opportunity for faith

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

The story of Christmas is full of people that had to live by faith. They had to make choices, and God honored their right choices and their living by faith.

Elizabeth and Zechariah lived by faith believing that in their old age they would have a child that would point people to Jesus. Further Mary and Joseph had to accept and act on what the angel of the Lord said to them about their baby being the Savior. The shepherds and wise men had to not listen to the people around them and press on to see the Messiah.

Here is my point: obstacles aren’t barriers but opportunities for faith to trust God. When some kind of barrier presents itself to us or if someone opposes us, the natural response is to change course and avoid the problem. Yet that might now be an opportunity to press on and to watch God work.

Hebrews 11:6 NLT

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

God is pleased when we live by faith, and Christmas is an opportunity to live by faith and share our faith with others. As we seek God, we live by faith. As we confess God and see His best, we live by faith and hope in God.

Habakkuk 2:4 NLT

Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.

The righteous live by faith. Pride makes us fall short of where we want to be and where we could be. If I stop doing what God called me to do or pursuing the dream God gave me, I stop living by faith in God who is for me and not against me. Living by faith means I will not only experience the blessings of God but also the fact that God removes barriers and opposition in His plans.

May God help us not stop. May God help us see the vision birthed in our hearts become reality. I cannot wait to see what God does next as we stop allowing obstacles to keep us from living by faith.

1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.

Pray for the possibility of an emergency winter homeless shelter in the coming weeks and a permanent homeless shelter in our community. Continue to pray for The Community’s new campus and the resources needed to make it a reality.

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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