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A Ministry Report · Summer 2026 Field notes from a year of watching God move As with most of my newsletters, this one is long overdue. The problem is not finding the time to write; it is knowing how to express what I see God doing. Perhaps I care too much about what people think, fearing that you may believe I embellish what I say. Or perhaps I worry that others might think what God does is extreme and not orthodox. These may play a part. I don't think so, but I do not know my heart; therefore, let my Lord judge. For me, the problem is: how do you put into words the gracious activity and expressions of glory that God chooses to manifest? How do you tell of God's work in the human soul? How do you accurately convey the Spirit poured out upon a people and their response, whether in contrition, exuberant joy, or both? It is quite difficult for me. This year has been extremely busy. Starting in the Dominican Republic. From there, I have preached in Canada, Houston, Oklahoma twice, several Texas churches, and a week in Northampton, MA, where Jonathan Edwards pastored and saw the Great Awakening. Three weeks in a Middle Eastern country embroiled in war. Most recently, back in the Dominican and Toronto. I have preached nearly 100 times at the time of this newsletter. Therefore, I cannot rehearse all the events; however, let me share with you recent experiences. My first preaching engagement for 2026 was in Santiago, Dominican Republic, with our dear friends at Walking By Faith Baptist Church. The Lord made His word have a strong and lasting effect. The impact of those days was truly surprising. Both the pastor and his associate said it was nothing short of a revival, personally and corporately. The church was filled with joy, and a holy enthusiasm spread. The church saw an increase in visitors, sinners were converted, and some believers who had left the church returned in humility. Relationships were restored, and the services were noticeably different, longer because of increased praise and prayer. The leadership of the church was so encouraged that they invited me back for a second meeting. They planned a retreat for earlier this month. I hope that what you read will encourage you to see that the Lord is using you as you pray and support this ministry. I began the time of ministry preaching on Wednesday evening to the church in Santiago. The Lord was kind, and the church seemed to be helped. The next day, we made our way to the east side of the country, traveling five and a half hours. We arrived at a very remote and basic retreat center. The auditorium was an outdoor pavilion, where daytime temperatures were in the 90s and humidity was tropical. I preached twice Thursday evening despite the electricity going off and on and a brief rain shower. Once again, we sensed His nearness. All seemed to be blessed. However, the breakthrough we prayed for had not yet occurred. On Friday morning, I preached, but this session was different. Something was stirring the hearts of the people. Normally, I will conclude the sermon with a prayer, but on this particular morning, I did not feel led to do so. I sat down, and a brother prayed. After he prayed, another prayed. Although I did not know what they were praying, since they prayed in their native tongue, Spanish, I could sense the Lord was on the move and something wonderful was occurring. As soon as the second person finished praying, a woman began to pray. I met her the day before. She is a gastrointestinal doctor. She was neither friendly nor unfriendly. Her demeanor was kind but distant. But as I watched her that Friday morning, I saw she was trembling, and suddenly she let out a loud cry and wept uncontrollably. Her prayer was filled with deep sorrow, her voice quivering with godly grief, and her posture humbled. At some point, she lost all proper decorum as she poured out her heart to God. Her pride depleted and emptied of self, she continued to pray. I do not know how long she prayed, perhaps seven to ten minutes. At some point, she found peace. Instead of pleading and brokenness, there seemed to be the joy of a victor. It appeared that as she poured out her heart, God filled it with Himself. She finished praying, but the Lord was not finished. What happened to this dear woman struck another sister, who began to weep loudly, praying with the same fervor and manner. Whatever she was praying was not only the effect of the Spirit's work in her but also affected those who heard her pray. As soon as she finished, another woman began to break and weep and pray. This continued for an hour and a half. Men and women prayed. Most were on their knees, kneeling on the hard and rough concrete. I was supposed to do a Q & A after preaching, but the Lord pre-empted it, choosing to do something much better. After that service, the remainder of the time was a continued blessing. Each service, the Word came with power and help by the Holy Spirit. Conversations in the dorms and at meals were on a higher plane with godly conversation and praises of what the Lord was doing. Many people reported afterward that on that Friday morning they experienced a deep work of the Spirit, convicting them of sin their dull hearts were unaware of. This was a repeated refrain. On the ride back with Pastor Kelvin Candelario, who had hosted and translated for me throughout the trip, and Missionary Gideon An, I was peppered with questions about the work of God and His ways, interrupted only by praises for what God had done during the retreat. On Sunday morning, the church was packed. There were many more people in attendance than in January of this year. Excitement filled the room as the people filed in. The worship was heavenly. It was very energetic and enthusiastic; however, nothing out of order or indecent about it. You could sense the people loved the Lord and were unashamed to praise Him with all their hearts as well as their lips. We met again that evening, and once again the power of the Lord was working. Several guests were there because two men from the drug rehabilitation center were graduating. Within minutes of approaching the pulpit and preaching, the Lord changed my text and message. I preached with a liberty and authority that comes only by grace and never by merit. Pastor Kelvin mentioned to me afterward that many looked stunned while I preached and he translated. Even a visiting pastor appeared overwhelmed by what he was hearing. After the service, a gentleman approached both Kelvin and me. With tears in his eyes, he confessed that he had backed out of coming to the service, but suddenly there came upon him a compulsion that he had to attend. He told us that he was so glad that had happened and that he knew it was the Spirit of God. And then he shared that years ago he was very involved in ministry and thought he was serving God to his utmost. Sadly, something caused his heart to drift until he was no longer walking with the Lord, but he continued, telling us that God had met with him during the sermon and had renewed his heart. In humility, he confessed his years of sin and wilderness wanderings. The joy of the Lord returned and ignited his heart and lit up his countenance. I can testify that there was a glow about him that did not accompany him when he entered the service. He left a different man. I want to return, finally, to our doctor, who was so greatly moved when the Lord visited us that Friday morning at the retreat. After that experience, she, too, was a different person. No longer reserved, but laughing, hugging, and helping others. She served whenever there was a need. I observed a great change; in fact, her husband told me he had a new wife. Sunday morning, the doctor and her husband asked if they could take me to dinner before I returned home the next day. They wanted to show me their appreciation for my ministry