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belief

The Power Of Belief

by John Mathai July 29, 2023

written by John Mathai

Happy is the man who believes and therefore receives from heaven above. He believes in the promises of God. He does not waver in his belief. He remains steadfast and therefore will receive what he believes. Belief is such a powerful word that it is closely related to faith. When you believe then you exercise faith in that belief. This applies to any belief. Faith is the key to unlock the power in the belief. You can believe a lie and it will come to pass. Myths are built on this. Placebo effects are based on this belief that a pill will work. The power of belief is what makes a human being different from animals.

Belief

A man can convince himself of his belief and die for it. This is why many are confused because the lie appears to be the truth and the truth a lie. Both like the wheat and weeds grow together. They grow out of the same soil of belief. This is why so many philosophies thrive because people want to believe something. An atheist also believes that there is no God. One has to believe something as believe in nothing is impossible.

Power

Tap into the power of belief and see how the power of God will change your life. This is supernatural power and is available to all. You connect to the spirit world through belief. Believe and be saved is what Jesus taught. The whole Bible is based on believing the written word of God. Tap into the promises of God as you exercise your faith in them. His word will transform you. There is power in His word which is released through faith in His word. Believing is of the heart and not the head.We know facts in our head but till we believe it, it has no power to be experienced. It is experience of His living word that leads to life.
Dr. John Mathai

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July 29, 2023 0 comments

Hollywood Christian Composer Stands On Faith Despite Losing Mainstream Jobs

by Rhoda Gayle April 10, 2023

written by Rhoda Gayle

A Hollywood Christian composer is standing firm on his faith despite losing mainstream jobs.

Hollywood Christian composer

Aaron Fullan is an actor and composer in Hollywood. He has composed music for many projects including “Adventures In Odyssey” and opening jingles at the beginning of every Snagel Studio film and series. He has also starred in dozens of films including “Surprised by Oxford.” However, he revealed that he has lost many mainstream projects because he is a Christian.

“Sometimes sticking to your guns in this industry will cost you,” Aaron said at Christian Worldview Film Festival. “That is the harsh reality of being faithful to God’s calling in this industry.”

In 2017, he got hired to be a composer for new series by a major studio. But after signing the contract and reading the script, he had to back out of the project because the content would go against his Christian values.

“I started seeing something unfold [in the plot] that I absolutely knew I wasn’t going to participate in,” he said. “I showed my wife. We looked at each other and I said, ‘I can’t do this.'”

From left to right:
Aaron Fullan [@aaronfullan]. Aaron Fullan. Instagram, February 17, 2023, https://www.instagram.com/aaronfullan/
Aaron Fullan [@aaronfullan]. Aaron Fullan. Instagram, February 4, 2023, https://www.instagram.com/aaronfullan/

Aaron Fullan

The second time he lost a job was when he was working with an Internet company. It was a great opportunity for him and it really paid well, but after three weeks of working, he got fired because of his social media posts.

“She says, ‘I’m sorry, we can’t work with you.’… and she said, ‘One of the higher-ups at our company looked at your social media. And based on some of the content you have on there, decided you’re not a good fit for our company.’ So I’m like, ‘What happened in the last week, that changed so dramatically?’ So I looked and looked and looked through my posts. The only thing that I could see that would have been potentially controversial was I’m very vocally pro-life. And extremely so on my social media.”

Despite going through rejection because he stood up for his belief in God, he never regretted having that kind of faith.

“This industry is often very anti-Christian depending on what circles you end up being in,” Aaron said. “If you commit to prioritizing God and His Word in your decision-making over worldly success, the adulation of man, you will be faced with some difficult decisions. But again, you will also be blessed in unimaginable ways. Because the Lord sees your commitment to Him, and is honored by it.”

Reference: Christian Headlines
Header Image: Aaron Fullan [@aaronfullan]. Aaron Fullan. Instagram, March 16, 2023, https://www.instagram.com/aaronfullan/

April 10, 2023 0 comments

Faith Spotlight

The Power Of Belief

by Lauren Koch July 9, 2022

written by Lauren Koch

What do you believe about yourself, your life and others? Are your hopes up? God created our minds to be filled with hope and peace for our lives and futures. These hopes all come from what your belief systems.

Belief drives your everyday actions

The belief systems in our minds determine the kind of day that we have. Even in tragedy, or difficult times, what we believe about our lives determines our level of satisfaction and hope. I have a mental practice of taking my present realities and comparing them to the word of God. To do this, I first determine what I am believing about the circumstance. I identify my thoughts with the simple question: what do I believe about this situation?

