Faith Makes All Things Possible!

When was the last time you heard someone say, “I can’t?” Or perhaps you recently heard someone remark, “That’s impossible!” Many times in life, we find ourselves faced with challenges that truly seem insurmountable. Our family may have unreasonable expectations of our abilities, our boss may ask too much of us, and our friends may become disappointed if we cannot be there for them every single time they need us. God may often give us a task that seems impossible. But it is in these moments when we feel so unqualified, so insignificant, that God reminds us that He makes all things possible. In our own strength, we can do nothing, but with God’s strength, we can do anything! By putting our faith in God, all things become possible!

One of the prime examples of the impossible becoming possible comes from the book of I Samuel. A young man by the name of David finds himself in the midst of a battle. Completely unprepared for the encounter, he is pitted against the largest man on the opposing side: Goliath. Now Goliath is a giant, both literally and figuratively. The Bible calls him a “champion” and says that he stood at a height of 9’9” or 3 meters (I Samuel 17:4). Compare Goliath to David, the youngest son of Jesse, one of Saul’s servants. David does not spend time on the battlefield, but spends most of his time tending his father’s sheep. When David says that he will fight the Philistine, even King Saul himself is doubtful of David’s ability to conquer the giant. Saul said, “‘You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth’” (I Samuel 17:33). Even so, David has something that Goliath does not have: faith in God.

David knows that God will protect him from all harm, just as He promises in His Word. He said, “‘The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine’” (I Samuel 17:37). David is offered Saul’s very own tunic, as well as a bronze helmet, coat of armor, and sword. But he wasn’t used to all of that heavy equipment. Instead, he goes down to the stream and collects five smooth stones. He didn’t use special armor. He wasn’t carrying any high-tech weapons. He did not even wear a helmet. He had a slingshot, some small stones, and faith that could move mountains. Most importantly, he knew that the true and living God would be his shield in battle.

David wasn’t acting out of naivety or inexperience. He was acting on faith. Goliath approaches him with his shield bearer going before him, taunting David as he sees this inexperienced warrior bringing “sticks” into the battle (I Samuel 17:43). But David was not deterred by Goliath’s unfavorable commentary. David simply states, “‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied’” (I Samuel 17:45). David had faith that God would carry out His plan. Although he may have been scared or worried, he remained faithful, confidently relying on God’s power to bring him to victory.

What if we had such great faith? How would our lives be different if we had faith that a few small stones would slay a giant standing in our way? David did not have any superpowers. He was just an ordinary human being whom God used to accomplish something truly extraordinary. Through faith, David became a high ranking officer in Saul’s army. But his greatest accomplishment was that he obeyed God and God honored him because of his faithfulness.

God will do the same for you. Whatever you are going through, God is looking out for you. He wants to be your shield in battle, your rock that you can stand on, your shelter from the storm. Have faith that God will make all things possible. Matthew 17:20 says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Have faith that God will be with you, every step of the way. With faith in God, the impossible becomes possible!

In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer

Sweet Talk

Do you really think about the words you speak?  Has someone said something that really bothered you or maybe hurt you?  Or did you hear someone making inappropriate comments behind someone else’s back?  As Christians, we need to ensure that our speech is sweet.  The words that come forth from our mouth should seek to encourage, uplift, and share the love of God.  We need to not only walk the walk, but talk the talk as well.  And when we do talk, we need to build others up instead of tearing them down, bless instead of curse, and love instead of hate.  Inevitably, we need to ensure our lips do not bring sourness; instead, we need to make sure our words are sweet like honey.

I’m sure we have all heard the old adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  In reality, this statement is entirely false.  Bones will eventually heal, but broken spirits and crushed hearts may never fully mend.  Proverbs 12:18 (NIV) states, “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”  I am sure none of us desire our words to act as swords.  Still, it is so easy to fall into that trap where you are tempted to say something that would best be left unsaid.  We need to guard ourselves against this reckless behavior, and do our best to bring wisdom and healing through the words we say.  If you have been the one on the receiving end, being pierced by the words of another person, do not hold a grudge.  Instead, pray that they will find the sweet talk that comes from knowing Jesus.  You’ll be amazed at what God can do when we ask Him to intervene!

This past weekend, I received a tweet containing a quote from Lisa Whelchel, who was speaking at the Women of Faith Over the Top tour in Billings, Montana.  Lisa was quoted as saying, “Pay attention to how someone talks to you about other people.  That’s probably how they talk to other people about you."  When I read this statement, I took a moment to think about what it meant.  Quite often, I have people tell me things about other people.  But, I typically have little thought as to what they tell others about me.  Wouldn’t it be nice to be a fly on the wall, able to hear everything that was said about you?  Of course, this could be a negative thing, since the knowledge of every word spoken about you could cause you to become sad, discouraged, or downright angry.  Be careful what you say and listen carefully to others.  And separate yourself from conversations that may bring harm to others.  Words truly can be hurtful, and we need to think before we speak.  Not only that, but we need to think about who we are speaking to and who we are speaking about before we utter the words.

Proverbs 11:11-13 (NIV) says, “Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense, but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.  A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.”  In our relationships with other people, we need to maintain a level of trust.  Trust is an integral part of a friendship.  If you cannot trust your friends, your friendship can only go so far.  But if you have a solid foundation of trust, you will find that your friendship will be long-lasting and completely worthwhile.  As Christians, we should strive to be supportive, loving, and trustworthy friends, as opposed to being  gossiping, hurtful, and untrustworthy companions

Many times, it is so easy to just blurt out whatever pops into our head.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that should not be said, at least not to everyone around us.  Part of being a good parent, sibling, or friend is to know when to speak, what to say, and who to share it with.  God has given us the precious gift of speech.  We need to respect this gift and use it wisely.  God wants us to love our neighbor.  In order to show compassion for others, we need to ensure that our words are filled with the love of Jesus.  The words we speak should be carefully considered, so that we can avoid offending someone, putting someone down, or causing grief for another person.  So, the next time you hear someone engaging in sour words, pray for them.  And the next time you find yourself being painted into a corner, getting ready to share something you really shouldn’t, pray that God will help you hold your tongue.  Do not allow your words to be bitter.  Stick with Jesus and let your talk be sweet!

In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer