Faith Matters Podcast

A Generous Father

Centered, Day 3By Jason Brown, from the book Centered: Trading Your Plans for a Life That MattersEver since First Fruits Farm began, anyone with any financial sense would look at our plans—plans we believe come straight from God—and then look at our bank accounts and say, “This doesn’t add up. How do you expect to [fill in the blank] with what you have?” My wife and I look at each other and say, “By God’s grace.” Our resources may be paltry, but we’re tied to a kingdom with un­limited wealth and to a generous Father. That doesn’t mean we squander what we have. We need to be good stewards of our resources. And yet those resources, no matter how well we manage them, seem never enough to do what God has asked us to do. But you know what? Everything we feel He’s asked us to do, and everything for which we’ve gone to Him in prayer, has come to pass. Everything.When we needed two roosters, I offered up a simple prayer: “God, please help me find a couple of good roosters. Amen.” Not long after, on a trip into town, we found two roosters wandering along the side of the road.We’ve seen plenty of wildlife on our way to and from town: dogs, cats, raccoons, deer, even snakes. But never, ever, had I seen a stray rooster, much less two. “God blesses you in some strange ways,” a friend said of those roosters. “You shouldn’t be surprised, seeing miracle after miracle.” Set foot on First Fruits Farm and you set foot on a miracle. Every rock, tree, and ripple of water, every squirrel and fish and bird, is a testament to God’s holy power. The nature around us is a declaration of God’s design. The fact that my family is able to enjoy that miracle—to walk through the fields, to gather chicken eggs, to pick fruit, to fish in the lake—is a witness of God’s generosity. We’re God’s children. And like any good fa­ther, our heavenly Father wants the best for us. He wants to shower us with love and blessings that fit in His greater pur­pose. What evidence in your circumstances are proof of God’s generosity in your life? How might those blessings reveal God’s purposes for you? “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!Matthew 7:9‭-‬11Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.Philippians 4:6

Money and Miracles

Centered, Day 2By Jason Brown, from the book Centered: Trading Your Plans for a Life That MattersMy wife and I needed a greenhouse to start seedlings in winter and, in the long run, save some of what little money we had. Greenhouses are expensive. The kind of greenhouse I needed started at $20,000. We had only $2,000 to spend. I couldn’t even buy a dilapidated, used greenhouse for that much. Imagine my shock when the athletic director at a nearby middle school gave me a greenhouse that sat unused in his backyard. His wife wanted it gone. This greenhouse, built by a previous owner, was a state-of-the-art commercial-grade $100,000 structure—a combination of everything I needed, everything I wanted, and some things I’d never dreamed of. Think about it: If my fortune had been left intact, I would’ve just bought a cheaper greenhouse. Jesus and Peter were in Capernaum one day when Peter discovered they needed to pay a tax. Jesus asked Peter how much the tax was, and then commanded Peter to go down to the sea and cast his line out. “Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel,” Jesus said. “Take that and give it to [the tax collectors] for me and for yourself.” This is almost a throwaway little miracle. Jesus seems so nonchalant about it, like finding money in a fish’s mouth happened every day. But if you look at it from Peter’s perspective, the miracle is mind-blow­ing. He had been a fisherman all his life. He’d probably caught thousands upon thousands of fish in his career—maybe mil­lions. I bet he’d never found money in a fish’s mouth before. But there it is, just like Jesus told him. If Peter were rich, would that miracle have taken place? Wouldn’t he just have taken a shekel right out of his own bank account? If Peter’s pockets were heavy with coins, would he ever have had a chance to be amazed? But Peter didn’t have a shekel. He needed a miracle. He needed God to help him out, because he had no other choice. After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”“Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”“From others,” Peter answered. “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”Matt. 17:24‭-‬27Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!Luke 12:22‭-‬28Dear God, I need a “greenhouse miracle” right now. I am dependent on You for everything, because I have no other choice, and because I trust you to meet my every need. Please meet this need in Your perfect way.

