• Amidst the crazy of life, there wasn’t enough time to give the topic justice. So I decided to do a mini-episode to introduce the next couple of episodes and to get you thinking on your own:
• Is it ok to Question God?
  • I think the answer is yes, and even sometimes that He wants us to.
    • Moses: When God approached him at the burning bush, Moses kept thinking of excuses and questions to argue how he was actually not the right person. However, through the whole thing God kept giving Moses more things to strengthen and work with to make him understand that it was God’s power, not Moses’, and therefore gave him the strength to continue.
    • Gideon: God planned for Gideon to lead Israel’s army. However, Gideon was not a fighter and therefore was not comfortable with the idea. Gideon asked God to give him 2 miracles to show that God really was with him, and God blessed that. God also gifted him with one more sign of his upcoming victory, just in case Gideon was still afraid.
    • Bereans: A group of people in the New Testament Early Church who took everything that Paul and Silas said and compared it to what the Old Testament prophesied. They were commended for being diligent in making sure they actually understood the truth.
  • However, if we are going to take the time to question God, we need to actually look and listen for the answer.
    • I am not researching for a thesis, I am not a Biblical expert. These are just the answers that I have received while working through these topics, and therefore they are personally powerful to me. Please take the time to look and listen to God’s specific answers to your questions, He wants these to be personal truths in your heart.
      • We will look at stories from the Bible where people were going through trials, how they questioned God, and how God responded.
      • We will also look at some personal friends’ stories and how they have helped me understand God better through their questioning and faith responses.
• Episode 1 of this series will look at suffering and trials. Is God faithful in the valley, when we’re in pain and don’t understand why we are going through it?
• Episode 2 will be an interview with Amber Payne, a survivor of Cystic Fibrosis, a double lung transplant, miscarriage, and now dealing with the long-term effects and treatments of dealing with her body’s rejection of those lungs.
• Episode 3 will be the hardest one of all: Is God still good when His answer is “no”? When the very thing you’ve been praying for is good. Examples are: you pray for your mother to beat cancer but instead passes away; when you pray for that job but the door closes; when you pray for the money to come but instead you lose the house; etc. Is God still good when the outcome is not?
• Isaiah 41:10- Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

In our last episode, we talked about peace. So why are we now talking about war?! Peace and faith are pieces of the armor of God, which God made for us to wear in battle. When we wear peace as our shoes, they balance us and give us firm footing to stand firm in battle. But we also wear shoes to move. Ephesians 6 describes our armor pieces for battle, but what fight are we actually in?

