Do you have faith or do you simply believe?

Hey everyone,

Given my track record, I didn't think I would have something to post on here so soon! But here I am writing what God has laid on my heart. It has been challenging for me to think through and it is challenging me daily in what I do believe. I think it will have a similar challenge to you all, so I'm sharing it with you!

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend LifeLight festival south of Sioux Falls, SD. This was my sixth time attending the festival, and I always enjoy it. But this year was better than years past. When I've gone in the past, I've never been challenged in my faith - usually, I end up worshiping God but also enjoying music. I thoroughly enjoy music, but I needed something a little more this year. Funny how God will provide what you need when you ask Him!?!

This weekend I had the opportunity, once again, to hear Francis Chan preach to us. I love Francis and his heart for the people of God to truly love God. Along with that, I also had the opportunity to hear one of my favorite pastors in the Sioux Falls area, Pastor Eric Verhulst, who also happens to pastor my aunt & uncle's church, Shalom CRC. It was great to hear these two orators present truths of faith and hand out spiritual meat to chew on. In this post, you will hear some of my chewing and digestion of what they presented.

Both preachers shared about faith. Faith has become an ambiguous word in our society. "Do you have faith or do you simply believe" is the question that resounded through both their presentations.

So, to share more on this, I thought I'd start with the definition of faith. In Hebrews 11:1 is that "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (emphasis mine) What we see from this definition is that faith is knowledge. It's not blind and something ethereal. It comes from actually knowing something, and knowledge comes through experience. When we have true faith, we have tasted something utterly divine and are stirred to continue finding satisfaction in that source. Our faith is in God, the one who absolutely and totally fulfills our every longing. That's what faith is.

But too long, we have defined faith as belief. Belief is such a huge word because it can mean firm commitment, or it can mean wishful hoping. More often than not, it's the latter that stands for what we mean when we say it. For instance:

"I believe today will be a good day."
or
"I believe that tacos at (such and such a place) are really good."
or
"I believe that there will be a judgment day."

All these statements are fine, but if they're not backed up by solid experience, they're just words. And words are not something we're to toss around lightly.

Now, in contrast:

"I believe that Jesus has forgiven all my sins."

"I believe, without doubt, that I will go to heaven because I believe in Jesus."

There's a difference between having faith and simply believing. Faith based on knowledge is always more powerful than faith based on airy words. True faith saves us and does not let us turn into cowards and run when we get scared. (See Hebrews 10:39) True faith is powerful and that's what gets us through every situation!

One passage of Scripture that I love that God has given me to (it was a part of the passage God used to call me to ministry) is 2 Corinthians 5:7. This verse is one that I feel too many have abused (in the wishful thinking sense) rather than taken to heart (in the way of knowledge). The verse says this:

"We live by faith, not by sight."

This verse speaks of what we are to live by - faith - and that faith is built on certainty and assurance, not blindness. Now, in regards to this world and the things we see, we're not to live by them. They make sense. They make a lot of sense. But they're not for us.

Now, this also doesn't mean we can always see the path. There are times where we have to take leaps that seem blind. But are they blind if we're resting on the hope and promises that God has laid out before in His word? I don't think so. But often, many do not know or trust the promises God has made in Scripture. We're Bible illiterate and it hurts us so substantially. We lose our power to walk in full assurance that God has our every move a part of His plan.

Why do we do this? Why do we not love His Word as we should? Why do we neglect that certainty we can have for our every path.

When we live this way, I would safely say we're actually living by sight and not in accordance to God's word. True faith lives out what's promised, even if our eyesight is dim.

I know I'm preaching to myself when I write and reread this. Too many times have I relied on my own sight to guide me through affairs rather than trust God. I worked all in my own strength and I don't know my God to the extent that He lovingly wants me to. And I really hate it. I want to love Him so wonderfully and He's provided so many times for me to love Him more.

I want to stop this. I want this true, soul-firm, committed, powerful faith. Lord, will you call me once again to it? Will you put me in situations where I have to trust you more? Lord, I want to love you with everything in me. Lead me to you Lord.

I want to challenge you all to pray that. Seek Him and ask Him for real, genuine faith and not wishful thinking.

Love you all,

Brandon

Oh music!

I love music! There's no doubt about it! One of the best ways I express my joy to God is by singing. I know I'm not the only one who thoroughly enjoys music, but I'm going to share how it moves me anyway! :)

Music has always been a big part of my life. I've been singing since I can remember, and I even remember when I first got hooked. Yup, I was 5 and my sister and I decided (completely with the help of our mom) that we would buy my dad a video cassette of "The Judds Fairwell Concert."

