Respect it

Jeremiah 7:9-15

“‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury,[a] burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.

12 “‘Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 While you were doing all these things, declares the LORD, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’

What a fool you are if you think you can live a life that reflects sin and yet you go to church expecting forgiveness. What does God say? "I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen...I will thrust you from my presence..." If you don't listen to what God is telling you, be prepare to be humiliated before God and man. That's probably the worst thing that could happen to you. Being embarrassed in front of God.

Tragedy of living for myself

The Christian life is and has always been about God first, people second, me third. When you mix up the order your life begins to fall apart. Always God has to be the first priority of life. Second, learning to love others is essential to this order because when you give, people give back to you and that keeps this perpetual cycle of uplifting momentum between each other. Lastly, is yourself. Loving yourself is key to having a healthy life, but when you forget others and focus on yourself, well then problems will arise. God has designed love to be the foundation of one's life, and if you can't love others, then your life will crumble up into nothing but selfishness. When your thoughts begin to focus on yourself you begin the "tragedy of living for myself." The Chris and Conrad song "Breathe your life" defines this so beautifully. Only God can restore the person who begins to live selfishly. If right now you have unsettled the order of life, then ask the Holy Spirit to come and revitalize you into new person and to "Breathe your life in me" so that you can fulfill God's purposes in your life and in others.

A Multiple relationship

Learning is essential to life. If one doesn't know how to learn, then he can't understand how to succeed in life's tasks. To learn how to paint, requires actually painting. To learn how to drive, requires one to drive under different circumstances and in various routes. To learn how to be a better Christian, requires one to practice God's love in a variety of circumstances and opportunities. Most people would say, that as a Christian we need to throw ourselves into God and just pause, meditate, and concentrate on God. But in reality, that's not what God wants. What He wants is a deeper level of relationship with His children. And how can we do that? By acting like His children. Learning to obey Him, learning to uphold what is on His agenda. When your a child, you do what your parents do, you follow them around, you have to go places with them. That's what God wants. He wants us to talk to Him, He wants to converse with us, He wants to help us transition from infant to child. Children can be independent, they need to be able to play or interact with other children or in different environments other than home. That's what God's trying to do with His children. He wants them to follow His example, He wants to correct our mistakes, He wants us to be trained well enough so that we can play with other children (other humans) while He watches us from His chair carefully anticipating our next challenges and lessons

One of the most impressing moments of my life has been forming my heart into a God glorifying tool. As a human we usually make our hearts our own and because we begin to struggle with letting go of our issues, pain, and happiness creating a constant struggle trying to make ourselves happy when in reality, God has provided everything. God has always promised to take care of His children and to provide good things for them whenever they need them. That doesn't mean life will be easy or happy, but does mean that you can have assurance that your life is valued and you are being uplifted to a higher purpose. Sometimes as humans we create our own dreams and aspirations and when we do that, we forget that God has bigger dreams and aspirations for us. If our moments of pain and insecurity, God isn't abandoning us, He's working in us, creating a stronger desire to seek Him in everything. Just like Jesus on the cross. Jesus cried out to God, but God did not answer. But while He lay on the cross in pain, God was working something bigger; He was creating a new hope for all humanity through the pain of one man. That's how He is in our lives. Those moments of heartbreak, sadness, pain...they are the beginning of a stronger desire for God, a new hunger not for good, but for an encounter, a community, and spiritual restoration. The book of Ruth explains this very well. Naomi was a married woman with two sons when she left her hometown. When she returned she was bitter accompanied only by a daughter-in-law. Her husband gone, her sons gone, her life was no longer what she wanted. However, she kept her faith in God, and encouraged her daughter-in-law, Ruth, and her story ends quite differently.
After Boaz marries Ruth, Ruth bears a son and this is what the Bible says,

"The women said to Naomi: 'Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.' Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. The women living there said, 'Naomi has a son.' And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David."