• We may be fighting a battle, but Jesus already won the war. What is this war?
  • Satan declared war on God when he tricked Eve and Adam into sinning, and therefore taking all of humankind as hostages.
  • Despite how broken this hostage situation makes us, God will do anything to get us back.
  • Our ransom price was set high: the death of God through Jesus. However, because God is an all knowing all powerful strategist, he set a plot twist where the ransom price that was meant to be a trick against God actually completely 100% defeated Satan and death’s power over us.
• So if Jesus won the war, why are we fighting a battle?
  • A word that I’ve heard so many times but never actually understood was in Romans 8:37- We are more than conquerors through Christ.
  • I used to think that it meant we were in a team with Jesus to win! But I wasn’t quite right.
    • Conquerors are the soldiers in the battle that come in after the battle was won. Their job was to clear things out, claim the plunder, and kill off anyone left behind from the opposing army.
    • Our job as conquerors in Christ is to come in after Jesus won the war to prove to the rest of the world his victory!
• Another word that I thought I knew the definition for but wasn’t quite right is “faith.”
  • Hebrews 11 is often called the Faith Chapter of the Bible and therefore I have spent some time over the past few months trying to understand it better. But for some reason, the very first verse was confusing to me. Hebrews 11:1- Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
  • I was viewing faith as a noun, a thing, but I never thought to think of it as a verb-an action.
    • The Greek word used in Hebrews 11:1 and Ephesians 6 is pistis, which translates as an action, acts of faith, or works
  • So it finally clicked: faith, our actions in faith, are the proof to other people that 1. We even have faith to begin with and 2. That what we hope for, the hope that we have in Jesus, is real!
• Ephesians 6:16- In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.”
  • The Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer describes the Roman soldier’s shield this way: It was a large shield typically 2 feet wide by 4 feet long, shaped almost like a door, consisting of planks of wood fused together. The wood was covered by canvas, then by leather. Then iron was built into the center as a hub and also into the extreme edges of the wood from top to bottom. This made the shield able to withstand the hard-hitting strokes of an enemy’s broadsword during close combat. Ancient historians say these shields were so large that they were capable of covering the whole body of a solder when he was crouched down.
• What is our faith shielding us from?
  • The second half of Ephesians 6:16- the fiery arrows of the devil.
    • Roman soldier’s shields were covered with canvas, leather, and had substances poured on them to make them more fireproof.
    • In times of Roman battles, the fiery arrows were not meant to kill (though that would have been an added bonus) but to distract. Satan wants us to be distracted from moving forward, there is nothing that would make him happier than to keep us from conquering.
• A real story from the Bible about how faith was used as a shield and the protection it gives can be found in Joshua chapter 2. The story of Rahab.
  • Rahab was a prominent, wealthy prostitute in Jericho. However, when the Hebrew spies found themselves in her mercy she hid them and kept them safe. She was putting her faith in God and choosing His side of the battle.
  • Because of her faith in God, she was given a scarlet rope to hang from the window as the walls of Jericho fell. This sign saved her life, as her house was the only part of the wall that did not fall. But not only was her life spared, Rahab is one of the few women listed in the direct lineage to Jesus Christ.
• Faith is not something that we can make on our own, God gives it to us. He is our shield.
  • 2 Corinthians 10:4- We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and destroy false arguments.
  • Psalm 28:7- The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults. And with my song I shall thank Him.
  • Genesis 15:1- After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision saying “Do not fear, Abram. I am a shield to you. Your reward shall be very great.
• Please note, our shield of faith does not mean that we are shielded from calamity, disease, trauma, or even physical death. Actually, Jesus basically warns us that these are going to be a part of life. But Ephesians 6:11-12 describes what it does do- Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
• All of this talk about a God of war seems distasteful and counterintuitive in our culture.
  • in A Place of Healing, Joni Eareckson Tada  says so poignantly- Admit it: when your heart is being wrung out like a sponge, when it feels like Morton’s salt is being poured into your wounded soul, you don’t want a thin, pale, emotional Jesus who relates only to lames and birds and babies. You want a warrior Jesus.
  • We have a warrior Jesus who fights passionately for us, and he wants us to fight with him as well.
    • 2 Timothy 2:3- Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus
    • 2 Timothy 1:7- For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
    • 1 John 4:4- But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people because the Spirit who lives in you is great than the spirit who lives in this world.
    • Isaiah 54:17- But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken.
    • John Piper said “There is a war going on. All talk of a Christian to live luxuriously as a ‘child of the king’ in this atmosphere sound hollow-especially since the king himself was stripped for battle.
  • Recap: when Paul tells us to take up the shield of faith, it is an action, a command. Unlike girding with a belt (another of God’s armor) which you wear all of the time passively, a shield is not pulled out unless you’re in the heat of the battle. It is a call to arms,l to actively fight, and God himself provided our protection. When we wear our peace shoes and hold up our shield of faith, we are given a full and powerful ability to move forward.
• Please watch this video from the movie Wonder Woman to have a perfect visual demonstration of exactly what I’m trying to say.
• Read this next passage as a battle cry: imagine you are hyped up on adrenaline, so excited because OUR GOD WON THE WAR!! Read this as an exclamation as we move forward and show the world the victory of Jesus Christ and how we are now free!
  • Romans 8:31-37- What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even His own Won but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? No one-for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Disclaimer: Peace is not something that I would ever in any seriousness call myself an expert, or even proficient at. This episode is just a compilation of things that have meant a lot to me as of late in relation to peace.