Do you know how amazing the Judds are?!?!?

Let me tell you - they are AMAZING! I'm still in love with their music! I remember when we gave this to our dad, he thought we should watch it together. My sister and I were both captivated. However, for my sister it was enjoyment. For me it was life! Wynonna's voice just changed my mind in such unfathomable way! My memories of music up until that point were of my mom singing us the hymn "We Gather Together" as our lullaby (which is a fantastic hymn - you should definitely check it out! I'll even give you a link to a great rendition - http://youtu.be/Y0JVqR8KnF4).

When I heard Wynonna, my whole world changed and that's when music really made a new impact on my life.

Since then I've been obsessed. :)

Maybe not obsessed, but heavily involved. I sang in high school choir and loved it. I still sing and I still love music.

After I became a Christian in 2004, Christian music became a much bigger part of my life. I actually wanted to learn hymns and praise songs so I could do that - praise the wonderful God who saved me!

But I struggled to understand how I could enjoy other genres of music and still praise God. I like pop music, I like country music, I like rap music! But a lot of music does not honor God. How do I reconcile this?

God spoke to me the other night on this issue. My wife and I went on a double date with some friends to a concert by Gaelic Storm - check them out too! (http://www.gaelicstorm.com/) Gaelic Storm does not record Christian music. They're musicians who play Irish pub music - which is good! Don't y'all knock! And they're fun! I had not seen musicianship like this ever. It was fantastic, beautiful, and so moving!

But their songs did not honor God. At all. (They weren't vulgar - which I immensely appreciated!) And I was stuck in this katzenjammer.

So, what did I do?

I asked God. Specifically, I asked Him to show me how to honor Him while listening to this music. And funny thing, God answered. I love when He answers in simple ways because frankly, I can't always handle the deep about Him.

He told me to enjoy the music and to take joy in what I get to experience as they share their gifts. Wait!?! Just sit back, listen, and watch. Yup.

In that moment, I felt God approached me with an answer based on the state of my heart. I wanted to enjoy this music, but I wanted more to honor God. And in that, He responded because of my desire to honor Him more.

I was reminded by God's Spirit of Colossians 3:17:

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

In that moment, I chose to give thanks to God for allowing me to hear this extremely wonderful musicianship and to be able to experience it with such joy. And you know what? My heart was wrapped in worship of God for how richly He blesses us all. Some have musical gifts, some have other gifts. But this was His pouring out on His creation for the enjoyment of His people. And I enjoyed it!

I believe that's what God is calling us all to - we're to worship Him in everything. Whether that's listening to music by relaxing and enjoying the melodies, or eating a huge feast with family and friends and enjoying their company, we can worship God in every moment.

I want to worship God in all moments - and many of those moments will be filled with music! I actually can't wait until we get to heaven to sing His praise for eternity! Oh that will be magnificent!

Think about how you can worship God now in this moment. Turn your heart to Him and let Him work wonderfully in you! He'll turn you to Him because He greatly loves you. Enjoy your settings and what's displayed around you. God longs for you just to see Him and love Him more!

Love you all!

Brandon

Comfort

I was reading out of 1 Corinthians 15 this morning, and I found immense comfort and hope in these verses, so I would like to share them with you:

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortalk with immprtality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (verses 51 - 57)

As I sat reading these verses, I was reminded of what will happen when Jesus comes back. It filled me with such joy to see that day and I found myself resting deeply in the comfort of His amazing love! Do you feel that too and you read this?

I also saw a photo of my grandpa that I have on my desk after I read these verses. My grandpa passed away four years ago, very suddenly. Although he did fight, ultimately, God had control over his life, and it did end here on earth.

As I sat reminiscing about my grandpa, I thought of the things he used to say. Ha! I can still hear his voice! I remember the funny way he would act (he was such a goofball sometimes); or the way he would just go to the bathroom whenever he had to, wherever he had to; or some of the sad times when I saw him stumbling drunk. But I remember his joy most of all. He was proud of his wife, his sons and daughter, and the rest of his family. He loved being a farmer and I don't think if he had the opportunity, he would have done anything else! He loved being on the land and caring for God's creation.

He always went to church. He was always dressed nicely, usually in slacks and a button-up shirt, with a sweater vest over it - didn't matter if it was hot and humid summer or the bitter cold of winter. He always shaved for church and had cologne-strong cologne. And of course, Brylcream! Who could forget the slicked comb-over!