Even though Naomi was not related to Obed by blood, she still cared for the boy and loved him like it was her own grandchild. Through her encounter with pain, Naomi was able to restore herself in God's community and even able to be a spiritual blessing to others for the rest of her days. This is what I have found has happened in my life. I have seen that through my pain, God has created a new heart, a new mindset, a new hope that is restoring me back to His people, and even allowing me to minister in ways I hadn't imagined yet. It literally brings me to tears, to think that this entire time while I felt that God was entirely working some crazy madness with me, that I was angry with Him for taking my peace, my hope, and my happiness at times. This entire time.....He was actually restoring my soul, shaping it into a caring and compassionate heart. My goal now is not happiness, emotional feelings of joy, but a spirit that sees the hurting and the weak. Brandon Heath puts it perfectly....

"Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach?
Give me Your heart for the one's forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see"

Give me Your eyes God, give me Your love for humanity. Help mine unbelief so that I can minister to those who need spiritual healing. That is my prayer now.

The Gospel of Hope and Love

Recently I have become infatuated with trying to be the most loving and hopeful person I can be while on this earth. As a Christian I believe that God has allowed His people to become all that they need to be to shine His example and glory upon the earth. I want you to think about this verse: "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord..." (2 cor. 3:18). Unveiled faces....that's an interesting concept. It means God's face is always covered from humanity because we can never view it, never. It's too holy, it's too wonderful, it'll kill any human on the spot it's so powerful to behold. But what does the next part say? Christians are to "reflect" His glory. What does that mean? It means we are to be mirrors of Him. We are to portray His attributes and the most dominant one is love. 1 John says "God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him." We have to mirror His love to others. To those we come in contact with daily, and to those we only see once in a while. What Christians don't realize is that it's not a hard concept to do, but it does take some real will power. Love isn't complicated, but we humans make it complicated because we want to be selfish. Simply put "Love is patient; love is kind. Love does not envy; is not boastful; is not conceited..." That is love. It's not hard, but one has to take the focus off himself in order to perform those actions. Its not about you, its about Him. John the Baptist said it best "He must become greater, I must become less." In other words, He must become the star of the show, and I need to take the backseat. Give him the wheel of your life, and let Him shine in you. Let your life mirror God in everything you do. Forget what you WANT, God already knows what you NEED, so trust Him and let Him use you for whatever purpose is necessary. Otherwise you are just an obstacle to God, a meaningless person no better than the devil. Like the verse states, only when you begin to "reflect" God's glory will you ever become like Him. Mirroring God is the only way to ever be like Him.

Paparazzi never leaves you alone

There's no better way to describe God's love for us like the song Paparazzi.

"I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me....
Promise I'll be kind, But I won't stop until that boy is mine...
Chase you down until you love me..."

God is always pursuing you, no matter what. He won't stop until your His, and He'll chase you down until you decide to love Him. He's coming for you..just give in

Why so serious? Your not smiling

Living life alone is never the ideal situation. Every so often we get those feelings of disappointment, fear, selfishness, or even despair and we just want to be left alone. I find that when I become overwhelmed with life, I just want to crawl away from the world and be alone. However, I realize that this is my way of coping with the tough situations of life. Being alone, shutting people out, doing whatever I want or like, and sulking that things are difficult. So I decided to try something different. My behavior really is just a display of selfishness as I desire to do things my way and forget the rest of the world. So to combat this mentality I decided to take the focus off myself and put it on something else. First, I opened to Isaiah 33.
Here the verse states "The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. There will be times of security for you-- a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge."
Basically, everything that I want, God has. I find that my mood is this way because I want security from the issues of this world..."will be times of security for you".....I want to be saved from my problems ...."a storehouse of salvation".....I want to make the right decisions..."wisdom".....I want to understand my situations...."knowledge." Focusing on God makes me feel so much better. Why? Because I have taken the focus off myself and all my problems and focused on someone who can do something about my problems. God has all the answers, its just a matter of you trusting Him, not in friends, not in family, not in yourself, but in God only. Tell Him your problems, tell Him your feelings, tell Him you need Him and He will take care of you. Learning to trust God is a life long process, but you'll see soon enough the change of your life when you give Him all your problems.
Matt. 11:30 "For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." or maybe a better version: "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out...? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it....I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." God wants to give you rest, but you have to be vulnerable with Him, you have to give Him your burdens. 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." Focus less on yourself and more on God. Tell Him your burdens, your feelings, and He will give you rest, a good rest.

Who do you think you are?

