Luke 15:9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’

• Romans 8:24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
• Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

In this post, please give me grace in the telling.

When we use our faith like flipping a coin to discover what to do in God’s will, we are substituting hope for faith. Faith doesn’t have two sides—a coin does. This attitude is as old as religion itself.

Joel 3:2-4 (English Standard Version)

“2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it. 4 What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily.”

My thoughts here on the coin toss are that we often try to discover what we hope for, assuming it’s what God wants. Faith doesn’t work that way. Faith isn’t a coin toss.

At this point, it might sound like I’m judging how others have used their faith inappropriately. That’s not my intent—at least not from my vision of faith. Joel’s prophetic word comes from a long line of bad attitudes about the choices people make when they seek their own satisfaction and ignore God’s will.

Examples in scripture are often outrageous in their rhetoric to shock the conscience of good people. Joel 3:3 is meant to slap some of us awake.

• Romans 4:13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
• Romans 4:14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.
• Romans 4:16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

“In posting this idea, I am sharing my experiences with everyone. Not every spiritual gift fits every occasion. They have a place and a purpose and should not be used inappropriately.”

This is what I said a few days ago.. That thought has been preying on my mind ever since I wrote them.

James 3:1

Taming the Tongue

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

I admit I am not a teacher and acknowledging that means I need to be careful about what I say. The experiences I have are going to be similar to what some others are going through but not everyone. I have a responsibility to my God to help and not hurt His newborn believers. What I say could be taken as judging and I do not want to come off as being judgmental but that is exactly what I do. I see everything in black and white with no grey areas. That is harsh and newborns in Christ need a gentle hand.

What can I say to help someone who has just raised their hand at an altar call? I do not know what is going on in their lives. I do not know their thoughts. I do not know their needs. God does and that is who they need. All I can say is what I experienced.

I had just been handed a miracle by a God I did not know. I had prayed for the first time about the anger in me and God touched me and removed that anger. How could I not acknowledge Him when He had that kind of power over me?

No one came along beside me to ask what was happening. No one asked why I raised my hand at the altar call. No one asked if I knew what I was doing. If they had then things might have gone differently. What that might have looked like I do not know.

As a teenager I attended an American Baptist church. Their main focus was on being sheep dippers. Once they got them baptized they were God’s responsibility. That was true from their point of view, but that wasn’t what I needed at that moment. I needed someone to come along beside me to help figure out what was happening. Decades later it feels like being born and not having a mother to nurture me. I wasn’t getting the milk of the Word.

If anyone out there has just decided to change their life and become a disciple of Jesus this is my most sincere advice. Find someone you trust that has years of experience in their walk with Jesus. Talk to them about what is going on and why you have decided to follow Jesus.