Faith

Episode 271-War Stories – Follow Faith Not Fear

by

Disciple Up # 271
War Stories # 4, Follow Faith Not Fear – Judges 6-7
By Louie Marsh, 8-17-2022

11  Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites…27  So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night. Judges 6:11,27 (ESV)

7  for we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)

 18  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18 (ESV)

How God Wants Me to Deal with Fear

 1) RECOGNIZE who God wants me to be.

12  And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” Judges 6:12 (ESV)

19  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 (ESV)

2) REFUSE to get sidetracked.

13  And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” Judges 6:13 (ESV)

2  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 (ESV)

3) REMEMBER three powerful truths.

  • I ALREADY have all the strength I need!

14  The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” Judges 6:14 (NIV)

14  And the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian…” Judges 6:14 (ESV)

37  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37 (ESV)

  •  I really am on a MISSION FROM GOD.

do not I send you?” Judges 6:14 (ESV)

  • God is with me ALL THE WAY!

 16  And the LORD said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” Judges 6:16 (ESV)

…“And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” Matthew 28:20 (GW)

4) RID myself of the causes of fear.

 3  Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained. Judges 7:3 (ESV)

 5) REALIZE when & where God is moving.

 9  That same night the LORD said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. 10  But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. 11  And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp…. 14  And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.” 15  As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the LORD has given the host of Midian into your hand.” Judges 7:9-11; 14-15 (ESV)

 6) RUN with the ridiculous!

 16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.’” Judges 7:16-18 (ESV)

 7) GIVE God ALL the credit.

 2  The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Judges 7:2 (ESV)

 

Please Get In Touch!

Email – louie@discipleup.org

 


Check out the Disciple Up Facebook page:

My books – 

Episode 269-War Stories: The Foolishness of God

by

Disciple Up # 269: War Stories #2
The Foolishness of God – Joshua 5:13-6:25
By Louie Marsh, 7-28-2022

Slide One: A college student in Mexico survived after reportedly falling 80 feet from a sixth-floor balcony. broke 110 bones and underwent 11 hours of surgery following the fall. She will face years of recovery.

  1. Following Jesus always seems FOOLISH

 18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved. 1 Corinthians 1:18 (CSBBible)

  1. Make no mistake, God DESIGNED IT THAT WAY!

 27  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29  so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 (ESV)

3) Why does God do this?

  • To show me WHO’S IN CHARGE.

13  When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14  And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” Joshua 5:13-14 (ESV)

  • So I’ll trust Him & NOTHING OR NO ONE  ELSE!

2  And the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. Joshua 6:2 (ESV)

  • So I’ll give HIM the credit ALONE!

1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. Psalm 98:1 (ESV)

  • To show His Power DRAMATICALLY.

20  So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. Joshua 6:20 (ESV)

4) God is calling me to LIVE OUT HIS FOOLISHNESS!

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 (ESV)

5) To do this I must change and become LIKE A CHILD.

Then he said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3-4 (GW)

but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14 (ESV)

6) What foolish thing is Jesus calling me to do next?  ___________________

“Make a boat from resinous wood and seal it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. Make it 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Construct an opening all the way around the boat, 18 inches below the roof. Then put three decks inside the boat—bottom, middle, and upper—and put a door in the side. Genesis 6:14-16 (NLT)

1  Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. Genesis 12:1 (ESV)

Some examples or ideas –

  • Forgive someone who’s hurt you
  • Risk telling someone about Jesus
  • Admit you are in denial – and need help!
  • Draw some boundaries or enforce the ones you have!
  • Confess your failure to someone you’ve failed or let down.
  • Love that unlovable person
  • Ignore your fear & obey God!

Please Get In Touch!

Email – louie@discipleup.org

 


Check out the Disciple Up Facebook page:

My books – 

07 When Faith & Reality Collide: Victims By Faith

by

Disciple Up # 267
When Faith & Reality Collide
Part 7: Victims by Faith
By Louie Marsh, 7-13-2022

Intro. End of this series. Where to next?

