Day
1: 07/17/2017
Hebrews
11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen.”
Our faith is the present hope and assurance
of a promise received from the Lord. We receive this assurance from God through
His Word and through Him speaking to us, trusting that it will come to life. I
think our faith is developed and stretched by allowing God to take us to the
places that would otherwise seem unrealistic from an earthly perspective. There
are many people mentioned in the Word that lived by great faith. In verse 11,
we are reminded of the faith Sarah had when the Lord promised she would bear a
child and Abraham would be a father to many nations. She was 90 years old when
she conceived, which was physically impossible by all humanly known means. Although
they weren’t able to see the fulfillment of that promise, they lived lives of
faith due to their ability to trust God. Earlier this year I was given the
verse: Luke 1:45 “Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment
of those things which were told her from the Lord.” My faith is solely founded
on my ability to trust the Lord and the plans He has for me to bring Him glory,
because He is good. Prior to coming to IGNITE, I battled with the thought of
the Lord actually calling me out into ministry. The Lord has spoken specific
things to me regarding the plans He has for my future and yet I continue to
doubt. In Psalm 27:13 David states that he would have lost heart had he not
believed he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. When
we look at our current circumstances and hardships, it’s easy to lose sight of
all the Lord has promised us. But through the word of God we are able to have
an increased faith as the Lord reveals His heart for us.
Application: Today I choose to walk
by faith and not by sight. As I go through the IGNITE program, I will continue
to ask the Lord to give me faith even when I begin to lose heart. I will
faithfully walk through all that the Lord puts before me because He is my hope.
I will seek accountability through my roommates whenever I’m feeling doubtful.
Day
2: 07/18/2017
Hebrews
11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God
must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek
Him.”
It doesn’t matter how well we
finish with all that the lord puts us through; He wants our lives to reflect
one that trusts Him with all areas. I played church for many years before fully
surrendering my life to the Lord. In James 2:26 we are told that faith without
works is dead but I believe works without faith are just as dead. A good portion of my life was spent fighting
for myself and doing it all on my own, which was the result of a lack of
knowledge of the Father and His character. I never believed He was the God that
I was taught about in church. Therefore, how could I put my hope and faith in
Him? Thus began my pursuit of the heart of God and I was brought to Jeremiah
29:13 “and you will seek me and find me when you search for me with your whole
heart.” I realized the only way I could come to the saving knowledge of Christ
was by seeking Him with my whole heart. The reward that is mentioned here is
salvation and forgiveness. I was only able to accept who God was once I saw Him
as my Father, Redeemer, Healer, and Savior. 1 John 5:10 says “He who believes in the Son
of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a
liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given His Son.”
Either I believe God is who He says He is, or I call Him a liar.
Jesus is my reward and in Him I put
my faith.
Application: Today I will share my
testimony with one friend and ask the Lord to increase my faith as I’m reminded
of all that the Lord has done in, through, and for me.
Day
3: 07/19/2017
Matthew
8:9-10 “For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I
say to this one ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘come,’ and he comes; and to
my servant, ‘do this,’ and he does it. When Jesus heard it, He marveled and
said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such
great faith, not even in Israel.”
As I looked at the story of the
centurion, I couldn’t help but feel a strong conviction and I asked the Lord immediately
to increase my faith. Prior to knowing the Lord, my older sister would pray
over my family every night. She prayed in faith and in boldness that the Lord
would save us. In the same way, the centurion went before the Lord on behalf of
his beloved servant, knowing the power and authority of Jesus. He had faith
that all Jesus had to do was speak one word and his servant would be healed. Not
even the disciples had as much faith as this centurion. We see in verses 23-27 the
story of the disciples and Jesus on a boat when the seas begin to rage. In fear,
the disciples woke Jesus, thinking sea would consume them. Jesus rebuked the
seas and said “why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” How many times do
we hold back or become fearful instead of trusting Jesus? If I’ll be honest, I
had a hard time leaving my family because I felt it was my duty to lead them to
Christ. Although we are called to be a light wherever we are, I believe we can
become a hindrance when we try to take the salvation of loved ones in our own
hands. It was never meant for me to fight for my family, that is solely the job
of Jesus. He fights for us, intercedes on our behalf, and loves us so
desperately. I was called out to give a year of my life to God. I have faith
that He who began a good work in the Vicovan Clan will bring it to completion
at the day of Jesus Christ.
Application: Today I will pray for
the remainder of my unsaved family members. I will have a roommate keep me
accountable by praying with me.
Day
4: 07/20/2017
Luke
8:22-25 “Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His
disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the
lake.” And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a
windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in
jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are
perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And
they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And
they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He
commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”
As I looked
through this passage, I couldn’t help but notice that Jesus displayed both a picture
of His Deity and His humanity. As they entered the boat Jesus fell asleep and
the seas began to rage. His ability to sleep through that showed his exhaustion
from nonstop ministry. In fear, His disciples quickly woke Him. He rebuked the
seas and they calmed. His power and authority to calm the seas was an image of
His Deity. What struck me more so than anything, was the question that
followed. “Where is your faith?” We are told that faith the size of a mustard
seed can move mountains. I think sometimes we find it hard to cry out to God
because we don’t think He is able to understand us. In Hebrews 4:15-16 we see
that the Lord is able to sympathize with us because he literally walked through
everything we have. Therefore we can boldly come before the throne room of
grace.
Day
5: 07/21/2017
Mark
10:47-49 “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out
and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be
quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So
Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the bling
man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.””
In this passage of
scripture we are told the story of blind Bartimaeus. The disabled were unable
to work, so they were forced to become beggars. Bartimaeus was just outside of Jericho
on the side of the road where Jesus was passing through. When He had heard that
it was Jesus passing, He cried out immediately, knowing the power and authority
of Jesus. He was told to be quiet, yet continued with greater cries to the
Lord. The Lord called for him soon after. When Jesus asked him what he wanted
Him to do, he replied, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Jesus responded,
“Go your way, your faith has made you well.” A couple of things stood out to me
as I examined this passage. One: Bartimaeus did not cease to cry out to the
Lord, even though he was told to stop. Two: When Jesus called Bartimaeus, I
believe He was rebuking those that had attempted to quiet the beggar. Jesus’
heart was and is for the broken and lost. Three: It was the faith of this man
that made him well. I couldn’t help but recall various moments of my life where
I allowed my own thoughts and lack of faith to quiet my cries to the Lord. We
are told in Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to
God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” We need to boldly come before the Lord
in faith with our requests. And Four: Bartimaeus referred to Jesus as Rabboni,
not just Rabbi. We commonly hear the word Rabbi throughout scripture, which simply
refers to a master. After some research, I found that Rabboni is actually an
intensified version of Rabbi. Again, pointing back to Bartimaeus looked to
Jesus as the ultimate master and proceeded to follow Him after he was healed.
Application: Today I will boldly go
before the Lord in prayer and ask that He would begin to heal a part of my
heart I’ve been guarding. I will have Alexa come alongside me to keep me
accountable.
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