Meghan
Mother Theresa - “I know that God will not put more on me than I can bear - I just wish that He didn’t Trust me so much!”
Today
CRISIS of FAITH
I Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
Talk Today of a Place that God Brings us to in Our Walk with Him...A Process...Series of events...
A CRISIS of our PERSONAL FAITH
A place Not so much by his actions - Rather by his Sovereignty...
That he will use every means possible...Event...Situation...ALL Things
To GUIDE ME along to a Place of HIS Choosing...
A Process We are ALL in – Yet ALL are at Very Different Places in it...
Some in greater pressures than others...
YET – We are ALL headed for the Same Place in it = CHRIST LIKENESS
PERSONALLY
It’s a Process I am very Much in at this Moment
A CRISIS of FAITH
A Crisis of FAITH is Where God Causes or ALLOWS ALL that YOU "KNOW" to Absolutely be TESTED...TRIED...
Where God Pieces Together a Sequence of EVENTS...ORDAINS or USES a Chain of EVENTS...IMPRESSIONS...SUGGESTIONS...NUDGES...THAT Will Cause ONE to Go Within & Examine YOUR FAITH in Ways No other Event...Series Can.
A CRISIS of FAITH is A SHAKING of YOUR FAITH
As in:
Disturbed...DISCOMFITED...CONFIDENCE SHAKER...AWARE...
The Bible Speaks of a Shaking
Heb. 12:27
Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
It is Speaking of a Removal of the Less...Weaker...Unstable...
It also speaks of a TREE being shaken
It is Speaking of A Removal of the IMMATURE...PREMATURE...That which Doesn’t PRODUCE...Offer LIFE...
That only Takes away from Becoming that which is to be...That can’t Sustain Where it is Going & What it is to Become...
SHAKEN...
Therefore When
God Shakes YOUR FAITH...Rocks the Pillars of Your faith’s Foundations
It is ONLY To Remove that which Cannot Go where he is trying to Take you...
That is Immature...That is taking away from your ability to Sustain what you are to become & where you are to go...
Therefore HE allows a SHAKING of YOUR FAITH to Rid you of that which is Really Not faith at all...
Peter Calls it a FIRE
Dross...Impurities are Burned out...
Rise to the Top & are easily Identified & removed in the FIRE...Furnace...Pressure...
Otherwise it Mixes with the Pure & makes it ALL Less than What it is meant to be...
GOD Does this/Allows this –
Not to Weaken – Rather to REVEAL...Remove & RESTRUCTURE (STRENGTHEN)
CRISIS Defined is "A stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events is determined"
Everyone experiences times of crisis:
John 16:33 In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
Whether we like it or not, negatives are a part of life. We are struck by tragedy, & we have to deal with grief. We are taken advantage of; we have to deal with anger. We are ripped off, & we have to deal with rage. We are abandoned, & we have to deal with bitterness. We lose everything, & we have to deal with failure. We come in second; we have to deal with defeat. We experience repeated setbacks, & we have to deal with a poor self-image.
The problem is not so much encountering the negatives, but finding a way to neutralize them.
There is good news in the message of the Bible. The Bible speaks to us at our lowest & raises us to our highest. It finds us at our weakest points & transforms us into our strongest selves. Within its truths an eternal dimension picks us up at our saddest & rejuvenates us to experience the highest joy.
The Question IS NOT WILL Crisis HAPPEN – THE QUESTION IS WHEN
THE QUESTION THEN BECOMES – WHAT Will You DO When it Does
Crisis Come in all shapes & sizes...Come Suddenly & They Come Slowly...Come when least expected & come when planned for...Come to the rich & poor...Immature & More Mature...
CRISIS Come As:
A Furnace...Fire...Desert...Garden...Storm...Silence...Lions Den... A Hospital...Home...Nursery...School...
Financial...Emotional...Relational...Spiritual...Marital...LOUD...QUIET...
"Sometimes HE calms the Storm – sometimes he calms the child"
Crisis are NEVER the SAME
When a Crisis Hits – There is 1 Thing for Sure. NO Matter the OUTCOME - YOU Know that YOU WILL Never be the Same Again...No Matter You Direction from that Moment – You are Changed forever...
Chinese word for Crisis
The Chinese do not have an alphabet as we know it. Rather than letters, words are represented by symbols. They have an interesting word-symbol for "crisis." It is a combination of the symbols for "danger" and "opportunity."
So it is in Crisis of Faith
You are in a place of Opportunity
You are also in a Place of Danger
However, No matter – you will never be the same!
I was in a FUNK
A Crisis of Faith – Often Puts you in a FUNK...Swamp...Muck...
Where All that You thought you knew is now no longer what you are sure of...
Your Exclamations Become Question Marks...
Where Clichés Won’t Get it...3 Dollar prayers...½ hearted...Old words...Stale Bread...Stagnant water won’t Satisfy...
Where a pep talk won’t get it this time...
It’s a Time Where PRESUMPTION & Faith have had an Encounter & it isn’t like you saw it "by faith"
WHAT DO YOU DO?
What Do YOU DO in this UNCERTAINTY?
Retreat...Drift...Wait...Business as Usual...
Using Earth as an Illustration –
When I Don’t get or understand Something of earth – I Press in... I do what I have to in Order to Understand it...
Not getting it is No Excuse for Backing off...It is a Call to Press in!
So it is With Faith in God –
Because I don’t get it – or don’t understand what he up to – Is not an Excuse or Time to back off...
Rather it is a CALL to PRESS in & KNOW Him in ways that I don’t currently know him...
KNOWING that Even IF & When I get it – Like Calculus – I never will Fully get it...
"When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly." -- Barbara J. Winter
Crisis Reveal Your Power Sources
They are Always Revealed in Crisis...
That which you place the greatest Trust is revealed...
Therefore Your place of Trust Must be Greater than the test or it will break!
It’s not able to handle the Stress of Trial...
...tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
That when I see Jesus – MY FAITH being MADE Pure may Also HONOR him
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
LIFE is Lived Forward & Understood Backward...
C.S. Lewis
"You can’t see anything properly while your eyes are blurred with tears"
Realize that This Too Shall PASS
161x – “shall come to pass…”
After it’s ALL Said & Done - THIS Too Shall Pass… Everything will come out Just as God Planned…
REMEMBER
God may not Cause the Fire –
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HE IS THERE
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He is in Control of the THERMOSTAT
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He is Bringing Each of us to a place that will bring greater Honor to him...
Greater impact for his kingdom...
Where faith will be Stronger than ever...
YET –
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It’s a Dangerous a Place!
If not careful – we can leave it weakened...less...impacted yet – not changed...
BUT NO MATTER WHAT – WE CANNOT LEAVE IT THE SAME!
