Archives For faith

When God is Silent

Bruce Chant —  April 24, 2013 — 5 Comments

when God is silent

The Silent Treatment

Have you ever got the silent treatment?
You know the icy-est of cold shoulders?
The rapid construction of that invisible but oh so noticeable wall where nothing seemingly gets in and nothing gets out?
It is the emotional state where “I am so seething mad with you right now, I refuse to even waste my breathe in your direction!”.

Yes, the silent treatment.

It’s never nice.

It causes the mind to race, the heart to accelerate and your mood to slump as you try to locate the absent-minded / foolish / thought-less cause you are somehow responsible for.

The silent treatment is a war-zone conducted by emotional and psychological guerrilla warfare; and you don’t know how to fit it!

Help Me Hear from God!

We all hate the silent treatment and the sense of rejection it brings. No one would suggest it is great way of resolving conflict, but it happens. We are familiar with it. And, for some of us, we fear it.

In my years of ministry, one of the common issues people have asked for ministry and prayer on is help in hearing from God. Although they have prayed, sometimes fasted, and all desperately sought the Lord, it seems He is not speaking. He is silent.

Can you relate to this?

What is often not said, but inferred, in these conversations is “Is God giving me the silent treatment?”

I’ve been there, I know.

You desperately want any answer from God. You are waiting on Him. You want to hear His voice. You want to do what’s right. You want to be lead by His Spirit. And yet, nothing.

It can be frustrating, even painful. But it needn’t be. It is certainly NOT God giving you the silent treatment.

So What Happens When God is Silent?

The mistake we often make is the assumption that God’s silence is a sign of his disapproval. But that is not the case.

One of the most profound verses I know of is found in Psalm 46:10a. It says:

“Be still, and know that I am God…

To me this cuts right through our busy, noisy, hyper-active way of life.

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

In your busy-ness you expect microwave results. You expect things to happen according to your timeline and schedule. But the exhortation we have here is to stop, be still, and be quiet.

Now we are ready to KNOW the ways and wonder of our God.

How do you know you really know someone? When you can sit in times of silence with them, without any need to talk. Relationships that are strong and deep and intimate, don’t find that silence awkward and needing to be pierced by talk. Just sitting and being with them is enough.

And so it is with us and God.

Author and Speaker Graham Cooke has a great insight on this, that challenges how we see times of silence with God. He says:

“God is often silent. This silence doesn’t mean disapproval; in fact, when God is quiet it is generally an indication that He is happy with us. He doesn’t need to constantly reassure His mature sons and daughters when they are doing well; He just lets us be until we look like we’re heading off track.”

What to do when God is silent?

There are many unknowns in our walk with God. But that’s ok. Relationship with Him is about discovery. Discovering who He is and knowing Him, even in the silence.

Changing how we see times of silence with God is one thing. But there are times we still need to act, to decide, to make a call. What do we do then?

Here is a list of things you can do when God is silent. It’s not exhaustive, or prescriptive, but I pray it would be helpful:

  • What has God last said to you? Go with that
  • Maybe God is leaving the decision with you — He trusts you
  • What is God teaching you out of this silence? That is what He wants you to know
  • Take it as a “green light”. He wil let you know if you are in the wrong.
  • See as God saying you don’t need any more confirmation. Step out in faith.
  • There is no testimony without a test. This is going to turn out as a blessing to you
  • Stop. Let go. Give it to Him. Enjoy His presence.

WHAT Do you do when you can’t hear God’s voice? LEAVE a comment and share your experience.

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The Key to Staying Strong in God (1 Samuel 12)

Bruce Chant —  March 22, 2013 — Leave a comment

staying strong until the end

Keeping Strong in Your Faith

I have recently started a regular exercise regime again. If you’ve ever lapsed in your exercise, you know that to re-start is really not a lot of fun. What you used to find comfortable, is now painful. What used to leave you feeling good, now makes you feel like being sick!

Of course, as far as you can, it’s much better to maintain your regime and keep persevering with your exercise.

People have made careers out of motivating reluctant exercisers (like me) to exercise and keep fit. There are doubtless a hundred different tricks and tips that we could employ to encourage ourselves to not quit. Do they work? I don’t know!

