What is the Condition of Your Faith?

<sup>What does your faith look like?  I know what mine looks like, and I'm weary of seeing it and using it as a safety net to fall back on because I didn't allow faith to lead and direct my actions going into a situation.

Lately I have been pondering passages of Scripture like "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in Your name and in Your name drive out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?' Then I will  tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Depart from Me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:21-23)

I remember the words of James when he says "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (James 2:14-16)

When I examine myself and look at my thoughts, private actions, and motivations, do I measure up?  I may be able to keep those things private and locked away from the view of others, but not from God.  Not from the King of Truth.  

It is not enough that I own a multitude of Bibles and concordances and "Christian Living" books.  It is not enough that I call myself a Christian and wear Jesus T-shirts.  It is not enough that I play Christian radio stations and buy Christian CDs.  It is not enough that I attend church and associate myself with other Christians.  It is not even enough that I teach others on Sunday mornings and help out with the Youth Group on Wednesday nights.

It is not enough to create the perfect Christian image and hope that because I look like a Christian, I will secure salvation.  Such a display looks genuine on the outside, but inside it is hollow.  And the inside is what Christ is focused on.

It is easy to skim over the hard verses in Scripture that confront my passivity and call me to action.  It is simple to think back on a prayer prayed years back and feel secure in that, instead of allowing faith to grow me  and lead me forward in the way I ought to go.

Faith is our part of salvation.  God offers us something we cannot gain in our own power and we respond with faith that He is who He says He is and that He has done what He says He has done.

However, faith is also the fruit, or the proof of our salvation.  If we are not responding to life with a trust towards God, then do we have faith?  And if we lack faith, are we actually saved?  

The Bible doesn't say "Have faith that you're saved and you shall be saved."  It says "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

True belief dictates action.  If I truly believe that a chair will hold me up, then I will not hesitate to sit in it.  If I truly believe that Jesus is King, the Author of my life, and the Provider of my salvation, then my lifestyle will show that.

More than just my lifestyle, my private actions, and the reflections of my heart will show that.  

I can evaluate myself more honestly, and more truly than the people around me.  And when I examine the deep parts of my heart, those parts that nobody else sees, I can see a lack of faith in some of those places.

To be content with an image of Christianity is to play with fire.  If you are comfortable with a passive faith, perhaps you never had faith at all.  Not a saving faith, anyway.

I have felt a burning conviction in my heart to let my faith burn hot in the areas of my life that I am comfortable being passive in.  It is dangerous and foolish to be comfortable with bad habits and thoughts that distance me from God.  It is dangerous and foolish to be content outside of intimacy with Christ.

I know better.  And my faith will not allow me to feel good about keeping those parts of my life holed up and away from God any longer.

This faith issue that I have been wrestling with for the past few weeks is a serious issue that demands your attention.  The condition of your soul is not something to put off being honest about.

In your heart and before God, can you say with truthfulness and complete honesty that you have a saving faith?  Outward actions are meaningless if you lack a heart that has been redeemed by God.  And a heart redeemed by God can only be shown through godly action.  Without one, the other collapses.

It is too easy and far too acceptable in our culture to play some fake Jesus game and wear a hollow Christian image and think that is enough.  But if that is as far as you go, you may be one of those false disciples to whom Jesus says "Depart from me, I never knew you."

Do not settle!  Are you chasing and pursuing Christ in your innermost thoughts as well as your public actions?  Be willing to ask yourself those tough questions, and be held accountable.  I beg this of you.

If I have stepped on toes, I do not apologize.  I had to stomp all over my own for quite some time before posting this.  I would rather make someone, or several someones uncomfortable than remain silent about something that matters more than anything else I can think of.

Are you saved?  That is not something anyone can answer for you.  It is a conversation you must have with God.  It is a serious question and it demands an answer.  Do not ignore this.  But once you have answered, examine your lifestyle and your private thoughts and actions.  Do they affirm your answer or do they contradict what you say?

I had a faith that was comfortable being put on display around people who would respect it and identify with it.  But in the privacy of my deepest thoughts, where was that faith?  It was behind a locked door, that's where.  And after sitting there long enough, its heat and passion began to burn through the door of my flesh.  The Spirit of God is a raging fire that cannot be contained.  If you try to resist it and lock it away, it will come for you.  It will smoke you out and you will never be rid of the conviction and the guilt until you yield to it and turn your heart's loyalty back to its King.

However, if you think you have resisted the Spirit of God and don't feel the heat of conviction, you probably never had the Holy Spirit to begin with.  Or you're in denial about your guilt.  

