Audacious Faith

Every once in a while you hear something profound that arrests you!

This is one such thing;

Don’t downgrade your dream to fit your reality —

Upgrade your believing to fulfil your destiny!

Zig Ziglar

When I read that some years ago it challenged where I was at in my believing. For me that was very shocking as Holy Spirit began to reveal the times where I had short changed myself.  I had said and do continue to say I am all and only about Faith in Christ and yet….

I meet so many lovely people of faith who are just making it or just hanging in there as they have believed this was their portion. Some years ago a common catch phrase was I’m just suffering for Jesus — well here’s a newsflash you don’t have to.

Why? Because He already did it.

If what these people have been led to believe is in fact truth - It makes me wonder what sort of Saviour, deliverer Jesus is. If He so publicly attested to the truth that He had paid every price to set us truly free why do we too often keep on believing that it’s not quite done?

We must start believing the truth of the Word. Which is the Bible, the living Word of God that is the truth. Which of course Jesus is the embodiment of, carry it in our hearts so that our first verbal response to every situation is the Word of truth deeply planted in our hearts.  ‘As a man thinks in his heart so is he’.

Just a side note on that as we read John 15 verse 4 refers  to us abiding in Christ as He abides in us. Now this is not some esoteric idea. It is the truth! Jesus Himself said

‘I am the way the truth and the life’ John 14:6.

If we are believers in the Lord Jesus the one true living Christ. It is incumbent upon us that we believe what He said not just the bits that suit us.

I love Ephesians 3 and we often hear verse 20 quoted however, I would direct you to read from verse 14.

‘So I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the perfect Father of every father and child in heaven and on earth. And I pray that He would unveil within you the unlimited riches of His glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with His divine  might and explosive power.

Then, by constantly using you faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of His love will become the very source and root of  your life.

Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences - the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far reaching is His love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding -  this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fulness of God!

Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this . He will achieve infinitely  more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for His miraculous power constantly energises you.

Now we offer up to God all the glorious praise that rises from every church in every generation through  Jesus Christ - and all that will yet be manifest through time and eternity. Amen!’ 

That my friends is Ephesians 3:14-21 in the Passion translation.

I wanted you to read the context not simply one verse pulled out perhaps randomly. That should give us the encouragement to start to dream again.

Psalm 37:4 ‘Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart'

That is a powerful promise from the throne which I can personally bear witness to.

A note of caution; that promise is not your invitation to write a Santa Claus style wish list and hope for the best and if God doesn’t deliver then it’s on Him.

I believe what the word is saying to us individually is get into praise, worship and prayer be thrilled with Him and His awesome presence. Then He will change your heart give you new or maybe refined desires and as you continue to trust He will bring it to pass.

Matthew 6:33 ‘Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.’

Go back to verse 25 of Matthew 6 and that will give you the context. Jesus is talking about all the issues of our natural lives. 

This is again great encouragement to raise the water level of our believing.

Until next time I pray God's richest blessings upon you.