When you think your God is too small...Let Him explain Himself....
Isaiah 46 from the Message

I've personalized this so you can apply it to your life easier...Think of it as God talking to you one on one.



The god Bel falls down, god Nebo slumps. The no-god hunks of wood are loaded on mules
And have to be hauled off,
wearing out the poor mules—
Dead weight, burdens who can't bear burdens,
hauled off to captivity.
"Listen to me, you.
I've been carrying you on my back
from the day you were born,
And I'll keep on carrying you when you're old.
I'll be there, bearing you when you're old and gray.
I've done it and will keep on doing it,
carrying you on my back, saving you.
"So to whom will you compare me, the Incomparable?
Can you picture me without reducing me?
People with a lot of money
hire craftsmen to make them gods.
The artisan delivers the god,
and they kneel and worship it!
They carry it around in holy parades,
then take it home and put it on a shelf.
And there it sits, day in and day out,
a dependable god, always right where you put it.
Say anything you want to it, it never talks back.
Of course, it never does anything either!
"Think about this. Wrap your minds around it.
This is serious business, you rebel. Take it to heart.
Remember your history,
your long and rich history.
I am God, the only God you've had or ever will have—
incomparable, irreplaceable—
From the very beginning
telling you what the ending will be,
All along letting you in
on what is going to happen,
Assuring you, 'I'm in this for the long haul,
I'll do exactly what I set out to do,'
Calling that eagle, (person’s name), out of the east,
from a far country the man I chose to help me.
I've said it, and I'll most certainly do it.
I've planned it, so it's as good as done.
"Now listen to me:
You're a hardheaded person and hard to help.
I'm ready to help you right now.
Deliverance is not a long-range plan.
Salvation isn't on hold.
I'm putting salvation to work in your heart now,
and glory in your reputation."

New way to be.....

Every Christian life has one thing in common. Change. Why is that? Because as humans, people aren’t perfect. Face it, humanity is screwed up. That is why so many people are becoming so desperate for meaning and fulfillment in their lives. But God is all about change. He made us one specific way, and the Christian walk is about trying to find out how to finally achieve that persona or ideal mentality. Despite the fact that change is God’s most powerful element in our lives transforming humans from sad, miserable, hopeless individuals into happy, joyful, encouraging leaders it’s also the most challenging aspect of the Christian life. Why? Because humans are naturally sinful, naturally selfish, naturally want to be in control, naturally want to make ourselves happy. However, that’s not what God intended at all. Life is not about making ourselves happy, or doing what we want to do. It’s about investing in others, about making other people happy, and the only way to do that is to learn from God’s example. This investment in others, this desire to focus not on ourselves but on what is important is called love. Love is God and God is love. It’s that simple. Read 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. That is a sweet passage on what love truly is. However, when you substitute the world “love” with the word “Jesus” it becomes even more meaningful, because through our human limitations it shows up really how important the Lord is to His creation. He completes His creation.
Dissecting scripture is the only way to figure out how to change. God will clearly show you what you need to do in order to change through His Word. Jesus called it the “bread of life.” Eat it, digest it, feast on it; So that you can “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Sometimes it will require a lot of prayer, getting on your knees, pleading and begging God, crying even. It may even require doing things you don’t desire to: like apologizing, forgiving, learning to trust other people or God, becoming vulnerable. Nevertheless, the good news is all these hardships contribute to character and a much more fulfilling life than before. When God comes in and makes those changes, He takes away the fear, the pain, the emotional anguish, and brings peace, stability, and security making life complete. He turns something gross and painful into something beautiful and exciting. The following verse should give you hope about your life.
"For I know the plans I have for you,"
declares the LORD,
plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future." --Jeremiah 29:11
God is good. All the time. A God who “plans to give you hope and a future” is a god worth living for. What more could a human ask for? Do you really want a second chance at life or a relationship with a God who makes your life better through a personal connection beyond anything else? If you get a second chance there is always the chance of messing up again.
I pray so hard that God would change me. I find when I give Him specifics and open up to Him telling Him my faults and problems that I become more aware of my issues and I desire to change even more. I begin to see other people in a different light, and desire to help them out. I also find myself renewing my mind and even pushing out thoughts that I normally would give in to. I begin to protect myself, I learn to love myself, not selfishly but as a child of God realizing that I am worth it, no matter what other people think. Love is powerful, it changes lives, literally. But most importantly “it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. It never fails.”