I don't know what my grandpa ever got out of church. He never said much about it, but he never missed. I always knew church was important to him.

The day he passed away I was shocked. It was one of those things you knew would eventually come, but when it does, you're just caught in awe. That's where I was when I found out he died. And yet, God took care of me and my family! A wave of peace filled my heart that day - a peace I could have only found from the Holy Spirit's presence. He was speaking to me of where my grandpa's heart was and who it belonged to. My grandpa was far from a perfect man, but the Holy Spirit comforted me in such a way that I have never doubted his soul's eternal state.

Yeah, death hurt. Death had a sting that day on my heart, but it does not have the victory! My Jesus does! "He [God] gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." My heart rejoices!

The other thing I thought of was all that he hasn't gotten to have with us - and that was God's plan. He didn't get to see me meet and marry the love of my life! He will miss much of my cousin's lives. He will not be around to become a great-grandpa. And that's okay with me. He's in a better place, and God is extremely good in all circumstances of our life. He had my grandpa's life in His hand, and He has yours and mine.

Death is not fun to write about, but it's comforting with Jesus at our side. If you're fearing that time, turn to Jesus and trust Him. It's only a respite from the ache and toil of this world to the changing and glory of eternity with the Father! He loves you - give Him that fear and let your life be made so beautiful by His grace!

All for His glory!

Brandon

recounting the Lord's mercies

Hi all,

I hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather that the Lord is giving us. It is a beautiful day here in Fargo and the Lord reminded me this morning about how I am to enjoy Him. So, I wanted to share with you a little of what He showed me this morning from Scripture and what it means for all of us!

I was reading in Isaiah again this morning and chapter 63 revealed the Lord's voice to me. Starting in verse 7, it says:

I will tell of the kindness of the Lord,
the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the Lord has done for us -
yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel,
according to his compassion and many kindnesses...

In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. - Isaiah 63:7;9b

Our God has been good to us.

In these verses Isaiah does tell of how the people of Israel have grieved God and turned on Him, but he is calling all of us to remember how good He is to us. He is faithful, though we are often not to Him.

Have you recounted lately how good God has been to you?

Have you taken the time to think about all He has brought you through? Do you see His goodness at work in your life?

Do you trust Him to be that good to you?

God is calling all of us to think about Him. He is not working for evil, but for good. He wants us to turn to Him and think about all He has done for us, and for this world. There are immensely good things going on in this world! But, there are hard things.

I know this in my own life. I want to take immense joy in God because I have known how good He has been to me. I struggle with being joyous in Him and remembering though. And then when I look at the world and all the hurt and it's hard. I see the circumstances around me and not what the big picture is.

I have to fight for my joy in Him. I have to fight to remember His compassions in my life. But He is calling us to fight! If we truly enjoy Him and all He has done for us, we will fight! The fight is intense, it's hard, but it's for our good. I have to remember that all that comes into my life is passed through His sovereign hands and Jesus is always working for good in my life. He is not plotting evil, and I need to take stock in recounting the Lord's mercies.

I'll start now with what He has done in my life:

1. I am alive and can speak (or, in this case, write) about His truths.

2. I have access to His word and I can read it.

3. He has brought me into a relationship with His Son, Jesus.

4. He has given me a job that I love and enjoy doing.

5. He has given me relationships I don't deserve all so I could see Him more.

And that's just the start! How wonderful God is! I love the title of the Kirk Franklin song "It Would Take All Day" and what the song speaks about. This is to be the heart of all Christians. We are to enjoy God and tell of how great He has been to us.

What a good God we serve. Truly, He is good.

If you're struggling with joy and you need help loving Him, read on in Isaiah. I'll close with Isaiah's prayer in Isaiah 63 - 64, and just ask that you pray it by yourself. This is a powerful prayer and God will do wonderful things as He opens your heart to joy as you turn to Him.

In His Love,

Brandon

Look down from heave and see
from your lofty throne, holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal and your might?
Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us.
But you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us
or Israel acknowledge us;
you, O LORD, are our Father;
our Redeemer from of old is your name.
Why, O LORD, do you make us wander from your ways
and harden our hearts so we do not revere you?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your inheritance.
For a little while your people possessed your holy place,
but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary.
We are yours from of old;
but you have not ruled over them,
they have not been called by your name.
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!...

