Notes of Faith November 19, 2024

Notes of Faith November 19, 2024

Good Answers

I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

2 Timothy 1:12

Peter Byrom became a confirmed atheist while reading Richard Dawkins’ book The God Delusion. But then he discovered a group of Christian thinkers who presented convincing reasons why believing in God was logical and why faith could be intellectually credible. Cracks began appearing in his atheism. “Intellectually the barriers to belief were coming down and the questions being answered,” he said. When a friend of his became a Christian, Peter saw the changes that happened in his life. Peter’s mind became convinced of the truthfulness of Christianity, and his heart followed.1

Sometimes we have hard questions. That’s okay. God welcomes honest questions that can help us grow in our faith! He has good answers. It’s good to look for answers from knowledgeable sources. But use wisdom with regard to whom you speak. You wouldn’t want to harm another’s faith with your own doubts.

The Lord will strengthen your faith as you sincerely seek Him and His wisdom.

“Don’t be conned.” Faith is not “belief without evidence” as Dawkins says, but is “placing your trust in what the evidence shows you.”

Peter Byrom

1. Gavin Matthews, “Disillusioned With Dawkins: My Journey From Atheism to Christianity,” Solas, February 4, 2019.

Romans chapter 10

Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For not knowing about the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the [a]end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of law: “The man who does these things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘Who will go down into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 [b]that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, [c]leading to righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, [d]leading to salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes upon Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him, 13 for “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 And how will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim good news of good things!”

16 However, they did not all heed the [e]good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Mankind cannot respond to God without the Spirit of God working in his heart upon hearing the “truth”, the Word of God!

We pray for God to draw people to Himself, to soften their hardened hearts, to submit to a glory higher than their own, and come in repentance and faith to the holy and righteous Son of God, seeking forgiveness and salvation. This we should pray for all people God creates, and be a further blessing to those God puts within our sphere of influence. Come to Jesus. You will be transformed from death to life, a new creature, one who will escape the judgment of unbelief and enter into the blessing prepared by God for all those who seek His face and His will in their lives. May God grant you an open heart to hear His voice calling your name today!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 18, 2024

Notes of Faith November 18, 2024

Don’t Guard in Vain

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Psalm 127:1

“Who will take the first watch?” We hear that phrase often in films depicting armies or other groups in conflict. The modern word for the person standing guard is sentry; the ancient (biblical) word was watchman. Different words but the same purpose: to provide protection by watching for and warning of the approach of those who would do harm.

In the Old Testament, when cities had walls and gates, the watchmen would stand atop the walls or gates in order to see anyone who approached the city. Watchmen would even patrol the streets of the city during the night (2 Samuel 18:24-27; Song of Solomon 5:7; Isaiah 21:11-12). The psalmist used the image of the watchman to describe God as the true protector of the family (Psalm 127). Unless God stands guard, our best efforts are “in vain.” How do we enlist God to be our family watchman? By prayer, by adhering to His Word, and by clothing our family in the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).

Trust God to protect your family by dedicating each member to Him for His glory.

Trust God in the faith that He gives you and pray for His watch over you and your family. Being obedient to His Word, and often in prayer are the weapons of our warfare with those who would tear down and destroy the lives that God has given in our heritage. May you be blessed to see your children and children’s children come to faith in Jesus and follow Him intimately as you walk this life with them.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 17, 2024

Notes of Faith November 17, 2024

Worship That Makes Dead Things Alive

Read Ezekiel 37:1–10.

I’m writing this on the heels of a really discouraging conversation. A friend I love has lost his faith in God — in His love, in His Word, in His existence.

His arrival at this place wasn’t sudden. It involved a journey of both of us watching the things he held precious get taken away. This loss includes watching what he thought his life was going to be give way over the years to what his life has become. As I listened to him, and as I ponder it now, I have nothing but empathy and sadness for him. To be honest, I’m cheating an eye upward — an accusatory side-glance to Heaven:

God, where were You? God, where are You?

I’m searching for a metaphor for what I’m feeling. I started with the picture of me standing by my friend’s hospital bed, hearing the beeping of the machines that are keeping him on life support. But that metaphor doesn’t go far enough. There’s still a bit too much hope in a situation like that. Really, it feels like I’m standing at my friend’s graveside. Past the point of hope.