Belief’s power in your life

Recently, my family was waiting to hear news on a potential health diagnosis for someone we loved. We were susceptible to the voice of fear. As we anticipated the results, I continued to speak life over my family member and the truth of the word of God. I remembered that they were wonderfully made my God and that they were filled with life from the Holy Spirit. Remembering these promises trained my mind to create a belief system around who God is, not what the diagnosis could be. This system did not let fear take it over, but instead helped my family live with confidence in God’s goodness and His promises to us.

What we believe about our lives matters. Consider your daily life today. Maybe your finances, your health, or your family’s well-being. Can you identify some of the beliefs you have in these areas? I urge you to search the word of God for the truth of His promises to you and create a belief system around the unwavering faithfulness of Jesus. Place these reminders around your home as a way to train your mind to know and fall back on the word of God in hardship.

July 9, 2022 0 comments

Faith

Self Healing And Self Deliverance, This Is Your Privilege

by John Mathai August 10, 2020

written by John Mathai

Healing and Deliverance

Many seek for healing and deliverance and look up to people to heal them. They go to doctors to get medicine or subject themselves to various interventions to be healed. However, there is another way that has been opened for us to be healed and delivered. Jesus came to make the way for us to be healed through His sacrifice on the Cross. The Bible says that He took our diseases and sicknesses on the Cross (see Matt 8:17). As a result, we can be healed and delivered if we just believe in this.

Healing

Healing was accomplished on the Cross 2000 years ago. As a result, Jesus’ healing is available now to those who believe. Many believe they can be healed and are healed through Jesus. On the contrary, others believe taking medicine can heal them and as a result, they are healed. There are many ways God can use to provide healing. I can testify that I have been healed by asking and believing God for my miracle healing. On two occasions it happened suddenly, while in other cases it was more gradual. In these latter cases, I trusted His healing word and persisted in believing it until the healing was manifested in my body. You too can ask God for your healing and expect to be healed, God can also use doctors and medicine to heal you.

Deliverance

Some people are bound by evil spirits in their soul life and need to be delivered. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. However, many people don’t believe there is a devil or that we can be oppressed by the devil. Many diseases and disorders are caused by demonic oppression. Yet, there is no sickness or disease in heaven. So when we pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” why can’t we believe to be disease-free? We can be delivered from demonic oppression since we can cast demons out of ourselves in the Name of Jesus. This is our privilege as children of God. Many addictions and obsessions are due to demonic habitation. No amount of psychological therapy can dislodge demons. Seek to be delivered today in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer

Say this prayer: “I believe you died Jesus for my sins. I repent and ask for forgiveness. Heal me of my disease and deliver me from demonic oppression. I ask this in Your Name.” Persist in believing till you see the manifestation of your healing and deliverance.

John Mathai

August 10, 2020 0 comments

Articles

4 Things To Do If You Can’t Hear God’s Voice

by Jennifer LeClaire July 15, 2020

written by Jennifer LeClaire

I started hearing God speak to me as soon as I got saved—and I needed to. It would be an understatement to describe my situation as desperate. See, I got saved in county jail. I was falsely accused of a crime I did not commit and the state wanted to send me to prison for five years. God had a different idea and sent a group of evangelists to the jail to offer testimonies of Jesus’ saving grace. Thus started my journey of hearing God’s voice.

I was sold on the gospel—and sold out to Jesus—but I was still facing five years in prison on a false charge. I didn’t know what to do, so I just started reading the paperback Bible they gave me after the jailhouse crusade, praying and attending any sort of quasi-church service I could find behind those cold hard walls. Then He spoke to me.

God made it clear that I would be released from that jail on the 40^th day. I told everyone who would listen that I would be released on the 40^th day. I told my “bunkie.” Then I told the correctional officers. And then I told my mother. I didn’t know it, but I was warring with the prophetic word—and I won. I was released on the 40^th day, completely vindicated. It was just as God said it would be. I want to share with you some fundamentals of hearing from God.

desperateprayerbig

1. Believe That God Wants to Speak to You

If you don’t believe God wants to speak to you, it’s likely that you won’t hear His still, small voice. The key here is that you expect Him to speak. David said, “O Lord, in the morning You will hear my voice; in the morning I will direct my prayer to You, and I will watch expectantly.” (Ps. 5:3) The Holy Spirit lives inside you and might be speaking to you more than you realize. Jesus said, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” (John 14:26)

2. Position Your heart to Hear God’s Voice

Jesus Himself said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27) Our part is to position our hearts to hear His still, small voice, or to recognize the other ways in which He communicates with us. Practice the presence of God. Cultivate an awareness that the Holy Spirit dwells in you and He longs to fellowship with you daily. Pray that He would make you sensitive to His Spirit and His voice.