• The Bible has a lot to say about peace. Most likely because it is something that plagues every single person. Therefore, this is not anything close to being comprehensive.
• The phrase “Peace, be still” is arguably made the most famous from the story found in Mark 4:39 (and the corresponding verses of the other gospels).
  • Jesus and the disciples were traveling by boat on the sea. Suddenly, while Jesus is sleeping, a huge storm surrounds them and the disciples panic. Remember, these are season fishermen and boatsmen so it would take a lot to cause panic to this extreme. They wake up Jesus and beg him to rescue them. Jesus’ response was 3 words: Peace, be still.
  • This command is multifaceted:
    • First: peace. The definition of peace is “freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.”  Jesus commands this, but thankfully he also provides it.
    • Second: be still. He’s calling us to peace by having us stand still. Why? Because he does it all for us.
• Focusing first on “be still,” a huge part of that is rest.
  • When we are not rested, we cannot think clearly or work at our normal physical levels. Unrest makes us weak and therefore so much more vulnerable to attack.
  • Even Jesus made specific time to rest.
    • Mark 6:31-32- Then Jesus said: “let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.”
  • God provides our rest.
    • Psalm 23:2-3- He lets me rest in green meadows, he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His name.
    • Isaiah 40:28-31- Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power tot he weak, and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
    • Matthew 11:28-29- Then Jesus said “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
  • Family expert Paul David Tripp said “Rest will never come by trying to figure it all out. It only comes by trusting the One who has it all figured out for you.”
    • Isaiah 26:3-4- You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you. Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal rock
• Peace is freedom, so how do we get to that point?
  • For me personally, I feel peace when I feel safe. And thankfully, God offers that safety.
    • John 14:27- I am leaving you with a gift- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
    • 1 Peter 5:7- Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
    • Psalms 56:11- I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?
  • We have been promised peace. And with God, a promise is always a promise.
• I have no expert advice on peace, but even in deep and turbulent trials, God is with us.
  • Isaiah 54:10- For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broke” says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
  • John 16:33- I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
• Check out the song Miracles by Jesus Culture.
• When trying to understand a concept, I like to also focus on what it is not.
  • For me personally, the opposites of peace are anxiety, doubt, and worry.
  • When we wallow in worry, anxiety, and doubt, it is like a big neon sign to everyone around me that I do not fully trust God in all things.
• Recently I heard about a family in Indianapolis who lost their 2 year old in a pool accident. This woman, who is wallowing in the agonizing pain of losing her son writes about her trust in God even in these times. That, my friends, is a peace beyond all understanding. You can find her blog here.
  • Philippians 4:7- Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
  • Luke 1:78-79- Becuase of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guide us to the path of peace.
• A woman who has been through so much suggest that I read Hind’s Feet on High Places. Written in the same vein as Pilgrim’s Progress, it’s a story of a character named Much Afraid as she journeys with companions Sorrow and Suffering to get to the high places with the Chief Shephard. One of the major themes of this book is the love of the Chief Shephard as he transforms fear into grace and glory through sorrow and suffering, which leads to joy and peace.
  • 1 John :18- There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.
• To be clear: I am not saying that things like extreme anxiety, mental illness, depression, etc can be handled by quoting Bible verses. God made us to be relational and companionship. There is nothing wrong with getting people in with you to help you fight back, whether that’s counseling or a great group of friends who are willing to go into battle with you.
• What are we supposed to do with our peace? Go to war!
  • The Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer has been a huge impact on my spiritual life as it discusses the armor described in Ephesians 6. One of those pieces of armor is: peace.
    • Peace is the shoes. Ephesians 6:15- for shoes, put on the peace that comes from the good news so that you will be fully prepared.
    • Roman soldier’s shoes were covered for protection, high tops for ankle supports, and cleats that both helped the soldier stand firm and move forward with a good foundation.
      • Colossians 1:23- But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.
      • Corrie Ten Boom said: If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes.
    • Eventually after we’ve gotten our good peace footing, we are going to be called to move.
      • Zechariah 2:13- Be silent befor ethe LORD, all humanity,k for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling.
      • Exodus 14:14- the LORD your God will fight for you, just stay calm.
  • The song Peace Be Still by the Belonging Company is the perfect thing to tie this episode with the next: the shield of faith.
• Psalm 91:1-4 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest int he shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God and I trust Him. For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

This episode is a continuation of our last two: discussing discipline and talking with Grace Norman while she connects her relationship with God and her training for Olympic triathlon. This endurance is not the physical “let’s get through a marathon” kind, but the spiritual: getting through life in the hard times, the arduous times, the long waits, and the mundane.

