Project Faith: Rachel Jaggers

Here is what Rachel said about how God has blessed her in her life.

“My Salvation was solidified when I was saved after several years of doubting whether I was saved or not.

I had problems with my anger and my attitude as a 9-10 year old and God has healed me of my daily struggle with it.

God blessed me with a Church home that would eventually be where I (thankfully) broke out of my shell.

God has been my comforter and source of strength in the past two years. Our house is defective and it has been a source of stress, uncertainty, weariness, and every other negative emotion ever thought up. God has been constant through it all.

God has shown me that it is not the possessions that matter—it is Him.

God has blessed me with a great family. It is expanding now and I am realizing just how awesome it is. My parents are still married, even after 35 years; we all love each other and enjoy being around each other; and my family is big and is becoming bigger currently!

God has blessed me with the opportunity for a great education. I am homeschooled but I am getting a quality education that will help me in the future. Not everyone has this.

God has blessed me with a place to live.

God has blessed out family with no major health problems.

God has blessed me with no major addictions or things like that. My testimony may not sound as great as some people’s because of it but I am so thankful because of it.”

What’s your story? –Forsake All

Project Faith: Eric Bowden

The following comes from a note that Eric wrote to remember all the things that God has done for him.

"God was never more apparent in my life than when I lived in Spain.  Due to various reasons, it was a very difficult and somewhat lonely year, but it was due to the differing circumstances that God was able to reveal himself to me.  The sheer slow-pace of it all allowed me to contemplate the deeper questions regarding the Divine and the meaning of life.  He provided me with numerous books as well as His Word and I could feel his presence shine as I immersed myself in them.  My Christianity turned from a childhood religion to an integral part of my life.

For most of my life I wanted to go to the U.S Naval Academy, and I worked diligently for years to qualify myself to go.  Last year my chances of attending were looking good, almost a sure-thing, as I was merely a few points short of maxing out both the SAT and the physical fitness test.  But as the spring came by, a number of events occurred that made my future less than certain.  Although I initially rebelled at the idea, I really feel like I, for reasons too long to spell out here, didn’t get into the Academy for a reason(as well as giving me some much-needed humility), and that Virginia really is the place for me to be right now.

Last spring, I was constantly ranting about how materialistic most Americans were.  About how all they cared about was having a nice car, boat, or iphone, and how Americans didn’t have enough discipline or self-control to let go of the things of the world.  At the same time, I acquired an obsession with success. I worshiped it for its own sake. I would devour books on it, spending most of my waking hours working to be a success story.  If I was a hypocrite, I didn’t realize it.   It was when I attended Ascend Summer camp up in Missouri with Lakeside Bible church that I began to understand the cognitive dissonance involved. The teachings there and the conversations with Lakeside’s youth pastor Adam Tyson made a big impact on me.  It was the “do everything, even the most trivial things, for the glory of God,”  that tripped my trigger.  I came to realize that my obsession with success for its own sake arose from the same base, sinful source that obsession with physical things came from.  For the longest time, I convinced myself that being materialistic only involved physical, tangible things, but it was that week that everything began to fall in piece.  Through that spirit-filled placed, God revealed that He should be the motivation behind all actions and thoughts. 

My relationship with my twin brother is unreal, even remarkable compared to that of other twins.  Definitely God-inspired.

God gave me the urge to ask my mother to homeschool us. She prayed about it and came to understand that that’s what God wanted us to do.  This was back in 2002, when there was significant pressure not to do so.   While it’s impossible to say for sure, I’m reasonably confident that homeschooling was one of the best things to me for myself in general and faith in particular.

While God has blessed me with a healthy body, I have been injured on occasion (who hasn’t).  Since I attach a significant portion of my worth to my health and well-being, injuries were always tough to deal with.  But it was in those moments when I learned humility, and with humility comes a state of mind that God can work wonders with.  Material hardship sowed the seeds for spiritual growth. I would always come out stronger from injuries.

I am thankful for the great relationships I have with my family and friends, especially for the support and source of inspiration they have given me."

What's your story? - Forsake All

Project Faith: Rob Wegner

   Deuteronomy 8:14 says, “be careful that your heart doesn’t become proud and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.”

   The Lord brought me near when I was young and I became a Christian by the grace of God, not by anything that I had done.

   God blessed us when we were moving around a lot with amazing friends and kept us safe so that no real harm came to our family. I praise God that He did because of our young family (age 1-7).

   When I came to Texas, God blessed me with more friends and a great church to connect with.

