Are You A Fighting Faith Survivor?

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 (NIV)

Facing yet another huge health crisis I said to my wife, hoping to encourage her: “We have been through a lot, but we are survivors.” The truth of those words still ring in my ears. Through the power and presence of Jesus Christ we are survivors fighting the good fight of faith.

Faith is realizing that I am useful to God not in spite of my scars but because of them. –Pamela Reeve, author

We all have scars. Some are internal, and others external. Our scars mark us as spiritual warriors. Only those who refuse to fight are free of scars. Hope and faith enables us to get back up when we are knocked down, even when we know we are going to get hurt, suffer hardship, and endure pain and suffering.

Faith is a battle. Faith is not easy. Faith requires us to stand fast not because of circumstances, but in spite of our circumstances. Faith is a hard choice, one we make when it would be easier to quit, give up, or just lay down and die.

The first time I had major colon surgery I had no clue what was going to happen. My ignorance shielded me from knowing what I would have to endure, yet even having the surgery was itself a leap of faith. Facing the likelihood of going through a very similar surgery again, in some ways it is worse because now I know what I will have to endure this time and the challenge of the recovery after major surgery. The first time surgery was blind faith, the second time will be knowing what is involved, yet trusting the Lord will help me to survive and overcome yet again with faith.

Whether we fight the fight of faith with understanding or ignorance of our circumstances, the important thing is that we keep on fighting the good fight of faith, trusting that Jesus will see us through yet again. For we are fighting faith survivors.

Prayer: Dear Lord, these constant battles leave us worn and weary, yet we continue to fight the good fight of faith trusting that You are not only with us, but You will help us to survive and thrive no matter what comes our way. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2017

Is Death The Final Answer?

I know you will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living. Job 30:23 (NIV)

There is a saying: “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.”

Some people believe that death ends everything, that there is nothing after death. Some badly depressed people believe that death is the answer to ending all their problems. And many people, especially Christians, believe that death leads to eternity with God.

Christians look forward to, and long to be with Jesus, yet we are in no hurry to die, and we may even fear dying. To be separated from our body is a scary proposition. Yet I have been to the place where it is scarier to imagine suffering continually with a badly broken body than to leave it behind and be with Jesus.

Jesus came to set us free from the fear of death:

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15 (NIV)

Living can be a scary proposition, and dying can be an even scarier proposition. But knowing that Jesus is in our hearts, in our lives, can give us strength for living. And knowing that Jesus will be there to meet us when we die should give every believer hope and reduce the fear of dying.

We live in a broken world with broken bodies. It is easy to get discouraged and even depressed due to our many afflictions. Yet if we can hold onto the hope that Jesus gives to those who have faith in Him and trust Him with both their lives and deaths, we need not live in fear of living or dying. Death is not the “answer”, Jesus is the answer:

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. Philippians 1:20 (NIV)

Whether we live or die we belong to Jesus. He will give us strength to live, and peace to die in His own time and according to His own will. We must be patient in our afflictions and courageous in the face of death for we are more than conquerors through Him (Romans 8:37).

Prayer: Dear Lord, whether by life or death, help us to honor you and keep a good testimony of faithfulness, pleasing You always in all things. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2017

We All Have Our Gifts

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

Years ago I went fishing often, and I am a pretty good fisherman. Most of the time whatever I catch I throw back into the water. I am no chef and I prefer catching to cooking. We have a local pond that is stocked every year with trout. They want the trout caught and kept by the fishermen as it is a temporary stocking and they do not want the fish to stay in the pond.

After a trout stocking event I went fishing and there were lots of people fishing side by side. I found myself fishing beside a fellow who was a chef at a restaurant. He had no luck with the trout, but soon I found myself with four nice trout in my bucket. He had been telling me all the ways and details of preparing trout and he had my mouth watering as he clearly had skills as a chef. But sadly, he was no fisherman. In the end I gave him my fish as he had none, for clearly he knew how to do them justice by cooking them nicely.

We should each learn to know our gifts and admit the areas where we are lacking. Sometimes we can improve ourselves in areas where we are weak, but one who has a gift cannot be denied. We should recognize our gifts and use them, and make way for others in areas we are not gifted in.

Jesus intends for the church, the body of Christ, to function according to each member's gifts and abilities. If a preacher is doing daycare work, and the daycare worker is preaching, things are not running efficiently. If a deacon is teaching and a teacher is doing the work of a deacon, again, this is not optimal. Some have money to give, and some are in need. Some are good at comforting others, and some need to be silent. Know your gifts, for when the church has everyone operating in their best place and purpose, it is a beautiful thing to behold and advances the work of Christ.

No gift is unimportant. If the person who directs traffic at a megachurch is not doing his or her job, you have a traffic jam and the preacher has no one to preach to.

No member of a church is to be looked down upon and no gift belittled. God has given each of us talents and we need to use them to help His body grow and function. The stay at home mom or dad may be raising the next Billy Graham. The struggling single parent is teaching their children the importance of hard work and fortitude in a difficult situation. Too often we dismiss our abilities as small and unnecessary. We must never do that. God can and does use His children in various ways for His own purposes.

When you are tempted to believe you have nothing to offer God or anyone else, why not instead ask God to show you ways to help others and to bring out your gifts for ministering to those in need?

Even those of us who have illnesses and disabilities have something to offer. Be open to ways of helping those around you, even small acts of kindness can go far in making the difference in someone’s day.

    

Prayer: Dear Lord, show us how You want us to minister to others and give us the strength and courage to do so. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2017

Have You Been Red-Pilled?

These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Colossians 2:17 (NIV)

In the movie “The Matrix” a man named Neo is given the choice to remain as he is, unchanged, or to have his eyes opened unto reality. If He takes the blue pill nothing changes, yet if he takes the red pill everything will be changed.

I see this terminology used on conservative message boards and forums. They say that someone who was a liberal and wakes up to the dangers of liberalism, becoming a conservative, has been “red-pilled”.

In a much bigger way everyone who becomes a Christian is red-pilled. We are awakened to our sinful, lost state of being, and we are reborn with eyes fully opened to truth and a new reality. We are red-pilled in the best possible way.

With our eyes wide open we can see beyond today’s pain and misery, beyond the struggles and disappointments in life. We can recognize that we live in an imperfect sin-sick world that is not permanent and was never meant to be. Likewise we abide in imperfect, sick, diseased bodies that are impermanent dwellings that are short-lived.

Nevertheless one day we will have a reborn body to match our reborn spirit. What is temporary will give way to the permanent, the broken and impure to the whole and everlasting. We were made for glory, and having been “red-pilled” our perspective has changed. We look beyond what can be seen to the unseen, the great promise of glory awaiting us because of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, let us never forget all that You have done for us, and help us to never get our eyes so focused on this world and its problems that we fail to realize something better awaits us in Your kingdom. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2017