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand. - Isaiah 63:15 - 64:1;8

a prayer

Hey all,

I don't have anything to blog about, and yet, I just wanted to share with you. So, I'm just going to share a prayer and hope that it blesses your heart. You can feel free to pray it with me.

Father, you are good.
Everything you do is perfect and wonderful.
I do not know fully, but you do.
Because of your wisdom, I am left in wonder at your mystery
Lord, you beckon me to your heart
I want to know you fully.
Help me go deeper with you than just covering over sins
You're not just saving me from my sins, but you're saving me from me.
Pierce me Lord and go to the depth of my need.
If I really look, it's for you.
Lord Jesus, I want more of you in my life.
Move in me to desire to be like you, to hate sin, and to depend on you fully.
Jesus, you have power. Holy Spirit, you have power.
Be my strength and renew me in joyous hope in you.
Father, reveal your fullness so that my heart will irresistibly respond to your call.
Jesus, your cross is my boast, although small.
Build in me a groaning in me so that that boasting would increase and loudly proclaim the glory of you.
JESUS, the name above all names! JESUS, the precious, all-satisfying name.
Be more real to me today and increase my passion and desire for you.
I pray for your glory to extend and grow in this world.
I am before your feet for I do love you.
For your precious glory, I alone pray. Amen.

My Joy

“You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat…Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” – Isaiah 25:4, 9

I write to you all this afternoon from a heart that has needed the Lord and who has found hope in Him. He has been a source of life and delight to me and I’m sorry for not sharing my praise with you over the past few months.

Today, I read these verses about God and my heart was filled with immense joy at what He has done in my life. I can’t say that the past few months have been easy, but through it all, I have found a great hope. I’ve seen how helpless I am and how the storms of life continue to rage on.

“The storms of life” you say. Yeah, they are furious. Even I know the power of them.
My storms have been focused on the sin in my life and the man that I am not. It’s not easy to confess that I am such a broken person sometimes (okay, a lot of the time). I desperately need grace, but often don’t seek after its work in my life. I know the gift, yet I don’t receive it. And my soul is embittered. It’s broken and it’s wounded. All of this by my own accord.

Sometimes I just want to scream at how much it hurts. I want a “silver bullet” to end the sin in my life. I am broken and lost and driven to the point of despair. Oh, what a frail creature I truly am. What a mess I have made of myself.

I love the words of the Switchfoot song, “Mess of Me":

I am my own affliction/I am my own disease…I’ve made a mess of me/I wanna spend the rest of my life alive

It defines me. I am a man of sorrow and shame. This, my friends is what we call in theological terms, depravity. In our own hands, in our own strength, in our own efforts, we make messes.

I’m afraid I’ve been making messes. I’ve wanted what is not mine or what God has designed for me. I have wanted my own designed faith and life. And it frustrates me. My own sin, which gets me into my own messes, frustrates me to the point of humility. God, there is evil in my heart! Does anyone else feel the depth of how human we are?!? Gosh, we are empty, pathetic things. How destructive and abominable we are.
This frustration, as you can tell, is what my hearts battles. Hard is an understatement for what I’ve contemplated.

And in this all, I have kept to God’s word. And how good He is to show me Himself just at the point when I’d be sick of myself. It’s here that I’ve found Him. In me, I’ve come to the place of extreme need. And He is a refuge. He is a place of safe – keeping. He is not punishing me for getting caught up in my sin and myself. He is not abandoning me to the cold recesses of hell. No, He is beckoning me to come and find shelter in Him. He is calling me to take shade and He will be deliverer.

So, that’s it? I just have to come and He takes care of it?

That’s what He promises.

“But, it’s so simple. That can’t be right!”

But it is.

In my frustration, even before it began, God sent His Son Jesus to live perfectly, to die perfectly, and to rise perfectly. He saves us, not by any good in us, but because He chooses to. He still chooses to. My frustration, my folly, my neediness is nothing compared to how great of a sacrifice He made. That’s a true peace that is beyond understanding.

I’ve trusted in Jesus with my life. I’m still trusting Jesus with my life. He truly is a good God, no matter what my circumstances. I forget this, but He never does, and He waits for me.

I will rejoice and be glad in His salvation of me. I beg to celebrate in His salvation of you.

Today, I’m resting in His promise to be more than I can imagine and to be the place where I find constant comfort. Will join me in finding refuge in Him?

For His glory,

Brandon

Are you willing?

Good morning everyone! It is a beautiful, albeit VERY COLD, day today. But it is a gift and a blessing to be alive, and so I rejoice that God has given me another day to do the things I love and to serve Him.

