Hebrews 11 is like a giant checklist for faith. And most of us would feel alright with the first few examples. We could reason that in the moment a wave of clarity would wash over us and we would suddenly have this supernatural faith.

Then it rolls around the part where “Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. “(Hebrews 11:36, 37 NLT)

GULP. I sat on my couch this morning looking at that verse and thought “I don’t have that faith. I don’t have that faith at all.” Granted we are fortunate enough to live in a country where we won’t be executed for our beliefs but how much do we value others opinions of us? I’m guilty of worrying not that theyll think I’m weird for believing, I’ve never cared about that, but I sugarcoat it so that its nice. I try to “sell it” so that it’s more appealing to them in a worldly way. I try to make it trendy. And I’m ashamed of that. How dare I alter the pureness and perfectness of God’s word. How dare I have so little faith in someone whom has so much faith in me, that He would trust me with His work.

And so I offer a challenge as much to myself as to you: Have the faith of someone who is about to be ripped to shreds for your beliefs. Be steadfast in the perfectness of God’s word and the inevitability of His will.

I’ve had a thought (yes only one, I’m a simple guy) bouncing around in my head for a few days now about the difference between someone who is content and someone who has joy. Both words are used regularly without much thought to their real meanings, as most words today are, so lets look at their definitions.

Merriam-Webster defines contentment: to appease the desires of or to limit (oneself) in requirements, desires, or actions. That second definition I found very interesting. There was a period where I had no direction, no hope and no real challenges. I was taking a class, I had some work freelancing and on the weekend I would drink with my friends. I felt like I was doing the minimum required me by society. I wasn’t gonna do less, I wasn’t gonna do more. I was limiting myself by being content. 

However I was very unhappy, and as a result i had no goals, no motivation and no passion. It took an extraordinary effort to get up in the morning. The thought of tomorrow wasn’t appealing at all and when asked about my plans for the future, my hope was that I wouldn’t be around. I wasn’t suicidal I just didn’t care to live.

When I came to the Lord, He slowly started to change my perceptions. He changed my source of happiness from my own contentment to His overflowing joy. The dictionary describes joy as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight. Living for God is not easy and at times it can be downright painful, however I had His joy. My perspective  was changed. Instead of focusing on the hard time i was going thru I would see the people who cared for me and supported me. Instead of wanting to have what someone else had I saw all the things God had already blessed me with.

The result of my shift from content to joyful was I found purpose which gave me motivation, which found my passion, which has set goals for me that have me waking up in the morning eager to see how God will use me to meet them.

So, ask yourself are you content or do you have Gods unwavering unbeatable joy driving you?

Hebrews 3:13 NLT

I struggle with maintaining the fervor and passion that a good podcast, or church service or Hillsong concert gives me. I’m too quick to look at the negatives or the unknowns and let go of His hand to try in vain and sandbag myself in from life’s risks. In reality that is the worst course of action to take. 
Constantly, tirelessly, without pausing or ceasing we must come to Him and realize He is all we need to truly be content.
The cure to becoming jaded or forgetting what it’s like to be in His presence is to constantly work to be in His presence. Everyday, every second. This is harsh for me, I know what I must do but i don’t do it. Because I’m the focus of my life. What’s happened to me, how I’ve been affected, what it’s made me feel like. I use it to constantly excuse myself from rushing to God and putting Him squarely in the focal point of my life.

Because when He is the focus, there simply isn’t room for us to be.