Once more, I will beg.  Because this is worthy of my begging.  What is the condition of your faith?  The truth of this question makes all the difference.  Ask yourself these hard questions.  You could have everything to gain.  You could have everything to lose.  I pray you find the answers and act on what you find as I have.  God is gracious in His gift of salvation.  But we are not promised tomorrow.</sup>   

              

Reflections

So it’s that time again when people stop to look back and reflect on the past year.  If you’ve been keeping up with my blog over the years (Wow….it’s been years already?!) you might know that I usually spend time telling you about all the ways I failed that year.  I will always be my worst critic.  I know my heart better than anyone else with the exception of the One who created it.  So I would not be surprised if some of you might be waiting to hear from me about my disappointments from this year.  Because it would be true, I am not where I wish I was.  I have so far to go and I am beginning to realize that I will always believe myself to be more capable.  I will never be truly satisfied with where I’m at because I will always be pushing myself to go further.  So to go ahead and get it out early, this year showed me a lot of my faults, weaknesses, and the strongholds in my life that I have been hesitant, even unwilling to fully yield to God.  These are things I’m working through and these are things that will not be fixed over night.

That being said, what I really want for this post is to be a reflection of all the things I’m thankful for that I have seen this year.  The blessings that are so difficult to focus on in the midst of life.  Now that you have the game plan, we can start.

I am thankful foremost…for my family.  The past few years have been very different and very hard on us.  The way my family functions and relates to each other is very different than it used to be.  Much has changed.  But through all the crazy circumstances, whether that be my father leaving, our house being broken into (once attempted, once successfully), or even each of us having to step into a stage of life that we don’t want to be in, but is necessary, we have done it as a family.  My mom isn’t just my mom.  She is my buddy.  She is my role model.  She is the one that brings clarity and wisdom to my “new adult” problems.  She is a trusted friend and someone I can laugh with.  We have a different, even closer, relationship now than we’ve ever had.  Despite all of the fires we’ve been through in life, I could never regret going through any of it seeing the way I’ve come to love and treasure my mom even more through it all.

Then there’s my sister. Oh Mikaela…the one who knows every button to push to get on my nerves, but has my back through every problem.  She has never abandoned me to go through something alone.  She is the one who slips notes of encouragement under my door, randomly makes me breakfast (when I’m not in school) “just because”, and loans me money when I’m broke and need a little help.  She is my best friend and has always been there for me.  I can annoy her endlessly and she can drive me up the wall, but if you hurt her, I’ll happily break your face, and put it back together for you just so I could break it again.  She is my beautiful, awesome sister and she has one of the toughest, most enduring hearts I’ve ever seen.  This year has had its challenges, but not having a loyal family to lean on has never been one of those challenges.  Thank you God for such a blessing!

Speaking of blessings and families, I am so blessed to have family outside of my mom and sister.  The Cash family (Yes, you’re included Vince!) has been family to me this year just as much as my blood family.  They have truly been a boon for me and I do not know where I would be without having such a wonderful group of people in my life.

Colton has been the one to keep me on my toes.  Whether it’s knocking on my window after midnight because he wants to hang out, working out together, playing video games, or choreographing a fight scene, he is my brother.  Our personalities clash, but somewhere in there is a mutual respect and understanding of each other.  We go through awesome experiences together, and we pull each other through tough times.  We fight, even tick each other off severely sometimes, but I will always have his back and I trust him to have mine.

Vince is pretty incredible.  He keeps me accountable, and we advise each other on things close to our hearts as close friends…brothers…should do.  His talent in music will always astound me and remind me of the greatness of God.  We have different tastes on many things, but that has never stopped us from hanging out, sharing many laughs, and encouraging each other towards godliness.  I am proud of him and his accomplishments and honored to be part of his journey.  He is certainly a key part of mine.

Mr. David has been a father-figure for me lately and his leadership and example in how to act has been a godsend.  I have never doubted what a man of God should like when I’m around him.  He is passionate about serving and makes ministry apart of his life.  He loves his family and leads in such a unique and thoughtful way.  I have had many goofy, light-hearted conversations with him, and I’ve had several serious man-to-man conversations with him.  He is one that I hope to never stop learning from.  He is my hero in a way that words can’t do justice.

Mrs. Terrie has been my mother away from home.  She is who she is and you’ll never catch her apologizing for it.  She has taught me a boldness, and yet a tenderness about ministry.  She is a well of wisdom.  And through it all, she (truly the whole family) has taught me just how healing it is to just laugh, enjoy life, and have fun.  She doesn’t take herself too seriously, but she knows her stuff.  She is a joy to be around and serve alongside. 

Last, but certainly not least…Carley.  Just hearing her name puts a smile on my face.  She is the delight of my heart, and I never grow tired of talking to her.  She is the truest of friends, knowing when to be hard on me and push me onward, but also sensitive enough to realize when I just need someone to talk to and work my thoughts out on.  My day has been made by something she has said more times than I can count, and even though we sometimes disagree and butt heads, I cannot stand to be mad at her for too long.  Her heart is such a treasure and her mind has depths to it that I am sure I will never truly comprehend or understand.  My favorite thing about her is that the longer and harder I chase her, the more I learn about myself and what God intends for me to become.  My manhood and my walk with Christ directly affects the way I see her, talk to her, and value her because she is so hidden in God.  Her friendship and loyalty are so valuable to me, I wouldn't trade them for anything.

