Series: radical faith

"That is not who you are. That may be what you did. But that is not where you hang you hat. You hang your hat on the person of Jesus Christ - who did it right, who did it for you, who lived out the law to perfection. When you were striving to do things right you were getting it wrong. Because it was never about you getting it right. It was never about your best efforts. It was always about Jesus!"

"May your conversations be filled with salt. That means you're bringing goodness to the conversation. Quit amping it up. Quit putting each other down. Quit tearing each other down. Quit belittling one another. That doesn't encourage anybody. That doesn't do anything for the relationship. We've got to change the flavor of our conversation."

"I can't tell you how many times people, when they get in that kind of a funk, they pull away from people who can help them; who can give them biblical counsel, they pull away from their best friends, they pull away from their spouses. The Bible says the Evil One is like a roaring lion, walking around, roaming around seeking home he may devour. When we isolate we become easy pickens for the Evil One!"

When I say God can do impossible things, how does that sit with you? Do you believe God can and will provide? God has a way of showing God can do impossible things and He uses the womb to show he has power no one else has. He does it repeatedly in Scripture, God opening up wombs. Now He doesn't always open up wombs. Sometimes that's not in His Plan. But if He does open up a womb, it's for a purpose. God opens wombs to show He can do impossible things. But the virgin birth stands alone in Scripture. There's nothing else like it. It stands alone. God does impossible things!

It's like focusing on the coffee cup. If you're walking and you focus on the coffee cup, you'll spill. You're so focused on not spilling you put your eyes on the cup... and you end up spilling. But if you have your eyes on where you're going, the coffee doesn't spill! It's awesome! When we look at our failures and we dwell on our failures, we fail. But when we look at Jesus... This is life in Jesus! He has done all the work! He has forgiven us! Don't focus on your failures. God doesn't! Why should you?

Rahab was always known as "Rahab the Prostitute." Yet I want to tell you it doesn't matter. It has no consequence for your future. God wants to give you a future. And your future is being a child of God and not your past. Not that label that we give ourselves. God wants to give you hope and He wants to bring you a new life. You are NOT your past!

For the next 20 years Samson is with God's people. The Philistines are still in control, but they don't want to mess with Samson. But they do what to find something out. What makes him strong. Then the text says there's this women of ill-repute and Samson decides he wants to go down and be her "friend." The Philistines see this and they say, "Hmmmmmmm Samson's in town and now we know how to get to him. Hey Delilah come over here! Delilah! You need to get close to Samson and find out what makes him so strong!"

Have you ever done that? Have you set out trusting God, having faith in God, only to have a plan B in your hip pocket? If God promises it He will fulfill it!