Learning to speak

You know sometimes when I pray and talk to God I just don't know what to say or I just feel my words are empty and meaningless, like I've been saying the same thing over and over. That really makes me feel a little stupid when I can't find enough words to pray and then think to myself but I can use so many other words to talk about different things? That doesn't make sense. So I do what most other people do when they want to know more, I steal from the professionals. Basically, I take songs that I hear and use their words when I talk to God. Worship music and just songs in general really help me to expand myself and communicate effectively. David Crowder songs are beautiful prayers to God. I don't know how he does it but I love his music. Jeremy Camp is really starting to pick up his style to that level. But even just regular song lyrics can become so touching to me. They really just open my eyes to what I either need to hear or need to say. And so I just take those songs...fall on my kneess.......and just say to God what I need to. For example Skillet's song Forgiven:

Chorus
Now I’m in our secret place
Alone in your embrace
Where all my wrongs have been erased
You have forgiven

All the promises and lies
All the times I compromise
All the times you were denied
You have forgiven

V2
Forgive me I’m ashamed
I’ve loved another
I can’t explain cause I don’t know
No one can take your place
And there is no other
Forever yours and yours alone


These words just flow right into my heart and just sit there. If you listen to it, you'll understand. I couldn't explain my emotions concerning God's grace and forgiveness any better. I couldn't explain why I need to be forgiven any better. Particularly the chorus...That message is just so powerful.

This is just one example. I could put some of David Crowder's lyrics and just blow your mind away, but I'll let God do that, try it, you'll see. Anytime you challenge God, He will meet and then challenge you right back. You can't win against Him. Music is just one way. You can use movie quotes and plays and books to find ways to make your prayer life and communication skills more effective and enriched with God. If you let Him, God will show you all the ways He can speak to you. He'll find a way and you will hear Him. And the you can use that to respond to Him.

Finally digging in

Well in this final series of healing, I realize that there is one more point to mention and that is the struggle of healing. And I'll end with some tips that I found super helpful.

Well let's dig in. Here's the truth...the healing process is very intense. Why is this? because change is intense. It's totally necessary though. God has created you for one purpose, His glory and guess how you give Him the most glory? By being the person He's always wanted you to be. That makes God happier than anything and when you realize how messed up you are, you understand that there's a lot of work to do to become that person. But the good news is that God knows you can't do it on your own, so He provides ways, people, books, messages, songs, movies, pictures, anything possible to remind you that He loves you, cherishes you, adores you, and wants to forgive you. Basically what God will do is make you from someone who always wanted to be or feel loved into someone who knows how to love and understands they are loved. And to do that, God has to get deep within your heart and break you down, show you all your issues, your problems, and then show you how to fix them. It's a rough process, a tough one. You have to become vulnerable, you have to desire intimacy with Him. And for most people that's tough because intimacy is what hurt them in the first place, they are in this healing process because they were intimate in the wrong way or were more intimate with a human than God. If your that person, then your first reaction is fear. But what does God say? "Do not be afraid. I stand at the door and knock. Please let me come in." When you open up to God, then He begins to mold you, shape you, strengthen you like a potter and clay. You begin to understand how situations in your life were placed there and why. You begin to make sense of your life and realize that even the worst of situations God can use for good. It reminds me of the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers. But what happened to him? He became one of the highest ranking Egyptian leaders saving thousands of people from starvation. What did Joseph say to his brothers? "what you intended for evil, God intended for good." Once you get to that point. Then the healing process will be easier and easier.

So here's some tips from me.