3. Learn the Fine Art of Listening to God’s Voice

Many people talk to God but they don’t stop to listen—or they don’t develop listening skills. Listening truly is a skill that you can learn, whether in your natural relationships or your spiritual relationship with God. You need to “have an ear” to hear the Holy Spirit and that may mean training your spiritual ears to recognize the ways He is speaking.

Jesus said, “He who has ears [to hear], let him be listening and let him consider and perceive and comprehend by hearing.” (Matt. 13:9) Solomon prayed that God would give him a hearing heart (1 Kings 3:9). Many translations say “understanding heart” in that verse but the Hebrew word translated “understanding” in that verse is shama, which translates to hear, understand, listen or obey. Pray that God will give you a hearing heart, then listen and obey.

4. Fellowship More With the Holy Spirit

This is fundamental. If you want to hear from God more clearly, spend more time with Him and His Word. Paul told his spiritual son, Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17, MEV)

Knowing the Word guards us from deception—and from falling into the trap of listening to other voices or even following vain imaginations. If you seek God, you will hear His voice. You don’t have to be in a quiet room to hear from God. Your soul just needs to be quiet and focused on Him. Let your spirit dominate. Listen with spiritual ears. You can hear God’s voice!

July 15, 2020 0 comments

Articles

Believe: How To Have Faith In What We Cannot See!

by Nina Keegan March 31, 2020

written by Nina Keegan

Matthew 13:58 says, “And so Jesus did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.” Do you believe? We all know the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead… But, as I was reading the story again ..in John 11, I became aware that in the supernatural, there definitely is an order to things. Jesus did receive word that Lazarus, his good friend, was very ill… yet, Jesus chose to not immediately go to his friend’s side, He waited a couple more days. Note that Jesus’s timing is not our timing. We are always in a hurry, we want God to answer our prayers expeditiously and logically. We want Jesus to do things according to our logical, natural, inside the box, thinking. But in all things, God will be glorified! His ways are so much higher than our ways. There are reasons for things we simply will not understand but are called to believe, and have faith that God knows things we do not!

Take Away The Stone

When Jesus came to the area where His good friends Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus were, He was deeply troubled by their sadness, Jesus wept. They could not foresee or supernaturally understand what was about to happen… They were looking at the situation logically, in the natural… Their brother was dead, and Jesus was too late to do anything about it. The Bible says in John 11:38, That Jesus was groaning in himself as he came to the tomb. He loved these three friends so much… He felt their pain deeply. But, when Jesus said in verse 39, “‘TAKE AWAY THE STONE.’ Martha said,” Lord, by this time there is a stench for he has been dead four days.'”

How many of us miss the “Take away the stone,” moments that Jesus is trying to do in our lives because we cannot logically understand his ways? Jesus himself said to take away the stone and Martha told him it was not a good idea! How many times have we ignored God’s promptings because to us, it makes no sense? Faith, again, is in what we cannot see! Martha was basically telling Jesus, who was about to supernaturally and miraculously raise her brother from the dead, that this was a situation that could not be resurrected, that this was a dead and stinky, situation, and that it was too late…Jesus said, “Did I not say to you that if you would BELIEVE you would SEE the glory of God?”

Believe Then See

Did you notice the order in the scripture? We need to believe first then we will see! What will we see? The glory of God! This means we will see things that will be outside the natural realm of possibility, we will see miracles, we will see the supernatural. While Jesus was talking to Martha, at the exact same time, the stone was being rolled away by the others that were there…

It says in verse 41, “THEN they took the stone away…” So right in the midst of her unbelief, Jesus had sent others to work on her behalf… God sends us all the help we need to help roll the stones away from our lives. What happens next is amazing Jesus THANKS his own Father…Jesus could only do what his Father in heaven allowed him to do and in verse 42, Jesus says, “Thank you that you have heard me, and I know that you always hear me.”