• Definition of endurance: the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina.
• Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. we do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
  • This verse shows that thank goodness our strength to keep running comes from God, not ourselves
  • When we compare our trials to Jesus, they don’t even compare. But Jesus didn’t endure all of this for his own benefit but for ours, we were his motivation. How much more motivation for us to continue do we need?
• Please note that everyone’s successful endurance journey will look different. I don’t mean to continue through life at a fast pace with no change of speed. However, some people will be able to look more like seasoned marathon runners while others, a day where they get out of bed and complete one task is a huge accomplishment. Both are huge, please do not compare your life and your progress to someone else’s. It just won’t help or be realistic.
• So what do I mean by spiritual endurance? I mean continuing to train, to push through, and work toward your faithfulness strength.
  • For some, that’s getting through a major life trial like infertility, a death in the family, health scare. These are tangible hills to push through. But when you get to the end of them you will be able to look back and see a sweet time where you got to see how God cared for you and how you got stronger along the way.
  • Other times, it’s finding the time to “work out” your spiritual strength in the midst of juggling life with kids, work deadlines, taking care of yourself, etc. It’s really easy to get distracted, but this is the time to work hard! This is where you get stronger, build endurance, and get in better shape when you hit those hills in the point above. Because you will hit those hills at some point.
• Where does endurance originate? It comes from God, we can’t do anything to start it. But we are responsible with what God gives us. Through that, God will build into us more, give us more strength, and increase our responsibilities.
  • Our job is not to make our “workout plan.” Our only job is to not give up, to trust God’s faithfulness, and just follow Jesus in the direction and pace that he gives us.
  • Philippians 1:6- And I am certain that God, who began a good work in you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
• When we are ready to start building endurance, we need to start slow and steady. Just like a person who has never run should follow a program like Couch to 5K, we need to make sure that we don’t try to go all out right away. This is how we can burn out quickly or get hurt.
  • A person from the Bible who pushed through long training to get to the goal God had for him was Noah. From the time that God asked him to build the boat, through the times of physical strengthening and emotional hardship, it took 100 years (that’s 43,800 days!) to complete it.
  • The prophet Isaiah often had to prophesy against his own people, often crying out to God “how long will this go on?” But he continued, and even through depression and loneliness, he was given the privilege to prophesy some of the most beautiful words about the coming of Jesus. These words are so beautiful that much of the lyrics from Handel’s Messiah come directly from the book of Isaiah.
• Another good word that we can sometimes replace endurance with is patience. Sometimes, our endurance training is just to wait for the answer.
  • It’s so easy to want to give up. But there is no direct route from where we are to the beautiful place God wants us to be. We need to wait on His timing.
  • Colossians 1:23- But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the good news.
  • God has a reason for His timing and His wait periods.
    • Joseph from the Old Testament: it took 13 years from the dreams he got as a 17-year-old claiming to one day rule over his family to the point where that actually occurred. In the meantime he was sold to slavery, falsely accused of rape, and forgotten in prison. But after being faithful to God through all of these, he was finally put in the place to rule. But not only for himself, but this timing that God had given Joseph the perfect spot to literally save the future of the nation of Israel.
    • Hebrews 11:39-40-All these people earned a good reputation because of the faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.
    • 2 Timothy 4:7-8- I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me and the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me, but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
• What can encourage us in the middle of endurance building trials? The number one help for me is to find Bible verses or passages that relate to the specific trial that I’m in.
  • Acts 14:22- they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.
    • Paul wrote these words to others who were also being persecuted. Not only is it helpful to be encouraged by someone who has been through what you’re going through, but when Paul wrote these words he was literally healing after the people in Antioch attempted and almost successfully stoned him.
  • 1 Peter 1:6-9 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold- though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
    • What? Be truly glad? Because God is working in you and building you up. You will look back at it and be able to see exactly what He was doing and why.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:13- The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
    • Do you face temptation? We all do. So here God absolutely promises to give us an out. But that’s it: He gives us the out. It’s our responsibility to find it and use it. God does not force our choices on us, but He makes sure that we do have those choices.
  • Matthew 7:7-8- Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
    • This does not apply to when you ask for a million dollars or a brand new expensive car. But when you ask God for something important to you, make sure you actually ask. And in His timing, which usually means some waiting, He will provide the right thing to fill your need.
  • Galatians 6:9- So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
    • Sometimes, we are waiting to see some fruit from the service that we are giving to God. That waiting can sometimes be so discouraging.
    • It is our responsibility to sow the seeds, but it is not our responsibility to somehow force the fruit or crop to grow. However, if we keep on going and not give up, we will get a harvest!
    • “Most people over-estimate what they can do in a year and underestimate what we can accomplish in a decade”- Matthew Kelly
  • Romans 5:3- We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us build endurance.”
  • Jeremiah 17:7-8- But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit.
  • Job really understood what it meant to go through trial after trial after trial. And after losing so much, and being given the opportunity to actually question God about it, Job was exposed to God’s power character. To that Job responded in Job 42:5- I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
• There are 2 big things that we can do to help equip us best to build endurance:
  • Find our passion! Passion gives the energy to continue through something even though it’s so hard, just merely by the fact that we love to do it so much. We will talk about this more later
  • Fuel ourselves well.
    • Athletes eat healthily. They do this so that they do not run out of steam, and so they don’t pack on extra weight to slow them down.
      • We need to fuel well by surrounding ourselves with good friends, study the Bible, get a great church family, etc.
      • We need to get the junk out of our lives that slows us down.
• Even with all of this information, we are human. We will fail.
  • Christine Caine in Unstoppable, after discussing Peter walking on water, said: climb out of that boat with your eyes fixed on Jesus. And if you falter, cry it to him, reach out to him, knowing he will catch you and climb into your boat. Wehn the time is right, he will calm the storm. But he will choose the time- when your weaknesses have been revealed when your doubts have been exposed. Then he will step into your weakness with his strength and will prove your doubts and unfounded and that he is faithful and trustworthy.
• There are 2 things we need to remember:
  • Every single day is a new day to try again
  • Everyone who runs to Jesus makes it

