Keep The Faith

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." Luke 17:5

Beware of a romanticized view of faith. Faith is not a tool to get what we want from God, but a means for God to get what He wants from us! Faith teaches us to wait, pray, and obey, while never imagining that God is anything but completely trustworthy, and that He will keep us and His promises to us. It is a partnership where we submit ourselves to God, believing and walking with Him toward things we can't yet see and what we don't yet have (Hebrews 11:1).  

Faith simply believes God. It believes He cares even though we experience distressing times, it believes He heals even when we are sick, that He saves though the world around us is lost in sin, and that He is with us even when we feel so alone. Faith won't give up due to any of these circumstances, because it is rooted in our eternal God, not in our temporary plight. Faith looks at Jesus and refuses to look for another answer, another Savior. That's why nothing but faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).  

Not long ago, after a time of prayer, the Lord told me to act as if I had already received everything I'd just asked of Him. "Just believe Me." God was increasing my faith.  What visions, dreams, breakthroughs, and victories are you asking God for? Be sure your requests are rooted in the faith that lets you rest confidently in Him, because He never fails to hear us and help us when we pray.  God will be sure to keep His Word.  We must be sure to keep the faith!  

Love you,

Pastor

When What Was Lost Gets Found

Have you ever thought of yourself as God's latest reclamation project? Well, if you are truly His, that's what you are. The Bible makes it very clear that we all were far from God at one point. But He has, in His marvelous mercy, seen fit to draw us close to Him again, and to reveal His remarkable love and mercy to and through us.

We have been brought into such an excellent inheritance, and we are assured of everlasting life and joy with Christ, but there is still much to be done as we prepare to become effective witnesses right here and now. You see, being saved is only the beginning; being holy and mature is the goal.  Holiness is God's aim as He "sanctifies" us, setting us apart for His own good pleasure, enjoying us as we enjoy Him. 

A great part of living the life of a saint is the awesome work of regaining what was lost in our former life of sin and dysfunction. Before we were saved, we may have thought of ourselves as moral, ethical citizens who were good people deep down.  But the Bible says we were hopelessly flawed, unable and unwilling to submit to a holy God. And because God made us for His purposes alone, we lost our true identity in those wayward years.

My prayer is that the current series of teachings, entitled "From Capable to Faithful" speaks to each of us personally about the hopes, dreams, ministries, talents, and gifts that seemed to be lost forever and buried under the disobedience and rebellion of the past.  For the Lord has promised to restore the years the "locusts" have eaten, and He will cause us to bear much fruit for this and future generations. If only we'll hear, believe, and obey - because you'll never truly know yourself and who you can be until you've recovered all.  It's a great thing to be God's reclamation project!

Love and peace beyond understanding,

Pastor Eric

My Prayers and My God

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Matthew 7:7-11

If we believe God answers prayer, we will pray.  If we believe God always answers prayer, we will always pray.  If we believe God sometimes answers prayer, we will pray sometimes.  If we believe God is casual about answering prayer, we will be casual about praying.  If we believe God listens for our prayers, we will speak to Him in prayer.  Our prayer life is the surest indicator of what we believe about God.

I desire to know God better, so I pray. I desire to see His mighty acts in my days, so I fall on my knees often. I long to see my family saved, so I call out their names in intercession. I desire to pastor a church that makes a difference, so I charge the flock to pray unceasingly.  Yet I cannot mandate that men pray, so I appeal to the Spirit of God in them to awaken their hearts and lovingly encourage them to enter into realm of the impossible, the improbable, the miraculous, and the eternal through prayer. Prayer is the key that opens the door to the unbridled power God wants to release – simply because we ask.

What an awesome reality -- prayer is the key to victory over enemies too strong for us, mountains too high for us, waters too deep, problems too tough to overcome. One might think saints need to swim the deepest ocean, be a superhero, or outsmart and outflank our foes. Yet the way up is down on our knees, the way out is in the prayer closet, the victories we see are won in the secret place, and our weapon of choice is prayer.

Remember:

v  Prayer releases the astonishing acts of God, and reminds us that we have been given extraordinary capabilities.

v  Prayer is the “natural” response of the spiritual man.

v  Prayer causes God to dispatch angels, who minister to the needs we lift up to Him.

v  Prayer is the little thing we do that precedes the great things God does.

v  Prayer is the great emancipator of all who are held prisoner to anything or anyone other than Christ.

v  Prayer must become the primary ministry of The Father’s House and my house.

Love and peace,

Pastor Eric