It’s All For God’s Glory

THEN, after giving thanks to his Father, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus come forth!” Verse 44, it goes on to say that when Lazarus came forth, He was bound hand and foot with grave clothes and his face was completely wrapped… But Jesus again said to the others, “Loose him and let him Go!” Lazarus was resurrected but he was not yet FREE. Jesus invited others to be part of the supernatural miracle…Jesus wants us free indeed. And Jesus does not do anything halfway, not only will we come out of bondage but we will be completely free! There’s no halfway breakthrough with Jesus it’s always so much more than we could ever imagine…We all need others to help us when we are bound…Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Just Believe

It doesn’t matter what we are looking at, it doesn’t matter that our facts are correct…Lazarus was dead, that’s a fact! It only matters that we believe that God can do anything and that his truth can override our emotions, our feelings, and our logic… He’s just asking us to believe and yes, if we believe, we will see the glory of God!

Too many of us are praying and praising the Lord but we’re not touching the stone! Let’s not miss our miracle because of unbelief or because we cannot logically see an answer. Let’s ask Jesus to send the help we need to get our stones rolling, let’s let faith activate what needs to be resurrected in our lives… it’s time to be free and unbound! ROLL THE STONE AWAY! It’s time to stop delaying God’s power!

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 says, “As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says,“In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

March 31, 2020 0 comments

Video

Breaking Down The Biggest Barrier To Hearing God

by Kyle Winkler February 13, 2020

written by Kyle Winkler

Part-and-parcel to any relationship is communication—sending and receiving, talking and listening. Our relationships with God are no different. It’s of no debate that God wants to hear our voices. But Jesus revealed that God also wants us to hear His. “My sheep hear My voice,” He assured. (Jn. 10:27, MEV) Let’s learn how to break down the enemy’s barrier…

“My Sheep Hear My Voice”

Unless you live on a farm, most today are far removed from what it actually means for sheep to know their master’s voice. In a recent online Bible study on hearing God, I played a short video clip that profoundly illustrates what happens. Watch it below.

An AMAZING Illustration of “My Sheep Hear My voice”

Watch this video on YouTube

If you watched the video, you saw that the strangers couldn’t even provoke the sheep to look at them. They were completely ignored! When the master called out, however, the sheep’s ears perked up and they all began to draw near.

Hearing God Like Sheep

Hearing like sheep is the image Jesus gave for how God’s voice is supposed to be recognized in our lives too. We should be so in tune with Him that we’re able to easily discern what’s His voice and what’s not. And when we hear Him call to us, we should trust Him so completely that we quickly follow.

When we know God’s voice, we know where to go, what to do and what not to listen to. Hearing God is paramount to an intimate relationship with Him, and all that comes with it: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control (see Gal. 5:22–23). It’s also the bedrock of our spiritual authority and power. That’s why one of the enemy’s chief goals is to keep you from hearing God. And to do so, he sets up barriers. The biggest of these is the belief that “God can’t love me.” Let’s explore this now.

The #1 Barrier Belief to Hearing

For some, the notion that “God can’t love me” stems from past sins they’ve never been able to forgive themselves of. Accordingly, it’s thought, “if I can’t forgive myself, then God definitely can’t either.” For others, present sins and struggles make them feel ashamed, condemned or too dirty to be in God’s presence. Yet for others, the inability to uphold some religious standard (such as an ideal amount of Bible reading or giving) brings about intense feelings of disapproval. Whatever the case, the fear of letting God down in some way often keeps people hiding from God, rather than communing with Him.

How to Break Down the Barrier

The only way to break down the barrier of the belief that “God can’t love me” is with the truth. So here’s some truth: As a Christian, the power of sin to separate you from God is destroyed; Jesus crucified it on the cross. This is why Paul implores to “consider yourselves dead to sin…” (Rom. 6:11)

The devil knows this, which is why his only recourse is to follow up failures with accusations that deceive you into believing God is mad at you. That’s all he’s got!

Of course, sin is serious; we should seek to please God and do as He desires. But when we fall short, it’s important that we instantly remember that He still loves us. In fact, the moment just after a failure is when we need to go to God all the more. This vulnerable time is the most critical time to hear His forgiveness and what He says to help avoid falling in the future.

Remember: As a believer, your access to God is dependent upon Jesus’ finished work, not upon anything you do or fail to do. When the enemy uses reminders of sin and struggle to keep you from drawing near to God, remind yourself that you are declared “the righteousness of God” and loved by Him in a way that nobody and no battle can separate (see 2 Cor 5:21; Rom. 8:38).