But I do know there are times when we need to encourage ourselves in our walk with God, to keep on persevering and not give up. So how do we do that? Here is one way we Stay Strong in the Lord:

1 Samuel 12:24 says:

Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.

How Do you Stay Strong in God?

One of the most effective ways to stay strong in your faith is Continue Reading…

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How to Protect Yourself from Becoming Cynical (Psalm 95)

Bruce Chant —  March 1, 2013 — 2 Comments
Dreaming

Dreaming

Being a Person of Belief, Not a Hardened Heart Cynic

Psalm 95:7-9 says:

Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

Dreamers and Cynics

Many years ago I heard a preacher say something that has stayed with me since. He said:

You are only as young as your dreams and as old as your cynicism

That quote has stayed with me because, let’s face it, we live in a cynical world. Cynicism means “An attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others”

Many of us, probably all of us, have face let down. People we trusted, have not kept it. Authorities have failed us. People claiming to stand for truth, haven’t been truthful. Those we respect have not shown the integrity we had hope to find. The list goes on.

The Way of the Cynic

It is an easy response to suffering let down at the hands of others to resolve in our hearts to do something about, to not let it happen again. It is a natural human protective mechanism to use whatever we can to protect ourselves from being hurt again. Mostly, that is where cynicism comes in.

  • Cynicism stops taking things at face value, and starts looking for ulterior motives.
  • Cynicism starts on the back foot, protecting us from any unadvised movement forward.
  • Cynicism sees the glass as half empty, lest we get our hopes dashed again.

Whilst cynicism begins as an admirable trait — a guard against gullibility (“No one’s going to dupe me!”) — it also opens the door to a rising tide of negativity, distrust and unbelief. And it is these things we find ourselves grappling with in our relationship with God.

God is Trustworthy

We should never look at God will cynicism. Why? Because unlike humans and our failings, He is different to us and has none. Others might be untrustworthy, but God isn’t because He’s different. Others might lack integrity, but He doesn’t. Others might have ulterior motives, but our Father’s are pure and blameless.

Cynicism does something to our hearts. It is out of the heart from which belief and faith emanates (see Romans 10:9-10). And that is why we are told to “guard our hearts, for out of it come the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

That is why the Lord rebuked the Israelites for hardening their hearts as they did in the Exodus. A hardened heart — a cynical heart — is not a believing heart but a disbelieving heart. A hardened heart hears the Word of the Lord, but instead of receiving gladly, sizes it up with suspicion and ultimately rejects it.

If you want to be a person of faith, a person who truly is a “believer” in God and His abundant, eternal promises you can’t also be identified as a cynic.

The thing with cynicism is you can’t turn it on and off like a tap. You are either cynical about all or none. If we’re cynical with others, we’ll be cynical with God. And that is not what God wants for you.

Believing in a Cynical World

If I am honest, this can be a tough one to navigate through. There are endless opportunities in this world to work on your cynical side; you don’t need to go looking for them! But God is also gracious in His provision to overcome that cynical approach to life.

He promises us a higher way, a better way to guard against those that would seek to deceive us and that is a Spirit of discernment. How do we walk in that? By walking in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit is the best safeguard any of us could have in this life against any one that might come at us with ulterior motives.

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How to Do the Impossible for God (Joshua 1)

Bruce Chant —  February 20, 2013 — 1 Comment

children crossing the street in columbia. strong and courageous

The Two Breakthrough Words That Will Carry You Through Your Assignment

Have you ever wanted to try something for God that seems so far beyond you, it looks ridiculous? Do you have dream or a desire that lives in your heart, yet in the natural it seems impossible?

Don’t fear, you are in good company! The Bible is full of men and women in just that same situation.

Joshua Chapter 1, verse 6,7 and 9 says:

6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go…. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Three times in four verses. Strong. Courageous. Continue Reading…

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Two things that Grow and Increase

Bruce Chant —  February 15, 2013 — 6 Comments

FAITH AND LOVE

dead lawn close upI have a lawn problem. Each summer there is a part of my backyard that refuses to let grass grow on it. I water it, I fertilise, I use all sorts of coercing techniques, but it won’t grow nice and green.

