21 Days of Faith – Day 12

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Genesis 37:5-11

Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have had; for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.[1]

The story of Joseph is one of the more interesting and intriguing in the Old Testament. It recounts the life journey of a seventeen-year-old boy living with his family in Canaan to a grown man serving as second in power in Egypt to the king. It is filled with high drama that keeps our attention as we watch an innocent boy get sold into slavery, falsely accused of attempted rape, and thrown into prison where he would remain until his ability to interpret dreams came to the attention of the king. There is much to feast upon in these chapters, but consider what Joseph had to do to hold onto his sanity, let alone his hope all because of his dreams. Consider the depth of his faith knowing what God would do but living through so many years of see nothing days. It is reasonable to suggest that most people would have given up and accepted their lot as something they just had to accept. But Joseph held on and at the end of the story he tells his brothers that what they intended for evil God intended for good.

Faith is not faith unless we put it into operation. Such has been our continuing theme over the last several days. Exercising our faith does not mean that our lives will be a bed of roses. There will be many days when everything and anything gets thrown in front of us to distract and discourage us. We will want to quit, give in and give up. We will wonder why we believed God in the first place. We may even be tempted to be angry and bitter with God. All Joseph had was his dreams, but he held on making himself indispensable wherever he landed, making the absolute best of bad situations until the time of his revealing appeared. That is faith in operation.

Lord God, we wish we could be like so many of your saints who have gone before us. Their faith both inspires and convicts us. Reading about their lives, the turmoil that accompanied them, and the victory they experienced reminds us of your faithfulness, but also causes us grief when we recognize how very different our experiences are. Remind us again Lord that You are the same faithful God today that You were in their lives. Cause us to believe again that You never make a promise You don’t fulfill, that every Word You have spoken shall come to pass, and that You are no respecter of persons; what You’ve done for others You will do for us that we might confidently live in the realm of faith with great expectation. Amen.

[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ge 37:5–11.

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21 Days of Faith – Day 11

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Genesis 21:1-2; Hebrews11:11-12

Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.[1]

By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.[2]

Having received a promise from the the Lord, it now became Abraham’s responsibility to activate his faith to receive it. By the time the promise was made Abraham and Sarah were well beyond child bearing age. The idea that a pregnancy could occur was even incredible to Sarah herself, so much so that she laughed at the idea. Without being crass, Isaac could not have been born had Abraham not impregnated Sarah.

The idea was outlandish, even ridiculous. Sarah was past the age of giving birth and Abraham was no doubt impotent. Some would look at their situation and conclude, promise or not, conception was not a realistic expectation. But that is precisely the point where faith takes over. That is a tangible demonstration of the words of Hebrews, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” No reasonable person would dare hold on to such a promise in the hopes of it coming to fruition and yet Abraham AND Sarah did.

Note what it took for them to live in the realm of faith over this issue. Abraham had to believe God, strengthen himself, get beyond any fear and lay with Sarah until she conceived. Sarah had to believe God, strengthen herself, get beyond any fear and ALLOW Abraham to lay with her until she conceived. Faith became very real for them both. Sarah had already tried to circumvent the promise with Hagar and it had been a disaster. She could have given up and not cooperated, but instead she activated her faith and the result is that we are now the seed of Abraham. What has God promised you? It is time to activate your faith if you want to receive it, no matter how long it takes.

Our Father and our God, You have promised us so much that we have yet to receive. We confess our faith is challenged the more incredible and impossible the promise. We are challenged to believe the impossible and then we are challenged to wait for the fulfillment of the promise. We want to be like Abraham and Sarah who conquered their crisis of faith and proactively lived it out. Help us to do more than go through the motions. Help us to activate our faith to the point that we confidently step into the unknown trusting and believing that Your promises are still yes and amen. Amen.

[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ge 21:1–2.

[2] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Heb 11:11–12.