2 Corinthians 4:7-10- We now have this light shining in our hears, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

This is an interview with my friend Grace Norman to get some real-life examples of what we talked about last time: Discipline.

Why does Grace have any authority on the matter? Because despite having a below-knee amputation at just days old, she not only has become an accomplished triathlete (something I can only dream of), but she also became the first female gold medalist for a triathlon in the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Grace also happens to love Jesus, so while she balances training and normal things like babysitting my children and being a full-time nursing student at Cedarville University, she has gleaned a lot of knowledge and wisdom about the realm of discipline and how it relates to our relationship with God.

Grace’s Prosthetic company is Optimus Prosthetics.

Grace’s coaching group is Balanced Art Multisport.

When focusing on learning more about faith, Hebrews 11, aka the faith chapter, is the place to go. However, sometimes I like to see what comes next in the Bible to see how it relates. Obviously, Hebrews 12 is next, so that’s where I went. And that is where we get everyone’s favorite topic: Discipline. Hebrews 12:11 – No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening- it’s painful! But afterward, there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

There are 3 main elements of discipline that I feel affect our faith journey:

• Punishment Discipline
  • This is not a lecture on parental discipline!
  • My personal hardest issue with punishment discipline is pride: I really hate to be wrong, and I hate for it to be pointed out when I am.
  • If it’s so unpleasant, why does God discipline us?
    • Hebrews 12: 10- For our earthly fathers discipline us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us so that we might share in his holiness.
  • Discipline trials from God are times when God brings us to repentance, to get our souls out of harm’s way. It is not just an angry response to our sin, it always has a purpose.
  • THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT ALL UNPLEASANT TRIALS IN LIFE ARE PUNISHMENT!
    • John 9:2-3: “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”
    • What this does mean is that God takes things that result from this fallen world and shows us how it does not defeat him.
    • Romans 8:28: And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.
  • Punishment discipline will look different from person to person.
  • Why does God even bother with disciplining us? Because he loves us!
    • Hebrews 12:5-9 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said ‘My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. for the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.’ As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. whoever heard of a child who is not disciplined by his father? if God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?
  • An example of God’s punishment discipline can be found in Jonah 1-2
    • God sent a huge storm to Jonah’s boat as he was running in the exact opposite direction, completely disobeying God’s command.
    • Instead of letting Jonah die in the sea, he sent a big fish to swallow and keep him for 3 days, which rescued him and took him back in the right direction. In the meantime, God used it to help change Jonah’s mind and attitude. (Read Jonah 2 for Jonah’s prayer of repentance.)
  • God uses discipline, but he still is clear to show that He loves us in it.
    • Psalm 89:31-34: If they do not obey my decrees and fail to keep my commands, then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their disobedience with beating. But will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him. no, I will not break my covenant, I will not take back a single word that I said.
• Coaching Discipline
  • Coaches watch, guide, and correct to make stronger and prevent injury
  • Coaching discipline is not punishment
  • While we may feel that God is being too harsh in His rules, it is better than the alternative of zero expectations and therefore giving us no motivation. He always has a reason for his rules and “exercise plan,” and it’s always to benefit us.
• Self Discipline
  • This is really hard! It’s easy to think that it’s only for extreme athletes and dieters, but we all need to have it.
  • 2 Peter 1 gives us a list of godly character traits that expound: building onto each other to bring us to the next gift (more like badge or medal) as we work toward being godly people.
    • The foundational element of this whole cascade is: faith!
    • Self-discipline, or self-control, is described in 2 Peter 1:-5-6: In view of all of this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and with self-control.
      • So self-discipline is a recipe of faith + integrity + knowledge
      • How do you work on knowledge? Read the Bible, find a good Bible study, get accountability partners.
  • We also need to have a realistic goal with a plan to get there. Here are 2 real-life examples:
    • A good example is a Couch to 5K program: weekly exercises that gradually get you strong enough to run a 5k after training well.
    • If you are like me and struggle with the temptation to eat all things sweet, having an alternative snack that you can eat instead.
• These all bring us to the next topic: Endurance.
• 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. they do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.