For more on how to break through this and 2 other big barriers to hearing God, tune in to the replay of my online Bible study.

February 13, 2020 0 comments

Articles Faith

Your Promise Shall Live, God Is Here

by Margaret Green January 20, 2020

written by Margaret Green

God’s promise will come to pass.

Mark 9:17-24 reads, “Then one of the crowds answered and said, ‘Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples that they should cast it out, but they could not.’ Immediately the father of the child with tears cried out, ‘Lord, I believe, but help mine unbelief.'”

Claiming it, but not Seeing it

We have entered into the decade of the mouth, and you are saying to yourself, “What God revealed, I must speak, and what I speak concerning the will of God will come to pass.” And we have progressed into the New Year, but what God said concerning your life is already being attacked, and the situation is looking dead. Now what?

Desperately Seeking Answers

Let’s set the scene. Here you have a father and mother happily blessed with this beautiful child. Imagine the excitement of the blessing. Excited to plan the baby shower, gender reveal parties, and then the hardness of the labor and feeling a final sigh of relief because he or she, has finally made it to the world. The boy probably looked just like the father, had his features, but then something happened. The boy became possessed with a devil that closed his ears and his mouth.

The Enemy Silenced My Promise

The enemy silenced one of the most potent weapons the boy possessed. The Bible says the power of life and death is in the tongue (see Proverbs 18 and 21). So nothing went in, and nothing came out. Isn’t it like some of us too? We are excited about what God has given us or even shown us. And boom. It undergoes a demonic attack and stops speaking.

The Bible says to write the vision, make it understandable. It shall speak and not faint though the vision it’s only for a while; it shall speak and not lie (see Habakkuk 2:2-3). We must understand that if the vision can talk, it can be silenced by an invasion of the enemy. There are promises, God gave you but seemingly there has been no traction or action in that area. And what you been praying for has gone silent.

The father stayed with the blessing. He did not let it go, or give up asking. He said, “Lord, I believe but help my unbelief.” Jesus asked the man, how long has he been like this? And the man answered since he was a child. Jesus understood that anything our Father in Heaven gives; it’s considered good. Jesus knew that our Father in Heaven did not curse the blessing; something happened along the way.

The Bible said that the spirit threw his son in the fire and into the water, trying to kill him. These are known as failed attempts. The Enemy tried to kill, the man’s promise. But the enemy can’t kill what God has ordained to live!

The Bystanders

Have you ever heard someone say, “Girrrrrrl or Mannnn that situation is dead? You might as well do something else.” They make an evaluation based on what they see and not what the Lord has determined.

I love how Jesus waited until an audience was present. I am reminded of the Bible verse, “preparest a table in the presence of thine enemies.” (Psalm 23:5)

Situations will arise in our lives. We must believe that Jesus has already visited them. To the bystander, and those on the outside looking in, it will appear dead.

But let me encourage you. The Bible says, “Jesus took him by the hand lifted him, and he arose.” Where the spirit of the Lord is life is present (see 2 Corinthians 3:17). So it may look dead and appear as if there is no hope, but be encouraged, Jesus is present and already working it out!

Promise: Final Words

God is already in the situation! The Lord revealed that sometimes the promise, and the prophetic word, undergo an attack and will seem to stop talking and responding to you even though you’ve been decreeing, and declaring it, and seeking manifestation. The Lord said IT’S NOT DEAD; it only rested for an appointed time. It’s about to SUDDENLY AND DRASTICALLY RISE! This is the decade of the mouth and what God has shown you, and what you have decreed and declared concerning the promise will surely come to pass!

Connect with Margaret Green on FB @ Prophetess Margaret Green “I Am Kingdom Created” and IG @prophetessmargaretgreen

January 20, 2020 0 comments

Video

WATCH: The Unbelievable Reason this Muslim Doctor Converted to Christianity

by GOD TV May 31, 2018

written by GOD TV

The Amazing Reason this Muslim Doctor Converted to Christianity

This young Muslim woman, whose parents are leaders in the mosque, met some Christians at university and she had one goal: convert them. She knew that their idea of Christ couldn’t both be true. She had all her arguments set, but she never felt satisfied. She would cry out to Allah every night to reveal his truth, and because nothing would happen, she started to feel like she was losing her mind. At her breaking point, she got a message from her Christian friend, saying that he had been praying for her and gave her a book called “The Case for Christ.” Then everything changed…WATCH the video below for the rest of this AMAZING story!

