Formulaic faith does not work!

At one point or another, we all fall into the trap of having a formulaic faith. As humans, we like formulas. We like knowing that A + B = C; we prefer to do things that have formulas…if I do this and this, I’ll get that. It’s especially easy for the long-time Christian to fall into this trap of thinking that they have God figured out.

But faith does not work like that.

Sometimes phrases like, You just need to believe more, or have more faith, bother me. I mean, what do those even really mean? A lot of times the answers to our questions and our problems are a lot more complicated than simply “believing” more.

God is God. He is omniscient, omnipotent, sovereign, creator of the Heavens and the earth. He will not be put into a box. And He certainly will not be distilled down to an easy, simple formula.

I have seen that sometimes we tend to take certain principles in Scripture or trends in the church and create formulas to follow and live by…but this is dangerous. Just as it is dangerous to build your theology off of one single verse, the same goes for creating formulas. You are setting yourself up for disappointment when God doesn’t come through for you the way you though He should.

Do miracles occur on the other side of obedience? Yes. But if we are obedient, are we guaranteed a miracle? No we aren’t.

Does prayer work? Does it heal the sick and mend emotional wounds and scares? Yes. But when you pray, you are not guaranteed to be healed or mended.

With a formulaic faith, you can begin to shape your faith based off of the benefits you could receive…this is another fine line to walk.

• Maybe you tithe just to receive God’s increase.
• Maybe you worship only when you feel the tingles.
• Maybe you seek God only for what you think He will give you.

But none of those things are enough to build a solid foundation.

We need to worship God for who He is, simply because He is God, and not for what we thing He should give us. We should tithe because the money is His to begin with. We should pray to build our relationship and create dialog with Him, and not use Him as some cosmic vending machine.

Avoid having a formulaic faith. Are spiritual rhythms and disciplines important? Absolutely. But don’t confuse those with creating formulas for your faith. Focus on worship God for who He is, seek His face and not just His hand.

Because at the end of the day, His grace is simply enough.

“Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’” 2 Cor 12:9

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 [emphasis mine]

Recently, I’ve been in a season of life where I have to choose joy. It is easy to forget that joy is a choice. Since joy is not based on circumstance, it becomes our choice whether or not we are going to have it. The verse above says to give thank in all circumstances. It doesn’t say for all circumstances but in. So even in tough, unexpected, and bad circumstances, we can choose to give thanks or choose joy.

Times have been somewhat bittersweet for me lately and it would be very easy for me to become overwhelmed by my circumstances and let them dictate my outlook. But that is not what I’m choosing to do.

I’m choosing joy.

Being recently engaged after over a year of long-distance dating and will be long-distance for the entire engagement. Being away from your fiancée and planning a wedding together while being 1200 miles apart is not easy. Most days it is so easy to become overwhelmed by all of that, but I’m choosing joy. I focusing on that fact that in less than 3 months, I will be married. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Also, the job that I have requires lots of my time and energy and has crazy hours. Therefore, I have less and less time to actually talk and communicate with family and fiancée and that is not easy. For example, the other day I worked a 12 hour day that started at 4:30pm…Then had to be back at work at 9am!

But I’ll choose joy.

The truth is, I’m blessed to have a job in a tough economy. I’m blessed to be have a nice place to live in and drive a reliable car. I’m blessed to be in great health and not worry about where my next meal will come from.

Crises tend to turn our focus inward and our thinking becomes more selfish…in those moments it is always good to take a step back and add in a little perspective and realize just how blessed we are. Perspective can straighten us out and help us realize the need and importance of choosing joy.

 ”The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” Psalm 28:7

Whatever you are going through right now, remember you can choose joy and find the good in every situation.

Are there situations in which you need to choose joy?

Silence it seems is rare today. There is almost always a constant noise happening around us. We have grown so accustom to this, that usually any type of “quiet” in our lives seems to be awkward.

We have forgotten how important it is to be quiet and to practice silence. Part of practicing silence is to grow in our ability to focus, shut out the distractions, and hear God’s voice. If God’s speaks in a “still, soft” voice, then we better be extra quiet so we can hear him.

