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Lazy Faith

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP) For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

I believe this is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, next to John 3:16. You see it everywhere. You see it on pillows, shirts, wall decor, etc. It is the focus verse for many ministries and organizations. It is a wonderful verse of hope. However, it can be an excuse for the lazy person to put their life on pause. Yikes! I used the word lazy to describe some people. I like lazy days that I don’t have to get out of my pajamas. That is my favorite outfit to wear. However, if I do not get out of my house, and my comfort, how can I fulfill this verse in context.

Jeremiah 29:5-10 (AMP) ‘Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there and do not decrease [in number]. Seek peace and well-being for the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its peace (well-being) you will have peace.’ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your [false] prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you; pay no attention and attach no significance to the dreams which they dream or to yours, for they prophesy falsely to you in My Name. I have not sent them,’ says the Lord. “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years [of exile] have been completed for Babylon, I will visit (inspect) you and keep My good promise to you, to bring you back to this place. 

Everything must be judged against the Word of the Lord. Jeremiah was a prophet, but he was not the only prophet among the people. The Bible even calls them out as false prophets. He said a true prophet, “prophesies of peace, when that prophet’s word comes to pass, [only] then will it be known that the Lord has truly sent him” (Jeremiah 28:9). Was it through war or through God that they were going to be brought back to Israel. God moved on the heart of King Cyrus, his name was prophesied long before they were brought out of exile (Isaiah 44:28). We want God to move quickly, but we forget that He still gave us a job to do. What if the Israelites did not go on with their lives while in captivity? What if they did not seek peace with the city they were exiled to? We want so back to live for self and fight for our rights that we often hurt the ones that God has called us to reach. We are told to be a blessing where ever we go.

John 15:17 (AMP) This [is what] I command you: that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another.

Galatians 5:14 (AMP) For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is fulfilled in one precept, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, you shall have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit].”

Remember, the promise in Jeremiah 29:11 was given to a nation, a group. We have personalized it so much that we have rationalized not doing this commandment to love unselfishly. Collectively know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Do not forget what comes after the verse.

Jeremiah 29:12-14 (AMP) Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you. Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and I will [free you and] gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

God has a plan. Do you want some keys to help ward off depression and discouragement in your life? Acknowledge that God has a plan and bloom where you are planted. Do not stop growing just because your circumstances are not what you expected. Keep God’s promises close to your heart. His precepts are true. His Word is true. Do something useful. There has never not been an excuse not to serve. If a dream that you believe He has given you does not bring you to love others unselfishly, or tells you not to yet, then I need to question that dream. He will not contradict His Word.

God asked me this question: What does your heart have to do with your faith? It has everything to do with it. I can be heard-hearted and go through the motions, but my faith does not align with His. I can have all the head knowledge of His Word, but not believe it, because faith without works (application of agape love) is dead. I have heard, “my heart is not in it anymore.” Why? What have your aligned your heart with? Is it the circumstance or our God? I have no idea how long our church is going to be renting a one thirty in the afternoon spot from another house of worship. That does not mean we do not bloom where we are planted. We continue to serve the city and people of our community. It is not making the name Connect Church famous, it is about glorifying and honoring His Name. We have a vision and a promise. We keep going! The promise does not give me permission to pause and become lazy in my faith. That is an abuse of the sovereignty of God. I should still desire to seek Him and to unselfishly love His people.

Jehovah Nissi, Abba Father, we honor You with our worship. Your Presence is enough for us. Your Presence is desired because we desire to honor You. Thank You for sending Your Son to be the Prince of Peace. Thank You for the Holy Spirit that empowers us to bloom where we are planted. The Holy Spirit indwelling us empowers us to love as You have loved, unselfishly. We repent for the times that we have been selfish and lazy in our faith. We repent for taking advantage and abused Your Sovereignty. We know the plans and thoughts You have for us, plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give us a future and a hope. We thank You for the commission to Go. We thank You for Your restoration plan. We are called ministers of reconciliation. We will never stop glorifying and proclaiming Your Name. We choose forgiveness today. We choose joy today. We choose love today. We choose hope today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Prayers of Pastors

On Sundays I have the privilege of leading beside my husband. My husband I are co-pastors of our church. Although I recognize that is not the same in all churches, this is a dynamic that works for us. It is something that our church thrives under. There are areas in both of our personalities that need both of us working together to reach our church. We do not make excuses or try to undermine the weakness of what the other has. We build each other up, in the home, and in front of our church.

This past Sunday as I was spending time in worship before service, (I believe that we should be prepared before we get to church, and not just the pastors but us who are there to receive the proclaimed Word that our pastors teach), but as I was worshiping a passage of scripture stood out to me:

Ephesians 3:14-19 (AMP) For this reason (grasping the greatness of this plan which Jews and Gentiles are joined together in Christ) I bow my knees (in reverence) before the Father (of our Lord Jesus Christ), from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name (God – the first and ultimate Father). May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, (indwelling your innermost being and personality), so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been (deeply) rooted and (securely) grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love (fully experiencing that amazing, endless love); and (that you may come) to know (practically, through personal experience), that you may be filled up (through your being) to all the fullness of God (so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself).

My heart cried out for the people in our church. Oh that they know that their lives can be so much bigger than how they are living right now! Are we showing them the fullness of God in our own lives? Please do not allow myself to get comfortable, to not become desensitized to the Holy Spirits leading.

Are we showing them the fullness of God in our own lives?

There are different levels or stages of faith. I had listened to a series by Michael Todd when he was on this series called Crazy Faith. I was intrigued because he was in the middle of a building program, just like we are. He had different segments of his series like “Maybe Faith,” “Hasty Faith,” “Baby Faith,” etc. It is a really good series.

My husband has been on this series called “Arise” for the past few months and he talked about the sleeping church. What is funny is that the verse he used was the same one used to open up “Lazy Faith.”

Matthew 26:40-41 (NKJV) Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

I do not know if you have ever stood up and spoke in front of people or not. There are times that I get up to do the announcements, lead our church in a declaration, and most people are looking down at their phones. This can be very discouraging. God has to remind me that I am not to focus on that. I need to focus on what He wants me to say. There have been times that I have ministered and people are sleeping. Now our service is at one thirty in the afternoon. This can be discouraging. God has to remind me that He does the work, I am just the vessel.

With Pastor Appreciation Month comes articles about the statistics of Pastors or Ministers. There are articles about their struggles. There are so many that quit or feel like they are not making an impact.

I am so very grateful that we pastor a church that loves us for who we are. We decided at the beginning of our leading that we were going to be as transparent as possible. We were not going to try to show perfection that was not there. Excellence and perfection are two different things. As a church we should be doing things in excellence, but to not allow room for grace would not be who Jesus modeled Himself to be.

My heart and prayer for our church is just like Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus. The Passion Translation says (Ephesians 3:16): And I pray that he will unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power. Please do not fence yourself in by trying to do things on your own, or looking at your natural capabilities. He can do so much more with your life if you will just surrender. This is a pastor’s prayer, that we as vessels, help open your eyes to see your potential. We see it in you. A pastor’s heart is just like that of the Father. We see so much potential!