American Muslim Doctor converts to Christianity

Watch this video on YouTube

May 31, 2018 0 comments

Faith

Bear Grylls is a Serious Thrill-Seeker; Here’s the Reason Why His Faith in Jesus is Just as Radical!

by GOD TV June 22, 2017

written by GOD TV

Bear Grylls’s Simple, Radical Faith

British thrill-seeker Bear Grylls, star of Man vs. Wild, has summited Mount Everest, survived a life-threatening parachuting accident in Zambia, navigated the Thames naked in a bathtub, and jet skied around the British isles. And when it comes to his faith, he approaches Jesus with the same wild abandon. He recently opened up about the evolution of his faith, preferring childlike simplicity over the complicated rituals of religion.

Jesus, My Friend

In a recent interview with Relevant Magazine, Bear described his childhood faith as “natural.” He explained, “As a really young kid, I never questioned God. I just knew God existed and it felt like He was my friend.”

His father, Sir Michael Grylls, a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron, fostered Bear’s curious and adventurous spirit by teaching him how to sail at a young age. While his home life was buzzing with activity and excitement, his school life was filled with religious rituals, yanking him from his intimate friendship with Jesus.

In an interview with CBN, Bear uncovered what he didn’t like about this religious fervor at school: “It was all about church-going and people telling you not to smoke behind the bike shed. I thought if this is God, maybe I’ve got the whole deal wrong, so I kind of ditched my faith.”

But Bear missed having Christ by his side on his journey through life – especially when his grandfather died. He wanted to pray, to feel God’s comfort and divine embrace, but he didn’t know how. Instead, he returned to what he knew best – he climbed a tree and cried out to his childhood friend. “Will you be that friend to me that you were at five or six when it felt natural?” he genuinely asked Jesus.

It was no more complicated than that simple prayer, and ever since then, Bear has been comforted by the return of his lifelong friend.

Returning To The Heart Of Spirituality

Looking back on his own faith journey, Bear believes that there is often a fundamental disconnection between religiosity and spirituality. According to Bear, “So often we kinda hide behind our yearning for love and acceptance with loads of complicated theological questions, and actually once that’s stripped away, what we really are is just somebody who wants to have that relationship with your Father.”

Everyone has a fundamental need for the simple truth and all-consuming love found in a relationship with Jesus. Insofar as religion fosters that relationship, it is helpful. But religion can actually serve as an obstacle. Due to his past encounters with religion, Bear finds it comforting that Jesus was “the least religious guy you’ll meet.”

Because of his intense travel schedule, Bear has sporadic church attendance. However, he grows in his faith by having impromptu worship and music sessions with his family and talking to Jesus in a simple, casual language of love. Bear explains, “I kind of cling to the simple things, like, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ and ‘I’m holding you by your right hand.’ The simple things is what I try to keep my faith like. Jesus is unchanging and we are forgiven.”

The Wild Ride Of Faith

Another attribute of Jesus that Bear admires is His deviation from the cultural norm. Jesus didn’t sit by and passively accept the pervasive injustices occurring during his life; he actively rebelled, leading his followers to discover divine truth, and befriending and caring for the victims of the injustices.

Jesus was not a smiley, comfortable, prim and proper rule-follower.

According to Bear, “Jesus, the heart of the Christian faith is the wildest, most radical guy you’d ever come across. He was always hanging around with the prostitutes and the tax collectors and having parties and banquets, and I found myself drawn to that character, not the kind of fluff that we like to box as religion.”

As he seeks to follow Jesus, Bear embraces this radical nature, pursuing any and all forms of adventure. To those that would call his lifestyle risky, Bear responds, “Life is risky. If we embrace it, look after each other and learn how to manage risk, we are all better off.”

Bear summarizes his approach to life and faith in this awe-inspiring way: “I for one do not want to reach the end of my life in a perfectly preserved body. I want to come flying in sideways, covered in scars, beaten up and screaming: ‘Yahoo! What a ride!’”

If you feel bogged down by religious rituals, say a simple “Hallelujah,” find Jesus in art, or go for an exhilarating run in His Creation. Mix it up a bit. After all, Jesus Himself praised simple, radical, childlike faith.

June 22, 2017 0 comments

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