• On a rabbit trail topic from last week’s Obedience episode, this is an encouragement to “GO” when God tells us to.
• Ephesians 2:10 For we are His masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
• Sometimes we miss those opportunities of good works due to either fear of the task, fear of failing, or not keeping our eyes open for them
  • 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 (the Message): Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!
• We are so good at excuses as to why we aren’t able to complete the work. However, those times when you feel like you’re dragging, making little progress, or unmotivated is usually a sign that you just need to keep pressing forward. There is something totally worth it on the other side.
• The Bible is full of many examples of people who are so faithful when God asks them to go:
  • The prophet Isaiah
    • Isaiah 6:8- Then I heard the Lord asking “Whom shall I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said “Here I am. Send me.”
    • Isaiah didn’t even know where God was asking him to go or what God wanted him to do, but he knew God and of His faithfulness so he chose to trust and go.
  • Hebrews 11 is often called the “faith hall of fame.” It is full of examples of God’s faithfulness and faithful people.
    • Genesis 12 tells the story of God calling Abram to the Promised Land, Canaan. His blessing for his obedience was to become the father of God’s chosen people.
    • Hebrews 11:8-10 – It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith- for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.
• The Bible is also full of examples of God’s faithfulness with blessings and guidance throughout the entire journey.
  • God guided the Israelites out of Egypt
  • God guided Abram to Canaan
  • God guided and was with King David throughout his many trials
    • Psalm 16:7-8 – I will bless the LORD who guides me, even at night my heart instructs me. I know the LORD is always with me, for he is right beside me.
  • Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight.
• My journey with this podcast has been guided by God. I literally take tidbits of conversations, books, songs, or the Bible that tug at my heart. I write those pieces down on a list that I am compiling based on different themes. When one theme gets filled enough to consider making a podcast about it, I organize the information to make it flow well and actually make sense. God has provided everything I need for this podcast, all I’ve had to do is just take the next step.
• The hardest thing for me to overcome is the fear of failure.
  • This episode has felt particularly rough due to lack of good flow and motivation. Because of that, I feel that Satan has tried to talk me out of continuing. Again, usually at these times is when it is most important for you to push through to get to the amazing part of the adventure that is just around the corner.
• Random side note: It is inevitable that you will mess up. But there is Grace! God is not surprised, He always forgives when we ask, and His plan always comes through despite our shortcomings. Talk about a weight off my shoulders!
• How does the “GO” calling apply to us today as Christians? The New Testament is full of examples of the commands that we need to follow.
  • Luke 9:23-24 – And he was saying to them all “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, he is the one who will save it.”
    • We need to be willing to give things up for God, but in doing so we will be so much better off. Once we prove to God we are willing to sacrifice for Him in the small things, He will start to ask us to move.
  • The story of Peter’s calling to ministry found in Luke 5
    • Peter gave up sleep and a day’s wages to help Jesus preach a sermon.
    • Afterward, Jesus asked him to do something totally different than normal. He caught so many fish that it almost broke the net!
    • Peter showed great faith and heartfelt sacrifice.
• We are not to complain or be grumpy about following our calling.  The book fo Jonah gives a great example of how not to go.
  • God called Jonah to go to Ninevah to warn them to repent or face destruction.
  • Jonah did not want to go, so he ran in the complete opposite direction.
  • God sent a storm, which led the Jonah to be forced to be thrown off of the boat.
  • God saved/punished Jonah by rescuing him via a large fish.
  • Jonah did go to Nineveh, where they repented.
  • Jonah was angry that they did and therefore were saved. He threw a two-fold temper tantrum because he didn’t like the situation.
• Why does God ask us to go? To bring others along with us, making them be closer to God.
  • Matthew 28:18-20 – And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
  • Acts 20:24 – But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
  • Peter’s obedience in Luke 5 brought along two of his friends: James and John, which gave them all a front row seat to watch Jesus’ rescue plan.
  • Pauls’ obedience in following God’s lead has led countless of people to Christ, both past, and present.
  • Abram’s obedience to travel to Canaan made him the father of the whole Jewish nation.
• God asks us to go, but He never leaves us!
  • Acts 1:8 – but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
  • 1 John 4:4 – You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
• We need to connect the knowledge in our heart to faith in action.
  • John Wesley “Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, in every place you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as you ever can.”
  • All we have to do is move. We are not asked to do it alone or to map out the journey, just to follow the steps that God lights for us.
• Isaiah 41:9-10 – You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its remotest parts, and said to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