32  And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— Hebrews 11:32 (ESV)

We saw last week that strength comes through weakness, this week we’re going to see that God defines victory a little bit differently than we do.

1) When you live by faith you don’t escape SUFFERING.

35 … Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36  Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37  They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. Hebrews 11:35-36 (ESV)

 ‘Parisates, King of Persia, caused Roxana to be sawn in two, alive’; ‘Sabacus, King of Egypt, who received an order in a dream, to cut in two all the priests in his country.’

Roman Emperor Caius Caligula condemned to death many of his own relatives, suffered death by being sawn in two across the middle.

Of the two methods, lengthways or across the body, the thought of the saw penetrating the skull would seem to be the most horrific, yet that method at least brought total oblivion rather quicker than one’s torso being subdivided.

The Chinese, their victims being secured in a standing position, pinned between two wide boards firmly fixed between stakes driven deep into the ground. The two executioners, one on each side, would then wield a long, two-handled saw, working downwards through the boards, cleaving them and the enclosed victim into two halves. No lubrication for the saw was necessary.

Where are people suffering for their faith today?

Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Myanmar, Iran, Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nigeria: These states exercise the greatest constraints on the freedom of religion, according to the report. In 64 other countries, significant restrictions by the government – anti-blasphemy legislation or privileges for certain communities – are verifiable. They include states with large populations like China, India and Russia. As a result, about 70 percent of the world population is subject to great or extreme restrictions.

https://www.dw.com/en/persecuted-christians-suffer-for-their-faith/a-17306297

 This includes being REJECTED & CASTOUT.

  They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38  of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. Hebrews 11: 37-38 (ESV)

This is different from today’s emphasis in much of the church – for example here’s the lyrics to a new song by Kirk Franklin

Bless me!

[Verse 1: Mav City Gospel Choir, Kirk Franklin]
Bless me, bless me, bless me, God, indeed
Death has been defeated, He is our victory (Come on!)
Bless me, bless me, God, not just for me
But so everyone around me can have everything they need
(Let all these folks) Let all these folks that’s with me, God, have everything they need
(Sing it again) REPEAT

[Verse 2: Mav City Gospel Choir, Kirk Franklin]
Favor, favor (Woo!), let it fall on me
Till I’m the conversation of all my enemies (Woo!)
Favor, favor, God, not just for me
But so everyone around me can have everything they need
(Let all these folk) Let all these folks that’s with me, God, have everything they need
(Favor, favor, favor, favor) Favor, favor, let it fall on me
Till I’m the conversation of all my enemies (Come on)
Favor, favor, God, not just for me
But so everyone around me can have everything they need
(Let all these folk) Let all these folks that’s with me, God, have everything they need (Take it up, bless me)

[Interlude: Mav City Gospel Choir, Kirk Franklin]
Hey, hey, [?]
Persecuted, not abandoned
We got all that we need
Hey, hey, [?] (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Persecuted, not abandoned (Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go)
We got all that we need

[Chorus: Kirk Franklin, Mav City Gospel Choir]
Persecuted, not abandoned (We got everything we need)
Criticized, never forsaken (We got everything we need)
Because God’s a promise keeper (We got everything we need)
I got victory because (Our God’s got everything we need)
I shall live and not die (We got everything we need)
Because Jehovah’s by my side (We got everything we need)
Did I tell you He’s a friend of mine? (We got everything we need)
Lift Him up, lift Him up (Our God’s got everything we need)
Take it up, take it up (We got everything we need)
Take it up, take it up (We got everything we need)
Take it up, take it up (We got everything we need)
Yeah, take it up! (Our God’s got everything we need)
And I never should forget (We got everything we need)
He’s never failed me yet (We got everything we need)
Every trial, every test (We got everything we need)
We bless, we bless, we bless, we bless (Our God’s got everything we need)
We bless, we bless, we bless, we bless (We got everything we need)
We bless, we bless, we bless, we bless (We got everything we need)
We bless, we bless, we bless, we bless (We got everything we need)
Yeah, we bless, we bless! (Our God’s got everything we need)
Take it up! (We got everything we need)
We got everything we need (We got everything we need)
We got everything we need (We got everything we need)
We got everything we need (Our God’s got everything we need)
We got– (We got everything we need)
We got everything we need (We got everything we need)
We got every, every (We got everything we need)
Every, every (Our God’s got everything we need)
Ooh!

