Faith Matters Podcast

#519 - Can You Still Trust God? Day 4

I have seen men and women emerge from far less strenuous circumstances than the apostle Paul's, full of anger and hostility. They were mad at God for what He did to them. But not Paul. Why? Because he recognized that what God allowed to be done to him was simply preparation for what He wanted to do for him. As Paul grew more and more dependent upon the Lord for strength, it became second nature to him. His faith in Christ grew to the point that he could say with all sincerity, “I am well content with weaknesses.”The whole idea of being content with weakness contradicts the messages society sends us. In an age characterized by so many striving for power and control, it is unusual for people to get very excited about living in a state of weakness. But upon examining the life of the apostle Paul, one hardly gets the impression that he was a weak man. On the contrary, he debated against Christ’s apostles over the question of Gentile salvation, and he won! He spent his life preaching in the most hostile of circumstances. He planted churches throughout the major cities of Asia Minor and in the port cities along the Aegean Sea. Paul trained the first pastors and elders of these early congregations. And to top it all off, he wrote half of the New Testament!I don’t know what you think, but that certainly doesn’t sound like a weak man to me. If Paul had been a businessman, he would have been extremely successful. He knew how to set goals and accomplish them. He understood the principles involved in motivating people. He was a mover and a shaker.So how do we reconcile Paul’s claim to weakness with his amazing accomplishments? Simple. The answer is in the phrase “when I am weak, then I am strong.” A paraphrase of his comment would go something like this: “When I, Paul, in and of my own strength, am weak, then I, Paul, relying on the power of Christ in me, become strong, capable of whatever the Lord requires of me, full of energy and zeal to accomplish His will.”

#518 - Can You Still Trust God? Day 3

Can You Still Trust God?You cannot predict tomorrow. You cannot fully prepare for all contingencies. You cannot fully provide for all you’ll need in your future. God not only can, He already has! God is never caught off guard. He is never taken by surprise. He never comes up short. So you do not have to live with anxiety about the future. The peace-filled heart is the one that recognizes, “My times are in His hands.”God desires that we view our troubles, whether present concerns or those looming in the future, from His perspective. We are not to deny them or seek to escape them, but rather to regard them as trials and tribulations that we must overcome.God never expects us to put up with constant anxiety. He intends for us to confront those situations that make us anxious, to face up to the anxiety we have allowed to fill our hearts, and to come to grips with the agitation we feel inside. He intends for us to resist the tendency to worry or become fearful and to refuse to lay down our peace no matter what the devil sends our way.I don’t know that a person ever becomes immune to anxiety. But I am confident of this: It would take a lot to make me anxious now. When I look back over my life, I realize that things that once upset me don’t bother me as much now. Things that once caused me to feel anxious don’t cause anxiety now. I also know that the more a person trusts God to meet his deep inner needs, the more his faith is going to grow, and the quicker he will be able to trust the Lord in all situations. I encourage you today to do these things: • Refuse to allow anxiety to become a “state of being” in your life.• Believe God when He says you are worthy of His constant care.• Yield total control of every area of your life to God.• Refuse to be caught up in what others think of you.• Refuse to be trapped into operating according to the world’s systems.• Get your priorities in line with God’s priorities for you.• Choose to live in today, not tomorrow.And you will find yourself living with a growing, deep inner peace, free from fear and anxiety.