But why is it so hard to have silence these days? Why can’t we drive in the car without music on, or be in a house without a TV on? We have started to equate silence and quiet with being unproductive, and that’s simply not true. But really, I think when we get down to it, silence scares us. Thoughts and feelings that are deep in our being begin to surface when there is silence. This quote from Dallas Willard brilliantly shares some insight on this topic:

Silence goes beyond solitude, and without it solitude has little effect…But silence is frightening because it strips us as nothing else does, throwing us upon the stark realities of our life. It reminds us of death, which will cut us off from this world and leave only us and God. And in that quiet, what if there turns out to be very little to “just us and God”?

I know personally, I need to do a better job at this. I went to school for music, currently I work in the music industry, and I’m on the worship (music) team at my church. My life is saturated with music. Most plazas and sidewalks in Nashville have speakers built-into them which play music. It seems it’s harder and harder to find times and places to have some quiet…but we need to find those times and places.

If we want to hear from God more, then we need to put effort into cultivating an atmosphere in which God can speak, or more importantly, in which we can listen. The truth is, God is talking to us a lot more than we think, we just aren’t listening for it.

Here’s to practicing more silence in my life.

“I’m asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet. That’s the only quiet, secure place
in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic.” Psalm 27:4-5 (MSG)

How can you practice more silence in your life?

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.. Matthew 6:33

Above all else we are to seek the kingdom of God. Other translations say seek first… not second, not third, not after you figure out how to pay your bills, not after your doctor’s appointment, and not after you find the solutions to your problems…but first!

Seeking God, diving into Scripture, and confessing His promises over us should be our go-to response. Matthew Henry adds, “The great duty required: it is the sum and substance of our whole duty: ”Seek first the kingdom of God, mind religion as your great and principle concern.’’ Our duty is to seek; to desire, pursue, and aim at these things…”

But unfortunately, adversity usually has one of two effects on us: it will cause us to draw closer to God, or it will push us away.

Trials and adversity will come in this life(John 16:33), but it is our response, outlook, and faith, based on the adversity that matters. The truth is, God is moved only by our faith, not our needs.

We may need money to pay bills, we may need to find that job, or we may need answers to our questions; but this doesn’t change the fact that our faith is what moves the mountains not our needs. Our faith is what moves God, not our wants.

Let your care for your souls…take the place of all other cares: and let all the concerns of this life be made subordinate to those of the life to come: we must seek the things of Christ more than our own things…”Seek these things first; first in thy days: let the morning of thy youth be dedicated to God. Wisdom must be sought early…let waking thoughts be of God. Matthew Henry’s Commentary

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1 NKLV) or  ”Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” (NLT) or in other words, speaking the things that are not as though they were.

Faith and hope go together. The object of our hope and faith go to the same thing. Matthew Henry adds:

It is a firm persuasion and expectation that God will perform all that he has promised to us in Christ; and this persuasion is so strong that it gives the soul a kind of possession and present fruition of those things…so that believers in the exercise of faith are filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Whatever you may be going through, above all else, above all the noise, above all the distractions, above all your circumstances, seek first the Kingdom of God. Seek His Word daily, know His promises. Do not let life’s adversity cause you to fall away from God. Allow it to cause you to grow in your faith. Use it as an opportunity to grow closer to God, and above all else seek Him first.

We are starting a new series at Crosspoint called, Shaped. I am so excited for this series.

Every Christian is at a different place spiritually; and every person learns, grows and responds differently too. In a Church, however, what is taught to us is that there is this cookie-cutter way to get to know God. Everybody has to be in the same place and the same time. And if we are not at the same place, then we feel pressure to fake it and at least act like somebody we are not. We pretend we are “good”on the outside when, on the inside, we are hurting. But it’s not how things should be done.

“Souls don’t develop in cookie-cutter fashion and churches were never intended to become factories that cranked out people who were at the same place at the same time.” Pete Wilson

This is what the series is about. Discovering our unique life with God.