to them. At the dinner, I asked the doctor what exactly happened to her on that Friday morning. Her husband translated for her, and this is what she said. "While you were preaching, God spoke to me and told me that I was a very proud person. I thought I was actually a humble person giving my life to serve others. But when I suggested this, the Lord rebutted me and said that I had taken great pride in my so-called humility. I was devastated. I sat there during the remainder of your sermon in such turmoil. When others were praying, I could not contain my grief any longer. It was like God had His hand upon my heart and was pressing upon it. I confessed to Him my pride and other sins that the Spirit surfaced. But something happened after that. Something changed. I felt as if God opened my heart and poured His great love for me into my heart. It had been years since I felt anything like this. But after that morning until this very moment, He has been pouring more and more of His love upon me. I have never known anything like this." I am humbled to be a witness to such glory. And it is my prayer that He will be gracious to allow me to see more and more of His wonderful works in the souls of men and women. This is not the only time I have seen such gracious activity. There have been multiple services this year where God seems to come, and the crowd grows very silent as if a holy hush settles upon the congregation. At some point, sometimes someone will begin to pray, and others will follow. At other times, the people just sit quietly before the Lord, praying silently. I have noticed that sometimes the pastor who has never witnessed this may seem confused about what to do. Sadly, so many of our pastors and leaders have never experienced God's corporate work, and they do not know what to do. They do nothing, fearful of doing anything, or some will continue with the service and quench the work of the Spirit. I can't help but believe that our good and gracious Father wants to bless His people with Himself and strengthen the many saints who presently languish or have grown dull in their affections for the Son. Please pray with me for more and larger outpourings of the Holy Spirit and that He would revive His people and gather in more whom He has given to our blessed Redeemer. I cannot end this report without expressing my gratitude to God for you all. Some of you I do not know, and may never meet on this side of glory. Nevertheless, you invest in me by praying for me, and others of you have been generous with your gifts. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. Heartily, Michael Durham

Greetings in the lovely name of Jesus Christ, our Lord!   This is a brief update to keep you informed about what the Lord is doing in answer to your prayers and support. There is no way a ministry can be effective without prayer. Ministry effectiveness is not measured by how many attend the services or even by how large the offerings are. These are very poor indicators of what God does or does not do. Even the kind words shared with me after a sermon are not what I look for to see the hand of God. What you and I pray together to see is that God is made most of and His presence and power are manifested. This outcome cannot be planned, programmed, or produced. It is the sheer goodness of God displayed as He sees fit, but it is often demonstrated in answer to prayer.    Here is what we have experienced ourselves and what others have shared with me about God's work. I began the new year in Santiago, Dominican Republic, with my friend and pastor, Bryan Elsey. This was my third visit in two years to Walking by Faith Baptist Church. The church holds a retreat every January, and since my first trip in January 2024, they have invited me back each year.   In early December, I had a video call with Pastor Kelvin Candelario and his associate, Gideon An, to talk about the upcoming conference. Just two days before, Bryan and I had discussed what we should preach during our trip. I told him I felt led to speak about walking in the Spirit, based on Galatians 5:16-17. During the call, I asked Pastor Kelvin if he had a topic in mind or if we should speak as we felt led. He immediately said he wanted us to focus on walking in the Spirit. At that moment, I knew God had something special in store for us.   Preaching at the retreat  The Lord helped me expound on Galatians 5:16 through the end of the chapter. I could sense His help as could the audience. Even during two Q&A’s, there was evidence of God’s gracious presence and power. Let me share with you what Pastor Kelvin shared in his newsletter, which I received last week, a month after the meetings.    We began the year with a church retreat in the mountains with the theme “Walking in the Spirit.” It was a powerful and refreshing time. We truly believe the Lord spoke to us, encouraged us deeply, and renewed our hunger for Him. Since then, we have been praying and fasting for revival, and we are convinced that God is doing something special in our midst. One of the greatest answers to prayer has been seeing three families return who had been dispersed after a painful church split eight years ago. This has been a personal prayer of mine for many years, and seeing them walk through our doors again has brought deep healing and gratitude to our hearts. We have seen joy restored, a renewed conviction of the Holy Spirit, and a greater sensitivity to the presence of God among the church. We have truly been greatly blessed. Additionally, we have been receiving new visitors every week, and throughout the entire month of January, we have had a full house every Sunday.   I love these reports because they come from those who were there, and you are able to hear them tell of our Lord’s wonderful works.    Also, in January, I went from the Caribbean to the Canadian tundra. For a full week, I preached 14 times from Romans 8:26-39. It was a great week with dear friends. The Toronto Christ Gospel Church is an amazing group of first-generation Chinese immigrants with an energetic ministry to their countrymen, near and far. They have built an infrastructure that teaches Mandarin-speaking students the Bible, from Greek to biblical theology, from the Gospels to the Pauline Epistles. It is an amazing and awesome privilege for me to be associated with them. I love them dearly.    February is a busy month for us with three preaching meetings in both Texas and Oklahoma. Please pray that I will be a humble and holy servant whom the Lord will be pleased to use. I pray that each one who reads this report will be moved upon by the Holy Spirit to love and serve Him who set His love upon you before time itself. O, may you know the love of God which passes knowledge and be filled with the fullness of God.    Heartily yours, Michael