A lot of people who come through the doors of the church carry dire stories in their hearts, often sealed in a chamber just under the surface. They might be like me — carrying the burden of the spiritual death of a loved one. Or they might be carrying their own deadness or the grief of a dead situation. Either way, it’s a feeling of utter hopelessness. It’s not 99 percent despair and 1 percent hope. It’s not life support. It’s death.

Sometimes we must strain through tears to remember that God works with dead things.

Dead things even seem to be God’s choice creative raw materials. The prophet Ezekiel shows us this. At the end of this story stands a strong, healthy army, but the raw materials aren’t wounded soldiers but bones. And the Bible wants to make it doubly clear how dead these raw materials are. These are dry bones. No tissue, no life, no moisture left.

Sometimes we must strain through tears to remember that God works with dead things.

So how does God do it? Well, He does it through a regular feature of a worship service: the proclamation of the Word of God. God interrogates Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel’s answer is funny: “O Lord God, You know.” It sounds like a respectful way of saying, “Of course not! They’re bones! But I’m not about to say that to You, because You’re God.” And so God tells Ezekiel to proclaim, to prophesy. And as God’s Spirit moves Ezekiel to proclaim the Word of the Lord, dead things come alive.

It takes the rest of the Bible to fill out just how this moment worked. We must journey to the other end of the Scriptures to realize that any and all death-raising comes from the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God (John 1:1) and whom Paul calls the “firstfruits” of all subsequent resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). When Ezekiel prophesied, he was ultimately preaching the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ — who He is and what He has done. This is what hearing the Word of the Lord always ultimately means.

Worship services, at their best, are always held at gravesides.

God loves camping out with His people in valleys of dry bones. Why? Because worship services are places of prophecy, Spirit-filled locations where the Word of God can be unleashed to do resurrection work. Worship songs and hymns that sing the Word and allude to the Word; prayers saturated with the Word; sermons that preach the Word; sacraments and ordinances that give the Word to our five senses — they’re all, through the Spirit, packed with resurrection power.

Sometimes a service filled with that Word reminds our despairing hopelessness that there is hope, even at a graveside. When we’re reminded of the power of the resurrecting Word, we’re filled with hope that God can take the dead things in the world and bring them to life again. And so we can turn to prayer, particularly to ask the Holy Spirit to unleash the Word to faithfully do this hope-giving, life-inspiring work. And maybe, just maybe, a resurrection will be waiting for us on the other side of our dry-boned valleys.

Excerpted from Before We Gather by Zac Hicks, copyright Zachary M. Hicks.

I worry about many people who “seem” to lose their faith and trust in God, because of what I see or don’t see in them. But God is the only One who knows the heart. He will lose none that belong to Him. If the one we worry about came to Christ in true believing faith, God having received such one into His family will never let Him go. We must trust God and His Word that tells us once we are in His hand there is nothing that could take us out of it. We may be looking a someone in despair of great loss…could there have been anyone that lost all more than Job? He could have cursed God and died. But indeed, God does bring dead things back to life, for you and I were dead in our trespasses and sin and would never have even considered coming to Christ were it not for the Father drawing us to Himself, making us alive in our Spirit, making us new and whole through faith in Jesus. Yes, we may worry. But God is faithful to fulfill all of His promises. We need not worry so much…we need to trust God and pray for His will to be done. We will be very surprised at what we find in heaven when we meet our time to join Him there.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 16, 2024

Notes of Faith November 16, 2024

The Excellent Way of God

In this psalm, David recounted all the great things God had done for him. His gratitude overflowed into a litany of praise. God had been his Rock, fortress, shield, and Savior.

He had given David protection from enemies, answers to his prayers, and strength to endure. He had steadied his feet, straightened his path, and lightened his darkness.

It’s no secret that David was far from perfect. He messed up and sinned in pretty major ways, but he also strove to remain obedient and faithful with God as his refuge and strength. Through sickness and attacks, distress and discouragement, David kept turning his attention to God, remembering the ways God loved and delighted in him. This act of recounting God’s mercy and goodness helped David recognize God’s faithfulness and remain on His path.

