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    • Acts of faith grow us closer to God

      Posted at 7:00 am by sneuhofer, on August 22, 2018

      Romans 1:17 (MSG) God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.”

      I like how the Message paraphrases Romans 1:17,  especially the first few words

      “Gods way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith.”

      When we come to Christ and accept His redeeming work on Calvary, He gives us a gift. Not only does He give us eternal life, He also gives us the gift of faith. Faith is total dependence on God and a willingness to trust Him and do life His way. Faith is complete and humble obedience to live our lives according to God’s word. Faith is the simple act of placing our trust in the God who: created the world and everything in it, knows the depths of our hearts, loves us unconditionally, wants to comfort us in our times of struggle, and guides us into a deeper more intimate relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ.

      Grab your Bible or go to your favorite Bible app and take a look at the words of Proverbs 3:5 – 6. These verses encourage us to trust God completely, with our whole heart and try not to figure everything out on our own. In everything we do and everywhere we go, we must listen for God’s voice. You know what His voice sounds like right? It is that still, gentle voice that keeps us on track. Of course, I say that and it’s not exactly the easiest thing to do, is it? Sometimes we just think our problems are too big or little for God to handle. Other times we may think we can manage our circumstances on our own only, but that only makes things worse.

      May I encourage you today with the following thoughts:

      • There is nothing too difficult for God (Jeremiah 32:17).
      • God is our refuge and strength when our circumstances get tough (Psalm 91:1-2) and can be trusted with everything. Besides, we can’t tell him anything he doesn’t already know.
      • He has searched us and knows every detail about us (Psalm 139:1 – 4).
      • He is always with us whether it’s in the deepest, darkest valley or on the highest mountain top (Isaiah 41:10).
      • He IS the EVERLASTING GOD and will grow tired or weary (Isaiah 40:28).
      • He is our solid rock (Isaiah 26:4).

      As we put our trust in Him by exercising the gift of faith, we will find rest for our souls in Him alone (Psalm 62: 5 – 8).

       

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    • Do you know God…

      Posted at 7:00 am by sneuhofer, on August 3, 2018

      …or do you just know about Him?

      Psalm 100:3 (NCV) KNOW that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep he tends. (emphasis mine)
      What does the word “know” mean to you? For me, I think I use the word whether I actually “know” the truth about something or someone. Have you ever said you “know someone” only to have that “knowledge” proven wrong? Boy I have… and being proven wrong isn’t very fun at all.

      So, what does it mean to actually “know” God? Having asked myself this question, I went to the very first dictionary in America – Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary. Noah Webster utilized the Bible as the foundation for his definitions and it was here I found the following definition.

      To perceive with certainty; to understand clearly; To distinguish; To be informed of; To be no stranger to; To have full assurance of; To learn

      If I have made the Bible the standard by which I live my life, “knowing that the Lord is God” is essential. It’s not enough for me to “believe” that God is God – because even Satan and his minions “believe” in God (James 2:19). I have to put actions to my belief. I have to be informed of, learn, perceive with certainty and distinguish with clarity that God is God. How do I do this? By getting into His word and “learning” everything I can about God – who He is and the things He has done. As I begin to learn about who God is and what He’s done, the next step is for me to trust that He knows better than me and then have the faith to follow where His leads.

      Getting into God’s word helps me “discover” more about God’s character. I have heard people say

      “I know God won’t do this for me.” “I know for a fact there is no  God.” “I know there is no way God could love someone like me.”

      But how do they really know that their statements just don’t align with God’s character unless they dig into the truth? Their words are most likely based on “what they have heard from outside influences.” There was a time in my life that I couldn’t really believe that God couldn’t love me because I had done some pretty horrible things. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Take a look at Ephesians 1:4 (NIV)

      For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

      Psalm 100:3 also reminds me that God made me. This truth is also confirmed in Psalm 139:13

      “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

      When I read Romans 5:8, I am reminded that God demonstrated his own love for us in this:

      While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

      What I’ve discovered by reading my Bible is that I can be assured of His knowledge of me. Check out what Psalm 56:8 (MSG) has to say:

      You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.

      Psalm 139 (NIV) is also a reminder that God knows me:

      God has searched me and knows me; He knows my thoughts, my ways, when I get up and when I lie down.

      So my questions becomes, what about my “knowledge” of Him? Have I grown in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18) as the Bible urges me to do? I sure hope so. As a Christian, I am on a life-long journey to know God and His characteristics. I want to know Him more and more every day.

      How about you? Do you want to “know” the God of the universe in this way?

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    • Faith Walking 101

      Posted at 9:00 am by sneuhofer, on February 1, 2018

      2 Corinthians 5:7 (NJKV) For we walk by faith, not by sight.

      A few months back, my small group studied the book of James. I just love studying the book of James! Ha! People who know me well know that a statement like this doesn’t roll off of my tongue quite so easily. After all, who wants to “consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of any kind” right? Most of us find it next to impossible to see a glimmer of joy during any part of our trial and pain. We just want the joy to come…and the pain to go.

      Yep that’s me… I want the pain to go away instantly. When suffering (difficulty) comes, I would rather head for the comforts of my “pit” than  be joyful. But God doesn’t want me to retreat to the comfort of my pit when trials come. I know this because I have “taken the test” and “learned the lesson” way too many times. For a few years it seemed like every time I walked through a season of trial, the book of James would always come up in either a sermon series, a small group study or in my quiet time. OY! God sure knows how to get a point across doesn’t He?  But you know what happens each time I study the book of James? My faith is ultimately strengthened and I sometimes find myself getting excited by what God is going to do in my life and the lives of those around me.

      FAITH WALKING is always the way to go…even though it doesn’t always feel that great at the time.

      So how do you get the tough times of life? Do you enter a trial recognizing you have no control over your circumstances and give the situation to God immediately? Or do you try to handle “things” on your own until it’s gets to the point where you’ve let it consume you and you just want out? I can remember wondering why God didn’t just step in and stop me from making some of the horrible mistakes I made.

      I think the questions above are best answered by how close a relationship we have with Christ. For the longest time, I responded to life’s little trials with the same knee-jerk reaction…I tried to control the situation instead of handing it over to God and allowing Him work. I soon learned that I walked through the same trial over and over again because I wasn’t looking to the very ONE whom could work all things together for my good (Romans 8:28).

      God is sovereign. He can see the entire canvas of our lives. He sees our times of joy and our times of sorrow/trial. Because of this, we must get to a place where we can trust that He sees the entire picture. It’s faith that leads us on our journey…not sight. Putting our faith (trust) in Christ, is the only way we are going to have the joy and abundant life He has promised us through His word. If we continue to hold on to our own agendas, we will fail every time because only He can see the canvas of our lives.

      So what do you say…are you ready to do some “faith walking” with me?

      Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 14:31; Psalms 37:4; Isaiah 40:28-31

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