What is obedience and why is it important? The English dictionary defines obey as “to follow the commands or guidance of.” The root of the word obedience is based on the Latin word that means “to hear.” The Hebrew word that is often translated to obey is “Shema,” which also means “to hear.” Basically, a lot of what the Bible calls obedience means “listen and take to heart.” God wants us to “take to heart” his words and commandments as Christians.

• Obedience in our culture has basically become a dirty word. I feel this is the case for two reasons:
  • Our culture is obsessed with being independent.
  • Our experiences with having to be obedient to people have been distasteful. People are not perfect and therefore don’t always have perfect motives. However, we serve a God who is perfect, who loves us, and has the best in mind for us.
• There are two main parts of Christian obedience:
  • Keeping God’s rules. (This is too generic of a topic and therefore we will not focus much on this aspect)
  • Obeying the promptings of the Spirit. These are tasks that He prepares in advance for us to do as well as gives us gifts to accomplish.
    • Ephesians 2:10-For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
    • 1 Peter 4:10-God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
• The visible proof of our love for Jesus is through our obedience.
  • John 14:21-Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.
• God asks for our obedience but doesn’t always explain why.
  • The story of Joshua and Jericho is a great example of God asking something that didn’t quite make sense (See Joshua chapter 6 for the full story).
  • God prepared Jericho to be taken down by just marching and noise, simultaneously proving God’s power and heightening the faith of the army of Israel.
• Obedience gives us blessings, but disobedience has consequences (Deuteronomy chapter 28 has many examples).
• Satan battles desperately to keep us from being obedience (see Beware the Prowling Lion for further explanation).
  • He wants us to be too scared of what God is asking of us.
  • He wants us to be content where we are and therefore not seek God’s calling.
  • He lies to us by telling us that something else is actually better for us.
  • He tempts us into partial obedience: where we do what we’re asked with a bad attitude.
    • Philippians 2:14-16- Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.
• We will look different if we are obedient.
  • 1 John 2:3-6- And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims “I know God” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. that is how we know we are living in him. Those who say that live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
  • People will not like having that light shining near them, it will make them feel convicted and they will lash back.
    • Noah dealt often with criticism of his obedience.
      • Hebrews 11:7- It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before> by his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.
      • Noah was ridiculed for building the ark because no flood anywhere near this magnitude had ever happened.
      • It took him 100 years to build! He needed incredible patience to do something with so little evidence leading to the flood.
• Our God is in the fight, he protects us. He gives orders to keep us safe and to be a part of the battle’s victory.
  • He does not ask for our obedience without being obedient himself. Jesus followed all of God’s commands. He even subjected himself to death on a cross, a horrific event, to rescue us.
• What is the end result of our obedience? Peace!
  • When we obey, we are trusting that whatever God asks for us, He asks because He created us and loves us and therefore knows what’s best for us.
  • The ruler of the universe is on our side, directing our every step in this battle so we don’t have to worry about anything but following the path that He lights up for us.
• Every rule and task that God gives us is based on one thing:
  • The Shema is a pledge that Jewish children recite.
  • Matthew 22:35-40- One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?’ Jesus replied ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

