For These Light Afflictions...

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
-- 2nd Corinthians 4:17 & 18

And we think we have problems...

Distraction -- Faith's Biggest Enemy

Wow, I can hardly believe it's been three months since I've blogged.  Time flies when you're... distracted. It's interesting. Distraction seems like such a small thing. But, it can destroy your faith without you even realizing it's happening.


Remember the parable of the sower? This was one of  the most powerful lessons Jesus taught. It is repeated in three of the four gospels, and Jesus told his disciples that if they didn't understand this parable, they wouldn't understand the others. 

More Than Words

"Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!"
-- James 3:3-5

How many times do we say things we don't really mean and think nothing of it? If anyone comments, or if we have a little twinge of Spirit-conscience, we immediately follow up with "just kidding"!

As children we used to say "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me". Apparently, James disagrees.

Humbled and Amazed

It's been a while since I've written. I was going through a bit of a storm in my life. For me, that means its time to "hunker down" into the Word and make sure that everything that is going into my soul through the eyes, ears, and being spoken out of my mouth is aligned with the Word of God. 

In order for that to be the case, sometimes its easier to just remain silent. I've found that when I'm in the thick of things, it takes more effort to guard my words (James 3:8 "but the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.") than it takes to just shut up.

Do Others See God's Light In You?

Some people are just so beautiful they take you breath away -- and I've never met anyone who can do that when there isn't an inner beauty to back it up.

Grandma was right when she said "Beauty is only skin deep" -- at least, what the world considers beautiful.

Blessed Be The Name

I like to listen to praise and worship music. In fact, if I'm listening to music at all, it's praise and worship. I used to listen to other kinds of music, but several years ago When I got heavily into the Faith movement, I began to understand the power of words.

Then I began to pay attention to the lyrics of the songs I was listening to and even singing along with. And, I realized that something had to change.

Life Lessons on the Drive to Work

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
 -- Genesis 8:22

I had to smile this morning. I came up to an intersection and got into the left turn lane. There was one car in front of me. The light changed. The car behind me must have been in a hurry. Instead of simply waiting for the light to turn green again (in fact, there is a protected left turn before the rest of the traffic can go), he decided to save some time and cut through the parking lot of the business on the corner.

The Effect of Worry on Faith

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
  -- Matthew 6:25

What was Jesus saying?  Was he telling us to live our lives without thought? To just go about our days without planning or thinking about what we are doing?  No, the word "thought" in this scripture is the Greek word merimnao which means "to be anxious about".

This is the day that the Lord has made.

I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Faith: A Way of Life

There was an accident on the interstate today.

For some people, I'm sure it was an inconvenience. What a way to start out the week. Monday morning, and the interstate AND the highway that runs parallel to it, were both closed down. In fact, the end of the street I live on was also closed down.

For some people, it meant taking a detour to work or school, and probably being late.

For people making a longer journey, it meant sitting in a major traffic jam waiting for the roads to be cleared and traffic to move once again.

I'm sure that for everyone involved, peripherally and directly, the day started like any other; the alarm clock jarring them awake; going through the daily routine of getting ready to go wherever it is they spend their days.

Faith Farming

"...And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him."
  --Genesis 5:21-24

Do you walk with God?

Something mighty happens when we walk with God; when we are in his presence. Not much is recorded about Enoch, but there is no doubt that he enjoyed a very close relationship with God.

What Level Of Faith Do You Operate In?

I originally published this article on Ezinearticles.com in October of 2007.  But, I thought it was worth re-posting here.  I hope you agree.

Romans 12:3 tells us that God has given to every man the measure of faith. What is the measure of faith? I believe the measure of faith is the Bible, God's word spoken to us. We are told that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. It is important to note that faith comes by "hearing" not by "having heard".

Legion, The Movie: Why it's so Dangerous

I went to the movies with my son and his friend last night. I almost didn't go, thinking I'd drive over the the clinic and spend some time working on the computer and hanging out with my dog, Spot, who is recuperating from being hit by a car just before Christmas. But, at the last moment, I decided to tag along to the theater. They decided to watch the movie "Legion" - an apocalyptic-type thriller. 

In "Legion", God has grown tired of mankind's repeated failures and has decided to, once again, destroy the earth.

But Seek Ye First...

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you"

     --Matthew 6:33

Seek Ye First was actually my first thought for a blog title. For various reasons, I went with Walk by Faith instead. But right now, I think it's incredibly important that we make sure we have our priorities straight. God is wonderfully merciful and extravagantly generous, and He's our Father. The truth is, we weren't created to have things. We were created to be in a relationship with our Father.

New Year -- New Beginnings

"...for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

     -- Jeremiah 31:34

It's the first day of a New Year -- 2010. Maybe you make New Year's resolutions, maybe you don't. But for most people, the New Year signals a time for change, an opportunity to re-create our lives and our circumstances.