When Adam’s eyes first fluttered to life, there now existed a whole man, fully aware and full of intelligence. His eyes would have beheld the wonders all around him. The earth was teeming with life, and Adam must have had curiosity stirred within him as he explored the wonders of this new creation of which he was a part. As Adam explored this new creation, he not only explored it, but he also, we are told, did so as he walked with God. The picture this paints for us is one of harmony and beauty, a life of peace and serenity. As Adam rested at the end of the day, his perfect mate and helper, Eve by his side, I can imagine them sitting with God and enjoying their labors with much peace and thankfulness of heart. So the story of blissfulness continued until the tragic day that this life was no longer enough for the happy couple. Satan the ingrate, who himself was not content with his lot, couldn’t keep his poison to himself. He saw fit to infect Adam and his wife with the prospect that God was holding back from them that which they were due, there is more to be had; they themselves could become as gods! The moment they ate of the forbidden fruit was the day they would never be full again. They would never experience thankfulness in the same way ever again, for only a heart in communion with God and His goodness is a full heart, and only a full heart is a thankful heart. All of Adam’s progeny now suffer from a heart that can never be full enough. ‘Their throats are open graves’, always receiving in. You and I entered a world in which every single person longs for more than what they have; therefore, they are ingrates. This is the sad state of the world which we have contributed to and which our Lord entered. Paul describes humanity like this, according to the 21st verse of Romans chapter 1: “Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” The human heart has become a ‘well that cannot hold water.’ (Jeremiah 2:13) Ever drinking and never having their thirst quenched. (John 4:13) This is a universal problem for all mankind, there is none exempt from this curse – how could we be now that our fellowship with God is broken. We try for years to fill the void within. One would think rich people are among the most thankful of us. No sooner do the rich make their first $100 without thinking about how to turn it into $1000. Even the drunkard – the more he drinks, the more he thirsts. An earthly heart is like a grave which is “never satisfied”. This thanklessness ruins the soul. When we stop being thankful, it shrinks our soul. When we stop and think of when we fall into the sin of complacency, one of the worst sins we can do, is not the root of it, thanklessness? An ingratitude of the heart. Is it not accusing God of not giving you enough? Even in our horizontal relationships, when we take them for granted, when we stop appreciating them, does not the fire in the heart begin to wane? A life marked by thanklessness is a life marked by a granite heart. A heart that no longer feels the warmth of God’s love for you. You can be sure that as love for God grows cold, so does thanklessness. As thanklessness fades, so does your nearness to God. One of the marks of the Israelites' spiritual falling away from God after He redeemed them from bondage in Egypt was their murmuring against God. Murmurers are ungrateful; they complain against God, they dishonor God and forget his goodness. There were many murmurers in Jesus’ own day, a sure sign that they missed who Jesus was. We can most assuredly believe that those who believe God exists and claim to follow Christ but do not ‘honor Him as God’ nor live their lives with worshipful gratitude for what Christ has done for them, are believers in name only. Jesus said in John 4:14, “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” Jesus alone fills the heart with contentment and peace. Jesus, the one who faithfully filled the role of the quintessential human, now fills our hearts. Now we can truly enjoy what we have without it becoming an ever thirsting idol. The created order of appreciation for God is now restored within the heart, and a life of worship now ensues. The life of the saint is now marked by thankfulness. Famed Puritan Thomas Watson once said, “A contented Christian carries Heaven with him.” But how do we grow in contentment? Consider Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, the place of Paul’s former imprisonment for his faith: Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Paul’s way of living was counter-cultural, even to those he was discipling in the church. He is instructing them to model their lives as he did – always meditating on that which is lovely, true, noble, and just. Paul says, ‘Do these, and the God of peace will be with you.’ The Holy Spirit-powered Paul was light-years ahead of modern psychology’s teaching on ‘negative bias.’ Negative bias teaches us that if someone tells you 10 things, 9 of them good and 1 bad, you will remember the bad. The human mind naturally fixates on that which is ignoble, unjust, flawed, and unlovely. Why do news stories consist of nothing but crime and bad reports? But consider with me that the church is to be a microcosm of Heaven. The local church is to represent what the world would look like if Christ ruled and reigned over every heart on earth. The church is to consist of people who focus on that which is true of each other; that we are blood bought and precious in the eyes of our Lord. Consider a godly marriage for a moment. Marriage is meant to represent the glory of God by displaying to the world the selfless love and devotion of Christ to His bride. A godly marriage is marked by thankfulness as we focus on that which is true of each other, namely, that we are joined to a soul whom God has tasked us with caring for and nurturing. This Thanksgiving, remember that it is ‘more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:35) A heart that is full of Christ is open to freely give out of the abundance of the heart. The world is marked by thanks-receiving, always expecting to receive, and yet never be satisfied. Consider Christ, who on the eve of his death, took the bread and the cup and gave thanks. Jesus saw the bread and the cup, emblems of his broken body and blood that would soon be spilled, and he gave thanks to his Father. To my Christian friends, we can imagine a world marked by thankfulness. We can imagine a church body filled with thankful brothers and sisters, always looking at that which is lovely and pure in each other and long-suffering with that which is not. This Thanksgiving, let your heart be soaked with gratitude for what Christ has done for you, and the God of peace Himself will be with you. Will you join me in living by the Spirit, seeing by faith which is most true of those around us? Meditate and focus on that which is noble, lovely, just, and pure. Let the gospel of the glory of God for broken sinners such as us, saturate your heart this Thanksgiving. Yours in Christ, Pastor Nate Freeman

“In all their affliction He was afflicted” (Isaiah 63:9). What great comfort to be had from this brief word! It is incredible, to say the least, that the Lord God should be so in tune with me that every moment of pain, every instance of suffering, and every case of anguish I endure, He endures. We have more than a sympathetic deity; we have an empathetic God who truly feels our pain.  In the case of this brief text from Isaiah, the affliction of Israel was God-induced. It was the Lord’s just response to the nation’s rebellion. Yet, the affliction He inflicted upon them was also the affliction He suffered. Jeremiah said as much when he wrote, “For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men” (Lamentations 3:33). In other words, He takes no pleasure in bringing suffering into our lives. Although it is necessary, God must do so; He takes no joy in it. His own soul is afflicted and grieved. Remember what the Lord Jesus said to Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road? “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Every lash of Saul’s whip, each shackle placed upon a Christian’s wrists and ankles, and each stone crushing Stephen’s body was a lash, shackle, and stone upon the heart of Christ. He felt it all; He experienced it.  And, my friend, He experiences your every disappointment and heartache brought upon by external and internal forces. Not one pain you endure He escapes. Unbelievable as it may sound, every affliction, including sin’s consequences, finds its way to the heart of God.  Can you hurt, and God not suffer? No, not at all. Can you be caught in a storm and not feel the wet rain and the cold wind? No, not at all, unless you are dead. The Lord is neither dead nor separated from you that He cannot go suffer your affliction. You never need to ask Him if He realizes what you must endure. When tempted to rail upon Him, you should hold your tongue as if He is unfeeling. In all of your affliction, He is afflicted.