2) God ALLOWS His servants to suffer – remember Jesus?

 31  And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32  For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. 33  And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” Luke 18:31-33 (ESV)

40  and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41  Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42  And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. Acts 5:40-42 (ESV)

 3) This rejection & suffering is the inevitable result of FOLLOWING JESUS.

19  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. John 15:19 (ESV)

  • This hurts but should be viewed as a BLESSING.

11  “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Matthew 5:11 (ESV)

  • This cannot hurt my relationship with God unless I LET IT.

 35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36  As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:35-37 (ESV)

4) Unlike the Old Testament people, we have received the promised GOSPEL.

39  And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, Hebrews 11:39 (ESV)

22  But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Galatians 3:22 (NIV)

Please Get In Touch!

Email – louie@discipleup.org

 


Check out the Disciple Up Facebook page:

My books – 

266 When Faith & Reality Collide Pt. 6-The Victories of Faith

by

Disciple Up # 266
When Faith & Reality Collide
Part 6th: The Victories of Faith
By Louie Marsh, 7-6-2022

1) When I live by faith God’s power is ACTIVATED in my life.

33  who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34  quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, Hebrews 11:33-34a (ESV)

  • Conquered kingdoms – David

 1  After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines. 2 Samuel 8:1 (ESV)

  • Enforced justice – Samuel

9  Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” 1 Samuel 8:9 (ESV)

  • Obtained promises – Abraham

 15  And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. Hebrews 6:15 (ESV)

  • Stopped lions, quenched fire – Daniel (David, Samson, 3 Hebrews)

2) When I live by faith I trust in GOD NOT MYSELF.

were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35  Women received back their dead by resurrection. Hebrews 11:34b-35 (ESV)

“out of weakness”  =   “from weakness.” The main reference is probably to Samson. – Word Studies in the New Testament.

  • This is the

8  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (ESV)

18  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Romans 7:18-19 (ESV)

  • Faith comes from and works through

4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5 (ESV)

  • Don’t despair about weakness – WALLOW IN IT!

8  Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (ESV)

3) Living by faith is me and God WORKING TOGETHER as partners.

9  For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3:9 (CSB)

5  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Philippians 1:5 (ESV)

“9And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;” (Colossians 1:9–11, ESV)

“28Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Colossians 1:28–29, ESV)

  • God’s power & mine WORK TOGETHER.

11  May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, Colossians 1:11 (ESV)

Please Get In Touch!

Email – louie@discipleup.org

 


Check out the Disciple Up Facebook page:

My books – 

264 When Faith & Reality Collide Pt 5: The Fight of Faith

by

When Faith & Reality Collide
Part 5: The Fight of Faith
By Louie Marsh, 6-22-2022

 7  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJhwc2d7y-E

1) Sometimes acting in faith seems CRAZY.

30  By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. Hebrews 11: 30 (ESV)

  • Fighting the good fight always comes down to WHO IS IN CONTROL.

13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14  And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” 15  And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. Joshua 5:13-15 (ESV)

 

2) Faith is what counts, not all my BAD REPUTATION.

 

 31  By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. Hebrews 11: 31 (ESV)

  • You know you really believe that God is real when you STAKE YOUR LIFE ON IT.

