Faith Matters Podcast

An Unoffendable Heart; Day 2

Why Do We Take Offense? – Part 2Taking offense starts with my response to others; and my response is my choice! Last I knew, I will be a human being until I die. I will live with humans, marry them, birth them, work with them and have them as bosses and as neighbors. I call this our common ground: the human condition. Just as our human bodies hunger and thirst, so do our souls. But our soul requires spiritual food and water. Upon accepting Christ as Lord, we are given a new nature through the indwelling Holy Spirit. But, unfortunately, we remain living in the “human condition” often described spiritually as living in the “flesh”. Since our enemy wants to kill, steal and destroy all relationships, it is easy to understand struggles with offense caused by people we love. It is a completely different ball game when dealing with the guy that flipped you off driving down the road. But I am now more aware whenever I take offense as this is not how we want to live. If we are on a continuous search to be offended, then we will always find reasons for such. Being easily offended or irritated leads to poor responses stemming from our self-nature. We all want love, acceptance, worth and security but those things can only be truly fulfilled by Christ within. We live fully when we live from our new identity in Christ.The main reason people live offended is unfulfilled expectations whether they are unspoken, unmet or even unrealistic. We are often offended when others don't behave like we want them to. Each human is intentionally designed to be different. We have different personalities, viewpoints, and experiences all leading to different rationale and behaviors. Even my children, growing up in the same home, live with completely different personalities and viewpoints.It is easy to see another person acting like a brat, but it is not easy to see it when we behave like a brat. It is easy to see when others are irritable, easily offended or even blamers. Yet so often we don’t see that we have it within ourselves to behave the exact same way. We can see the splinter in another person’s eye, yet we cannot see the log in ours. With an unoffendable heart, one chooses to quickly forgive and release the offense. God doesn’t ask you to forgive to heal the other person. God asks you to forgive to heal you. This quick forgiveness sets you free from the burden that comes with an easily offendable heart. It is a shame for one sinner to throw a stone at another sinner. We all live from an inborn sin nature, which is a bit messy. We all need grace and mercy for those days that we are not our best. We don’t need to be provoked by offenses that can bind any of us. We don’t need to live defensively either. Life is full of adventure with other humans. Let’s extend lots of grace as we are all navigating the human condition.Ponder:How are you responding to other humans when they act differently than you think they should? Are there scenarios where you easily take offense?Prayer:Lord, I want to forgive quickly even when people “know not what they are doing.” I need you to be my refuge and strength in times when I want to have an offendable heart.

An Unoffendable Heart; Day 1

Why Do We Take Offense? – Part 1Years ago, I asked the Lord to show me all the places that I had an “offendable heart”. I thought this would be an exercise in Christian maturity. Little did I know. Never could I have realized the extent to which there are opportunities to take offense until I opened my eyes to see such. Today, I can recognize an “offendable heart” so quickly. In myself. In others. Taking an offense is rampant on the news, in social media and in our homes. An easily offendable heart can destroy relationships.Offense can be defined as something that outrages the moral or physical senses, the act of displeasing or affronting.Everyone is certain to feel offended at one point or another. The problem with living offended is that it doesn't hurt someone else… it hurts you. Like unforgiveness and bitterness, offense is a poison that we choose to drink only hoping that the other person, our offender, will be affected. Just because we have the right to be offended doesn’t mean that we should be offended. I desperately want a life that is truly free and “floats above” an offense. At peace with all men.Generally, we experience offense in two stages. Stage one is actually feeling the offense. This happens when someone presents you with an opportunity to be offended. Maybe your pulse starts to rise, your emotions may rise, you may even get angry. Stage two is the resulting choice whether or not to live offended. The latter is a choice for a healthy soul and a peaceful mind that leads to a more blessed life. The resulting life impact of an offensive situation is my choice. It may sting but the continuing pain of the sting is my choice.Typically, when people find themselves tired, stressed, hungry/hangry, or lonely they may be more easily offended. I love the way that Lysa Terkeurst says, “A depleted girl can quickly become a defeated girl when she lets her emotions dictate her reactions.” Whenever I am living in my self-centered nature, I tend to be more easily offended which is the ultimate display of me living in the center of my smaller story. When I am walking in the “Bigger Story” of God’s greater purposes, then I am not as easily offended.The Word of God tells us that love COVERS a multitude of sin, and it is to a man’s glory to overlook an offense. Scripture also reminds us that a fool is easily annoyed and that the prudent man overlooks an insult. We must not forget that each of us can inadvertently offend others as well. It goes both ways. Do I want to be the victim of the offense? Do I want to stay a victim of the offense? We choose if we want to drink the poison. Are you easily annoyed? Being unoffendable is a pathway to our own peace of mind. My pastor reminds us that “our lives are too short, and our callings are too great to be offended about something small.” Ponder:Consider how you respond to the offensive actions of others. Do you easily forgive and overlook the offense? Or do you choose to wallow around in being easily offended?Prayer:Lord, I want you to be my defender. I need You to help me quickly release any offense so that I may live a more peaceful life.