This act of remembering, of turning and returning our thoughts to all the excellent ways of God, remains a valuable practice for us today, helping us notice how God is working and moving in our lives, and giving us courage to keep trusting in His faithful love to keep walking in His perfect way.

Silence

Begin with a time of silence.

Still your body... Slow your breathing... Quiet your mind.

Focus on being fully present in this moment, right here, right now.

Focus on being fully present in this moment, right here, right now.

Opening Prayer

All-sufficient Lord,

As the light of dawn breaks through the darkness, may the light of Your love break through my doubts and fears, revealing a landscape of grace, every shadow in the shade of Your presence.

I invite You to speak to me, to search my heart and shape my life. Show me what is excellent.

Open my eyes to see You.

Open my ears to hear Your voice. Open my heart to receive Your Word. Open my hands to accept whatever You give.

Draw close to me, Lord, as I draw close to You.

Amen.

Read & Meditate

Read through the Bible passage three times, taking time to pause and pray and quietly listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart.

God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength, and He makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights. He trains my hands for battle; He strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.

You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me; Your help has made me great. You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping. — Psalm 18:30–36

Excerpted from Present in Prayer by Jennifer Tucker, copyright Jennifer Tucker.

I struggle with righteousness and holiness and pursuing God with all my heart every day. I find a soothing peace when I am in God’s Word. I recommend that you be in it as often as you are able…certainly no less than daily. Everything that we need to make it through each day is contained in God’s Word through command or example of the lives written therein. What did you read about today? What are you going to read about today?

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 15, 2024

Notes of Faith November 15, 2024

The Messy Home

[God] is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

Ephesians 3:20

Ever since Adam and Eve, families have been messy. Even the best of families encounter stress and complications. Our deepest hurts often involve our deepest loves. The Lord knows all about that. His own earthly family—the Church—can be messy too. What do we do when things are not going well?

We cannot control other people, but we can bring our own lives under the Spirit’s control. We can ask Him for patience, for influence, for the ability to minister grace to grief. We can leave our deepest burdens with Him, remembering the words of Luke 18:1, that we “always ought to pray and not lose heart.”

In building a successful family, you must put God at the head of it—the center of everything. Ask God to take control, and let it begin with allowing Him total control over your own life. Ask for greater measures of the fruit of the Spirit, qualities like love, joy, patience, kindness, faithfulness, and self-control. We must draw on God’s grace and rely on His timely intervention. The Lord is certainly more able than we are—“exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”

In a Christian home, there’s something special. It’s called grace.

Robert Wolgemuth

He is able, more than able,

To accomplish what concerns me today

He is able, more than able,

To handle anything that comes my way

He is able, more than able,

To do much more than I could ever dream

He is able, more than able,

To make me what He wants me to be

Messy yes, but God is in control of my life. I belong to Him. He will lead me and bring me home, complete and perfect in Christ. I pray this is true for all who read this…KNOW that you belong to the Lord. You may be able to fool yourself and others, but you cannot fool God. He knows who belongs to Him. Are you one of His sheep? If not, or you are not sure, repent of your sin, pray for forgiveness and the salvation that is only available through Jesus Christ. Come to Him today, you may not be able to tomorrow.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith Novembere 14, 2024

Notes of Faith November 14, 2024

Mountain Peaks of Pearl

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23

In Streams in the Desert, James Smetham is quoted as saying, “I suspect that the source of every bit of sorrow in my life can be traced to simple unbelief. If I truly believe the past is totally forgiven, the present is supplied with power, and the future is bright with hope, how could I be anything but completely happy?”1

Heb 10:19-25

19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Could it really be as simple as that? Yes, but we must grow in faith. Jesus looked at some people and marveled at the weakness of their faith; others impressed Him with their great faith. As we spend time in His Word connecting His promises to our problems, we grow in faith. As the trials of life drive us to His throne in prayer, we grow in faith. As we learn to look to Him rather than just at our circumstances, we grow in faith.

If you’re in trouble, acknowledge God’s reliability and admit fear. Then take your burdens to the Lord, knowing He is encamped around you. He will fortify you to rejoice in the past, the present, and the future He is overseeing for your good.