   When we began to adopt my little sister, Johanna, from China, God was gracious and provided all the money that we needed to get her, and without debt. This happened again with the next two Adoptions. However, when we adopted Kali, we didn’t have the assurance we used to have because of loss in certain financial aid. God still showed He was greater than all odds when He provided through Carwashes and Garage Sales. God is good to us!

   God changed my life through a man named “Mr. Bob” and through his death, God called me to be the man I needed to be. Age 12.

   God has been wrecking my heart, changing pride into humbleness, and learning how to love Him above all else… He is still perfecting me, and will until everlasting joy.

   Through all my petty and stupid relationships, God showed that He was the only that truly loved me, more than I could have ever imagined. So long I was deceived that running into the arms another was better than running into the arms of God, but God said that home was still where He was; no where else mattered.

   God was there when I struggled with depression, suicide, and other deadly sins. I have found that He still loves more than I ever thought He could. His forgiveness covers my sin and washes me clean in order for the Wedding.

   When I was sure that God never cared or even loved me, He came and took hold of my eyes, and said, “Son, here I Am.”

   When I was sure that God wasn’t near nor interested in me, He said, “Son, I’m right here.”

   When I tried to make myself clean before trusting in Christ through an intense struggle with legalism, God said, “I Am Perfection.”

   This is just the beginning of all that God has done in my life. He has saved me and every step of the way He has been changing my heart to look more like His.

    Praise God for His love and mercy that I never thought was real, but now I can’t explain any other reason for this life.

   

    If you're wondering what Project: Faith is, be sure to check the link out to find more about it! Once you have discovered what it is, I encourage you to also make a list, kinda like this one! Thanks - Forsake All

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Project Faith

Genesis 24:33 says, “A meal was set before [Abraham’s servant], but he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” So Laban said, “Speak on.”

This seems like an odd verse if not put into the correct context. This man is Abraham’s servant that Abraham sent to get a wife for Isaac. Abraham sent his servant all the way back to his father’s household to find a wife for Isaac because he didn’t want Isaac to marry a Canaanite. We see this again with Jacob, Isaac’s son, later on. In this passage, the servant is offered a house for his men, his camels, and himself to stay in and is also offered a meal. However, before he eats, he declares to Laban the things God has done for him.

He goes into a long monologue about how the Lord has blessed Abraham and also how the Lord has blessed him in his journey. He tells Laban the story of how God was watching over him when he came to the spring and prayed. He prayed a specific prayer in order to find the right woman for Isaac, and God answered his prayer word for word. He rejoices later and worships God with his face to the ground. His whole recount of the past events is considered worship for his remembrance of what God has done.

If only the Israelites did the same thing later on in history. We see them trust God, but as soon as something came up to hinder their faith, they lost all hope. Their issue was not being able to remember God and what He had done for them. Today, I think we have the same problem. If we only remembered what God had done for us, I think our faith would be stronger in Him. Why is that?

Why do you trust a chair? Well, it’s probably because you have sat in many chairs. I have a desk chair in my room, and the first time I sat in it, it held me up. Even the next time I decided to sit on it, it held me up even then. Now, every time I want to sit on the chair, I can think about past experiences and say to myself, “That chair has never let me down and has always supported me when I sit on it.” I then learn that I have faith in the chair simply because of past experiences I have had with it.

God has really been pressing this on my heart. I pray that God would give me faith to move mountains, but what am I really asking? God has given me everything I need to have faith, but I just have not seen it yet. I think it’s such an important thing to remember who God is and what He has done for us.

So I beckon you, are you ready to have a stronger faith? Start writing down the things has done for you. If you can’t think of anything anymore, go back into the Old and New Testaments and write all the things He did in all those books. Make a list that you see almost everyday. Memorize the times and experiences where God has come through to save the day. The truth is we are a forgetful people, but if we strive to remember all that the Lord has done for us, I believe our faith in Him and even our love for Him will grow far beyond our dreams.

Remember who God is and what He has done for you. – Forsake All

Want a Revival?

Deuteronomy 10:12 says, “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul?”

How simple is this? All we are called to do is 1. Fear the Lord, 2. Love Him and, 3. Worship the Lord. Now what does this look like? We know that three-step processes are the best, but what does it look like practically? We can discuss ideals all day and still come away as the same people, but that’s not the reason the Gospel happened. Also as a side note, the Gospel has presented since Genesis; it’s not just a “New Testament” thing, but it has been the hope of God’s people since sin entered the world.

“Fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways.” Wow, this may be a short idea, but the implications are huge. Notice that God doesn’t say, “Don’t do a, b, c…” If God wanted to make a list of “do-nots” He could of and we could have lived life in a manner that said, “Don’t step on that rock!” However, when we take up this life style, we then turn to anything that gives us an answer to any question. For example, if you’re just told not to step on the rocks and thorns, where do you then step? Anywhere else!

It is dangerous to say that we fear God like the way we should fear our parents because the multiplication of the fear is infinitely more extreme. The fear of God comes from the fact that we know that God is holding us up, and if He were for one second to let us go, we’d fall back into sin and be destined for hell as we were first born. Jonathon Edwards says in his sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God that if we were merely to slip, or mess up, we would fall straight into hell to be burned alive. The only thing keeping us up is the grace and pleasure of God (Remember that God does all that He does for His glory and pleasure).

So we fear God, and because of it we obey what He has told us to do in order to glorify Him. Understand that works do not save us from hell but merely the grace and pleasure of God. Because of this work of grace, shouldn’t we owe our lives to Him? I mean, the simple fact that He saved our lives, should we save, or separate, our lives for Him? Shouldn’t we love Him in return? Doesn’t that make sense?

If I could be honest, that has been my prayer, that I’d love God with everything that I am. My life has been don’t step on that rock, and watch out for that one! and I need to focus on the end goal. But man… if only I could truly fall in love with Christ, that’d be just perfect. Think about it. A man whose life is completely dedicated to giving God glory in everything he does. The only man that has ever really done this is Jesus Himself.

Once we truly fall in love with God, I believe, is when we will truly worship in Spirit and Truth. So let that be our prayer. Let us chase after God; find Him where He is. Not to say that God isn’t everywhere, but are we praying and reading the Bible? That is what I think chasing after God is. There is something interesting about how we can chase after God, but the same time, His grace is allowing it. So it’s like we run and chase, but in the end we find out that we have been pulled the whole way… I don’t fully understand but I know this. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you (Matthew 6:33).”

We were made to love God and that is were true revival starts – Forsake All

Forgiveness to Others

Matthew 6:14-15 says, “For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15 But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.”

That’s pretty heavy stuff. I just got back from a breakfast meeting with one of my really good friends. He is having a hard time forgiving some of his close friends and he is thinking about giving up. It’s a hard situation, but then we have to talk about the importance of forgiveness. Or is it important? This passage above makes forgiveness seem pretty important and even crucial. I think we often complain and think that forgiveness is beyond us or it is too hard. I think we need to put our thoughts into perspective.

Jesus had to die for the sins of His people. These people weren’t just okay or not that bad, these people were called his enemies. They declared war against God at birth, destined to lose; they fought and fought against the Creator of the world for a glimpse of pleasure. I wonder if the angels tried to talk Him out of it. Maybe they said, “Jesus, You have us! We worship You day and night without ceasing! Why would You save those who spit in Your face, and even those who say they love You use Your name in vain.” It made sense. But there was a plan for God to show His glory in our redemption.

All of this to say, if Jesus could die for those who crucified Him, we should be able to forgive those who mock or call us names.

I’m not going to lie, it’s still really hard, but I’m glad Jesus had the strength to forgive our sins, or else we would be in hell now and forever. The truth is we cannot forgive those who do wrong to us. It is impossible for us to do anything good because of the strength of our flesh. However, God saved us from our flesh… So what are we exactly waiting for?

This is just another example of humans still living in something they have been freed from. It’s like a prisoner that has been set free, but he lives in his cell because it is the only place he has ever known. There is some sort of comfort in living in sin; it’s what we have always known. We were born in sin and it takes faith to step into the unknown, which is Holiness. Christ has paid the price and forgiven us so that we may take that step into the unknown.

Being like Christ includes being less like ourselves, so forgiven and forget –Forsake All

A Faithful God Deserves Faith

Habakkuk 2:3-4 says, “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it testifies about the end and will not lie. Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late. 4 Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith.”

You may be thinking, “Are you serious? Who writes a blog on Habakkuk?” but just stick with me.

If you read the most recent post, there is something called living by faith, and I intended to know what that is. However, every step we take in finding the answers or hints, we must know that our ultimate goal is to love God. If we are ever losing focus of this goal, we are chasing after idols, not matter how spiritual it may look. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you (Matthew 6:33).” God, we come before You to seek after You. We want to love You more and we ask that You would take our hands and pull us to where we need to be.