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21 Days of Faith – Day 10

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Romans 6:15-23

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore, what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.[1]

Faith is not something to be possessed, but something to be exercised. Like the fig tree in Matthew 21, we put ourselves in a very precarious place when we do nothing with our faith. It should be obvious then that our desire must be to do the latter and not the former. When we do exercise our faith we can expect some very important things to happen. The first and most important will be a drive to know Christ more fully that we might yield to Him more completely. Out of that drive will come “virtue, morality, justice, decency, uprightness, and honesty.” Now you may well wonder that has to do with this passage today? Everything!

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, says the liberty they have received from Christ gives them “the power to overcome sin and the motive to move in the right direction.” It does not give them license to commit sin knowing they are under grace and not the law. Far too many make faith something that insures the absence of troubles and struggle, but nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus told us that we would have trouble in this life, of that we can be certain. What is true is that our faith in Christ causes us to conform our desires, which fuel our inclination to sin, to His Word and will. Living in the realm of faith is critical overcoming our nature that continues to be drawn to sin. It is unrealistic and foolish to expect we can overcome our nature with our own resources. It is our faith that causes us to triumph more and more as we grow into Christ. The alternative is more than a little frightening, “the wages of sin is death . . .”

Dear Lord, we have often abused our liberty by doing and saying the things that we ought not to do or say and that grieve Your Holy Spirit. We repent of our inordinate desires. We are sorry for seeking to fit in and be like everyone else. We grieve that we have been guilty of seeking after carnal pleasure rather than that which brings abundant life. Help us today to walk with integrity in the liberty we have received from You. Amen.

[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ro 6:15–23.

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21 Days of Faith – Day 9

Posted on January 9, 2016 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Matthew 21:18-22

Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered. Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”[1]

What does your faith do? Or, what is it you do with your faith? It is a crucial question because faith is not something you possess but something you exercise. Faith is that which should characterize your very life. Sadly, however, a modern Christianity has reduced faith to just the Christian way of claiming to be spiritual. It defines and identifies a mentality or an attitude more than a way of life. Rather than doing something with what one believes it has become little more than a moniker that says we are believers, people of faith. But if one’s faith does nothing it is empty, void and devoid of any and all power.

Jesus was hungry so while he was traveling he saw a fig tree off in the distance. He could see that it had leaves upon it but when he got close to it he could see that it did not have any figs upon it. This is significant to note because fig trees in the region were known to bear fruit first before leaves appeared. So when Jesus approached the tree the fact that it had leaves upon it was evidence that it should have borne figs and it did not. As a consequence, Jesus ‘cursed’ the tree, not in the sense we today understand a curse, but in the sense of judgment, judgment that guaranteed that it would never bear fruit again.

It occurred to me that this account speaks a word far more in-depth than we have wanted to acknowledge. Emphasis has normally been placed on what faith apart from doubt can accomplish, and that is an important subject to explore; but I am far more interested in what I see in this account concerning the consequences of a faith that does nothing. James tells us “Faith, if it has no works, is dead” (2:17). The fig tree was designed to bear figs but it did not and as a result Jesus pronounces judgment upon it and it never bears fruit again. Are you under a curse today because your faith is fruitless. Like the fruit tree we have been designed and built to bear fruit. What are you doing with your faith?

Dear Lord, we are guilty of having a sedentary faith, a faith that is stagnate and fruitless. We are guilty of having faith as a possession instead of a utility. We have no desire to be like the fig tree whom You cursed because it bore no fruit. Move us from the realm of slothfulness, laziness to the place where our faith is productive and effective. Raise up opportunities today for us to use our faith not for our own good or glory, but for Your glory and the advancement of Your Everlasting Kingdom. Amen.

[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Mt 21:18–22.