More Precious Than Gold and Silver

Centered, Day 1By Jason Brown, from the book Centered: Trading Your Plans for a Life That MattersWhen you look at the Bible, you may find that not many of its stories focus on rich people. If God’s own plans were governed by spreadsheets, you’d think Jesus would’ve surrounded Himself with rich dis­ciples who could fund His travels, not poor fishermen who couldn’t pay their taxes. Joseph’s family was rela­tively wealthy back in the day, but it was only when they were poor—when Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt begging for food—that they had a chance to see Joseph’s own amazing, miraculous story. Don’t misunderstand: God uses rich people too. But the poor have a chance to see God operate more power­fully and intimately. They lean on Him because they don’t have their own resources to use as a crutch. After retiring from the NFL, I thought I’d never be hurting for money again. I was wrong. I lost almost everything through circumstances beyond my control. I know what it’s like to have a big bank account. I know what it’s like to live a comfortable life. Those who follow a prosperity-gospel form of Christianity believe that God wants us to be comfortable and that He’ll provide us the means to find us that comfort. They think, Oh, I’m going to follow Jesus all the way to a comfortable life. But that’s not what Jesus says at all. He tells us, “Look, if you’re going to be My disciple, you’re going to have to measure the cost.” Even Jesus—the very Son of God—wasn’t comfortable in His time on earth. He wasn’t looking for comfort. He had a job to do. In the last several years, I’ve learned that having favor from God is worth more than gold and silver. Having that favor—having a real relationship with Him—is priceless, be­cause God is always batting a thousand. I’d never want to go back. I would much rather be in the position I’m in right now: praying to God every single day for my manna, praying for my daily bread. Because when my worldly blessings were gone, the floodgates of heaven were opened for miracles. Through it all, I learned I don’t need an abundance; just give me what I need. How does having less money than you think you need give you opportunities to trust God instead, for what you truly need?For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.Genesis 45:6‭-‬7The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.Exodus 16:3‭-‬4Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”Luke 9:58And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.Luke 14:27‭-‬33

Seven Ways to Defeat the Devil

Spiritual Warfare Battle Plan, Day 5God has promised us that He will cause our enemies who rise against us to be defeated before our faces. But we can get in the way of our blessing and leave room for the enemy to stand in our faces rather than fleeing seven ways. With that in mind, here are seven tactics to make the devil flee seven ways.1. Diligently obey the voice of the Lord your GodIf you love me, keep my commands.John 14:152. Repent before you engage in battleFor the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.2 Chronicles 30:9b3. Know that God is on your sideWhat, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?Romans 8:31 NIV4. War from a position of victoryWith God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.Psalm 108:13 NIV5. Praise your way throughPraise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.Psalm 144:1 NIV6. Take up your armorPut on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.Ephesians 6:11 NIV7. Pray always and be watchfulWatch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”Mark 14:38 NIVBreaking the power of vicious circles is often a matter of making better choices, but when it’s a demonic cycle you need to identify the imaginations and wrong thought patterns that are allowing wicked spirits to wreak havoc on your life. Go forth, spiritual warrior, with praise in your heart and prayer on your lips, dressed for battle. The battle belongs to the Lord, and the devil will flee seven ways. He has no choice when you submit yourself to God and resist him. No demon in hell is stronger than a will aligned with the Word of God. God’s grace floods the soul that seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him.Deuteromy 28:7‭-‬9 NIV

Bait of Bitterness

Spiritual Warfare Battle Plan, Day 4See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;Hebrews 12:15I was stewing in my own juices. My husband had abandoned me with a two-year-old and tons of debt so he could suddenly start a new life with a woman about half his age in a foreign nation. I was enraged and vengeful. I was bitter—beyond bitter—and it didn’t take the gift of discerning of spirits to see it. I hated him, and I was mad at God.Bitterness is deadly. Over time, bitterness will defile our spirits and dull our ability to sense the presence of God or hear His voice. If you are mad at God, be honest with Him. Give Him your anger, and He will turn that anger into peace and a greater revelation of His sovereignty if you will let Him.But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.Luke 6:35Lord, I choose to forgive those who hurt me, offended me, abused me, despitefully used me, or wronged me. Help me, Lord, to recognize the enemy’s strategy to trap me in resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness. Help me not to hold people’s sins against them. Teach me to avoid responding with a judgmental heart when I am hurting. Heal my emotions and renew a right spirit within me. In Jesus’s name, Amen.Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,Ephesians 4:26And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.Ephesians 4:30-32

Fear’s False Feelings

Spiritual Warfare Battle Plan, Day 3Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.Joshua 1:9 NIVFear started riddling my soul when I was a small child. I vividly recall seeing the spirit of fear in my bedroom most nights and screaming for my mother. My mother came in with a broom and chased it away, thinking it was merely my overactive imagination at work. But it always came back with a vengeance.I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.Isaiah 41:9‭-‬10 NIVAs an adult, after I had suffered many traumatic events, fear dominated my life. Fear’s false feelings were no longer just feelings. I had a legion of fear spirits that impacted every area of my life and manifested in diverse ways.Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?Matthew 6:26‭-‬27 NIVFear is your nemesis. It is a master weapon in the enemy’s hand that defies God’s promises in your life. Fear comes to stop you from advancing in God. But you can be free from its stronghold in your mind. You can take authority over fear when it tries to rise up against your soul.For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.2 Tim. 1:7 NIVFather, in the name of Jesus I come to You repenting of giving in to feelings of fear. I rebuke the spirit of fear that is working to entrap me, steal my faith, rob my peace, and otherwise riddle me with anxiety, in Christ’s name. I choose faith, trust, and love. I fear and trust the Lord only, in the name of the Christ. Amen.Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. In the morning you will say, “If only it were evening!” and in the evening, “If only it were morning!”—because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see.Deuteromy 28:65‭, ‬67 NIV