6
THE POWER OF POSITIVE
BELIEVING
The adventure film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade offers us a poor picture of faith as Indy steps off a ledge for what appeared to be a long deadly fall. Instead, after only a few feet, he lands on a pathway of stone, unseen from the ledge above.
· What adventure scene would you use as a picture of faith? Be as specific as possible.
· Faith—believing who God is, what He says and what He does—is vital to the Christian life. It is central to everything we do as Christians—to our daily living, to our spiritual growth and to growing up in Christ. Is believing in God the same as Indiana Jones’s blind leap into nothingness? Explain why you answered yes or no.
· Unlike the riddle makers who choreographed Indy’s adventure, God doesn’t demand blind faith. He doesn’t require that we believe in Him without any evidence at all. How has God shown you—in general as one of His people as well as in very personal ways—that He is worthy of your trust?
Jesus became a man and lived among us, and God’s prophets spoke specifically about the Messiah who would come. Our faith is firmly based on the solid evidence of the life of Jesus Christ and the truth of God’s Word. We didn’t have to jump into a bottomless chasm when we named Him Lord and Savior.
THE DIMENSIONS OF DOWN-TO-EARTH FAITH
Now let’s work on bringing faith out of the mystical realm of the spiritual and into the practical, nuts-and-bolts area of everyday living.
Faith Depends on Its Object. Faith is not simply a matter of believing. It’s what we believe and who we believe in that determines whether or not our faith will be rewarded.
· What are some of the things you put faith in every day? Start your list by thinking about who you’re trusting when, for instance, you ride in a car or grab a burger at the local drive-thru.
· What happens when the object of your faith fails you? How do you feel? What do you think? What happens to your faith? Give several different examples.
· How is faith in Jesus different from faith in the objects and people you listed above?
Jesus Christ is the ultimate faith object. The fact that He never changes makes Him totally trustworthy (see Numbers 23:19; Malachi 3:6; 13:8). He has never failed to do all that He said He would do or be all that He said He would be. He is eternally faithful.
The Depth of Faith Is Determined by the Depth of Your Knowledge of the Object. We struggle with our faith in God when our knowledge of Him is insufficient. Faith in God only fails when we misunderstand God and His ways.
· As you look back on a time when you struggled with your faith in God, what didn’t you understand about Him?
· What did you learn about God through that experience?
· If you want your faith in God to grow, you must increase your understanding of Him. What are you doing to keep growing in your understanding of God?
The only limit to our faith is our knowledge and understanding of God. That knowledge grows every time we read the Bible, memorize a Scripture verse, participate in a Bible study or meditate on a biblical truth. The potential for your faith to grow as you seek to know God is boundless.
Faith Is an Action Word. Faith isn’t just saying, “I believe.” Faith without action is not faith (see James 2:17-18). Faith involves action. Faith makes a move. Faith speaks up.
· Evaluate your faith. Are you a spiritual couch potato or an active-duty soldier following Jesus’ directions? Are you sometimes one and sometimes the other? If so, why? What keeps you stretched out on the couch sometimes (or always)?
· Now think about your participation in church or youth group. Are you treating it like an infirmary or a military outpost? Why?
· God’s people—the Church—exist to be change agents in the world. What are you doing to be actively involved in God’s cause? (Such activity is crucial to a real faith.) What could you be doing to be more actively involved in God’s cause?
“If You Believe You Can, You Can.” Okay, you’re not much into poetry, but read the poem on page 70 one more time anyway.
· When have you seen one or two of the truths of this poem acted out in real life, preferably your life? Be specific.
· How is positive believing different from positive thinking?
Positive believing is as valid as the object of faith, which is the living and written Word of God—Jesus Christ and the Bible. With the all-powerful God of the universe as the object of your Christian faith, there’s hardly any limit to the spiritual heights that your positive believing can take you.
Twenty Cans of Success. Someone has said that success comes in cans and failure in cannots. The “Twenty Cans of Success” will help expand your knowledge of Almighty God and build your faith.
· Read through the “Twenty Cans of Success” again. Which can holds a truth that has helped you in the past? Describe the situation and how that truth was illustrated.
· Think about what’s going on in your life right now. Which can do you need to open today? Let that particular truth shape a quick prayer to God!