I love my family.  And I am thankful to the Lord for putting each of them in my life.  He is good and I often take Him and His blessings for granted.  It is too easy for me to assume that I’m going to get a blessing because I’m a Christian.  I talk to God, talk about God, and hang out with people who do the same, so sometimes I am guilty of not appreciating the people and the things He has given me because God blessing people is so common place.  I am learning that there is always something to be thankful for.  And it really doesn’t matter what is going wrong or what has my heart heavy with fear and worry; Jesus is still my King and friend.  That should trump everything else.  So this Thanksgiving and Christmas, I am learning a spirit of thankfulness.  I am learning to be content with things not going my way, because I have a God who loves me and pours out blessings I could never deserve and those gifts outweigh my problems.

And of course, there is so much more I’m thankful for.  I am thankful for a job with good Christian people who I respect and enjoy being around, I am thankful that though my father has left, we still speak and have some sort of a relationship.  I am thankful for my church and the opportunities I have to serve there.  There is so much God has given me and allowed me to be a part of.  I cannot help but be thankful and humbled by His goodness and faithfulness to me, even when I’m not being the best son and ambassador His kingdom deserves.  I have been given so much.

When you sit back and reflect on your life, what are you thankful for?

Truth in the Midst of a Windstorm

So today I witnessed something profound.  Something that on any other day would be…normal.  I was sitting in the food court at a college university in Alabama and listening to the hustling, the laughter, the talking; the lives of college students my age go on around me.  And on a little stage in the back of the room were a handful of people singing praises to God and sharing the truth of His word.  As the songs played and testimonies were shared, I couldn’t help but look around and wonder if anyone was listening.  I know my generation.  We are a demanding generation that has the attention span of about 10 seconds.  Doubt that?  Watch someone try to load something on their phone and if it takes longer than a few seconds, they’ll start muttering under their breath.  If it takes a few minutes, you may hear some impatient sighs accompanied by a glare of frustration.  This is the audience that I watched this group of Christians try to reach out to and speak to. 

I remember my thoughts of frustration as I looked around and tried to find someone…anyone…who was singing along.  Who was even looking in the direction of the stage!  The amount of people I saw I can count on one hand.  I observed as everyone else ignored the people on the stage, acting as if there was nobody there.  I also saw others who would look up to see what the disturbance was, saw it was a bunch of Christians “preaching and singing” and went back to their conversations, glancing up every few minutes with a look of annoyance.

As I sat quietly, I watched people my age come and go.  I heard truth, glorious and healing truth, being spoken in the background.  I heard of the great salvation that God brings and His devotion towards us in setting a plan in motion to rescue us from our rebellion.  I listened as the Gospel was shared and praises were sung to Jesus.  And I watched as the people around me went about their lives.  Most never looked up.  Most heard the “Jesus thing” as background noise that could be ignored.  Some may not have heard or even noticed the stage at all, being so consumed with what they thought was important in that moment. 

Today I watched and listened as truth was proclaimed in the midst of a windstorm.  I watched as believers were faithful to their calling in that moment and the truth fell on many deaf ears.  The great thing is that I know the effort was not wasted.  I know that God used that for something.  Somebody heard something that they needed to hear.  A believer was encouraged, someone with no grasp of Christianity was exposed to the Gospel and a seed was planted.  God’s word never comes back void, so I know that the words spoken today had some impact.  At the very least, what I observed impacted me.  So do not hear me say that today was a failure or a waste of time. 

But do hear me say this: Truth must be defended.  It must be proclaimed and it must be shared.  Christians today are at war with the culture in defining Truth.  What I observed today reminded me of the lostness of my own generation.  Of the distractions that we feed ourselves.  We are short-tempered, self-focused, and impatient.  We are losing our hearts and our lives to a culture that has every intention to destroy us.  We put our faith in shallow and meaningless things and then wonder why they collapse under us and leave us miserable and wanting more.  My generation needs Jesus. 

As I watched all of this happen today, I felt heart-broken at how out of focus we are as people.  I remember the deep regret at how many people had the Truth that could change everything about them and their lives proclaimed to them…and how many of them never heard it?  Never looked up?  I feel a great burden to reach my peers.  The level of hopelessness and confusion in society today should be answered by the Church.  Are we doing all that we can to make the Lord known?  I am not and I feel a heaviness on my shoulders because of it.

Truth yelled into the wind may still be heard.  It is a difficult calling and it tends to be an uphill battle….but it is never a losing battle.  What are we willing to do to show people that Jesus saves?