Begin now with your relationship with God. Start listening to Him. He speaks through His Word, people, movies, prayer. Open yourself up to him, start talking to Him about your fears, failures, hurts, pain. Let Him become your best friend. And after some time you'll begin to feel much stronger than you were before. Next, start diagnosing those problems that you struggle with: relational or physical problems with parents, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, co-workers, church people whoever you have issues with. Start thinking deeply about what you might have done wrong and how you should have either trusted God or how God would have reacted to the situation. After that, begin to reconcile those issues especially with those people. Be honest, tell them either "hey I'm sorry for hurting you, its my fault, forgive me" or "hey, you hurt me with what you did, but I forgive you, just wanted to let you know." Then, the rest of the healing process will begin to become easier and easier. If you have resources, use them. Christian friends, devotionals, books about issues you have problems with. These are ways that God can tangibly speak to you and get your attention. That's how God communicates with you, so that you learn to trust Him with your heart, and not your eyes. Time heals all wounds, so don't be afraid to take your time. Healing can be a long process, or a short one. It depends on the issues and how you react to them. Either way, eventually you'll be that person that God wants you to be. Humans are always a work in progress, so the lessons you learn now will only make future issues easier to deal with. Finally, Thank your God for intervening in your life, for saving you from what could have been a disaster because your Heavenly Father knows all your needs before you did, He's always been looking out for you. Take hope in God's undying love for you, because only with it can you truly be free to be loved by Him and love others through Him. The following words are from a song entitled Healing Rain. Let them be God's words to you:

Healing rain is coming down
It's coming nearer to this old town
Rich and poor, weak and strong
It's bringing mercy, it won't be long

Healing rain is coming down
It's coming closer to the lost and found
Tears of joy, and tears of shame
Are washed forever in Jesus' name

Healing rain, it comes with fire
So let it fall and take us higher
Healing rain, I'm not afraid
To be washed in Heaven's rain

Healing rain, it comes with fire
So let it fall and take us higher
Healing rain, I'm not afraid
To be washed in Heaven's rain.

The Truth about being Limitless

In the previous post, I mentioned Faith and how it begins with trust and ends with action. Today, I want to mention the next step to becoming limitless. And that is letting God heal you and your wounds. This world is a messed up place, but God has every desire to fix it and rebuild it to the way He originally designed it at creation. His first priority though is humans. God says in His Word that one day He will reconstruct the universe and re-create it. However, that is in the future. There is one thing He can’t wait for and that is restructuring people’s lives now. That is something God cannot put off, it pains Him too much to see people suffer. So how does He do it? How does God heal? Well first, I need you to do something for me. I need you to read Luke 8:43-48.

Read it? Good. The first step to healing is taking the initiative and by reading that passage on your own you’ve practiced taking the first step. Ok. So first off, what happens? A woman with medical issues touches Jesus and is healed. Hmm not much to explain....or is there? First off, we notice the woman is afraid to publicize her healing. She just wants to touch Jesus and run. No one will know and no one will see. But what does Jesus do? He makes a show out of it. He says “Who touched me?” The first step to healing is touching Jesus. Making that attempt to reach Him, to tap in on the shoulder and say “hey man, I need some help.” Second step is for Jesus to shine the spotlight on you and say “who are you and what have you done?” Jesus wants you to admit your problem, confess it, and then find someone so you can publicize it with because admitting the problem keeps you accountable to your sin. After you do that, then the healing can begin, and Jesus can say to you “your faith has made you well.” Now is that the end of the story? Nooo. Next is the hard part, because now I need you to read another story nearby in Luke 7:36-50. Read that story now.

So did you take it all in? Reread it if you have to. How does this story relate? Well, so far we have discovered how to begin the healing process, and now we will discover how to pursue the healing process. What happens in this story? A woman anoints Jesus, kisses his feet, washes them. How does Jesus react? First, He confronts the problem directly. He gets in Simon’s business and says “Hey, what’s your deal? Don’t you see what’s going on?” The actions of the woman are exactly the next step. Realize forgiveness. Jesus forgave you when He said “your faith has made you well.” That’s Him saying “It’s ok, what you did was wrong, it mattered to me (as in it hurt me), and I release you from it. Let’s move on.” That’s forgiveness. Think about that........let it soak in....pray if you have to............. Moving on, what happens next? What does the woman do as a result of being forgiven? Yea she does kind things to Jesus, but what is she really doing? She’s showing Him love....... thanking Him, and actively saying I appreciate all that you did for me. Forgiveness spurs one on to Love. You can’t love without being forgiven, and forgiving others. If you can’t love, then there’s a problem. Because love frees one from sin. Without love there is no freedom. You can’t be limitless without being able to love. God is love, God is truth, God is free. What did Jesus say? “The truth shall set you free.” Once you realize God’s love, the truth will free you. But most importantly, love frees you of your past sins, and lets you forgive those who hurt you or humbles you before those you hurt, and reconciles that relationship with those people, just like your relationship was reconciled with God. Of course, the opposite is true. Sin is hate, Sin is false, Sin is bondage. When you reject God’s love you deny God the opportunity for salvation. Hebrews 12:15 says ^“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” You begin to hate and hate blinds you from the truth which puts you in bondage and thus limits you to being a slave of the devil and his purposes. Sounds rough. I don’t know any nation in the world that wants to be enslaved like in the old days. Most of the world is now independently living which is why we have over 200 different nations in this world. Living the way someone else wants you to. Doing what they say all the time without any opinion. Can you see why there are so many angry people out there and why people are afraid to love others? They don’t want to be hurt by someone else over and over again. I’d never want to live that way and neither does God. You weren’t created to live that way.