#658 - Faith Matters; Book of Signs - Ch 16 Rewards

Faith Matters with Brian and Andi HaleThe Book of Signs by Dr, David Jeremiah. Last week it was the Judgement Seat, and now this week we're talking about Rewards? You gotta listen in to this one!All the honors, awards and trophies of this world have little lasting value. While we're grateful when others recognize something we have done, our chief concern shouldn't be the approval of others but the approval of God. At the Judgement Seat of Christ we as believers shall receive our rewards for the work we have done while living as Christians on earth.After we receive our rewards humbly with gratitude, we're going to see Jesus. We're going to take the only thing we have in heaven, which is the crown He gave us, and we'll fall down at His feet and give it back to Him.

#657 - Pray Through Uncertainty; Day 5

“Yeah, right!”That’s often my inner reaction when someone casually glances at my situation and glibly tells me that it’s all going to work out.It’s a cynical response. Maybe birthed out of hoping—and having hope crushed. Or, dreaming—and having dreams deferred. Or praying—and having prayers unanswered.Maybe you’ve been there too. Where uncertainty about the future has given way to cynicism and where hope has dwindled into skepticism.In Scripture, we meet with Sarah, Abraham’s wife.Her husband had been given a promise that he would be the father of nations. But after decades of hopes being dashed, Sarah was cynical. Perhaps, initially, she had been uncertain about the details—when would this promised child be born? How would it happen? Would she and Abraham have the energy to take care of a newborn?Maybe those were the questions that raced through her mind. But as months gave way to years and years to decades, Sarah’s uncertainty seems to have morphed into cynicism.When a group of three men (angels from God) visit Abraham and tell him that he will be a dad in the span of a year, the eavesdropping Sarah laughs (Genesis 18: 12). It’s not a joyful laugh. But a laugh that’s disbelieving. A “yeah, right” reaction.But God, in His mercy, fulfills His promise to Abraham and Sarah. Genesis 21: 1 reveals God’s faithfulness and kindness as it says: “Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.”Sarah’s cynicism turns to bubbling-over joy at the birth of her son, Isaac. And she says: “God has brought me laughter…” (Genesis 21: 6).This time her laughter didn’t stem from doubting—but from seeing the goodness of God in her life. God can take the uncertain situations, the problems that have no solutions, the disbelief, the anxiety, even the cynicism, and He can turn every situation for our good and His glory. Let’s pray:Father God, You are the One who specializes in making the impossible, possible. Father, even as I face an uncertain situation, while I have more questions than answers, while I tend to be cynical and disbelieving sometimes, Father, would you help me put my trust in a faithful God who always keeps His Word? When a deluge of uncertainty and doubt threaten to sweep over me, may I look up to the One who holds the waters in the hollow of His hand, who rebukes the waves, who tells waves how far they can go. Thank You for being a perfectly faithful, magnificently powerful, infinitely wise, all-knowing, always-loving God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

