FIRST STEP IN SPITE

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Faith believes in spite of the circumstances and acts in spite of the consequences. - Adrian Rogers

There is a another great quote from Martin Luther King saying,

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

How is your faith today?

Just sharing honestly today, I have been a little stuck of late about taking a first step.

I have had a vision of developing and taking the steps needed to formalize a “Faith-Based Recovery Technical Assistance Center”; to put some pen to paper, and fully commit formally to what I do almost every day informally.

But I have been hesitant.

“How will I fund it?”

“How will I administrate it, I am not very good at that sort of thing.” I say things like, “I probably need more education" all the while not really wanting to go back to school, etc.

You know "doubt stuff".

So, today’s little OFH is as much for me as anything.

That is why I shared Adrian’s quote.

Faith believes “in spite”!

Faith acts “in spite”

And I know that without faith, I can’t please the Father. (Hebrews 11:6)

So, in some quiet time on the road between Cincinnati and West Virginia yesterday, I asked GOD to help me with my faith.

Augustine said, Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.

I believe that this is the next evolution in my ministry.

I believe that it is deeply needed.  

Just yesterday while in Cincinnati we validated it once more.

So, there are so many indicators that this is the next step, or a first step to what appears to be a very long and arduous stair case, but I am lifting my foot today.  I can’t say when foot will touch stair, but I do believe it is what is next.  I have carved out the time to start crafting the plan.

I offer you this little glimpse into my own struggle with my faith not to draw attention to me but to point us both to put our faith in the Father.

Perhaps you too are at the bottom of a large staircase and it looks daunting, tall, even seemingly impossible to fathom getting to the top.

We both must be willing to take the first step.

Just this weekend I watched some funny robed folks hand my lovely wife a DOCTORAL diploma.  That was a large staircase and yet one step at a time, one paper at a time, one project at time, she reached the top of that staircase to become Dr. Delaney. 

So, I have seen it done.

Is it time to take that first step?

Remember Augustine,…

“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Mark 9:23 (NKJV)

Be blessed today!

I love you all.

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE