Faith

November 20, 2018 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Faith and Children

Faith and Children

Our home has several crawl spaces that are accessible on the second floor. Small doors open to a secret world kids love to explore. As adults, we know these spaces as the attic.

Our grandchildren are ready to crawl and walk through this secret world without reservation. In fact, one of our grandsons said, “Grandpa, you live in a castle!”

As for me, I enter these spaces cautiously. For some reason, I don’t trust the plywood and massive joists to hold me up. I envision falling through to the floor below. My fear is unfounded, but real.

All my grandchildren are less fearful that I am! They’ll play in the attic with no fear at all while I’m afraid to go in. How’s that for being humbled?

In my walk with God, I wish I had the faith of a five-year-old. A five-year-old believes, no questions asked.

The same “attic fear” creeps into my life. I’m sure you have some of that, too. These might be some of your fearful thoughts . . .

“Lord, are we going to make it financially this month?”

“God, my kids are turning away from you.”

“Father, please make this pain be nothing serious.”

Our God is trustworthy. We know that. So why do we doubt God when the stuff of life hits?  Why is our faith shaky?

How can I have the faith of a five-year-old?

I think the solution is to know God for who he is. That may sound simple . . . because it is.

We have a habit of making God in our image. We won’t openly admit it, but we think of God as limited.

Here is who God really is.

Eternal. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8 NIV)

Trustworthy and faithful. “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV)

Giver of everlasting life. “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.’” (John 11:25)

Powerful. “For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?” (2 Samuel 22:32 NIV)

Lord of all. “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” (Psalm 147:4-5 NIV)

Love and loving. “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love.” (I John 4:16)

Good. “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.” (Psalm 86:5 ESV)

This is the God who is at the center of our faith. It’s dangerous when we wander away from these truths and see God as weak, incapable, finite and not worthy of our trust. How tragic.

Immerse yourself in the true God. Study the verses above. Think about them. Let the reality of who God is sink in. He is the one you can always turn to.

(From my upcoming book, Your Life With God: 30 Days of Faith. Releasing January 1).

November 6, 2018 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Faith and the 5,000

Faith and the 5,000

The feeding of the 5,000 is one of the most famous miracles in the New Testament. If you were there to witness it, wouldn’t your faith be solid and thriving for the rest of your life?

The disciples were there with front row seats, yet their faith waned in the future. But that’s another story.

Today, let’s look at this miraculous event as if you were there yourself. Among other things, Jesus used this to teach his disciples about faith . . . in him.

Here’s how the lesson progressed, as told in Luke 9 (NIV):

Stating the problem. The disciples saw the crowd and were helpless to feed the 5,000.
“Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provision, for we are here in a desolate place,” they said.

Solving the problem. Jesus responded, “You give them something to eat.” I can imagine dead silence for a few moments as the disciples looked at each other, confused and bewildered. “In all due respect, sir . . .” would be today’s translation. They actually restated the problem and offered a solution, “Unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” In reality, they knew that was financially impossible.

Jesus comes alongside. We serve a loving God who doesn’t leave us on our own and say, “Get it done!” He joins us in our faith struggles. Jesus took the lead and gave this simple instruction, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” It wasn’t a mind-blowing, life-altering request. It simply showed the disciples that he was in there with them and that he had a plan. They needed that reassurance, so they followed his direction and organized this massive crowd.

Jesus performs a miracle. We know the rest of the story. The catering truck showed up out of nowhere and everyone was fed. Actually, we don’t know how Jesus did it. What we are told is that “they all ate and were satisfied.” Somehow, the supply of five fish and two loaves of bread never diminished. Show me that trick, David Copperfield!

Can you imagine the buzz in the crowd? Or the offline conversations the disciples had as they served the food?  “John, can you believe this is happening? I wonder what’s going on in Peter’s quadrant?”

Jesus wants to join you in your faith struggles. He loves to immerse himself in your problems.  He doesn’t want to be a spectator on the outside and leave you on your own.

Your prayer may sound something like this:

“Jesus, I have a problem. And I’ve been facing it on my own. Today, I want to let you in. I call on you to work your will and your miraculous power. I know you fed the 5,000 and I don’t know how you did it. Thank you for joining me in my challenge today. I trust in You.”