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). Faith has eyes only for Jesus; that is God-like faith. Faith cannot bear to look at anything else. This is why the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews writes, “Looking unto Jesus,” which in a recent blog we explained means, “looking away to Jesus.” In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, the focus was on the faith of men. But now, he encourages us to no longer look at men, no matter how inspirational they may be, and instead to set our eyes of faith on Jesus. Faith cannot survive long without seeing Jesus, its only object. As long as it beholds His glory, it thrives. Like a rose that loves sunshine and develops in the sun’s rays, faith develops in the rays of Jesus’ excellence. To keep your faith strong keep Christ your focus. If you would be a person of faith, do not take your gaze off the Author and Finisher of faith. To excel in faith, avoid anything that distracts from the object of faith—Jesus. Learn to keep your eyes solely on Him. This is so important that you must resist the greatest temptation of all: the temptation to focus on the promises of God. Quite often, it is said so casually that we must keep faith’s eye on the promises of God. But casualness is not godly rest; far from it! Casualness is the devil’s nest. It is to lie in the enemy’s lair. Vigilance is faith’s friend, and we must not become casual with the things of God, especially faith. There is much truth in the idea that the promises of God are the food of faith. God’s promises nourish our faith. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). However, the promises of God encourage faith only because they are indeed the promises of God. It is the character of God that makes His promises reliable. What sets one man’s promises apart from another’s? The integrity of one and the absence of it in another. It would be more accurate to say that the impeccable character of God is the foundation of faith. Faith delights in perceiving the infinite God and lovingly trusting in the treasure of God’s being. Someone may ask, “How do you separate God’s promise from God? Aren’t they one and the same?” Yes, a man’s word is an expression of his heart, and this is equally true of our Father. However, it is not the promises themselves that faith relies on, but the One who makes those promises believable. This is where the devil’s trickery comes into play. He will try to shift your focus from the Promiser to the promise, or even better, to what is being promised. If your attention is on what has been promised to you, your faith will start to waver. It will waver for one of three reasons. First, if you focus on the promised thing, the promise may soon appear challenging. You begin to think that the promise can’t come true because the thing promised seems too big or extravagant. It may seem too difficult to happen. Second, similar to the first reason for faith to waver, focusing on the promise may cause you to turn your attention to yourself. When that occurs, your faith will hinge on how you perceive yourself. As long as you feel you have faith, you will feel encouraged; however, the moment you begin to lose that sense of faith, you will sink into fear, frustration, and despair. The third reason faith may waver when the eyes of faith are diverted to the thing promised is that you may start to idolize it. It can become more important to you than the Lord. Your joy may be found in the anticipation of the fulfillment rather than in Him who has promised. This is one of the most subtle forms of idolatry. Unless the Lord of mercy reveals your sin, you may maintain this idolatry and do so while calling it faith in God. When the soul is forced to stop its devoted attention to Christ, faith cannot be sustained. It will waver and eventually fade. Do you see this, my friend? Has the promise you believe God has made become all-consuming? If so, have you not yet noticed the challenge of keeping your faith strong? What is the answer? You must die to the very thing God promised—more about this in our next posting.

1 Corinthians 3:1-4 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?  We find ourselves today in a secular culture that promotes immaturity. Growing up, I heard the Toys R Us jingle many times.  “I don’t wanna grow up.  I’m a Toys R Us kid.”  As innocent as it sounds, it perfectly voices what I believe has grabbed the American culture. We’re constantly being encouraged to live by our feelings and be true to ourselves; honestly, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. America’s culture is pumping out people who don’t want to grow up and who always want to live as if they are children, always doing whatever they want, when they want, and avoiding hard and uncomfortable things. As we can see in 1 Corinthians, Paul deals with the same problem. How many of us have sung the great hymn, “Prone to wander Lord, I feel it Prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above”? My problem is always a heart problem. It’s easy for me to chase after everything that doesn’t last instead of the thing that matters most. I can have as much of Jesus as I want, but can I put down whatever is my current distraction to deepen my walk with Christ? I must say “No” to my desire for instant gratification and remember that this world is not my home. It is my duty to abandon all the “important” things so nothing may stand in the way of obtaining Christ. Sadly, I believe most of us are stuck in a cycle that keeps us in spiritual immaturity.  It is a terrible cycle, never making much impact for the kingdom, and like children constantly worrying about not knowing God’s will or not understanding what He is doing in my life. I want to highlight two reasons for this: 1) the wheel of life, and 2) we are running on the wrong power source. For the rest of this blog, we will look at the wheel of life. The devil can’t take your salvation away, but he can take away your effectiveness. One thing that I think he does best in this generation is to get us to run on the wheel of life.  The Bible refers to the Christian running a race Hebrews 12:1-2. So, to combat Christians, the devil has developed a diversion, something like a hamster wheel. I call it the wheel of life. Jesus called it the “cares of this life” (Luke 21:34). We get up in the morning, put our feet on the floor, and before we can get our eyes fully open, we have to hurry up and get ready for the day, get the kids to school, and get off to work. Then we work all day and hurry home to figure out what’s for dinner, take care of the family, and hopefully go to bed at a decent time so we can rest up and do it all over again.   We run hard on the wheel to work and to get somewhere with a career plan. We try to find some vacation time while working ourselves to death because we must achieve the American dream.  We get on this wheel and run and run and run, but unfortunately, there is no room for the Kingdom on this wheel. So, just as the hamster that runs and never gets anywhere, we Christians also run and never get anywhere in our relationship with Jesus. It’s time we stop solely living our lives reacting to everything life throws at us and live purposefully.   Let me remind you, dear Christian, of Jeremiah 29:11-13:  “ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.    Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.    And you will seek Me and find  Me,  when you search for Me with all your heart.”  Before you go the wrong direction with this verse, yes, if you are a child of the King, then He can do nothing but be loving, kind, and gracious to you. He is not mean or unfair: He hasn’t fallen asleep or forgotten you. Verse thirteen can help us understand our Father’s number one priority.  It’s not comfort, prosperity, or having a wonderful life as we often define it. He simply wants all our hearts to love Him more than anything and advance His kingdom by living in the power of God’s salvation. You are saved to do great and wonderful things. You are saved to participate in God’s kingdom activity on this earth. You are not a spectator but one who brings tidings of hope and grace to those whose greatest need is to be rescued from their sin. It’s time to be effective for the kingdom, no longer chasing after what will fade away. Let us fix our eyes on a city not made by human hands, a place where the very King of Kings beckons us to abide in His presence and live forevermore.  It’s time to jump off the wheel that leaves us in the pit of worthlessness, constantly searching for purpose. Git rid of any hindrance; everything must go so that Jesus may have all your heart, and with endurance, we can run our race.

