When I got the call the whispers were almost as quick as the words coming from my wife as she told me about the mole and what the Korean doctors had said. This was a classical choose “Grace moment” if there ever was one and the smell of battle was thick in the spiritual air – it will be a Great Day!
“Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”’ – Luke 17:18-19
Faith is slapped in the face every moment we forget Who we have Faith in! Faith is killed when we set expectations for His actions and then grow bitter when God doesn’t perform like a circus monkey for us!
When I was 8 years old my dad who I thought was the greatest man that ever lived nicked a mole while shaving and that simple act was the start of a decent into Hell for me! That decent would eventually become the single greatest blessing of my life but then that has been my life’s journey and right now I want to focus on Faith!
As a result of my early experience moles and cancer have a Very good voice point for satan and as a result a Great Faith point for God. What this looks like is that it is very easy for me to start to slip into non-Trust and therefore non-Rest in Him when anything like moles, cancer, hospitals or doctors come into play. Thus knowing this it is easy to detect the voices that will call me one way and then the other!
You probably have something similar – if I may let me show you why this is Great! This is the same reason why it’s easier for hookers to enter the kingdom than it is for religious people!
1. When you struggle with your Faith Point – Slow Down! The thing that satan wants you to do is speed up and see the worst case scenario! This is one reason why I practice meditation Daily! Meditation is not there to erase thoughts just to help you observe them!
2. When you struggle with your Faith Point – Breathe Deep! This is physiological to release stress and spiritually to remember yet another Amazing Gift from God – This beautiful moment you have been given!
3. When you struggle with your Faith Point – Look Up! It is easy especially with the screams of the moment (satan) to forget Who He Is and What He has done and that Every moment of Life is a Gift – But this is where your Rest is complete – NOT in the healing or the outcome! You see choosing Christ as crazy as this sounds means choosing that the outcome Will Be His even if it humanly hurts its spiritually good!
4. When you struggle with your Faith Point – Get Centered! Center for me is this – God Is Love, God Is In Complete Control, I am no longer under law because of Christ I am under Absolute Grace, God Radically Loves me, God Radically Loves You! If I have to stop for a few minutes and meditate through this I will – I have done it in airports, hospitals and bomb shelters – its actually a great place for many to ask me about God’s Grace!
My point here is when you get that whatever happens flowed through Him and you get Who He Is – ITS ALL GOOD – no matter what the outcome and just like the one leper out of ten – be Thankful for the growth that came through a little Faith and grew into a Huge Faith!
Breathe in and say:
“Abba”
Breathe out and say:
“I belong to You”
Thank you Brennan Manning for a Great meditation to bring us back to The Center – The God Who Is Love beyond human understanding!