References:

Unstoppable by Christine Caine

What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa Terkeurst

Before we dig deep into studying God’s faithfulness in even the darkest of places, we need to establish a very important keystone to getting through it: trust. Do we trust God enough to expose our faults and weaknesses to Him? And do we trust God to love us the way He promises, even though deep down we know the most unlovable things about ourselves? In these moments we need to remember two things: that God made us in His image and the price He paid for us on the cross. God made us, He loves us, and has the best in mind for us.  We just need to trust Him through it all as the foundation for our response to any situation.

• Hebrews 11:1 says: Faith shows the reality of what we hope for, it is the evidence of things we cannot see. The dictionary defines faith as complete trust or confidence in someone or something. What is the key word in that definition? TRUST!
• So many times I personally find myself trying to hold on to way too many things at once, which only ends up in me dropping things or feeling trapped by my inability to move well.
• We are afraid that when we are willing to reveal our weaknesses to God, that we will repel Him. But what really happens is that He pulls us tight and close. Luke 15:11-32 shows a great example of this through Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son.
• God takes our lives and makes them beautiful. However, this is not always an easy or pleasant process. The Bible talks many times about God “refining through fire.” Sometimes in order to get rid of our weaknesses, God needs to heat things up to make them visible enough to be quickly skimmed away. This process makes us more able to reflect His image in our lives.
• Fear and faith cannot coexist. They will wrestle each other until one wins the space in our mind. Whichever one we focus the most on is the one that is going to win.
• We can trust God because He has proven true over and over again: God is on our side!
• How do we being to build trust? By getting to know God better. How do we get to know God better? By studying His word.
• This trust that we build equips us for the next step in our faithfulness journey: obedience.
• Psalm 9:7-10 But the LORD reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne. He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness. The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, o LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.

Show notes:

• The Prodigal Son: Luke 15:11-32
• Nothing to Prove by Jennie Allen
• The Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer (*misspoke her name as Patricia in the recording)

Christianity is full of so many wonderful things: love, peace, security, a God who guides us, etc. However, it’s so easy for us to forget that there is someone out there who does not want us to have these things, and he’s constantly on the lookout to take them away. But if we understand Satan’s reasoning, tactics, and understand our own weaknesses, we will be so much more equipped when those attacks come. 1 Peter 5:8-9 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Going back to our rope bridge, we will compare Satan to the “prowling lion” of the Amazon: the jaguar.

• Like Jaguar’s beautiful spots are used as camouflage, Satan tries to hide himself in plain sight. He wants us to be comfortable with his presence, or completely unaware of it, to make us more susceptible to attacks. We need to know what the real truth looks like so we are not easily deceived.
• Jaguars stalk their prey. Satan also watches and studies us to see our weaknesses and when the best time to strike would be.
• Jaguars hunt in the dark. Satan wants us to so far from the light of Jesus that we are unable to see what is really around us. However, Satan can “see in the dark” and that puts him at a huge advantage if we are in that situation. (John 8:12 Jesus says “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”).
• Satan hates that we are walking toward Jesus, and will do whatever he can to stop us. He does this in 3 ways: 1. Trying to lure us away from Jesus. 2. By giving us so much anxiety about all of the bad things around us that we are paralyzed in fear. 3. By making us complacent with where we are and therefore we lose the drive to move forward.
• A huge tool that we are given to combat and protect is to team up with other people. They will strengthen us, encourage us, and warn us when they see danger coming. Ecclesiastes 4:12, A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a trip-braided cord is not easily broken.
• While the Satan jaguar is dangerous and a force to be reckoned with, we have our very own Alpha male Lion: Jesus. And like a lion protecting its territory, Jesus fights for us and ALWAYS WINS through his death and Resurrection.
• Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

For more background on the rope bridges discussed in this podcast, see:
Episode 2

Episode 3