So in conclusion, this whole healing process is about reconciling your relationship to God, and reconciling your relationship to others. When you finally do that, then you can begin to live the way God intended you to..... free of pain, hurt, and fear. Then you can begin to work on your sin problems, otherwise known as a strategy for a new life. Let God help to recreate yourself into that person you’ve always wanted to be, and that person He always intended for you to be, Limitless.

What is faith?

Well I haven't been posting in what has been years....but I decided I needed a spiritual outlet as I study the scriptures and grow in Christ. Something that I have been grappling with lately is becoming fearless or basically ridding yourself of fear and discouragement in one's daily life. I realize now that this is a result of faith in God and the transformation that takes place between your soul and the Holy Spirit. So what is faith? Is faith superstitious? Is it something you perform? Is it actions? Well faith may sound like all those things but it really is just one idea and that is trust. Faith=Trust, period. When you want someone to do a job for you, you ask them which is trusting them. It doesn't matter how they do that job or when they do it, you know they will do it so you place your Faith in them. That is precisely what makes one's faith in God so real. If you have faith in God to do something for you or someone else, it doesn't matter when or how your petition is going to happen, you trust Him to come through for you. For example, I have faith that my cell phone receives text messages and phone calls. How do I know this? because I hear my phone vibrate and then I check it and it says I have a text message or that someone is calling me. That's faith, I trust my phone does what it should because I receive texts and calls. So that brings up another point. Is faith active? The answer is yes. Faith is action. You trust people by their actions and how they perform for you. So what's the difference between trusting people and trusting God? Well its simple really, what the inherent traits of people and the traits of God? Obviously through the fall people are naturally sinful, so people = evil. And by looking through the Word, one can understand that God = love, life, truth, and various other ideas. You see, what you believe about God is what will determine your faith in Him. If God is love, then you trust that God loves you all the time. If you believe that God is good, then God never sends evil in your direction. You see when you change your views about God and make your own ideas about Him that are contrary to the Bible, then you put God in a box and create a God that is limited. But if trust Him at His Word, then God is limitless and do anything that you've ever imagined. And that is when you become fearless....When you trust that your God is limitless. One of my favorite stories about the Bible is when Abraham is tested by God. Abraham is promised by God that he will have at least one son from his wife Sarah and that son is to be the chosen one that will be a part of something special. However, one day God comes to Abraham and says "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." You see God knew that Abraham loved his son, that he was emotionally attached to him, that he would rather die than let his son die. But God wanted to show us, another side of the story. So Abraham did what God said, prepared everything, tied up his son, and was about to kill him when an angel appears and says "Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Hmmm interesting. So God basically tells Abraham "you did what I asked so that means you trust Me. Thanks." But where did Abraham get this power from? Well when we read Hebrews 11, the faith chapter, one might come across this passage: "By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, 'It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.' Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death." Abraham believed in a limitless God, that God could do anything He wanted, whenever He wanted and so his son was saved. Abraham Trusted that God could do whatever He wanted in the blink of an eye, and that's why the angel said "now I know that you fear (trust) God." What about you? Do you believe in a limited or limitless god? Do you think that you need to have control of the situations of life, so you box up God and say "ok I'll open you when I need you." Think carefully about how God is talking to you and remember that a God without limits means miracles can happen, lives can be changed, souls saved, people can become fearless, it all depends on how much you trust in your God.