Monday, September 29, 2008

Fall Study: Living By Faith

What Does it mean to "Live By Faith"

I have spent some time trying to think of another study for this fall, but it seems like the words are flashing in neon lights in my mind. So, that is what we are going to study. This fall I would like to encourage everyone to figure out just what living by faith means in our day to day lives. Lets look at what actions and circumstances lead us to taking leaps of faith and what the Bible teaches of the blessings that can be bestowed on us when we do.
For next week, lets read Matthew 9:27-31
Discussion:
When I was a child in elementary school we lived in Denver Co. I distinctly remember a few times when I had been having a hard week with at school, that I prayed that it would snow so hard that schools would be closed. Now understand, that if you live in Colorado, it has to be a huge blizzard and snow at least a couple of feet before schools are closed. I learned at a very early age that if you truly believe it can happen...it can..and it did. There were a few times when after I prayed, I woke up the next morning to find my parents in front of the news checking to see if schools were closed. Looking back, it was possibly just coincidence, but in my young head God had heard my prayers and I felt so blessed and excited! The power of blind innocent faith and the prayers of children I think are so powerful and heard in God's eyes. Sometimes I wish my faith was as blindly strong as it was when I was little....
Anyway, there are many more stories I could share, but for me faith is something I am always working on...and forgetting that I am not having enough of.
This week I want to encourage you to please share with us and comment on a time in life that your faith carried you. I think this will be a great way to introduce the study before we get into our readings for next week!

2 comments:

Lee, Michelle, Cooper 4 and Allie 3 said...

Faith carries me everyday! It is hard to pick just one instance because if you really look for God he is involved in your life in so many ways. Faith is the assurance of that which we can not see. I am assured that God is working in my little life. The most recent big obvious evidence of faith came through prayer for me too. I had actually verbalized this prayer as a humorous wish to a friend and then 3 hours later verbalized this prayer to God. On Feb. 13 a friend of mine asked me, "So when are you going to have this baby?" I replied well tomorrow morning at about 4am would be a perfect time for me to go into labor because then my husband (who was working out of town)can get the news and drive home in time. And I think it would be sweet to have a valentines baby girl" Let me tell you how I laughed and cried and loudly said, "Thanks God!!"when my water broke at 4:15am on Feb. 14. I think God just loves to give us exactly what we want sometimes. He is so cool!

Rachel said...

Michelle, I love that story.

We are in the process of taking a leap of faith right now. We're moving a week from today to plant a church. We are, in essence, missionaries, and we are moving without having all of our funds raised. We have enough to make it for a few months, and we are stepping out in faith. I pray that I will have a good story to share out of this someday!

Along with this fundraising, I will share that I really pray fervently for money on Mondays. (Lots of stuff to pray for. Sounds trite, I know, but I have a prayer schedule...) I cannot tell you how many times we have gotten a substantial amount of money, several small pledges, made a huge step toward progress...on MONDAYS. This in itself has been a huge faith builder for me.