#517 - Can You Still Trust God? Day 2

Would you say that yours is a holy life and that you are walking in obedience to God? If not, you may have yielded to some satanic attack, believed the devil’s lie, and given yourself over to him in some way. What may have seemed like an innocent temptation at first can eventually exert a viselike grip on you. Christians are to be under God’s control, but the enemy ultimately wants you under his influence, and he will do his best to destroy everything good in your life. Satan’s objectives are very clear, namely, to draw believers away from God and cheat the Lord out of the glory He deserves. As long as the devil is around, we will suffer his assaults, so the question is not how to avoid satanic attacks, but how to overcome them.Paul laid out the battle plan in the sixth chapter of Ephesians. First, we must identify the enemy (vv. 11–12); second, we are to dress in the full armor of God and stand firm (vv. 13–17). The next verse reveals the key to withstanding Satan’s attacks: we must appropriate the strength of the living God. How do we get His power into our lives, to be unleashed in any and every circumstance? There is only one way: by prayer (v. 18).It is through prayer that the Lord releases His energy, divine power, and protection, enabling us to live a godly, holy, and peaceful life regardless of our circumstances. It is only through prayer that our minds and spirits can discern what the average person cannot detect. Only through prayer can we sense forewarnings of Satan’s attacks, which can be aimed anywhere—finances, family, relationships, or health. The one thing Satan hates above all else is the believer who knows how to persist in prayer and claim the promises of God. The enemy has no defense against persevering prayer, which crushes his might and sends him running. On the other hand, when we do not pray, we set ourselves up for defeat.11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

#516 - Can You Still Trust God? Day 1

When our relationship is one of delight in the Lord, we are not going to want to do things, possess or use things, or enter into any relationship that will damage, in any way, our relationship with the Lord. Think back to the way you felt when you were deeply in love. To the best of your ability, you didn’t let anything come between you and your loved one. Nothing mattered as much as keeping your relationship as wonderful as it was on the first day you fell in love.So it is with the person who delights himself in the Lord. Such a person will not want anything that might inhibit, hinder, stall, or interfere with his relationship with the Lord. The person will want only what is good for the relationship.When we seek the Lord and delight ourselves in Him, we want only what is pleasing to Him and only what He wants us to have. Furthermore, we will be satisfied completely with what the Lord gives us.As 1 John 1:3 tells us, “Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (NKJV). That’s the ultimate fellowship. Knowing God. Communicating with Him—pouring out our hearts to Him and hearing His desires, His plan for us, His purposes. Loving Him with all our hearts and receiving awareness of His vast love. Being at peace with God and knowing God’s peace in our hearts. Praising God and being filled with God’s joy. Being in a position to say, “My God.” That is truly what it means to have fellowship with God.

#512 - Faith Matters; Book of Signs - Ch 1 Israel

Faith Matters with Brian and Andi HaleJoin us as we review The Book of Signs, Chapter 1; IsraelThe first international sign is Israel. In the past 70+ years, this tiny nation has become the geopolitical center of the world. The Bible prophecy centers on Israel. The story of Israel starts with The Abrahamic Covenant between God and Abraham.Although many of the prophecies of Israel have already come true, there are still two pivotal prophecies that have not been fulfilled: Israel does not yet occupy all the land originally promised to it, and its people have not yet turned to Christ.

#510 - Mission Possible; Day 5

You Can Because He DidYou can feel bad for orphans who live in shacks halfway around the world, but if it doesn’t move you enough to do something about it, you might be missing what God has called each of us to do. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Care for the widows. Defend the cause of the poor. Speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves. Help the weak. Rescue those who are oppressed. Be generous. Show mercy. These are all missions! I didn’t make them up. They are all found in Scripture. (See, for example, the Scripture readings for today.)As Jesus says in Matthew 25, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me…. I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”You might think of excuses like, It’s too hard. I don’t know where to start. I’m sick/tired/broke/busy. The good news is that your mission is always possible when God is involved. Jesus defeated death. Because we serve a God who has rattled the gates of hell and trampled over death, you can fulfill whatever He has called you to do.As your relationship with God deepens, you will become more aware of His promptings, whether through the whispers in your heart or the principles that come alive in His Word. You will not only understand but truly believe you are God’s masterpiece, created to do good things He prepared beforehand for you to do (Ephesians 2:10). You will become more intentional in living a mission-possible life, using your gifts to further the greater purpose of serving God, not just yourself. You will impact people, and your efforts will affect eternity.God is in this with you. He is beside you. He is rooting for you, and he is fighting for you. Remember, with Him, all things are possible.What excuses are you most likely to make when God’s calling seems too big to you? Why would a deepening relationship with God help those excuses lose their power?