Believe

I serve an amazing God. But what happens when things don't seem to go the way you expect? What happens when your life seems to be crumbling before your very own eyes, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to fix it? What happens when the unexpected happens? Someone dies, a disease hits you, your family falls apart or your marriage crumbles? In my few short years in youth ministry I have seen crazy things happen in young peoples lives. I have seen family destroyed because of drugs and alcohol. I have seen students that have lost brothers or sisters or parents to cancer. I have seen students go through things that I myself cannot even imagine going through, and I come to church and I preach about faith, I teach about faith, and I tell stories about faith. I tell them that God is in control, and that he will always be there for them, he will never leave you, that nothing can separate them from the love of God.

Yesterday was probably the most difficult day of my life. Rachel and I found out that our little baby boy has a heart condition and will most likely need to have surgery the day he is born. A whirlwind of emotions instantly hit me, and for the first time in my life, that situation in my life was completely out of my hands. Now the question was, "Do you really BELIEVE what you preach?" I cannot explain what has happened to me in these last few days, but all I can say is that I serve a big God! And it doesn't matter what the doctors report says, I BELIEVE that my baby boy is healed, that he will be born with a perfect heart, a strong heart and will grow up to be a mighty man of God! The same power that conquered the grave lives in me, the same God that rescued the Israelites from Pharaohs hand, that parted the Red Sea lives in me. I thank God that he has given me faith to believe. For the very first time instead of preaching about faith, instead of talking about faith and instead of sharing stories about faith, our students got to watch us PRACTICE faith!

Today I want to challenge you to BELIEVE that God is able. Believe with me today that God can do the impossible. Today maybe you're going through one of the most difficult times of your life and you feel empty, alone or scared. Trust God, and instead of reading about it or learning about it, let's practice it today!

I say this in anticipation and excitement. Watch what God is about to do! He makes all things work together for our good, and sometimes that's hard to except, but I know that in three months the doctors are going to be in awe of what they just saw before their eyes in my baby boys life!