Philippians 3:14 "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." “We are all on a faith journey. Some are far along, but some are further behind, and we are to come alongside those that God has put in our path and help them press on to lay hold of Christ Jesus.” Those were words that formed the beginning of a friendship for me at a time when I felt so alone in church. I didn’t know it then, but this man was coming alongside me, pushing me further along my faith journey and encouraging me to press into the call to care for souls, chiefly by pressing into Christ Jesus myself. He is one of many the Lord has brought along in my faith journey ‘toward that upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’ Those words are from a friend who, although he is American, spent the majority of his life in Africa serving as a missionary. I met him during a short stint as the pastor of a local church near me. I have a friend who went to his church, and this friend came to me one day to say, “You must listen to this man; he sounds like someone you would enjoy.” I was skeptical. I was used to hearing formulaic preaching Sunday after Sunday. The almost therapeutic message that convicts no one and helps no one. It always makes you feel good by pointing your finger outward at the world while remaining numb about the inward corruption of sin that lingers. So, I did listen to this new preacher’s first message to his new congregation, and right after that, I found myself calling the church and asking to speak with this man. There was a spiritual reality to his words. His intimacy with which he spoke about our Lord was convicting and encouraging at the same time. “Let’s get coffee today!” was his happy reply. That was the beginning of a much-needed mentor and friendship. I had found a kindred heart. At our first meeting, I wasn’t sure how to interpret the situation. We were sitting across from each other in a coffee shop, getting acquainted, when he suddenly stopped listening to me mid-sentence. Something distracted him, pulling his attention away. “Excuse me,” he said, but he spoke absent-mindedly, as his eyes were already fixed on something outside, and he leaned halfway out of his seat. I watched as he stepped outside to a disheveled man who seemed likely to be homeless, and he started talking to him. Then he hugged the man and sat down on the curb, gently patting the back of his dirty jacket. I noticed that he was praying with him. After a heartfelt goodbye, he returned inside, and I noticed a tear streak on his cheek. “I’m sorry, Nate, what were you saying?” I couldn’t remember or care about what I had been saying. I began asking him about being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and walking with Jesus as a friend. He smiled, and thus began a significant period in my life with my first mentor in the faith. Of all the lessons and stories he told, I want to share with you the one thing that has helped me the most, and I believe it will help you greatly on your journey. He always encouraged me to press on toward intimacy with Christ Jesus, “He wants to be far closer to you than He is now,” he would always say. “He wants to walk with you daily; He truly is a friend of sinners. He is not aloof; he is ever present and ever near. It is our awareness of Him that lessens. Do not settle for what you see in others in the church. Lay hold of Christ Jesus for yourself.” As I’ve walked this faith road, I’ve come to fear that many have come to Jesus out of fear of the penalty of sin, but they go no further with Him and care not about the Spirit’s work in stopping the power of sin. They have “come to Him” because they are weary and heavy-laden, but they have stopped there and have never “learned of Him”. (Matthew 11:28) They are content to wade in the shallows, unwilling to appropriate their inheritance, and learn to walk in Him. My friend has returned to the mission field. He was often misunderstood in his own church due to his eclectic ways and lack of traditional church decorum. He was not a wild man; he was kind and gentle but indifferent to the mechanisms that often operate our churches here in America. He was not concerned with large numbers for church growth but with the spiritual development of his flock. Before he left, we sat in the same coffee shop where our friendship began. I’ll never forget some of his parting words to me. “Nate,” he said, “I would rather return to Africa and fight the darkness of shamans and ancestral spirit worship than confront the spirit of apathy so prevalent here in America.” Those words did not dissuade me from the ministry the Lord has called me to here. However, they have embedded themselves in my heart, urging me never to succumb to that apathy, that emotionless sense of hollow religion. May we all continue on in our faith journey and help others by wrestling with God for that blessing of more of Him for ourselves. Persevere in prayer, fighting that enemy that lies and tells you, “That life is not for you.” The price of a deep spiritual life is high, but it is worth it. My friends, where is that soul who will go on with God? Meditate on the Word until He sets your heart ablaze so you may be light to others. Ask God to create in you that spiritual hunger and thirst you so desperately need. Set your will, that great decision maker of the soul, to seek the Lord so that you may spiritually live, not in the future but here and now.

I grew up the son of a preacher. I have heard stories of my childhood, shaking everyone’s hand and wearing a suit and tie. As long as I can remember, I have been taught God‘s word, and I love to joke when I say that growing up in my father’s home, I received sermons every day of the week, not just on Sundays and Wednesdays. By the time I was converted at the age of 20, I had a treasure trove of biblical knowledge. I love the story in Matthew 15, where the woman tells Jesus that if she were a dog, she would leave with her crumb from the Master’s table. She comes desperately but expectantly. Unfortunately, I resemble the disciples who are satisfied and guilty of little faith while we’re blessed to be seated at that table. Like the disciples, there are times when we realize that we are guilty of being satisfied with good gifts and forgetful of the Giver. Somehow, over the last several generations, I believe we American evangelicals have morphed the Christian life into something that falls extremely short of the lived experience that the early church had in the New Testament. Have you read your Bible, encountered the life of Paul or another old saint, and asked yourself, “I wish my life could be like that”? You probably weren’t thinking of their trials or suffering, but when we look at their lives and then glance over our own, are we left with the sense that something is missing. The Saints in the Bible seem to have a strength that has somehow evaded the church today. Since the local church is only as strong as its members, it stands to reason that we, as individual Christians, have lost something vitally important. Without even realizing it, we exchanged the biblical description of being a disciple of Jesus, keeping a list of religious expectations, and growing in biblical knowledge. No one would say this out loud, but it’s almost as if we don’t care if the content doesn’t drastically change our lives over time; just as long as we are growing in some knowledge and I’m checking off religious boxes, then I am doing my Christian duty. We do the best we can just as we would do anything else, and then go day after day just to wake up with the reality of going through the motions and no heavenly reality lingering in our daily lives.  We go to church week after week, trying to act like we have it all figured out and all together, not realizing that most of what we do is powered by self.  We say that we are walking with Jesus, but the dust on our Bibles grows thicker, and if we pray, we don’t expect our requests to go any farther than our breath may take them. After being saved for almost 20 years now, I can tell you that I have learned a very valuable lesson that all of us, as born-again believers, must learn. This lesson shows that there is a difference between religion and relationship. Is it important to grow in our knowledge of God’s word? Of course, it is. But what good is it if it just stays between your ears and never finds its way to your heart, where it changes you inside and out? It would be like a married couple who speak to each other if necessary and don’t spend much time together, wake up one day, and are very unsatisfied with their marriage. But friend, is this what you and I do to our Savior? We may do many religious things and think we are walking with Jesus, but are we experiencing Him in our lives as we would experience any other human relationship? Are Christians new creatures? Yes. Are we a new man? Yes. Has our criminal record been made clean by the blood of Christ? Yes. Are we perfect immediately after being born again? No. As the old song goes, “He is still working on me” because I don’t always act like Jesus. Even though my heart has changed and I will never be the same, my flesh must be reprogrammed. Oh, brother and sister, we cannot afford to let the devil ensnare us to go about our daily lives like the rest of the world. We are so busy doing this and going there and working a job that can hopefully provide for our families and grab our piece of the American Dream. This is a worldly mindset that cannot please God. 1 Cor. 3: 1-3, I believe, really makes this as plain as possible.   And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?   There must come a time in the lives of believers when we must, with intention and perseverance, take God’s sharp sword and put to death our flesh. Maybe the fact is that we spend so much energy trying to be comfortable and ensure smooth sailing that we are never able to let ourselves feel the desperation that would drive us to wrestle with God as Jacob of old. I want to be liked and have as few problems as anyone else may, but if that causes us to never take a stand for Christ, then we will fall for anything the world dangles in front of us. Oh, brother and sister, it is time for us to listen to the rumbling of our souls and stir up a desire to grow spiritually until we reach the full measure of Christ.  We need to see God move in our lives and churches with the power to save lost souls and perfect the saint. It’s time that we turn the TV off, put the phone down, clear out the rooms of our hearts filled with entertainment, hobbies, and frivolous things galore, and throw them away so that Christ may have more room. May He increase in our hearts for the sake of those around us. But may He also increase in our hearts as a husband and wife grow in the depths of their love for one another. May we increasingly want Christ Himself more. May He be the treasure that we sell all to obtain. Do not settle for just forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternity one day. You were made to live for more.

One year before ink was scrawled upon that beautiful document known as the Declaration of Independence, a man by the name of Patrick Henry stood in what is now known as St. John’s Church, giving an impassioned speech to rouse his fellow countrymen to take up arms against the impending British army. His final words in that tremendous plea have made it into our history books, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” This was no hollow claim either; many men did pay the ultimate price for freedom from Great Britain. All mankind has an innate longing to be free, hardwired into us by our Masterful Creator. As noble as our desire for freedom is, there is a devastating way this longing plays out in the human soul, for in our desire to be free from all rule, we become enslaved to our own self. No soul is truly free until the bonds of self-rule is broken and that soul is immersed into Christ himself. From the opening pages of scripture, God warns us of an upside-down ruling principle. Adam and Eve, in their desire to be free from the rule of God, sought freedom in taking the right to rule their lives as they saw fit upon themselves, leading to further confusion in their life. “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Here we see mixed-up ruling in the most intimate of human relationships. God warned Cain that “sin desires to rule over you,” and yet, we find in the next paragraph that Cain slew his brother. Page after page, we find mankind making a mess of trying to rule. Page after page, we find the Lord waiting for us to bend the knee but letting us try and go our own way until we end up in a pit of despair and frustration before turning to the Lord. I remember the time my wife and I took a trip to visit the nondescript graveyard where the British evangelist Leonard Ravenhill was buried. I couldn’t help but grin when I saw the headstone of the fiery preacher. With one last quip to the world, his famous words were etched forever on his headstone, “Is what you are living for worth Christ dying for?” Even after passing from this earthly realm, Ravenhill still points us towards Christ’s securing work of redemption and chagrining us for our obsession over worldly pursuits. “Is what you are living for worth Christ dying for?” To answer that question, we must consider what Christ died for. Patrick Henry’s words will live so long as America lives, but Paul’s Spirit-inspired letter to the church in Galatia highlighting a freedom worthy of dying for will never pass away. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” The church in Galatia was quickly returning to where every human heart wants to turn, apart from the Spirit’s work in our lives: bondage. Bondage to the flesh. Bondage to the Law. Bondage to man’s opinion of us. Bondage, bondage, bondage . . . it is all around us and threatens to tighten around our hearts like a chain that squeezes the life of Christ out of us. Paul told the Galatians, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free.” Paul does not mean that Jesus saves us so that we may become free-roaming moral agents for good. Earlier in the same letter, Paul describes himself as a “bondservant of Christ.” In a letter to the Corinthians, he says, “though free from all men, I became a servant to all that I may win some to Christ.” What gave Paul, a man free from all men, the power to submit to others for the sake of their souls? Consider Jesus’s words to a field of farmers who were familiar with plowing fields with a team of oxen. Matthew records the words of Jesus, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) Jesus is not promising to just unhitch those who are heavy laden from their yoke that they may run free. He does something far better; he promises to yoke you to himself. Jesus is teaching a beautiful principle here that I call ‘master substitution.’ For as much as we Americans enjoy talking about our freedoms, we are never truly free until we understand Christ sets us free even from ourselves. I need the plow to furrow deep into my soul, breaking the fallow ground of self-sufficiency. The blessed truth we often forget as Christians is that Christ does not set us free to leave us floating around by ourselves. The promise of Jesus is that He will yoke us with His yoke. We will be joined to Christ in a union of souls of which even marriage is but a shadow. It would be cruelty to the highest degree to leave my heart to itself. I know that I am “free from the Law” and the curse thereof, but our Lord does not abandon me and call it ‘freedom.’ Salvation is freedom from the mess of trying to be the ruler of my life. Do you believe that? Do you truly believe that if you called the shots, it would be a disaster of epic proportions? Does your prayer life reflect that you need the guidance of our Good Shepherd? Does your time in the Word reflect that you believe God's commands are life to the soul? Does your time spent in fellowship with other believers whom Christ is leading reflect that you need anyone other than yourself? Come on, Christian, quit playing nice with your heart and deal honestly with yourself. Do you desire to be a good servant of Christ Jesus? Press into that union you have with your good Master. “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.” (1 Peter 2:11) Christians, fight for the faith to believe that true freedom is only found in nearness to our Lord. Be free from all men, free from works-based righteousness, free from the love of the world, and most importantly of all – free from self. Dive into the endless depths of Christ’s love for your soul and find true freedom for your soul.