The quicksand of cannots is not where believers need to dwell, and the “Twenty Cans of Success” will help you climb out of the mire. Open one or more whenever you need them!
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I STUMBLE
IN MY WALK OF FAITH?
Have you ever felt, after an especially extreme stumble and fall, that God is ready to give up on you? Do you ever fear that you’ve crossed the line and moved beyond the limits of God’s love? Then keep reading! These truths are for you!
God Loves You Just the Way You Are. God’s love is not based on what you do or don’t do. Read that sentence again: God’s love is not based on what you do or don’t do.
· What did you learn about God’s love from Mandy’s discussion with me (Neil)?
· Where in your life have you felt that being loved and accepted is based on what you do or don’t do?
God is different from those situations and people you just identified. God loves you not because you are lovable but because it is His nature to love you. God loves you because God is love. And why not read that again, too? Say it aloud: “God loves me not because I am lovable but because it is His nature to love me. God loves me because God is love.”
God Loves You No Matter What You Do. God wants us to do good, of course. But, through His Son, Jesus, God has already made provision for our failures so that His love continues constant in spite of what we do.
· When have you been able to keep loving someone despite something hurtful he or she did?
· What did this situation teach you about how God loves you?
· When has someone kept on loving you despite something awful, wrong or insensitive you did?
· What did this situation show you about how God loves you?
God will keep on loving you no matter what you’ve done. No matter what you do or how you fail, God has no desire not to love you and accept you completely. Even when you forget who you are as His child and stumble off the path of the Spirit-led life, He still loves you. Again, God loves you simply because it is His nature to love.
START STOMPING!
Get Real! God’s people—the Church—exist to be change agents in the world, taking a stand, living by faith and accomplishing something for God. (Yes, you’ve read those words before, but they’re worth repeating.) Genuine faith is active faith, so let’s get real! Come up with a project that you and a friend, or you and some members of your church youth group, could do to walk your talk in your community. Is there a soup kitchen you could volunteer at? Do some older folks you know need help with yard work or home and car repairs? Does your church need volunteers in the nursery? Look around for projects that you can do, and then go accomplish something for God!
You Can Do It! Get a couple of good-sized pieces of paper (and we don’t mean wimpy 8.5 x 11-inch sheets) and cut out two soup cans. Okay. Next step. Earlier you identified a can that has worked for you and a can that you need right now. Write out in your own words, on one of your paper cans, the can that helped. On the other can, write out the can you need. Take the can that worked to a friend or, better yet, to youth group and be ready to share your story and ready to learn from other people’s stories. Now you can do one of two things with the can that describes what you need. If you’re up to it, share it with someone or several people who will pray for you. If that’s just too risky—and it’s okay if it is—put your can somewhere that you’ll see often so that you’ll get that truth drilled into your brain and will start living the can.
Snip! Snip! Snip! Or an Exercise in (God’s) Forgivenes. Maybe a pair of scissors will help you understand what God has done for you and drive home the truth that God loves you just the way you are, no matter what you’ve done. Cut some 8.5 x 11-inch paper into 8, 10 or 12 smaller pieces (depending on how big you write). On each of these smaller pieces of paper, write one of the ways you’ve failed to be the person you know God wants you to be. Write down all the sins you struggle to forgive yourself for. Write down all the ways you’ve blown it—big time and not so big time. When you’ve finished, let each one be a brief prayer of confession and renunciation. Then cut the piece of paper into the tiniest pieces possible and throw them away. That sin is gone, forgiven by God completely and forever. Okay? He will never hold them against you. Okay!
Your love really is pretty amazing, God. You’ll love me just the way I am and no matter what I do. That’s a pretty good deal for me, and yet sometimes I ignore Your love and do what I want to do instead of what You want me to do. I’m sorry, God. Please forgive me. And please help me learn to trust You more. I need to open those “cans of success” and get to know You better. And, knowing You, I want to get out there and accomplish something for You. Show me what You want me to do and then be with me as I do it. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
STRENGTH GIVERS
These words are for you and about you! As you read each day’s verse, ask yourself, “How would my life be different if I could live out this truth?”—and ask God to help you do so.
| Monday: | Colossians 3:12 |
| Tuesday: | Ephesians 2:10 |
| Wednesday: | Romans 8:31 |
| Thursday: | 1 Peter 5:7 |
| Friday: | John 16:33 |