#656 - Pray Through Uncertainty; Day 4

We’ve all been in the waiting room of life.We’ve waited for the medical report, sometimes for weeks on end as doctors figured out diagnoses.We’ve waited for jobs and financial breakthroughs, wondering how we’ll pay the next mortgage or make it through the next month.We’ve waited for admissions to colleges, asking ourselves if we have what it takes.We’ve waited for relationships to be reconciled, wondering if broken fences will ever be mended.We’ve waited for a child, perhaps as fertility treatments failed, wondering if we can go through the emotional agony of hope and disappointment again. There’s an uncertainty that weaves itself through the waiting. In our reading today we saw Jacob waiting to meet his estranged brother, Esau. They had parted on hostile terms, with Esau vowing to kill Jacob for his deceptive actions that robbed him of his inheritance and his birthright. But twenty years on, Jacob wants to make amends with his brother.Would his once-angry brother still be vengeful? Jacob’s uncertainty gives way to full-fledged fear. He starts concocting imaginary “What if” scenarios in his mind. Genesis 32: 7 says that “In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape.”” But in the midst of his “great fear and distress,” he does a marvelous thing—Jacob turns to God in prayer. He proclaims who God is, he acknowledges what God has done for him, he confesses his fears to God, and he remembers God’s promises to him.Later that night, there unfolds a powerful yet poignant scene as God meets with Jacob in a wrestling contest. In that intimate encounter with God, Jacob, although injured, receives a new name and a blessing. The next morning, Jacob walks with a limp into the embrace of his brother Esau.In the face of your uncertain situation, when you feel the ground underneath you shift, turn to God in prayer as Jacob did. Humble yourself under His mighty hand and He will lift you up in due time. Stay locked into Jesus. Don’t let go of Him. Persevere in prayer. Your circumstances may not always change. But God will arm you with the courage to walk with a dependence on Him and a boldness that comes from Him.Let’s pray:Father God, The fear of the unknown can leave me paralyzed. Often, I tend to create stories in my mind of what lies ahead. I tend to magnify my problems and my circumstances. Lord, I pray that, instead, I would magnify You as You are sovereign over all my circumstances. You are the all-powerful God who engages with me, who strengthens me, who gives me the courage to walk with boldness into uncertain and fearful situations. The ground may be shaky, but I know I can trust my God, the Rock who was cleft for me. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

#655 - Pray Through Uncertainty; Day 3

Have you ever found yourself on the brink of a tough decision? You know the right thing to do, but if you do it, the consequences could potentially be unpleasant, if not disastrous. While you have no way of predicting how things could turn out, you believe that it is incumbent on you to act. That’s probably how Queen Esther felt as she heard the news about the imminent annihilation of her people, the Israelites. She had to act—and act soon. But doing the right thing didn’t ensure that her future was secure. Put yourself in Esther’s place for a second. She was about the approach her husband, the King of Persia with an audacious request—to save the Israelites from an edict that the king himself had unwittingly endorsed. But there was the snag in her plan. By law, the queen had no right to approach the throne. By Persian custom, the king always summoned the queen. If anyone went to the throne without an invitation, there was a very likely chance they could be beheaded for their flagrant flouting of the law.The “what if’s?” in Esther’s situation are staggering – what if the king was in a surly mood and didn’t want to see her? What if he decided she was not worth the trouble? What if he decided to depose her or, worse still, have her killed?But here was Esther risking her life because she knew what had to be done. Instead of dwelling on the what if’s of the situation, she boldly proclaimed: “If I perish, I perish.”That’s startling faith. A faith that says, I will trust my God no matter what. A faith that says I will not let the uncertainty of what may happen, stop me from doing the thing God has called me to do. A faith that says I will not let fear dictate to me.Today, is God calling you to step out in faith even though the “what if’s?” press in? Let’s pray:Father God, You know exactly the situation I’m in. I feel like I know what to do—but it’s exhausting to think that things may not go as I’ve planned. Father, even as my mind gives in to questions and fears and doubts, would you hold me in Your perfect peace? Would you give me the confidence that even though I don’t know what lies ahead, You do—You have it all figured out. Father, help me not to fixate on my fears but to focus on the faith You’ve given me, and the unending supply of grace that will get me through this. In Jesus’ name. Amen