Don't Break Faith with God: Jesus - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) August 15, 2023

Over the last two weeks we have examined the issue of not breaking faith with God. We have learned that breaking faith occurs when we dishonor and/or cheapen the Lord in the presence of others by what we say, how we act, or a choice we make. This is so important because God has called us to be witnesses who testify to His glory and might. We learned how Moses and Aaron struggled with this, yet God showed them mercy. We also reviewed Ezra's experience and saw how He avoided making the mistake. It was the same with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who stared down a fiery pit and defied the most powerful man in the world so as not to break faith with their Creator.

Jesus Christ also provides a crucial example on how to be successful in this regard. And we can easily replicate what He did in all manner of situations.

He fasted for 40 days and nights and at the tail end, the devil showed up, knowing that His mortal flesh would be weak. However, the devil didn't anticipate He would be filled with spiritual food and the Spirit of God Himself. So, when satan asked Jesus to prove He was the Son of God by turning a stone to bread, "... Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” (Luke 4:4). And when the devil tried to get him to worship it in exchange for earthly power, the Savior didn't mince words. He again spoke scripture, saying, ...“It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” (Luke 4:8).

Jesus illustrates that the word of God is a practical tool to help every Christian avoid breaking faith with their God. When the devil shows up during our weakest moments, as it did with God's Son, we have to proclaim scripture because satan has no comeback for that. It is God's word that brings power and therefore causes the devil to flee. We must have some familiarity with scripture. This is why it is essential to study the Bible before the challenges of life come rushing at us. In such situations, it is only the word of God that can effectively resist the devil and neutralize its weapons. And because Jesus is our High Priest, when we pronounce the word, He puts it to work for our benefit.

God's word is the ultimate gem in our spiritual arsenal to keep us from breaking faith with the Almighty. He has promised to keep His word on our lips so it is essential we make it a priority. He said in Isaiah 59:21 - “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the LORD. Thus, if you start and keep gathering the word of God, you will always have it! May the Lord be with you and cause you to prosper in His Spirit, His word and His love. We shall not break faith with Him, IJMN, Amen.

Don't Break Faith With God: The Fire Walk - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) August 11, 2023

We've been talking about not breaking faith with God and learning that it can be a tricky thing. Moses and Aaron fell short, but Ezra didn't and was well rewarded. Today, we consider the Fire Walk Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego experienced. It is another example of how to speak boldly about God and stick to that knowledge of Him, despite what appears to be disastrous consequences.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were young Jewish men who'd been captured and taken to the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. They, like their peer and friend, Daniel, had walked with God even in the foreign land and the Lord made sure they'd been exalted, receiving great respect, responsibility and titles.

Yet, one day, the Babylonian king asked them - along with others - to bow down and worship a golden idol. The three men refused, as to do such would be an insult to God and His instructions to worship no idols or other gods. They didn't mince words with the king, according to Daniel 3:16-18 - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

These men put their lives in God's hands and were willing to endure a blaze to make sure they did not dishonor God by breaking faith with Him. Imagine if they'd complied with the king? Keep in mind that prior to this situation, the king had learned of God's greatness through Daniel, who relied upon God for wisdom to interpret the king's dream. Thus, if they'd bowed, they'd have made God look less than He was in front of king Nebuchadnezzar and his entire court. After all, how could people who believed in the powerful God of Daniel, disobey Him? They may have also cheapened God's glory and fame if they'd tried to negotiate to do something that fell short of bowing so as to preserve their lives. Instead, they stood resolutely in their knowledge of God and even acknowledged that He had the right to save or not save them. They feared Jehovah more than they feared a man, albeit that man who was the most powerful monarch in the world at that time.

Could you or I do the same in similar circumstances? Would we staunchly refuse to do what we know would bring disrepute to our God and sully His name? You may think you have the answer and that's fine. If you don't yet have an answer, that's okay too. The key thing to take away is that when you get to a fork in the road, be mindful that you may have to choose to do the fire walk in order to preserve the glory of the God you claim to serve. Ask the Lord to give you the capacity, strength, and zeal to do so in order to not break faith with the Lord where necessary.

May the Lord help each of us to stand in our faith, in our knowledge of God Almighty, even when everything and everyone around us wants us to choose to break faith with Him. May we experience the glorious miracle these three men experienced of being visited by the fourth man in the fire and coming out of the fiery pit without any evidence of the test they'd been through. And as was the case in Nebuchadnezzar's court, may our fire walk bring great glory and praise to God, IJMN, Amen.

See you at Noon EST for fellowship. God bless you.

Don't Break Faith With God: Ezra - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) August 8, 2023

Last Friday we began our series on not breaking faith with God by looking at Moses and Aaron. Today, we look at Ezra. He was a priest and a teacher of God's laws to the remaining Israelites when they were a conquered group scattered within the Persian Kingdom. His experience teaches us that when we speak about the goodness and power of God, we will need to back it up with our actions and words.

As a leader of his people, Ezra had the task of bringing some of them back to Jerusalem. Although he was respected by the Persian King and could have requested soldiers to accompany him and his people during the four month journey, he didn't. This, despite the fact that they would be traveling with precious gold, silver, and other items that had been carted off from the Temple when Jerusalem fell decades before. Ezra explained why he couldn't request an armed escort in Ezra 8:22 - I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” What did he do instead? He called for the people to fast and ask the Lord for a safe journey. We are told that God answered the petition, keeping the group of travelers and their possessions safe from marauding bandits (Ezra 8:23).

Ezra had spoken highly of God to the king and when the time came, he had to prove that he believed all that he'd said. He couldn't speak about how powerful his God was only to then ask a man, albeit a king, for soldiers to provide protection. No, he had to put his mouth where his money was - as the saying goes - and show through his choices and not just his lofty words that he trusted in this God he'd spoken so highly of.

God expects those who believe in Him to do the same. Remember, the scripture taught us that breaking faith with God means to dishonor Him in what we say and do in the presence of others. Therefore, we must honor the Lord by standing in our faith and even when everything looks wrong. We can't forget that the choices we make can influence how others see our God. This is why Paul said of believers in 2 Corinthians 5:20 - We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. Additionally, the Lord has said of His people in Isaiah 43:12 - First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the LORD. (NKJV).

We are to attest to His might and power. We do this by sharing our testimonies, fellowshipping with believers and by sharing the Gospel with non-believers. And when in the midst of unbelievers, we are to speak about the Lord with the reverence He deserves - no matter how others bash Him. Even when we have some gripes of our own, we are to respectfully carry them to the Lord, laying them at His feet because He has instructed each of us in 1 Peter 5:7 - "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

It's not easy to share our worries with Him without becoming disrespectful. People have been conditioned by the world to talk recklessly about people and God is no exception, unfortunately. Yet, we must allow the Lord to build us up in Him where we learn how to honor Him in good times and bad. That's exactly what Ezra did. A potential challenge arose - the need for safe journey to Jerusalem over a span of months. He stood in his faith in God, understanding it would be a shameful thing to make God look small before the king. He understood that doing so would constitute relying on man instead of the Lord Almighty.

Let us learn from Ezra to make the choice that honors God and His personality. The Lord will help each of us to do so more and more so that we shall never break faith with Him in any way, IJMN, Amen.