148 - A Time for Bold Faith
Show Notes:
We are living in a tense time. Cultural pressures are really high. Our nation feels like it's falling apart some days and is super divided and it's hard, and more than anything, the dark world around us is begging for light and truth.
I sense there's just so much spiritual confusion and a drought in people's lives spiritually. And this episode is simply an encouragement for you to be bold and strong and to live out your faith in every aspect of your life and to cling to Jesus every day. I hope these words encourage you.
For the full episode, hit play above or read through it below.
So what does faith have to do with work and play? If you're a believer, everything. Our faith is the center of everything in our lives. Right now, we are beginning to be tested culturally as the body of Christ. We're being tested culturally, tested spiritually. We need God's word and the power of the Holy Spirit to keep us grounded and to empower us to stay bold and not shrink back, but to speak up for the truth boldly.
I have three verses that I want to speak over you and read over you today. And I'm just going to let the Holy Spirit do the work that only He can do. I have a few different versions of each verse so that God can just speak. And I pray that you would take these and just walk them out in your life today and every day.
The first verse is Joshua 1:9 "Haven't I ordered you, 'Be strong, be bold'? Don't be afraid or downhearted, because Adonai your God is with you wherever you go." (CJB) Adonai, that name for God means my Lord. Your Lord, my Lord. He is with us.
Another translation says, "Haven't I commanded you.? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take." (MSG) So I just speak that over you now; be strong, be bold, strength, courage. Let those things be the markers of your life. Not timidity, not fear, not anxiety, but strength, courage, and boldness because God is with you.
Take a second and think about that. The God who created the universe is with you. Every step that you take.
The next verse is Isaiah 26:3 "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." (ESV) You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind, both its inclination and its character, is stayed on you because he commits himself to you. Leans on you and hopes confidently in you.
You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace for it is trusting in you. You, Lord, give us true peace. You give peace to those who depend on you. You give peace to those who trust you.
The words that stand out to me are; perfect peace. Perfect peace feels a little bit elusive these days. Maybe I'll have moments of peace, but it's not all the time and even when I have those moments of peace, it doesn't feel perfect. But God's promise says "He keeps us in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on him." And so I ask myself, if I'm not having perfect peace is my mind really on him? Am I really trusting in him?
Because when I completely trust in God—that in the end He wins, that He is for me, that He is with me. I can rest. I can have that perfect peace, but it's a discipline to keep my mind stayed on him. And so that's my encouragement to you with this verse. Do whatever it takes, whatever it takes, to keep your mind stayed on the Lord and ask yourself; what are the things in my life that keep my mind from being stayed on him? What are those things?
And maybe you can set some of those things aside in the next few hours and see if that makes a difference. The payoff is so good. The payoff is perfect peace. You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.
The last verse is, it's a group of verses from Matthew 5:13-16 and it talks about us being the salt and light of the earth. It says "'You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.' You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (NIV)
The phrase that stood out to me there is “that it gives light to everyone in the house.”
Are you giving out light in your house? Just in the walls of your home? Are you the salt? Are you the light? Are you a pillar that guides your children and loves your husband and points your whole family to the Lord, and to walking in him?
And then it says—in the same way as you do that in your house, let your light shine before others. That they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
I don't know. I've never noticed this before, until I'm just reading this out loud to you now, where it says neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl, instead they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. And in the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
I'm not an expert, but as I'm reading this, I'm seeing first—we need to give light to those closest to us in our homes and then in the same way, we let our light shine before others. So we need to make sure that that order is right, that our priorities are right, but we also need to not shrink back. We need to stand tall, speak truth and let our light shine.
I'm going to read the same verses in another translation. "'Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here's another way to put it. You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.'" (MSG)
I hope that the words from the Lord serve to encourage you today. Don't be afraid. Be bold, be strong, strength, courage. Keep your mind stayed on him, trust in the Lord and when you do, you will walk in perfect peace.
You are to be the salt and the light of the earth. You are to bring the God-flavors and God-colors and light and hope and truth to everyone around us. Don't be shy. Stand tall, let your light shine before others that they may see your life and your good deeds and glorify God in heaven.
Everything I've mentioned today can be found in the Bible. That's pretty much all I've got.
I just want to encourage you guys. I don't know about you, I'm feeling like we're living in a very pivotal time in our nation and in the world and we have got to stay grounded in the word and in the power of the Holy Spirit to live out truth and to live it out graciously and humbly, but to not compromise and that is the heart behind this episode. I just wanted to speak truth over you. I just wanted to remind you that as believers, we are not to shrink back, we are not to close up shop.
We are called to stand tall, to shine our light, to be the salt, to keep our minds stayed on the Lord, to be bold and to be courageous. And I pray that as you heard these words read over you today, that you would do just that; be bold, be strong for the Lord. Your God is with you wherever you go.
Thanks for listening and I'll see you next time.