The Lord Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. This means He is the Creator of our faith. He, not us, creates our faith, initiates it, and stimulates our trust in Him. This does not negate our responsibility to exercise faith, nor can we excuse ourselves for not trusting in the Lord. Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, only means we cannot create our faith in God. It is a grace from the very One who calls us to trust Him.   It took a long time for me to understand this since I am a slow learner. But the problem isn’t my intellect. I learned the principle of where my faith comes from a long time ago, within three years after my conversion. But my stubborn pride prevented me from believing it. You can know something is true in the realm of the intellect but not understand experientially in your spirit. Something in all of us resists absolute trust in God, whether it be a felt need to impress the heavenly Father with our faith and service or a fear of not being in control. This something is the flesh.   The flesh deceives by hiding its impulse behind your knowledge of God’s truth. You do not see your heart because you can say, “But I know the truth, and therefore I am in compliance.”  You are convinced you are walking by the Spirit only because you know the commandment and its meaning. But knowing something to be true and doing it are not the same. Somehow, knowing and doing get garbled up as being the same. In my case, I know I can’t have faith in God without God’s granting faith and helping me to exercise it, but instead of looking to Christ, the Author and Completer of my faith, I look within to strengthen my faith and cause it to grow. The result is stress, frustration, and exhaustion.   Several years ago, the Lord once again enrolled me in the school of faith by putting me on a path of frustrating failures. I sensed that my help would come by reading John chapters 13-17. And so, on my knees, I began reading, slowly, prayerfully, Jesus’ discourse to His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion. When I got to chapter 15 and read the parable of the Vine, something clicked. I knew that within these verses was the answer I was seeking. Day after day, I would read the words of this simple illustration, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser . . . Abide in Me, and I in you . . . I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” The words washed over my starving soul like rainwater, removing the dust and filth of a long, dry, barren season. The Lord began to open my spiritual understanding to what my brain could recite and even preach with ease. But this time, it was mine—it was my truth; it was affecting my heart and not just my mind.   What became real to me? It was that I couldn’t even have faith in Christ without Him. There was nothing I could do without Him, including abiding. We are completely helpless in the realm of the spirit, and if it were not for Jesus, we would be hopeless.   After this, I remembered reading Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret . I recalled that I did not understand what the man was talking about. In theory, it sounded right, but I couldn’t make it happen. I would read well-intentioned brothers attack Taylor’s position on abiding in Christ as unbiblical passivity. I remember thinking that perhaps these detractors were right.   But after the Lord opened my eyes to understand, I saw it’s not passivity. It is no more passive than a branch is passive in the production of fruit. However, the agenda, ability, and energy to produce fruit come from the vine and not the branch. Here is what Taylor said.   When my agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from dear McCarthy was used to remove the scales from my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known it before. McCarthy, who had been much exercised by the same sense of failure, but saw the light before I did, wrote, (I quote from memory): “But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One.” As I read I saw it all! “If we believe not , he abideth faithful.” I looked to Jesus and saw (and when I saw, oh, how joy flowed!) that He had said, “ I will never leave you .” “Ah, there is rest!” I thought. “I have striven in vain to rest in Him. I’ll strive no more. For has He not promised to abide with me - never to leave me, never to fail me?” And, dearie, He never will ! (Emphasis mine).   The title of this blog post may sound confusing: Trusting Christ for Faith . But really, it is quite simple. Instead of trying to trust, I rest in Christ to grant me the ability to trust. In other words, I ask Him to give me the faith I need for whatever His will is for me. I am convinced of this. I know this is more certain than the sun rising tomorrow. And He never fails. I still sometimes fail at this  and therefore fail Him, but “He remains faithful.” Truly, He is the Author and Completer of our faith. Without Him, we can do nothing, not even trust Him. And that is why the author to the Hebrews says, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).   Looking unto, upon, and at Jesus is faith increasing. So, then, start looking!

Turning our attention to Hebrews 11, we see faith described and portrayed in men and women. Many of the names are very familiar to us; they make up a list of the heroes of our faith. In addition to the famous names, Hebrews 11 mentions the unnamed heroes who demonstrated remarkable faith in the face of fierce persecution. Only God knows their names. In a future blog, I will return to chapter 11 of Hebrews, but in this blog, I want us to look beyond the eleventh chapter and set our eyes on the first two verses of chapter 12. Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1) The writer of Hebrews turns his attention to you and me. What about you? What should you do in light of these champions of faith? Whatever I do, I surely don’t want to be compared to these “witnesses.” That’s what the author calls the heroes of chapter 11, a “great a cloud of witnesses.” My immediate reaction is that I don’t belong in this assembly. I do not have enough faith to be associated with such a prestigious listing of men and women of faith. But I am. I am associated with this group by virtue of having faith in Christ. And so are you. We are a part of this club of faith even though we feel unworthy to be granted membership. The writer of Hebrews makes it definitive that we are a part later in chapter 12, But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn [who are] registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:22-23) How can I have this kind of faith that is demonstrated in Hebrews 11? The answer follows. But let me remind you, you are not a faith factory. You cannot produce faith. All of your attempts to manufacture faith fail. Understanding this, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us our responsibility. First, he says we should gain inspiration from the heroes he has cited, “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight.” Some have thought that the author is suggesting that the saints in heaven are able to see us as they look over “the balconies of heaven.” I'm not sure where that concept came from, but I know one place it didn’t—the Bible. This is not the author’s meaning. Rather, he is saying, in light of what these others have done who have gone before us, let us emulate them and do all we can to persevere in faith. Let us, as they did, throw overboard everything that would slow us down, especially that one sin that hinders and ensnares us all: unbelief. This is the one sin that the author has singled out throughout the entire book of Hebrews, and that has kept others from finishing their race. The sin of unbelief. The stories of the men and women who demonstrated faith in God should motivate us to do the same. These people are, in the final analysis, no different from us. They are frail and fallible people who need a Savior like I do. So, their testimonies should tell me I, too, can trust God. But inspiration will only go so far. I’ve been inspired by reading a great biography and resolve to be like that person, only to lose my motivation in a short while. Surely, you have heard a rousing sermon and vowed to do better with honest intentions. What happened? The same as me—your steam ran out. It will always run out. Why? Because faith, the opposite of unbelief, cannot be humanly sustained. Yes, the author commands believers to sustain their faith and increase it, but he knows that is impossible for you and me. Therefore, he bids our gaze to quickly leave the coronated saints and look upon the “Author and Finisher of our faith.” Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of [our] faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2) It is Jesus who is the origin of our faith. He is the One who gave you your faith, and He is the only One who can complete it, or in other words, increase it to its full measure. The word finisher means “one who perfects.” Jesus is the One who perfects our faith. Therefore, the greatest attention I can give to my faith is to give all of my attention to Christ. I run the race of faith by a simple act of looking to Christ to sustain my faith in Him. If the Lord should allow, I will elaborate on this in my next posting.