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21 Days of Faith – Day 8

Posted on January 9, 2016 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Romans 12:3

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.[1]

Wedged in between two familiar verses we love to quote and verses about gifts in the body is this one verse that seems almost out of place. In the first two verses the Apostle Paul challenges and pleads with his readers to give up their infatuation with the world and all it has to offer, and instead be transformed. In the verses following verse three, the Apostle references the body of Christ and the variety of gifts resident in it that allow it to function effectively. This one verse may seem out of place but really serves as a necessary bridge from one thought to another. The body of Christ is different from the rest of the world, therefore, we refuse to be conformed to it or by it; and, though we have been transformed by the renewal of our minds we must not allow ourselves to be filled with pride. Instead in humility we recognize that we are just another part of God’s body fulfilling our necessary and important function.

It is our faith that enables us to be transformed, but it also our faith that enables to walk in our gifts. But there is a danger here in thinking and believing that we are somehow more important than others because of the function we perform. “To himself, every man is in a sense the most important person in the world, and it always needs much grace to see what other people are, and to keep a sense of moral proportion” (Denney). Everyone has been given a gift and a measure of faith without which the gifts cannot be exercised. Arrogantly, we tend to believe that our gift is more important than others. The Apostle challenges this notion by emphasizing that God is the lone giver of gifts and that we are totally dependent on Him for their effective use.

It is that measure of faith that allows us to walk in our gifting with humility. But that measure of faith needs to be nurtured and strengthened. It is a gift from God but like other gifts must be strengthened through constant exercise. The more we use our faith, the stronger it becomes. It is that same faith that allows us to affirm, rather than deny our gifts, so that we might faithfully use them in the body of Christ. We must be careful we do not over estimate ourselves while at the same time be cautious to not make ourselves small. Our faith enables us to walk in humility considering others better than ourselves.

Dear gracious heavenly Father, we bless Your holy name. You have given us such great blessings we cannot begin to offer the gratitude it all deserves. We thank you for the measure of faith You have given to us and ask that you would cause our faith to grow as we seek to walk more fully in our calling. Keep us from becoming conceited because of the gifts You have given to us. Allow our faith to lead us into greater humility even as we seek to live more fully in the light of His glory. This we ask in the strong name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ro 12:3.

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21 Days of Faith – Day 7

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Dr. Logan's Blog

James 2:14-19

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.[1]

A debate raged in the early church. There were some who maintained that the Apostle Paul’s insistence that we are saved by faith alone was a promotion of sin because, by leaving out works, there was no accountability. James addresses the controversy with a simple line, “Faith, if it has no works, is dead” (v. 17). James does not intend to juxtapose faith to works, as if one is opposed to the other. He is not saying that faith requires works. Rather, he maintains that one’s faith is evidenced or demonstrated more by what they do than by what they say. In other words, faith does something.

Faith is more than a concept, more than an idea. Doing good works cannot save us or justify us before God. Doing good works cannot and does not produce faith, but faith does provoke good works. To say it a different way, doing good will not cause anyone to believe, but the one who believes will do good works. Good works do not produce faith; faith produces good works. “For James, faith was not just an allegiance to doctrine; rather, it was to be a lifestyle. It was not just an idea to believe in, but rather the purpose for our lives. Faith is not to be passive, but rather active; it is the living Spirit living in us, empowering and growing in us” (Krejcir).

The bottom line is that while faith is received alone, it does not stand alone. If it is present in our lives it has to be backed up with proof. What kind of proof? Our faith will be lived out by what we think, what we say, and what we do. Absent of these things our faith is empty. What are you doing with your faith? What tangible evidence is displayed in your life that proves you are more than what you say. Accordingly, James says, “Show me your faith without the works, I will show you my faith by my works.”

Father, we love to lay claim to being strong believers, but we don’t want to do anything but occasionally go to church. Our world is in such desperate need of people who will show the power of Your love more by what they do than by what they say. Help us to live with integrity in the realm of faith. Undergird us with Your word and presence so that doing good works becomes a natural result of our deep and abiding love for You. Let others today see the depth of our faith in You through all we think, say and do. May You be glorified by our living and may many be drawn to You by our faith. We ask it all in Jesus’ name. Amen.

[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Jas 2:14–19.

