Where Does Your Faith Lie

by Ariel E. Gaskill, M.S.

When we study the New Testament, we see in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  The Word is an archetype of Jesus. We learn early on in this book, that the Word was never separated from God the Father. The Word, along with the Holy Spirit, works in conjunction with the Father.  God is infinite. He always was. He always is, and He always will be. This is something that we as Christians are called to believe by faith.  I recently heard International  Pastor, Joseph Price (Singapore), deliver a message on faith. One profound statement he made across the pulpit was that “Faith is a revelation of Jesus.” This truth is confirmed over and over again throughout scripture. Those who dared to believe and apply the message of Jesus to their hearts; and those who had big faith, saw more of Jesus’ deity and Sovereignty when He walked among them over 2,000 years ago. What can we learn from them? The more faith we have, the more of Himself He will reveal. Why? Because He trusts us with the revelation. As we go about life, it can be easy for us to focus on works and ritual; but we must remember that without faith as the motivation, our works mean nothing. All of this begs the question - where does your faith lie?

Too Many Hands In The Pot

By Ariel E. Gaskill, M.S.

It has become a societal norm to overshare and overindulge. Gone are the days where our first thought is to experience a moment for what it is, rather than capturing it to post on social media. It is common to reach for our phones before we reach for a hand. In the infamous words of Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On?” 

When we think about the life and ministry of Jesus, we see that His message drew many, yet, we learn in Matthew 17:1-13 that He revealed Himself in all of His glory to a close and select three: Peter, James, and John.  There is a reason. Jesus trusted them and knew that their faith was large enough to receive the Truth of who He was, without question or doubt.  In the same way, if God has placed something big in our hearts to do, that means  He trusts us enough to carry the weight of it. It also requires us to ponder it in our hearts and share the vision only with those who can believe in faith with us. In order to be a good steward over what the Lord has entrusted to us, we must posture our hearts and faith to move as His Spirit leads, and with hopeful expectation, trust the Lord for the manifestation of that dream.  

We are called to make kingdom impact; and in the Kingdom, there is no room for doubt. Faith and fear cannot coexist. One of my favorite quotes by Josie Bissett says, “Dreams come a size too big, so that we may grow into them.” God created us intentionally to fulfill a specific purpose. He equipped us for it. That is all the assurance we need to pursue all that He has placed inside each one of us to do and to grow into the people that He has created us to be. 

Don’t allow too many hands in the pot of your life. Trust the Master, and posture yourself to receive the blessings that He has for you.