The fact is living things tend to deteriorate and die in the world in which we live. It is a sad fact that we all suffer loss, from our beloved family members passing away to more trivial matters such as my lawn.

But the Bible tells us of two things that have the ability to keep growing and keep increasing; Faith and Love.

2 Thessalonians 1:3 says:

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

If you want to beat the inevitable degradation of everything in creation, invest in faith and love!

“… Your Faith is growing abundantly…”

Faith grows. Faith comes from God, like a seed planted in good soil, if watered it will grow. The seed of faith is pre-programmed to grow and keep on growing.

I remember when as a new believer being encouraged by a great gentleman who was in his late eighties, but so obviously full of faith. He imparted such wisdom, fire and encouragement to me as a young Christian. His body was frail, but his Spirit was strong. Why? Because his faith continued to grow!

Regardless of your current thinking, your emotional state, your current predicament or your physical circumstances, your faith can grow and grow and grow. Because growing is what faith does.

“…the Love of every one of you… is Increasing”

Faith grows, but love increases. Love also comes from God and is given without measure to all who will receive it.

When we were expecting our second child, I had the thought “could I love my second child as much as my first?” I love my son with everything! Would there be any love left for my next born? As it turned out, of course there was!

Love is not like a pie that is limited in resource and needs to carefully divided up and given out. Love is like a river; the more room there is to flow the further and wider it goes! That is how love increases.

The Love of God is poured out like a river so that when you are fully immersed in His goodness and Grace, it overflows from you those all around you. That is the increasing work of God’s love.

May you walk in the ever growing, ever increasing nature of God’s Faith and Love.

QUESTION: Are you encouraged by the growing Faith / increasing Love you see in others? In yourself? Why or why not? Leave a comment and let us know!

 

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Five Steps to Crossing Over (Numbers 33)

Bruce Chant —  December 13, 2012 — 1 Comment

promised land ove the Jordan river

Numbers 33:51-53 says:

…pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. 53 And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.

God has a “promised land”, over the river Jordan, for each of His children. It is a place in the Spirit for us to live in where the promises of God for our lives, our callings and our ministries are made manifest.

The command to cross over and possess that land involves the following five steps according to this passage:

  1. “Cross over the Jordan” – Passing over the Jordan is symbolic of the baptism of the Spirit. We need to first pass through the waters of the river Jordan, exchanging the ways of the flesh for being filled with the Holy Spirit.
  2. “…drive out the inhabitants” – Who is possessing the arena of your inheritance? If it’s your family – what strongmen are present in your line? If it is business – what strongholds are at work? If it is an area of ministry – what spirit is opposing you? Discern it, ask God for His strategy and pray taking authority over it.
  3. “Destroy…” – By taking ground you will encounter new temptations and new battles. Identify the idolatry and remove yourself far from them. Renounce any rights they have over you in all humility and the fear of the Lord.
  4. “Take possession” – Once you have identified the land of promise and consecrated yourself to the Lord for it, claim it for the Lordship of Jesus. Not for yourself or your glory – but for His! Declare His Lordship over it!
  5. “Settle in it” – Now you are ready to make the shift, from the old to the new. You no longer live in the old circumstance, you are living in the dimension of the promise of the Spirit. Settle in it by aligning your thoughts and words to this truth in God.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for my promised land inheritance in you. I thank you you are faithful and desire to lead me into it. I ask you for understanding and revelation for how I can possess it, in Jesus name, Amen

 

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The Importance of Foundations

Bruce Chant —  September 12, 2012 — Leave a comment

Concrete Pour

Psalm 11:3 says:

If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”

Foundations are the most important part of any building. Everything else that is built is then built upon the foundations. If the foundations are firm, then the building will stand. But if the foundations are faulty, then there is a strong chance the building will need to be destroyed and rebuilt.

This is also true of Christ and our walk with Him. If the foundation upon which we build our lives is faulty, then our very lives are in jeopardy. If the foundation of our life is not Christ, then all that we have built and slaved over in our lives in susceptible to cracking, splitting, slipping and causing irreparable damage to what we’ve built.