This series feels big. I feel like we are on the verge of something really big with this series and I am so happy to be around for this. You don’t want to miss this series. You can listen or watch HERE.

As Christians we are not normal.

We are unique, and that is something to be proud about. We have the wonderful privilege of being able to connect others people with Christ. We get to reflect God’s glory.

“So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

Since we are constantly in this world, it is difficult to not let yourself be defined by the masses. It’s hard to find the bigger meaning in our work, when we feel like we are no different than the next person. But you are!

What you do matters!

It doesn’t matter what type of job you have or if you even have a job. You will always have a calling and job to do in the Kingdom of God. No matter what we bear witness to Christ and His name. Steven Furtick says, “No act of service is insignificant when done for the most significant purpose in the universe: proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. When you see yourself as a connector to the current of the power of Christ, everything you do takes on meaning.” {Sun Stand Still}

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

You are not an accident. You are not a failure. You are important. You are unique. You are not normal.

Remember that wherever you are, or whatever you are doing, it matters. You have a job: to reflect the glory of God, and point others in the direction of the cross.

When you do you feel most unique?

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” —Gandhi

Too often we hesitate. We wait. We won’t be the first to jump in. We want someone else to take that first step and then we jump…the problem is, that requires little faith and little trust. To be the first, to be original, to be innovative, and to follow your calling requires boldness, a pioneering faith, spirit and an “all-in” trust.

“It seems to me though that nobody wants to be the pioneer. Too  many would rather wait for someone else to develop a proven program or structure that they can adopt. We travel far and wide to the latest conferences, hoping to find a surefire way to increase our organizations or church’s growth. We want someone else to face the risks and take the chances for us. It is safer. It is more secure. It is more financially stable.” Paul Gibbs [The Line and The Dot]

I think God knew that blind faith and trust would be difficult to us. Thankfully, He basically says that if you have the absolute smallest amount of faith, you can move mountains (Matt 17:20). That should be all that we need to get us going. That should be the push that we need. The tipping point.

It’s time to be pioneers. It’s time to stop waiting for others to go before you. You have been called and He has laid out your path before you. Now it’s time to step out and go for it. Pioneer.

Be the change you want to see.

What is it that you need to step out in faith in and pioneer?

“The LORD replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’” Exodus 33:14

Today, make sure you find some time to rest.(After all it is Labor Day) Rest is important and often overlooked.

It is very easy to let our lives become busy, and when that happens, we shift our priorities and usually rest is the first to go.

Don’t let rest become an after thought. It is just as important to your productivity as anything else.

I hope you all have a wonderful, productive, and restful holiday.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”  Psalm 23:1-3

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.” Psalm 145:18-19

Do you have insecurities? I do.

Do you struggle with having an adequate and appropriate self-image of yourself? Sure, at times, we all do. It’s amazing how much our view of ourselves affects so many other aspects of our lives. Our self-worth, confidence, attitude, outlook, posture, ambitions, all stem from our insecurities, fears, and how we view ourselves.

Insecurities are tough. They aren’t fun to talk about, but I believe by getting a few out in the open, we can shed some new light and perspective on the lies we believe that create these insecurities and poor self-image.

I am viewed as a confident person. A guy with many talents and abilities, and someone who has his “stuff” together. Those are all wonderful things and it’s nice to hear them, but it’s interesting to think that if my insecurities rested in those things, I probably wouldn’t even be able to accept those compliments. And that’s probably how it is for many of us.

Has someone called you talented and you responded, “I’m not that good”? Or has someone called you beautiful and you simply didn’t believe them? Do you hear what your friends say, then see someone else in the mirror?

I have insecurities too. And it just so happens that one of them is from the those compliments above. God has gifted me musically, in a lot of areas where things are hard for most people, it just seems to come naturally to me. I’ve been praised a lot about my musical capabilities. So you may think that I would walk in a whole heck of a lot of confidence because of that, but the truth is, I struggle with that confidence every time I play. But before we go deeper, let me first define the part of insecurity that I’m talking about.