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21 Days of Faith – Day 6

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Romans 3:21-26

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.[1]

Pride is one of the greatest obstacles to our faith in Christ Jesus and living consistently in the realm of faith. Though we claim to be people of faith, our tendency is to rely on our own knowledge, actions, skills, background, and connections to save us. But only Christ can save us, only Christ can wash us and cleanse us from our sin. “We were the ones that should have been crucified. We were the ones that should have suffered, bled and died. We were the ones that should have hung on the cross in disgrace, but Jesus, God’s Son, gladly took our place.” This was the point the Apostle Paul wanted to emphasize to his readers. Jesus was our propitiation or substitute who paid the price for our sin; and make no mistake about it, we are all sinners.

The Apostle was accused in his day of promoting sin because he taught that we were justified by faith alone apart from works. Paul, however, understood that our sinful nature makes us unable and perhaps even unwilling to seek God. Instead, we seek only that which brings us pleasure and fulfillment no matter how temporary that might be. The good news, then, is that God’s indescribable gift of Jesus demonstrated that He was seeking us without which we would never have been able to see or receive Him. We did not and do not have the power to accomplish anything in the spirit realm apart from Him. We cannot be saved, grow, worship or even serve our Lord on our own merit. Any good that we might do for the sake of the Kingdom is because of our faith in the One who loved us enough to die for us. Let us, therefore, renounce our pride that claims we are justified just by whom we are and what we have done. Let us instead resolve to remain in Christ and increase our faith.

Gracious Father, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Son to die for our sins. We cannot even begin to express both our grief and gratitude for what You have done for us. Forgive us for the times we have place more confidence in our own merit than we have in Your sacrifice. Forgive us for believing that we are justified by what we have have done. Help us to renounce our sinful pride and then strengthen our resolve to remain in Christ and increase our faith. This we ask in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.

[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ro 3:21–26.

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21 Days of Faith – Day 5

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Romans 3:9-20

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one. Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving, The poison of asps is under their lips; Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; Their feet are swift to shed blood, Destruction and misery are in their paths, And the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.[1]

One of the annoying frustrations for many believers is the necessity of defending their faith from the damage done to it by other believers. Far too many Christians have been guilty of using their faith as a cover for sin as if somehow they are above it. In many ways this mentality is reminiscent of the gnostic heresy that threatened the church in the early centuries of its existence. Gnosticism “espoused a dualism regarding spirit and matter. Gnostics asserted that matter was inherently evil and spirit good. As a result of this presupposition, Gnostics believed anything done in the body, even the grossest sin, had no meaning because real life exists in the spirit realm only.” This re-emerging heresy poses no less of a threat today as it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish those who truly believe from those who do not. Those who live in the realm of faith (who walk or live by faith and not by sight) realize and take seriously the horrific affects of sin.

The Apostle Paul tells his readers that everyone is condemned because of sin. Many of us are guilty of refusing to take responsibility for our actions. When caught in sin we love to blame outside forces or other people while we continue to live as we please, all the while laying claim to living by faith. We spiritualize our sin by maintaining that “it’s all good” because “love covers a multitude of sin.” Our faith no more covers us from sin than the Law did for the Jews. Only Christ and His shed blood can do that. We are lost without Christ, and if we cannot or will not see our sin we will not see Christ. Living in the realm of faith sees the horrific affects of sin and seeks to continually be cleansed of it. Let us confess our sin today and be cleansed from it.

Dear Lord, we are sinners sold unto sin. Like Paul would say to the Romans, we often do the very things we have no desire to do and struggle to do the good we want to do. Forgive us for the times we have played the blame game, blaming our backgrounds, our environments, our conditions and circumstances, or even blaming You instead of taking responsibility ourselves. Like King David, create in us today clean hearts and renew a right spirit in us that we might live in the realm of faith with true integrity. Amen.

[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ro 3:9–20.

