opportunity for faith

Joshua 1:7  NLT

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.