Believe in Yourself; Jesus does.

When did you stop believing in yourself?

As followers of Christ we can sometimes be cinical of the way people always promote self confidence over faith in a "higher power". Humanism is the belief that power comes from within ones self and must be released for one to reach their full potential while faith in God teaches us to reach within ourselves to believe in Him rather than ourselves. If all of this has your head spinning in confusion don't worry, so is mine. However, last week a revelation was given to me in preparation for two youth services. Believing in Jesus is great but if you don't believe in yourself your faith in Jesus if useless.

In Matthew 14.22-33 the record is shared that Jesus is walking on the water with his followers were in a boat. One of the men, Peter, calls out and asks if he can join Jesus. Jesus says "yes" so Peter steps out of the boat and begins to talk on the water! He is actually walking on top of the water! Well... for a moment, then he starts to sink. Why does he sink? Because he starts to doubt. Jesus asks him, "Why did you doubt?" Stop here. If doubt caused Peter to sink, we have to ask our self, who or what did he doubt. Some would be quick to say, "He must have doubted Jesus" but that isn't true because he calls out for Jesus to save him. He doubted himself. He doubted that he could walk on water. He doubted what he could do when he was acting under the command of Jesus. We do the same thing.

Peter knew that Jesus had all power of heaven and earth and that Jesus was the Son of God; what he forgot was that that power had been given to him as well. Peter told himself, "I am man, man cannot walk on the water. I cannot walk on the water!" True. Man cannot walk on the water but man under power of God can. "I can do all thing through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4.13.

The next time you tell yourself that you can't do something remember that Jesus said you can. At the same time that we say we believe in Jesus, He is believing in us. As we are trusting Jesus, he is trusting us. Jesus trusts in you enough, and has enough confidence in you that he has trusted you with his love, his salvation, and his word that you can carry it to the world. He believes you can; it is time you start believing that you can too.

From the Skeletons to the Defensive Line

Last week I was sitting on the couch watching the new game show called, "To tell the truth" and began to think of all the parts within me that I don't want anyone to know. The skeletons in my closet that I would never want to be brought to life; not because I am a Pastor, but because I am ashamed to admit the failures I have. In a book I recently read it told of how each person, especially men in positions of leadership have a fear in common, the fear of being exposed for all of what goes on in our hearts and in our minds. The fact is that God already knows what these things are and to him they are not skeletons, they are an army of defense blocking us from the true presence of the Father.

This week was also the Super Bowl where the best football players in the world gather to show who is boss. Within the game stand a brick wall of players all weighing twice my weigh and able to bench press three times as much. As I watched it accured to me that those living skeletons I have kept hidden so long were not skin and bones before the Father, they were like the defensive line of the the worlds best football teams.

All of this can seem overwhelming when we consider that this brick wall of garage we've hidden in our lives is keeping us from the life of abundance Jesus died to give us. One will begin to feel on of two things when this reality strikes. 1. I am hopeless. 2. What is the use, I'll never be perfect, and just continue with the defensive line in full force. What is one to do?

Back to the game show. If the contestant want to defeat the game they have to do only one thing... be honest. It sounds easy, but the people they love the most are present, and those are the people we try to hide these skeletons from the most. What can we do?

Just like in "To tell the Truth" we must simply be honest. Honest before God. Honest before ourselves. Honest before others. Stop living in the fantasy world that if we ignore something no one will, know, care, or be hurt.

What we see as an impossible obstacle is a mere illusion of perspective. God has the power and the desire to wipe out that entire defensive line in one easy blow but it will require that we come clean with him in all areas.

That settles being honest with God. What about being honest with ourselves and others. That is not as easy and may be a process, but it is acheivable.