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21 Days of Faith – Day 4

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Romans 2:17-24

But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” just as it is written.[1]

What good is faith if we do not put it into operation? “When we rest on who we are as Christians and then do nothing with our faith, we do like the Jews who reject Christ. We may have our salvation (which they do not), but what good is it? This is also the theme of James; faith without works is dead. You are saved, but no big deal if you do nothing with it! When you are teaching others, your first and primary task is to be instructed yourself! You cannot teach what you do not know or have not experienced” (Krejcir).

The objective of this time of consecration is to provoke a vital and vibrant faith that is powerfully effective. When Christians say one thing but practice another it has the effect of destroying faith. Teaching and preaching one thing and practicing another is the very definition of hypocrisy that really opposes faith and Jesus, and also leads people watching us astray. The destruction of faith through hypocrisy ultimately dishonors our heavenly father and negates faith. It is not enough to give mere lip service to that which we believe. There have been too many instances of encouragement given to do as one hears rather than what they observe.

We are called to model the faith and not just teach it. To do otherwise is to risk giving ‘seekers’ a false impression of the faith. Jesus taught there are dire consequences for those who model other than that which the Word requires. “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble” (Luke 17:2). Unrestrained hypocrisy is one of the main reasons why people are being driven away from the Church. Let us resolve to be consistent with what we teach or preach and what we live.

Dear Lord, we have not always been consistent with our witness: forgive us. Forgive our carnal attitudes and our love for the things of the world. Forgive us for treating our faith as a suit of clothes that we put on and take off when convenient. Forgive us for mistakenly leading others astray through our undisciplined behavior and lack of faith. Help us to be more sensitive to those who observe our lives and the faith we espouse. So also convict us today of places in our lives where we labor in hypocrisy that we might be transformed for the furtherance of Your Kingdom and the honoring and glorifying of Your name. Amen.

[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ro 2:17–24.

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21 Days of Faith – Day 3

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Romans 1:16-17

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”[1]

The ‘gospel’ is the good news of Jesus contained in His own Word. It is good news because it brings salvation to every one who believes. That salvation does not come through simply believing or common ascent but through and by the life changing power of God. This ‘gospel’ is powerful because in it and by it our faith is steadily built up. The Apostle Paul writes that he is not ashamed of this ‘gospel,’ feeling no need to be embarrassed of who he is as a Christian or any fear of sharing it. Instead he understood the powerful effect of owning his faith and unapologetically sharing it with others.

We are living in a time when once again it is dangerous to share our faith or even to reveal we are followers of Jesus. We may not fear bodily harm as some in other parts of our world, but we do fear being labeled and ostracized. We fear being rejected and marginalized and so subscribe to the myth that our faith is a private matter. Our faith is anything but private because it has to everything to do with everything we do.

Perhaps one of the reasons we also hesitate to share our faith, beyond the embarrassment and fear, is that we take on ourselves the burden of how the person with whom we share will respond. The Apostle Paul understood that He was just the evangelist and that the response was the province of the Holy Spirit. The Word is powerful all by itself. It does not need our help, but when accompanied by a life lived in the realm of faith it becomes a powerful tool for transformation.

We are called to live in the realm of faith. This world has plenty of pleasures to offer the believer but they are not enduring and only serve to leave us on the dung heaps of life lost with no hope. A life of faith lived unashamed, on the other hand, brings a life of fulfillment that can be verified by the historical evidence, logical reasoning, and valid testimonies found in the ‘gospel of Jesus Christ.’ Let us resolve to go back and read and study the Word of God that our faith may be built up.

Dear Heavenly Father, you have left us such a powerful repository of transformative knowledge. Forgive us for being so ‘busy’ that we have little time to read it and study it. Forgive us, also, for owning you among other believers but being ashamed of your good news in the market place. Help us today to live more fully in the realm of faith, honoring You with our lives and sharing Your Word with others without fear or shame. Then honor our commitment of faith by vividly demonstrating the power of Your gospel in changed and changing lives as a result of our testimony so that we will see and believe the power of your gospel. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ro 1:16–17.

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