Chapter two of this book shows Habakkuk waiting for God, and then the Lord gives Him something to write down. The passage we pulled out is from God talking to Habakkuk saying it is important for him to write down the Lord’s words. He calls the writing down of the vision important so that one may easily read it. Why is this important? God is so gracious.

I fall short of teaching music well. That is, I don’t have the patience to explain again and again the most basic music theory to a student. When I taught drums, I simply told my students to play right, and if they didn’t, I would almost blow up. How deep is the patience of God that He would take time to explain the indescribable in way that we can get it. I could talk to people all day about music theory and other advanced subjects, but it takes humbleness for me to leave the conversation with my fellow intellectuals and teach someone on a lower level. That is exactly what God has done and continues to do for us; He gets on our level and explains in a way that we can maybe grasp a glimpse.

The importance of this is that He doesn’t tell us to have faith in something so far above us; instead, He has left reminders for us to look back to as reference points. He didn’t tell the Israelites to follow Him without showing them that He was indeed capable of doing what He said He would do. He gave sign after sign showing His might a power, and the Israelites had so many chances to look back and have faith that God would continue to provide and guide.

“Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late.” Though we may not see it now, God still is faithful. Sometimes I wonder what it’d be like to watch someone breathe, but between every breath, they started freaking out and while flaring their arms, and they try to figure out what’s wrong. However, all of this is cured when they take the next breath but after they do, they begin the same process. Isn’t that our life looks like considering Christ?

I think the Israelites leave the biggest example. God parted the Red Sea, which was a pretty big deal, however, if God does not show them something every single second of the day, they begin to freak out. I think Faith is strengthened when we remember the things God does for us. Think about it. If we went through the Bible and wrote down every time God provided or came through for someone, wouldn’t we have a massive list of examples? So every time we feel alone or like God is a million miles away, we can read through what He has done.

If only we could wait. If only we could remember our memories well enough to influence our futures. God has been so faithful, meaning that He has been loyal and has kept up with His promises; don’t we owe Him our faith? Think about it, you don’t have to remind your friend to breathe, do you? I hope not, for if your friend is in good condition, he or she should breath faithfully, without forgetting. Why would you doubt that he or she would breathe if they do it without even thinking because it’s their nature to do it? Why would doubt that an all Loving God is no longer loving? Why would doubt that a graceful God is no longer forgiving? Why do we not have faith in a Faithful God?

“But the righteous one will by his faith.” Of course they will. Look at Abraham. He was considered righteous because of His faith in God. Abraham watched God provide even when Abraham thought he knew best, but when Isaac was born, I think Abraham finally got to thinking more about it. This is meant to be encouraging, because Abraham was older than a hundred years old, so if you don’t get it now… be patience and try to stay alive.

So how do live by faith? We remember Who we have faith. – Forsake All

My Faith is Incomplete

Genesis 19:15-16 says, “15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” 16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.”

I have been reading through Genesis and have been really relating myself to Abraham and Lot. They seem to have so much faith in God, but in some very important places in their lives they seem to leave faith behind and take up human reasoning. In this issue, Lot was so overwhelmed by the loss of all his possessions in his city. He was going to lose everything, save his life and the life of his family.

He tried to save future extended family and even maybe some of his sons (Verse 12). However, the next morning, he lost all hope. One of the things that touched my heart is the part of the passage where Moses writes, “the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.” It literally says that the angels grabbed the hands of his family that was with him and took them to safety.

How many times in my life have I had to say, “My faith is incomplete. Lord, grab my hand and take me to Your will”? I am ashamed to say that I live by sight and not by faith. Yes. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sin, and I have faith that He is coming again to reign, but in my everyday life, I live in the rational of a human being. All this to say; I believe in the impossible. What a limited life.

I look at mountains and I pull out my list of reasons why the mountain shouldn’t move and absolutely can’t even budge. There are so many explanations for why the mountain must remain in it’s original place, but why then would Jesus come and say, “truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move (Matthew 17:20).” Not only does He stop here, but just in the next breath, Jesus says, “nothing will be impossible to you.”

“No Jesus, You don’t understand,” says myself. “You have to understand that on Earth we have rules and we have reasoning that must be understood. Mountains don’t move and something are truly impossible. Please get Your facts right.” How silly it is for a doll to explain the rules of crafting to its Creator.

Instead, we should understand that we may not understand the earth and all the things that can go on. Maybe the rules are held in the hands of God loosely. There is so much I don’t know about what faith can do, all I can do is to pray that God would take my hand to go to the place I need to be to learn.

God, take my hand and lead me – Forsake All