(From my upcoming devotional, Your Life With God: 30 Days of Faith. Releases January 1).

October 30, 2018 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Faith and Family

Faith and Family

Why do we have the hardest time sharing our faith with family members? We want them to come to know Jesus, but we don’t know quite what to say. Or when a golden opportunity arises, we say the wrong thing. Sometimes, we even create conflict and arguments.

Can I make a suggestion? It’s not what you say. It’s what you do. Show them Jesus.

This blog centers on our life with God. Our faith walk is a result of our relationship with Christ.

If you have a strong, vibrant, fresh relationship with Christ, you’ll show Jesus to the ones you love most. There’s no way around it. They’ll notice the fruit of the Spirit in your life.

It almost always takes a long time for a loved one to come to Christ. You must be willing to endure years as you show them Jesus. Instead of being frustrated with their way of life, be the light of Christ to them. Consistency over a long period of time is the genuine faith they will recognize.

You might not think you’re having an impact at the time, but hang in there. They’ll notice.

Sure, it’s a lot easier to talk about Jesus than it is to show Jesus consistently. Our family members know us best, so they quickly see the sin in our life. They notice hypocrisy.

It comes down to how we’re nurturing ourselves in our relationship with the Lord. Be careful here, because I’m not talking about doing all the right things to be a good Christian. I’m saying that you must feed your faith if you expect to be the light of Christ to your family.

How are you doing with internalizing the Word of God? How’s it going connecting with the Lord in extended times of prayer? Are you being taught the Word in church and/or small group? Are you being mentored in your faith?

This isn’t a list of to do’s. This is a survival list when it comes to your faith.

If the salvation of your unsaved family members is a desire of your heart, begin with your walk with God. Then you’ll show them Jesus.

And at God’s appointed time, they’ll come to you. It may be in a crisis. It could be when they’re searching. Or it may simply be a random discussion on faith.

Prepare yourself by nurturing your relationship with God.

(From my upcoming devotional, Your Life With God: 30 Days of Faith. Releasing January 1).

October 23, 2018 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Faith and Fear

Faith and Fear

“Fear not, for I am with you.” (Isaiah 41:10 ESV)

My wife and I were at a crossroads two years ago that defined our faith.

She was diagnosed with cancer. The word itself can send chills up and down your spine. It stops you in your tracks. It puts life on hold.

Fear tried to show up, as it often does when cancer strikes. If you’ve been there, you know what I mean.

Miraculously, God spared us from fear. I can’t explain it. I can’t say our faith was so well grounded it couldn’t be shaken by the news of cancer. However, I do know that was part of the reason.

So you don’t assume we are some super-faith couple, I will tell you we experienced many other hard emotions. Like trauma, discouragement, heartache and sorrow. Thankfully not all at once!

We had a choice. Would we let God into our experience, or would we bear cancer on our own?

We invited God to walk with us. We experienced his presence through his Holy Spirit, the Bible, each other and hundreds of other friends. We were not alone.

Cancer isn’t the only thing that can bring fear into our lives. I could list a dozen other things and so could you.

Fear paralyzes our faith. Other than unforgiveness, I can’t think of anything that puts an instant deep-freeze on our faith.

Why is that?

Fear is most often tied to the unknown. My wife and I had never done cancer before, so as we walked through it, we rarely knew what was next.

Your teenager is out with the car at night. You fear what could happen out on the road. When he pulls into the driveway, there’s immediate relief.

Things are unstable at work and many co-workers have been laid off. Could you be next? How will you provide for your family? Where will the next job come from? An unknown future can cause fear.

The doctor ran tests and you won’t get the results for three days. Those three days can be agonizing if you let fear take over. It’s hard not to!

The key to chasing out fear is to invite Jesus into your experience. Then your faith can thrive. It’s the only way.

Jesus himself said, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20 ESV)

He comes into our situation with his perfect love. Then we experience this truth: “Perfect love casts out fear.” (I John 4:18 ESV) God is The Perfect Love that expels fear from our life.

When you live in God’s perfect love, there’s no room for fear.

The darkest, most fearful experiences don’t have to be absent the love of Christ. He will banish your fear.

Invite Jesus into your fears. Please don’t go down this road without him.

(From my upcoming devotional, Your Life With God: 30 Days of Faith. Releasing January 1.)

Scroll to top