By S. Michael Durham We have seen thus far, in this series on faith, that I have a faith problem emanating from my fallen nature. I was born with a heart that does not want to trust God in the least. I want to trust me. The problem of faith is never the absence of it but faith in the wrong thing or person. The temptation in the Garden of Eden came down to whom Adam and Eve were going to trust—God or themselves. Of course, we know how they chose. And as a result, we have opted right along with our first parents. We inherited their rebellious nature, and it determines all we do. We were born with a sinful nature that does not have faith in God. What hope, then, does any man have? If we are bound to our natures and can do nothing else but what our nature dictates, what hope for change? If I am bound to trust in myself alone and not in God, how shall I hope to be saved from my sin, my depravity, and myself? In the face of certain doom, comes the words of the prophet, “Salvation is of the Lord.” If you are to have deliverance from you, you need someone stronger than you. Again, you can only act according to nature, and your nature is contrary to God. Therefore, the very One we naturally distrust and hate, is our only hope of rescue. What does a merciful God do to liberate the sinner? He creates by recreation. He takes the sinner and rebirths him anew. The new birth counteracts our first birth. The new birth is the birth of a renewed nature, not a perfect nature, but a renewed nature. To be born of the Spirit is to be given a spiritual impetus that is from above, given to us by our Spiritual Father. In no way does that make us divine, but as the Apostle Peter says in his second epistle, we partake, share, or participate in the divine nature. This new man, as the Apostle Paul calls the Christian, has holy affections and desires. By this grace work of the Spirit, we can exercise faith in God. It is standard equipment for the new heart to trust in God. In conjunction with the giving of spiritual life is the fact that our old man, who we were before conversion, is gone. The Bible says the old man has been crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6). To put it another way, the old man is our human nature, ruled and dominated by sin. This is not a small thing. Let me explain. When God regenerates you, the sinner,  and you put your trust in Christ, there is a literal conversion or change. A transformation occurs. The principle of sin enslaving and controlling you is broken. You, as a new believer, are free to break with sin and no longer do sin’s bidding. You can now obey God from a heart of faith because sin’s power to enslave is gone. But as wonderful as the gift of salvation is, it is not perfection. Not yet. The new believer confidently hopes for a day when he or she will be absolutely and completely rid of the corruption of sin. Even the ability to sin will be vanquished. However, until that day, we still have a mind and a body polluted. We may be dead to sin, but sin is not dead to us. We are still corrupted in our human nature and, therefore, still capable of sin. The mind and the body are not sinful, but within them are appetites and desires that are contrary to the Spirit. This is the remnant of the fallen human nature, with which we were born. The Bible calls it the flesh. The Bible describes in Galatians 5:17 a hostility resides between the flesh and the Spirit within the Christian. The flesh promotes self, and the Spirit promotes Christ. Flesh trusts itself, whereas the Spirit trusts only Christ. So how are we to put our faith in God if we feel this tension between ourselves and God? Thankfully, the answer is to walk in the Spirit, and we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). We consciously reject faith in ourselves and look to the Savior. This is all Jesus meant when He described the conditions of being a Christian, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). Self-denial means I deny myself the right to trust in myself. I refuse to live my life by my own wisdom or strength. This is the key to faith. One of the most difficult things for the Christian to learn is that he cannot trust God without God’s help. If I trust myself to trust God, then it is no more than my flesh trying to meet God’s requirement of faith. The sad fact is that even though I have a new heart, and the Spirit of God resides with me, I am still insufficient to trust and obey the Lord. I must look away from myself totally and look to the One who gives faith. Only He can maintain my faith, increase my faith, and preserve my faith. Only He can strengthen the faith that He has already given. Faith is still a gift from God. It is a spiritual gift, having spiritual substance. Otherwise, faith becomes me, straining my brain to believe in God. Sadly, this is what so many Christians think faith is—mere mental assent. If they can hurdle their own minds’ objections and feel like they believe, then they consider themselves to have faith in God. If you are to have a strong faith, you must have a weak faith in you. Faith that is strong in God is based upon a strong belief in human helplessness. You must be absolutely convinced that without Jesus, you cannot even hope to have faith in God. You believe that Jesus meant what He said, “for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Your will must be exercised to renounce any self-sufficiency so that you may receive God’s sufficiency. Is not this the lesson of nine frustrated disciples who could not cast out a demon from an afflicted child? Did they not pray to the Lord, “Why could we not cast it out?” Note the “we.” They tried to cast out the demon. Contrast that to the poor father’s prayer that was answered. The father of the demonized prayed, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” You and I are not faith factories. We do not nor cannot produce faith in God. All we can do is exercise the faith that He gives. Maybe that is why the disciples eventually, after this event, prayed more accurately, “Increase our faith.”