9  and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10  For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11  And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12  Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign 13  that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14  And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” Joshua 2:9-14 (ESV)

 

3) Gender, race, age or tribe doesn’t matter to God – FAITH DOES.

 

32  And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— Hebrews 11:30-32 (ESV)

  • God does great things with people whose faith isn’t VERY MATURE.

4  Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5  She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6  She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7  And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” 8  Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9  And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. Judges 4:4-9 (ESV)

  • Having faith in God doesn’t mean I don’t need PEOPLE HELPING ME.

9  Do your best to come to me soon. 10  For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11  Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 2 Timothy 4:9-11 (ESV)

Please Get In Touch!

Email – louie@discipleup.org

 


Check out the Disciple Up Facebook page:

My books – 

Episode 263-When Faith & Reality Collide Part 4: Stand by Faith

by

Disciple Up #263
Contact – When Faith & Reality Collide
Part 4: Stand by Faith
By Louie Marsh, 6-15-2022

When I live by faith I…

1) STAND for the truth regardless of the consequences.

23  By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. Hebrews 11:23 (ESV)

15  Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16  “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” Exodus 1:15-16 (ESV)

2) REJECT the temporary and focus on the eternal.

24  By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25  choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. Hebrews 11:24-25 (ESV)

  • Disgrace for the sake of Christ is BETTER than the praise of the world.

26  He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. Hebrews 11:26 (ESV)

3) REJOICE that Jesus forgives my sin.

28  By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. Hebrews 11:28 (ESV)

26  Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27  And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28  for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:26-28 (ESV)

4) FOLLOW God through any and all obstacles.

27  By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible… 29  By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. Hebrews 11:27, 29 (ESV)

17  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17 (ESV)

Please Get In Touch!

Email – louie@discipleup.org

 


Check out the Disciple Up Facebook page:

My books – 

 

When Faith & Reality Collide Pt 3: Looking For An Eternal City

by

Contact! When Faith Collides with Reality
Pt. 3, Looking For An Eternal City
By Louie Marsh, 11-19-2017

1) Faith always moves me into the UNKNOWN.

8  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9  By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10  For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. Hebrews 11:8-10 (ESV)

  • Faith always deals with the

11  By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12  Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. Hebrews 11:11-12 (ESV)

2) Faith always demands that I SACRIFICE.

17  By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18  of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19  He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. Hebrews 11:17-19 (ESV)

24  But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. 25  David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the LORD answered prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. 2 Samuel 24:24-25 (NIV)

  • Faith demands I sacrifice my HEARTS DESIRE.

20  By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21  By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22  By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. Hebrews 11:20-22 (ESV)

1  After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2  He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22:1-2 (ESV)

3) Faith always focuses on what’s BEYOND THIS WORLD.

13  These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14  For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15  If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. Hebrews 11:13-15 (ESV)

  • Faith leads me to focus on BETTER THINGS.

16  But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:16 (ESV)

Please Get In Touch!

Email – louie@discipleup.org

 


Check out the Disciple Up Facebook page:

My books – 

Episode 261-Contact When Faith & Reality Collide Pt 2

by

Disciple Up #261
Contact, When Faith & Reality Collide
Part Two: The Nature of Faith
By Louie Marsh, 6-1-2022

The American philosopher Henry David Thoreau is famous for the remark “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.” That is a good description of the men and women listed here. They hear another drumbeat which others do not, and this accounts for the way they often act contrary to normal expectations. The first three examples, Abel, Enoch and Noah, show us the nature of faith. The rest show how faith behaves in real life.

1) Faith in Christ makes what I do PLEASING TO HIM.

4  By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts…Hebrews 11:4a (ESV)

The word “acceptable” is pleiona, which means “greater” or “more important” as suggested by its use in

23  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Luke 12:23 (ESV)

The reason suggested is that it came from a heart made righteous by faith!

