The Struggle

I am humbled by the number of people that have viewed this page. It boggles my mind to think that people all over the world have stopped to read my thoughts. Whether on purpose or by accident, people have visited this blog and have been very kind to me about my murmurings. 

The biggest struggle I have with this whole thing is when I think, "Who am I to be sharing my thoughts about my faith?" I so often fight with the sinful nature and whether I win or lose, I still don't understand why God has asked me to share my stories through this format. I am far from perfect or a model Christian. 

I'm not alone. In Romans 7, Paul writes of his own struggle with his sinful nature. He tells us:

14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

What do you struggle with today? What is it that holds you back following Christ wholeheartedly? Ask Jesus to help you in your struggle. He will bring you through. 

If you don't know Jesus personally, ask him into your heart by praying this simple prayer;

"Jesus. I acknowledge my need for you. I know that you are fully God, that you died for me and that you love me. Please forgive me of my sin and help me to live my life for you. Thank you Jesus for loving me."

If you prayed that prayer for the first time today, tell someone about it. Even comment below and let me know. I will pray for you as well. 

I'm grateful for all Jesus has done for me. It is by faith in Him that I will one day be with Him. Until then, I continue to fight the good fight as I press towards the goal. 

So, despite my failures, I will continue to share of the things that God is doing in my life. I'm not perfect, but I will trust God with my life and continue to struggle. It's worth it!

Expectantly Strong and Courageous

Have you ever waited anxiously to find out important news?  Have you ever stressed about something because it really matters to you but you're just not sure what the outcome is going to be?  Today is one of those days ... but I am not stressed or anxious.

My oldest brother is currently having surgery to remove a growth in his head.  This is second surgery in the past two weeks to remove this growth which was originally measured at 6cm.  That is huge when you break out the ruler and think about it.  I'm not sure how long the surgery is going to last, but last time they went in through his nose, but this time they are cutting down through his skull to get the remainder of the mass.  As you can well imagine, his wife and our parents are quite concerned at this moment for his well-being.

There are always times in our life when we are not going to be sure of the outcome, but God reminds us in his word that he will never leave us or forsake us. (Deut 31:6)  The verse even begins with "be strong and courageous"!  That is how confident we should be in our God!  We should be strong and courageous in the times of adversity in our life.  But it is a choice that we have to make to be this way.  It is a direct order from God to be strong.  It is a direct order from God to have courage.  We have to dig deep within us and have faith that God is going to be with us.

(SIDE NOTE: I just burnt two new shirts on my lamp in my room while writing this ... DOH!)

Back to my brother.  I have concern for his well-being as he is my brother, but I have faith that our God will bring him through this operation and that God will be glorified in all of this.  I have faith that our God is with us during this adversity in our lives.  He is a big God!  He is a great God!  He is a faithful God!  So today, I choose to be strong and I choose to have courage!  If you're going through a tough spot in your life, choose to have faith by being strong and having courage in a God that is able to provide for you!

Waiting With Anticipation

101 to 1 Odds

Well, I am at the churches office on a Sunday night where we normally hold MERGE, our young adult group.  It is rainy, cold and windy out and as you can probably guess, if I am on here, that means the people that I should be ministering to never showed.

I often wonder sometimes if our efforts are like the weather.  When it is sunny and warm, do we feel like giving it our all or do we have a cold and rainy day when we just want to stay in and hide from the elements.  My feeling is that we need to give it our all and let our heart shine no matter what we feel like doing.  It goes back to the whole idea of Colossians 3:23 which says, "Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as though you were working for your real master and not merely for humans"(GWT).  That said there are times when you just have a hard time kicking your butt into gear, but when push comes to shove, if you remember who you're doing it for, then it makes it worthwhile.

As I said in my Friday blog, I preached on Rahab and her faith and how it was credited to her as righteousness. (James 2:25)  She put her faith into action.  She knew that faith without works wasn't faith.  It was just a thought!  I know that for me personally, that I want to put my faith into action.  I want to do the things that please God because that is who I am living for.  I don't always get it right, but at least I try and give it my best.  That's all God requires of us, that we give our best.

Back to the empty room ... My desire is that this room is filled with a plethora of young adults that have a desire to seek God in all they do.  Whether there is a 101 or only one, I will give my best effort because I know that I don't do the things I do to please the one, but I do it to please the One who has called me to serve the one.  I guess that means that I will speak to myself tonight, but every change has to start somewhere.

Let's be the one ... hoping for 101.

Faith in Dispair

I'm sitting in William's Pub right now trying to write a sermon and I have to admit that I am a little distracted. In my spirit, I am just feeling the need to write and express myself in this medium.

The reason that I am in a coffee shop and not comfortably sitting at my desk surrounded by resources other than the internet, is because my car is in the garage needing serious medical attention. I made the mistake of taking it to the doctor to have a physical done for a safety and to my dismay found out in order to pass the test it is going to cost me over $1600. To some people, that may not be a big deal, but to me, it definitely is a kick in the pants. The worst part is, that the car NEEDS $550 bare minimum to make her worthy of even walking again. I realize that my vehicle is not an investment, but I didn't think that it would walk in to my bank account and take it hostage. Where are the SWAT Team when you need them?

All this month at our church (www.thelifecentre.ca) we have been encouraging our congregation to put God to the test (Malachi 3:10). It is the only place in the entire bible where God tells us *best Clint Eastwood accent* "Go ahead ... Make my day!". Now that might be my own paraphrase of that verse, but the bottom line is that I have been faithfully tithing (as should everyone) and as a Maverick of the Gospel, I guess God is putting my faith to the test in this manner. I don't know where the funds are going to come from, but I know that my God is faithful to supply all my needs (Phil 4:19), even when I don't know where they are coming from. I'm not preaching a name it and claim it mentality, but I am suggesting that God will provide my needs because His word says it to be true.

Back to my sermon ... I am preparing a message on Rahab who is a woman of faith according to Hebrews 11:31. She trusted God to make provision for her and her family in what would seem a hopeless situation. I guess what it comes down to is this; If God will reach down to a woman who has faith that the God of Israel will rescue her, then I need to have faith that the God of Israel will rescue me in my moment of dispair.

Let the walls come down ... I'll keep you posted!