Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: faith

What Sort Of Man Is This

Faith

What Sort of Man Is This

And the men (disciples) marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8:27‬

A Marvelous Man

Jesus calmed the wind and waves and the disciples were in complete astonishment.  They had just witnessed a miracle. They went from fearful to fascination in matter of seconds.  The disciples thought they were going to drown but instead they saw God in action.  It’s like the fans in the stands that are praying for a miracle and then their favorite team suddenly wins in the last seconds and they are stuck in disbelief.  Why are we in disbelief when God does something so amazing?  Especially when we are praying for it.

This same event is paralleled in Mark 4:35-41.  The disciples woke Jesus and said, “do you not care that we are perishing?”  I wonder how many times we think in our minds that God does not care about what we are facing?  Believe me, He cares!  He cares about the big stuff and he cares about the small stuff.  How awful it is for a child of God to think He doesn’t care for His own.

The disciples realized at that very moment that they were in the presence of God.  God was in the boat.  Now they know Jesus is God.  This truth was revealed to them and they knew they were following the true Messiah.  How awesome to know that the One who has power over nature is living inside our life and will do supernatural wonders that will make us marvel.  If you believe in God’s love and power you can weather any storm that comes your way.

Read Psalm 107:23-31 and be marveled.

Prayer

Pray Psalm 107:30 and “thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”

The Lord Is With You

Encouragement

The Lord Is With You

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him (Gideon) and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.
‭‭Judges‬ ‭6:12‬

Mighty Man of What?

At first Gideon was not a man of valor (courage), he was weak and cowardly.  In fact, he was the smallest and youngest of his family and would be the least of many to be called a warrior.  What’s ironic about this passage of Scripture is the angel spoke these words to Gideon while he was underground hiding in fear of the Midianites robbing and killing him. But God had something special in store for Gideon.

God called upon Gideon to rise up when the Israelites finally cried out to the Lord for help after suffering seven years of punishment for worshipping Baal.  It wasn’t long after the Israelites were living comfortably in the Promise Land that they turned their back on God and broke the First Commandment.  Now it was time for Gideon to be the man God was going to use to save the Israelites from the Midianites.

Gideon led an army of 300 Israelites into victory by blowing trumpets, smashing clay pots, holding up torches and raising their voices (Judges 7:20).  The Midianites were defeated and Gideon never had to raise the first sword.

Gideon is a great example of God using the least of many to do great and wonderful things.  No matter your position or calling you are someone God wants to use.  He wants to use the ordinary to do extraordinary things to show His mightiness.  Never underestimate your usefulness because God wants to do amazing things through you.

Prayer

Pray for God to use your life to show others what a mighty God you serve.

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A Joyous Perspective

Encouragement, Faith

A Joyous Perspective

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-3‬

Dealing With Difficulties

When was the last time you had a smile on your face when you were dealing with the difficulties of life?  Never!

Of course it’s easy to praise the Lord when things are going well.  It’s actually a very nice situation to be in.  But what about when God tests our faith and trust with the things that are near and dear to us?

We can experience joy when we endure trials and suffering as long as we have the right perspective. Praising the Lord for the suffering and trials we face reflects how we view God.  God uses our trials to purify and perfect us. We must always remember that God does not delight in seeing His children suffer.

I once heard a talk radio show host say that he called his brother on the phone to pray for him after he had recently lost his job and then seriously injured his back.  He said he was praying for God to remove the pain and suffering from his life.  But the brother replied and said, “I don’t want the pain and suffering to be removed until I have learned what God wants me to learn from it.”  Now that is a joyous perspective.

Prayer

Wouldn’t you love for God to tell you why you go through certain trials?  Well, you can and you need to. Pray for God to reveal his plans and purposes to you.  Pray for the ones you know who are going through some difficult times.