I have been having a good start to the new year. There have been lots of exciting things happening, and it is great! One thing that has been a part of my new year is owning a home! I officially am a homeowner! That's a little scary, but it is very exciting! Right now, we are in the process of painting and I am hoping to move in tomorrow. I don't have much stuff, so that's really nice! I have a feeling it will be interesting living in my own home. But I'm very happy about the home and am looking forward to starting family life there in a little less than six months!

Onto what I want to share with you all today (and challenge you with too!). Over the past week or so, I have been reading Psalm 51 daily. It has been a wonderful psalm and it challenges my heart reading it every time. David, the author of the psalm, is in a very broken spot, and his words of confession and remorse strike a fatal blow to anyone who has struggled with sin (which, in case you didn't know, is all of us. No one is getting out of this one.).

The words of this psalm are very evocative of how greatly David had fallen, and how he realized it. He knew what he had done wrong - he had actually committed three very blatant and despicable sins (adultery, murder, and coveting). He knew that before God, he was as guilty as they come. The funny thing about this now, as I have been reminiscing, is that at this point, many other people who have looked at a woman lustfully or hated their brother would not have considered themselves committing these despicable sins. Yet Jesus says otherwise. That makes me guilty. However, David actually committed these sins. And he knew the only one he had to answer to was God.

This is where David's confession stems from.

As I have been reading this psalm, there has been one part of the Scripture that really broadened my thinking and the way I come to God when I repent. In verse 12, David declares, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit."

There are two things that I really like about what David says. He says, in essence, "Give me, once again, the joy I had in you before. Help me to revel in your salvation of my soul. I need you to bring me back and help me know I'm forgiven by you." When we confess, do we ask God to do the same for us? I know, that while this is what I'm intending, it is not what I am asking of God. When we confess, we must want unbridled union with Christ again. Our hearts must be set on savoring the divine glory of our Savior. If this is not what we are after, then why do we confess? Is it just to have a clean slate so we can live a lifestyle of sin again? If that's the case, do you really even know our Savior? Are you really living in a right relationship with Him? I would say you are not.

This first part is a challenge to us. We need to look at our motivation for going to God and seeking Him to forgive us. It should be to draw nearer to Him and to become more like Him. As I write this, I write to myself as well. I need to be more like Jesus than anything else in my life. We all do.

Now, the second part carries off of what I wrote just a moment ago. David asks God to give him a willing spirit that wants God more and more. This spirit is one of complete surrender and obedience to God so that the sins he has committed will not reoccur. These are powerful words from this man who has been rocked by his infidelity. As I read these words, I, too, am stirred to the core of how I don't desire this in my confessions.

I have found myself asking the question, "When I confess, do I plan on committing the same sin again?" Do I think that God can uphold me from this sin in my life from happening again and again? Though I have not thought about this in depth before, I live like this. And each time I confess the same sin pattern over and over again to God, I look back and know I haven't wanted a willing spirit to stop this and walk accordingly in obedience to God.

I have doubts in what I believe God can do in my life. I have limitations on Him. I confess before you all how flawed my thinking of our great God is. I fail. But David didn't think this way. He believed God could grant him that sustaining spirit. He trusted God to carry him past and on toward His glory. That's what I want. That's where I am. And as I seek the God of my hope and salvation, I look at these verses and say with all I am, "Yes, Lord, I want you to remind me again of your salvation and uphold me with a spirit that honors you alone." Our God is worthy. Our God is great. Our God can do anything!

Where will you let Him work in you? Will you ask Him to sustain you with a willing spirit of obedience? I implore you to do so. Ask Him to reveal Himself in this way. I'm finding Him to be faithful. David (and countless others) did so too. Our God is good. He will not fail you.

Gracious Lord, you are worthy. You are holy. You have given us your beloved Son, Jesus, and He is more than enough. Lord, forgive me when I limit you. Forgive me when I seek to satisfy myself through my so - called appeasement that I think happens when I come to you. Forgive me for abusing the grace you have abundantly provided. God, I want you to uphold me with a willing spirit. I want to be endlessly devoted to you an to serve you in radical obedience. Guide me there Lord. Implant your Holy Spirit more deeply into my heart that I may walk in closeness to you alone. Transform me more into the likeness of your faithful Son. It's Him whom I love. It's Him whom I trust. It's in His name I pray all this. Amen.

Love you all.

Brandon