 9  …For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. Romans 4:9b (ESV)

“Sacrifice is acceptable to God not for its material content, but in so far as it is the outward expression of a devoted and obedient heart” FF Bruce

Cain’s offering was rejected because a heart of pride and self-sufficiency lay behind it. This explanation fits well with the context of Hebrews where the writer repeatedly warns against possessing “an evil heart of unbelief.”

2) Faith continues to speak long after I am GONE.

And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. Hebrews 11:4b (ESV)

10  And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. Genesis 4:10 (ESV)

24  and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:24 (ESV)

It is often suggested that the blood of Abel cries out for the final vindication promised to all the saints (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7), but the blood of Jesus speaks of proffered forgiveness.

“6since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels” (2 Thessalonians 1:6–7, ESV)

3) Faith makes me PLEASING TO GOD.

5  By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6  And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:5-6 (ESV)

  • Enoch didn’t follow God for 65 YEARS.

21  When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 22  Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Genesis 5:21-22 (ESV)

  • He CHOSE TO FOLLOW GOD after his first son was born.

5  The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5 (ESV)

  • I cannot find or please God apart from having faith in His SELF-REVELATION.

4) Faith MOTIVATES ME.

7  By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household…Hebrews 11:7a (ESV)

17  So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:17 (ESV)

  • Faithful acts make the world’s corruption PLAIN.

By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. Hebrews 11:7b (ESV)

19  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. John 3:19 (ESV)

Please Get In Touch!

Email – louie@discipleup.org

 


Check out the Disciple Up Facebook page:

My books – 

Episode 260-Uvalde – WHY?

by

Disciple Up #260
Uvalde – WHY?
By Louie Marsh, 5-25-2022

“2Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” (Proverbs 21:2, ESV)

“18Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes, 19who say: “Let him be quick, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!” 20Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! 21Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! 22Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, 23who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!” (Isaiah 5:18–23, ESV)

“5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:5–8, ESV)

“30take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ 31You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. 32“Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.” (Deuteronomy 12:30–32, ESV)

“7“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” 9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”” (Jeremiah 17:7–10, ESV)

“28And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:28–32, ESV)

“1I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1–2, ESV)

Please Get In Touch!

Email – louie@discipleup.org

 


Check out the Disciple Up Facebook page:

My books – 

 

 

Episode 258 -No Fear Don’t Fear the Online Mob

by


Disciple Up # 258
Don’t Fear the Online Mob– Judges 6-7
By Louie Marsh, 5-11-2022

11  Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites…27  So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night. Judges 6:11,27 (ESV)

7  for we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)

 18  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18 (ESV)

How God Wants Me to Deal with Fear

 1) RECOGNIZE who God wants me to be.

12  And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” Judges 6:12 (ESV)

19  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 (ESV)

2) REFUSE to get sidetracked.

13  And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” Judges 6:13 (ESV)

2  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 (ESV)

3) REMEMBER three powerful truths.

  • I ALREADY have all the strength I need!

14  The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” Judges 6:14 (NIV)

14  And the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian…” Judges 6:14 (ESV)

37  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37 (ESV)

  •  I really am on a MISSION FROM GOD.

do not I send you?” Judges 6:14 (ESV)

  • God is with me ALL THE WAY!

 16  And the LORD said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” Judges 6:16 (ESV)

…“And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” Matthew 28:20 (GW)

4) RID myself of the causes of fear.

 3  Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained. Judges 7:3 (ESV)

 5) REALIZE when & where God is moving.

 9  That same night the LORD said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. 10  But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. 11  And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp…. 14  And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.” 15  As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the LORD has given the host of Midian into your hand.” Judges 7:9-11; 14-15 (ESV)

 6) RUN with the ridiculous!

 16  And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. 17  And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18  When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.’” Judges 7:16-18 (ESV)

 7) GIVE God ALL the credit.

 2  The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Judges 7:2 (ESV)

Please Get In Touch!

Email – louie@discipleup.org

 


Check out the Disciple Up Facebook page:

My books –