1Kings 19:3 And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, 4 but he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, 

Fear – Jezebel had threatened his life. "So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." And he was scared and ran for his life.

Feelings - My life is over. It isn’t worth living. "It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers." How we feel generates much of what we think. Tell someone operating from feelings that what they’re feeling isn’t true and they’ll say, “It doesn’t matter what’s true. It’s how I feel.”

The Lord’s reply: eat, rest, answer: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  He wasn’t questioning Elijah’s location but attitude. Why have you taken my purposes for you and wrapped them in your sorrow? Why have you let yourself get so low?

It’s so common, we’ve created slogans for people to not give up.

    Winners never quit/quitters never win

    When the going gets tough the tough get going

    Rub some dirt on it and let’s go.

But, we’ll argue, I’m the exception. My problems are far beyond what anyone else has gone through. Nobody knows the troubles I’ve seen.

You know the difference between a BIG PROBLEM and a little problem? A BIG PROBLEM is anything I’m going through. A little problem is anything YOU are going through!

Elijah wasn’t in some unique moment. He was in a common moment. The Lord was saying: Elijah, you’re not the only one who’s been where you are.

1Cor 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 

What is the common trail to giving up?

Disappointment

Discouragement

Defeat

Depression

Despair – hopelessness

Elijah had undoubtedly run through all these symptoms while he ran to Beersheba and was now stuck in the last – despair.

You don’t get to despair without passing through the other stages. But to get there you have to deny a Bible full of truth and reject God’s hand extended to lift you up along the way.

Deut 28:65 Among those nations [connect that with the flesh, the natural tendencies of sight] you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. 66 So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life. 

That’s where thoughts of ending life come from. Dread of life has overwhelmed us. Losing hope because what we see has made us assume things that aren’t true.

What was God asking Elijah? "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  Why did you stop at this point in your life?

He’s not discounting Elijah’s emotions. Or denying he is tired and hungry. He’s asking why did you get stuck here? Why did you let sight cause you to assume things that aren’t true?

You think this is the end of the world? It’s not. So, quit acting like it is. Have I disappeared? Am I no longer your God? Have the promises suddenly become null and void? Have the plans I’ve made for you come to an end?

Max Lucado wrote: “God likes you just the way you are but He loves you too much to let you stay that way!”

Elijah, look. You may be done with me, but I’m not done with you. I’m still at work. Get your eyes back on me. Stop looking at your circumstances and look at Me.

Heb 12:3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 

    We can run on Fear.

    We can run on Feelings.

    We can run on Fumes.

    Or we can run on Faith!

A little girl had been trying for months to learn to tie her shoes. She finally got it and was able to do it by herself. Her parents expected her to be delighted, and were surprised by her disappointment. Her father asked why she was crying. "I just learned how to tie my shoes." He said, "That’s great, but why are you crying?" "Because now I’ll have to do it all by myself for the rest of my life."

Faith isn’t only for getting this life started but it’s what sustains it. We come in by faith. We live by faith. That’s called living on purpose.

Elijah should have remembered:

Ps 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Ps 56:3-4 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

Ps 43:5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

 

"Five Feet High and Rising" by Johnny Cash

My mama always taught me that good things come from adversity if we put our faith in the Lord. We couldn't see much good in the flood waters when they were causing us to have to leave home, but when the water went down, we found that it had washed a load of rich black bottom dirt across our land. The following year we had the best cotton crop we'd ever had.

How high's the water, mama? Two feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa? Two feet high and risin'

We can make it to the road in a homemade boat
That's the only thing we got left that'll float
It's already over all the wheat and the oats, Two feet high and risin'

How high's the water, mama? Three feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa? Three feet high and risin'

Well, the hives are gone, I've lost my bees
The chickens are sleepin' in the willow trees
Cow's in water up past her knees, Three feet high and risin'

How high's the water, mama? Four feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa? Four feet high and risin'

Hey, come look through the window pane,
The bus is comin', gonna take us to the train
Looks like we'll be blessed with a little more rain, Four feet high and risin'

How high's the water, mama? Five feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa? Five feet high and risin'

Well, the rails are washed out north of town
We gotta head up to higher ground

Can't come back till the water comes down,
Five feet high and risin'

Well, it's five feet high and risin'

This week, especially Monday, the water rose up four feet in my life. I had four separate matters that were heavy disappointments. One broke my heart. Others tried to break my spirit. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 

I needed help so I went to our Wednesday prayer group for prayer. I came away with the word: Stop looking at life through the eyes of the flesh, quit making assumptions that aren’t true. Look at all of these through the eyes of faith. When you do, you’ll find that even 2Tim 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 

How high’s the water rising in your life? Well, as long as you’re still breathing, there’s still time to look up and trust in the mighty hand of God to lift you out of the flood. If you need help ask for prayer. Come and let folks pray for you.

TAKEAWAYS:

1. If there are any exceptions to any of the promises of God, then none of the promises can be trusted.
2. All that God has said is true or none of it is.
3. If He has said: “I will accomplish what concerns you,” what does that leave out in what you are facing right now?
4. God is either completely adequate to tend to the issues of our lives or He is not.
5. I choose to live believing He is.