The issue with a foundation is that it is the lowest part of the building. It is not readily fixed from above. There is few if any quick fixes or patches that will protect what has been built.

So too with our lives, apart from the foundation of Christ. When the day comes and that foundation cracks, slips or splits, the “righteous” are unable to help. “What can the righteous do?”

If the foundation of your life is not secure in Christ, go back, re-dig it, pull it apart. Make Jesus the foundation – firm and secure – and rebuilt your life upon Him. He will never let you down.

PRAYER: Father, I ask you to reveal any area of my life not firmly established upon the foundation of Jesus Christ your son. I submit all of my life to you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

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The Call of Abram Part 3 (Genesis 12)

Bruce Chant —  May 13, 2012 — 1 Comment

Blessing

Starting the walk of Faith as we learn from the life of Abram, the Father of Faith.

The Call of Abram Part 1
The Call of Abram Part 2

Genesis 12:1-3 says:

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Abram has left his home and ventured out in obedience to God. To where he didn’t know, but he went in faith.

But the Word of the Lord to Abram didn’t end there.

God said “Abram, you do this and I will bless you”. Wow, what a promise!

Whenever, we leave and go in obedience to the Lord we also do so with a promise from the Lord that this will result in blessing. Abram didn’t receive blessing from God immediately, it wasn’t as though he never encountered hardship or difficulty from that point. Far from it! But neither is that true blessing from the Lord.

Blessing comes as a result of God’s face shining upon our lives as they are lived in alignment with Him. As Abram committed to walking in obedience to the call of God upon his life, counting the cost, enduring the difficulty, he was also committing to a course that God has said is blessed. And, as history shows, it was as God said it would be.

When you commit your way to the Lord, to live in alignment with His calling and purposes for your life, you are committing to 1) LEAVE the old and to 2) GO in obedience. And when you do that, you also commit yourself to the promise that accompanies that path and that is a promise of blessing.

If you are already on this path – the way of faith – I want you to be reminded of this promise from God that He will bless you. You need to be reminded of this promise and thank the Lord for it. Because of your willingness, and your obedience, God can and will fulfil that in your life.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for your promise. I align myself to your way of faith today and I declare your promise of blessing over my life and I receive that blessing in Jesus name, Amen.

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The Call of Abram Part 1 (Genesis 12)

Bruce Chant —  May 10, 2012 — Leave a comment

Abram's Call and the Way of Faith

Abram’s call is a great template for us to learn the way of faith from the man who would later become the Father of the Faith, Abraham.

Genesis 12:1 tells us:

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

The Lord calls Abram and gives him three clear instructions. When we too walk in obedience to these 3 things, we are beginning to walk in the way of God-pleasing faith.

1. LEAVE

The Lord’s call to Abram is to get up and leave.

Leave your family, leave your country, leave your people and your Father’s household. Get up and leave. Why did God ask Abram to do this? I believe it was to establish in Abram a complete trust in God.

When we come to Jesus, He asks us to leave behind everything from our old way of life and follow Him. When we make Jesus No.1 in our life, He won’t tolerate competition for that place of affection and commitment in our hearts, so the only option is to choose.

Take Jesus, leave the rest!

When no-one else is around, when all our other comforts and familiarities are removed, when everything we’ve added to our lives has been removed – we find out who we are. God told Abram to leave his familiar, comfortable life because God didn’t want Abram to trust in the stuff he knew – he wanted Abram to trust in Him and Him alone.

In doing this – removing the old, familiar, comfortable things – not only does God establish trust in Abram’s life, He also establishes in Abram His true God-given identity.

Abram was the old identity, Abraham was the identity God created for him to walk in and live out.

If you want to find who God created you to be and discover your God-given identity in Christ, it’s going to take you heeding the call of Christ to LEAVE behind the stuff you’ve accumulated along the way. You are not your job, your friends, your education, your music, your sport, your abilities or your experiences. Leave them behind and embrace who God calls you to be.

PRAYER: Lord, I give myself back to you today. I recommit my way, my heart and affections to you. I choose to lay down my old identity and I choose to put on the identity you’ve given me as your Child. Thank you Lord, Amen.

Click for Part Two Here

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