[God’s] faithfulness stands firm and is prominent as mountain peaks of pearl splitting the clouds of eternity.

James Smetham

1 L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1997), 249.

The heavenly perspective of eternity makes all things bearable, able to endure, even brings joy, no matter the circumstance. We go through many trials and troubles, suffering, pain, grief… Jesus experienced all of these as well and did not sin against God. We only want the good of life and not the bad. Our Old Testament speaks of Job who had much and lost everything (because of Satan) and yet he did not curse God. “The Lord gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” God’s perspective of our immediate circumstance is not an end to His plan for our life. We will endure. We will overcome. We will be victorious over death and sin through faith in Jesus Christ! Seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus every day! Draw close to Him and He will draw close to you!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 13, 2024

Notes of Faith November 13, 2024

Distress

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress.

Psalm 4:1

Stress is bad, but distress is worse. In Genesis 32:7, Jacob was greatly distressed. All Israel was “greatly distressed” in Judges 2:15, and in Judges 10:9 they were “severely distressed.” In 1 Samuel 16:14, King Saul suffered a “distressing spirit.” Job was in “dire distress” in Job 36:16. The apostle Paul spoke of the personal distress that overwhelmed him in 2 Corinthians 12:10.

Ps 4

4 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

You have relieved me in my distress;

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

2 O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?

How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.

3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself;

The Lord hears when I call to Him.

4 Tremble, and do not sin;

Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

And trust in the Lord.

6 Many are saying, "Who will show us any good?"

Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!

7 You have put gladness in my heart,

More than when their grain and new wine abound.

8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep,

For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.

Sometimes we go through periods of distress and great distress and severe distress and dire distress. But the most amazing “distress” passage in the Bible is in Mark 14:33 when our Lord “began to be troubled and deeply distressed” in the Garden of Gethsemane.

If you are in distress today, remember that Jesus suffered His distress to bring you out of yours. The book of Romans says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress…? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (8:35, 37).

When we praise and worship God when distressed, our problems may not instantly disappear, but don’t give up. In His own way, the Lord will relieve you in your distress.

Suffering is unbearable if you’re not certain God is with you and for you.

Tim Keller

When we look back at our lives, we see times of distress, some short, some longer, and yet each one came to an end. If you are in distress now, it too will come to an end. The believer and follower of Jesus Christ knows that a day is coming when they will be made perfect, whole, complete, no longer suffering the things in this world. Eternal life with Jesus will have no distress or any of the other long list of negative earthly experiences, pain, suffering, tears. Praise God for His using our distress to drive us closer to Him, to shape us into the image of Christ who suffered great distress to bring salvation and forgiveness to a lost humanity!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 12, 2024

Notes of Faith November 12, 2024

Tuesday, November 12

Heads or Tails?

Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end.

Psalm 119:33

A group of European researchers set about to discover the science behind flipping a coin. They flipped a coin 350,757 times and found that “when you flip a coin off your thumb it wobbles, which causes the same side to spend slightly more time facing up—which means there’s a slightly bigger chance it will be in that position when it lands.”1

Ps 119:33-40

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,

And I shall observe it to the end.

34 Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law

And keep it with all my heart.

35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,

For I delight in it.

36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies

And not to dishonest gain.

37 Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity,

And revive me in Your ways.

38 Establish Your word to Your servant,

As that which produces reverence for You.

39 Turn away my reproach which I dread,

For Your ordinances are good.

40 Behold, I long for Your precepts;

Revive me through Your righteousness.

Christians don’t have to flip coins to find God’s guidance. We develop the wisdom to plan our way by spending time in Scripture. When we immerse ourselves in the Word, we develop a biblical sense about life, an awareness of which direction to take, and our spiritual vision is sharpened. It’s not that we’ll find a verse that says, “Buy the Ford, not the Honda.” It’s simply that a mind shaped by immersion in the Bible is prone to prayerfully discern the way to take.

Spend time each day in God’s Word to find peace and confidence, bearing fruit that is deeply rooted in truth.

I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him. I ended up by asking God to do His work through me.

Hudson Taylor

1 Trisha Leigh, “Researchers Flipped a Coin 350,757 Times and Discovered There Is a ‘Right’ Way to Call a Coin Flip,” Twisted Sifter, November 3, 2023.

I have never flipped a coin to make decisions for my life. Hopefully you have not as well. But through intimate relationship with God, the decisions we make can and will be used for His glory and our good. What car you buy will not make much difference…they all break down, cause you grief, to be late to work, cost more than you expected, and always at the wrong time. During any of those experiences, God is at work for you and through you to others. How do you handle the choices made and all other decisions that follow? God is always there with you. Listen to Him through prayer and His Word. You will know how to respond and follow Him.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 11, 2024

Notes of Faith November 11, 2024

Rom 13:7

Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

When I’m in my local Walmart, Lowe’s or other major retailer, I’ve seen Halloween merchandise since Labor Day, Thanksgiving decorations for weeks and now Christmas trees and decorations are available for early shoppers.

But there is nothing in stores to remind us to recognize the more than SIXTEEN MILLION VETERANS across our country.

I grew up in a time when veterans were everyone’s next door neighbors, people you met wherever you went. I had Sunday School teachers, youth leaders, elementary through high school teachers, and even seminary professors who were veterans. Today, the presence of veterans in every sector of our society has declined.

Thank you for taking the time to honor those in your church AND community who served in our Armed Forces, whether in times of war or peace!

On mission! By grace!

Mark Penfold, DMin.

Chaplain (Colonel) U.S. Army, retired

Endorsing Agent, Charis Fellowship

chaplain@eaglecommission.org

If you are a veteran…thank you! If you see a veteran today or any day, offer them a word of thanks for their sacrifice and service. If you are in a restaurant, offer to buy their meal, or dessert if the whole meal is beyond your resources. In all circumstances, smile at them, be thankful in your heart for God using them to protect you/us and provide for us a very blessed nation. Love and honor God. Love and honor God’s people. Love and honor those who have and are servicing in the military of the United States of America!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 10, 2024

Notes of Faith November 10, 2024

Approach Me with Thanksgiving

My delightful Lord,

This is the day that You have made! As I rejoice in this day of life, it will yield precious gifts and beneficial training. I want to walk with You along the high road of thanksgiving — discovering all the delights You have prepared for me.

To protect my thankfulness throughout this holiday season, I need to remember that I reside in a fallen world where blessings and sorrows intermingle freely. When I’m too focused on troubles, I walk through a day that’s brimming with beauty and brightness while seeing only the grayness of my thoughts. Neglecting the practice of giving thanks darkens my mind and dims my vision.

Lord, please clear up my vision by helping me remember to thank You at all times. When I’m grateful, I can walk through the darkest days with Joy in my heart because I know that the Light of Your Presence is still shining on me. So I rejoice in You — my delightful, steadfast Companion.

In Your bright, shining Name, Jesus, amen.

When you approach Me with thanksgiving, the Light of My Presence pours into you, transforming you through and through.

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

— Psalm 118:24 ESV

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. — Colossians 4:2

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness. — Psalm 89:15–16

I want to walk with You along the high road of thanksgiving — discovering all the delights You have prepared for me.

Delightful Lord,

I love listening to the song that You continually sing to me: “I take great delight in you; I renew you by My Love; I shout for Joy over you.” The voices of this world are a cacophony of chaos, pulling me this way and that — especially in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Help me not to listen to those voices but to challenge them with Your Word. Show me how to take breaks from the noise of the world — finding a place to be still in Your Presence so I can hear Your voice.

I believe there is immense hidden treasure to be found through listening to You. You are always pouring out blessings upon me, but some of Your richest blessings have to be actively sought. I rejoice when You reveal Yourself to me — through Your Word, Your people, and the wonders of creation.

Having a seeking heart opens me up to receive more of You. The Bible gives me clear instructions: Keep on asking and it will be given to you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.

In Your generous Name, Jesus, amen.

Excerpted from Jesus Listens for Advent & Christmas by Sarah Young, copyright Sarah Young.

We need to give thanks to God every day for all that we receive from Him! There should be endless thoughts and memories of things for which to thank God. Let us learn to express thanks not just in this season, where food seems to be the focus, but rather intimate relationship with God and His complete and perfect provision for everything we need. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Pastor Dale