The definition of insecurity that haunts me is: Fear of being discovered as inadequate, ill-fitted or unsuited to meet responsibilities…

That is a major struggle for me. If I know I’m bad at something, then I have nothing to lose, and it’s easy for me to admit that I’m bad. But the fear, for me, comes when I’m supposed to be good at something and then I have to come through…when I’m expected too. The truth is, I know that I am talented and gifted, but man, sometimes there is a loud voice in my head taunting me that I’m about to be found out as a fake, a phony, and a failure. And that once I fail, they won’t accept me anymore.

I’ll be honest, that voice has paralyzed me before. I have let that fear stop me from growing, maturing, taking necessary risks, and from reaching my full potential. When I allow my fear to have a megaphone and become louder than God’s voice in my life, I lose sense of who I really am. I start to find my identity in my inadequacies, short-coming, and failures. Take it a step further, I’ll say that I start to find my identity in a lie.

We must realize that voice is a lie. And the only way to regain a correct self-image and take away the fear’s impact is to silence it.

How to silence the voice of insecurity:

The first thing you need to do, in order to silence the voice of insecurity and fear is:

• Recognize it.

If you don’t recognize it, how can you stop it? But my guess is we all know that voice in our lives. We all know our fears and insecurities, so this shouldn’t be too hard. Once you recognize what that voice sounds like in your life, you can focus on making the changes.

The second thing you need to do to silence that voice is to correct the fear (cause it’s lying to you):

• Know who you really are.

Know how to define yourself. If you don’t know how to define yourself, others will do it for you. And I can tell you that they will re-define, mis-define, and under-define you every single time. Your worth and your identity rest in Christ…no one else. You have to know who you are. This is so crucial to having a correct and proper self-image.

“For if a man belongs to Christ, he is a new person. The old life is gone. New life has begun.” 2 Cor. 5: 17

“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” John 15:16

“For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” Col. 2:9-10

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Eph. 2:10 [emphasis mine]

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13

And Thirdly, after knowing who you are…do not stop telling yourself it.

• Remind yourself of who you are OFTEN.

If you have to tape a bunch of verses on your bathroom mirror, in order to remind yourself, then do it. But keep those encouraging and truthful words in front of you as much as you can.

“I really believe that at the end of the day we are stuck in this pattern where we want to learn something but we want to apply nothing…We want to be entertained and motivated only to do nothing.” Pete Wilson

You can do something! You can fight back. You can apply what you know to do and see results. The voice of insecurity and fear will constantly try to show its face in your life, and you need to protect yourself. You need to be able to silence that voice whenever it tries to tear you down. You need to be loaded and ready to shoot down whatever attack it may come at you with. Know your Scripture. Know what God says about you and who you are called to be.

“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Gen. 1:27

This last verse is crucial. We have heard it as a verse that explains our identity, but it does a lot more than just that. This verse not only speaks to your worth, it speaks to your destiny. This verse is reason we are here. It’s our purpose.

Whatever your insecurity or fear is, silence it. Allow no one but God to define who you are and what your worth is. Gen. 1:27 doesn’t just speak to a shared attribute or ability with God, it speaks to our mission.

To reflect the image of God.

“You were made in His image so that you could reflect His glory, His grace, His love, and His compassion to a watching world.” Pete Wilson

Don’t believe the lies. Don’t believe your fears. Silence them. Reflect God. Your security is found in Him.

Here are a few of the top posts of the month…check them out and enjoy!

Please Don’t Give Up…

If you are weak, lost, weary, hesitant, or fearful…this post is for you. Don’t give up.

The Final Word…

God is the first and the last. He goes before us and watches our backs. Whatever you are going through, the final word rests in God’s hands. Trust in his timing.

Will You Fold or Fight?

In life you will inevitably face hardships; and when that happens you will have to make a choice. You can choose to fold or to fight!

Naked Worship…

When we worship, God doesn’t want a show. Too often we put on masks and show a fake smile, and aren’t able to authentically worship. God wants real…He wants naked!

A Grandchild, His Memere, and Her Legacy…

This is a post about my grandmother’s passing and her legacy.

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