bold faith – Page 3 – Be Still…

Jeremiah 20:7-18 – Jeremiah Snaps!

man with his hands holding his face with expression of apparent desperation

All along I have been amazed at Jeremiah’s fortitude in staying strong. God has been giving him extremely difficult messages to share as well as employing teachable moments to warn the people. Jeremiah continues to be dutiful in his mission despite any exhaustion or frustration. But in today’s reading, it seems he’s had enough!

Jeremiah’s brutal honesty is striking as he cries out to God. We can only begin to imagine the emotions coursing through his veins. He’s desperate, feeling he’s on display. Jeremiah believes he’s been overtaken and even misled by God. Have you ever felt such anguish in your faith journey? Have you ever questioned God’s intentions or whether he was even listening?

Micah 7:1-6 – Loneliness

Read Micah 7:1-6

lonely man sitting on a bench with his back to us

The life of a prophet can be lonely, especially when “the godly people have all disappeared.” It’s getting to be the same for us Christ-followers these days. Do you ever feel like you’re in the minority because of your faith? Perhaps you’ve been ridiculed in some way or even “unfriended” on social media. These are trying times, to be sure. While I’m not a prophet, I am an ambassador for Christ and that can also be very lonely.

If we take Micah’s example and keep doing what we’re called to do (tell people about Jesus), then we can appear confident, sure of God’s protection. Micah had an unpopular message from God, and rather than hide it, he exposed it. We don’t have Micah’s job but imagine all the flaming darts being flung at you right now, and then realize God is deflecting most of them. The spiritual battle is real.

Amos 7:1-9 – Visions from God

Read Amos 7:1-9

one hand holding a model of earth reaching toward an empty hand with the universe sky displayed in the background

Have you ever had a vision from God? I’ve had friends describe in detail dreams they have had, confident the message is from God. Personally, I remember the night when I heard a voice in my head plainly say, “you’re going to write for me!” I knew it was God. I was already blogging every day, but God seemed to want more. It wasn’t long after that we published the first volume in the Devotions on the Go! series.

When God uses you, it feels so good. It’s like you forget who you are for a bit and remember “whose” you are. Such an honor; the greatest honor! What do you think Amos was feeling when he had these visions from God?

1 Corinthians 4:1-13 – How Are You Treated?

Read 1 Corinthians 4:1-13

Are you vocal about your faith or do you keep it quiet? Many people feel it’s “safer” to keep their faith under wraps when it comes to their public life. Our private lives are a different story. What happens behind closed doors is just that–unseen by others. In essence, we are keeping the best “secret” of all hidden. How does that make sense?

Jesus’ saving grace is available for all. Why aren’t we shouting it from the rooftops? Why? Because somebody would probably call the cops or admissions at the “funny farm.” Sadly, we’ve all seen people who are overly enthusiastic about their faith and their actions are anything but “attractive.” Even to us as fellow believers!

2 Kings 5:1-19 – When My Faith is Weak

Read 2 Kings 5:1-19

two cuddly teddy bears facing away from the camera, one with it's arm around the other

There will be times in life when our faith will waver. Circumstances will confuse us and cause us to question everything we know or believe. It’s in those times we need to be surrounded by others with strong faith who can see clearly what is happening, despite our own spiritual blindness.

The story of Naaman has so many rich truths for us to cling to. What spoke loudest to me today was that Naaman’s men had the faith, or at least the wisdom, to calm Naaman’s anger to do as he had been told by the prophet, Elisha. Because of the encouragement of his men, Naaman was healed and his mission into Samaria was a success.