"Where is Your Faith?"

Jesus asked His disciples, "Where is your faith?"  They had all been traveling in a boat together when a huge storm came up.  Jesus had been sleeping in the boat after a day of ministry.  His disciples woke Him up because they were afraid of the storm.  After Jesus calmed the storm, He asked them this very relevant question.  (See Luke 8:22-25)

I have found myself in situations where I should have asked other people, "Where is your faith?"

I didn't think of that question at the time.  However, looking back now, that was the right question to ask other believers.

Awhile back, I was having a phone conversation with a friend who I hadn't talked to in a couple of months.  I shared with her some personal good news as well as some of my prayer concerns or requests.  As I shared with her my concerns, at every turn, she gave me a negative and worldly view instead of a good and Biblical perspective.  It caught me off guard.  I didn't expect it from her because normally she was a supportive, encouraging, and praying-type friend. 

We previously had shared some good times in life and ministry when we lived physically closer together.  Yet, the distance had not only separated us physically but also spiritually over recent months.  We weren't in the same place physically nor spiritually.  After our conversation, I was just stunned.  What had happened?  Or, better yet, what had not happened?

A personal conversation with another friend also surprised me.  After a women's Bible study and prayer group meeting, I requested to speak to the leader in private.  I shared with her some personal information regarding my spiritual journey.  I expected her to speak life to me and over the situation that I shared with her.  Instead, she spoke death.  She even told me there was no hope. 

What?  No hope?  I thought to myself after our conversation.  Unbelievable!  A leader of a Bible study group telling me, 'There's no hope'.

Afterwards, I had to encourage and pray for myself as well as pray for her.  There is always hope.  Jesus is our hope!  With God, all things are possible (See Matthew 19:26). 

Why didn't she think that?  Why didn't she say it?  Perhaps, she was having a personal crisis of faith at the time.  I couldn't believe it though.  We had finished Bible study earlier where she talked about speaking life.  Now, she was doing the opposite.

Anyway, to both of those ladies and any others who are now lacking faith, I have to ask..."Where is Your Faith?"

Copyright 2015 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.

Speaking Life

Have you ever thought about your words? Do you know that your words affect you? Do you know that your words also affect other people? Actually, your words affect your own world or your reality.

"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18:21)

We have two choices. First, we can choose good and positive words that bring life to us. By life, I mean good and positive results in our lives.

On the other hand, we also have the choice of using poor and negative words that ultimately bring death to us. In this case, I mean bad and negative results in our lives.

"This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live..." (Deut 30:19)

Our Father tells us to choose life, because He wants the best for us. He also means in our choices of words.

In the book of James, we read about taming the tongue or guarding our mouths.

"We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check." (James 3:2)

James compares our mouths to that of animals specifically horses.

"When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal." (James 3:3)

In just the next verse, ships are compared to our bodies.

"Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go." (James 3:4)

We need to be careful when choosing our words because of their effect on our path in life as well as on ourselves.

"Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." (James 3:5-6)

Our Father tells us that we cannot "tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." (James 3:8)

It is only with Him that we are able to do anything, which includes taming our tongues. (John 15:5) By that, He means training our mouths to say what He wants us to say. He does not want us to say anything that is not of Him. However, we must submit our entire bodies to Him. That includes our mouths and our choice of words.

He also talks about the contradictory behavior of praising and cursing people with our mouths.

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be." (James 3:9-10)

Therefore, let us watch what we say and how we say it about our circumstances, our individual lives, and ourselves. Let us honor our Father with our mouths. Be careful in the words we choose to speak to other people as well.

Afterall, life and death are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21)


Copyright 2011 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.