Mustard Seeds of Faith, Trust, and Sacrifice
Early on into the process of deciding to launch Soul City Church I felt God give me a prayer to pray every time we hit our common speed bumps of fear, control, and desiring comfort.
“God please turn my Fear into Faith, my Control into Trust, and
my desire for Comfort into Sacrifice.”
Today I hit all three speed bumps. I realized how much I am afraid of when it comes to giving up our jobs and financial security. I realized just how out of control I am when it comes to the fact that I can’t make someone buy our home, and I realized how I crave comfort when it comes to my lifestyle.
After flopping around in the reckless fear, control, and comfort for a while I was taken straight to the passage in Matthew where Jesus breaks it down for his disciples as to why they could not cast out a demon and said this…
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you
have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move
from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.
Matthew 17:20
So I went to my cabinets and grabbed a container of Mustard Seeds and asked God to give me that kind of faith, trust, and desire for sacrifice today. I put three mustard seeds in a bowl representing my fear, control, and desire for comfort – and asked God to turn them into faith, trust, and sacrifice.
How about you – What kind of mustard seed faith, trust and sacrifice do you
need today?
Leaving Comfort for Courage
This is a piece I (Jeanne) wrote earlier this year when I was facing one of the regular occurring visitors in my life – FEAR. It has served as a reminder to me when FEAR comes knocking on my door – That my God is faithful and that He called me to courage not comfort.
Courage will always require an element of leaving. Leaving is just plain hard. When My 3 year old knows I’m about to leave he will often squeeze as hard as he can around my neck to lovingly manipulate me into staying one more minute.
.
I know how he feels – because leaving comfort for courage makes me want to wrap my arms around every ounce of safety in my life – hoping if I hold on tight enough that I won’t have to taste the pain of the leaving what I know is inevitable.
Leaving comfort and safety looks and sounds alluring and attractive – but the attraction fades quickly – in fact I have never felt so vulnerable, small, and needy…. words that are not known for their alluring appeal.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to question your decision.
It will cause you to look around for the safety bars, seatbelt, and any kind of security button.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to try to make something happen… scheme, make phone calls, send out hail mary e-mails– anything to distract from sitting in the fear.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to doubt your abilities – you will look at everything that you have failed at in the past… failed relationships, failed financial decisions, failed leadership calls, – and you will wonder will you repeat those patterns and are they indicators to go out and look for comfort again.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to doubt the author of the calling on your life. Thinking that God is too busy to take care of your little fear
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to be jealous of your neighbors who seem to be perfectly content with their lives – you will wonder if you are some sort of crazy person that has a unhealthy propensity to live on the edge.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to look for the easy way out.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to pray like never before… wonder if you know any scripture to cast out the inner demon of doubt.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to white knuckle yourself around anything that feels secure and semi safe – even though you know earthly security and safety is a mirage and the place where Jesus is, is most where you want to be.
Moving from comfort to courage will…
Cause you to feel weak in the knees – a good indicator that you should stop standing up and get ON your knees..
Moving from comfort to courage will…
Cause others to question you… especially those that have found security to be a bedrock to build their lives on. You will be misunderstood, questioned, and perhaps even seen as foolish.
So today God I feel every one of these fears. I am terrified… straight up terrified. I am calling out to you to be a voice of truth and freedom. Tell me to settle down, to trust you and to release every one of these fears into your arms of faith. I know it is impossible to invite others into a life of obedience if I am unable to live it myself – so today I am re-upping my commitment to obey and be faithful.
I am doing this out of the spirit that lives within – my will wants to go get a job at a church and ask them to take care of all of this. But I know that is not YOUR will. Send your angels to tend to me as I feel the temptation to trust myself today – with obedience I am choosing to trust you.
The Turning
Jesus had a beautiful way of taking ordinary items and turning them into the extraordinary. At a wedding he took some ordinary water and quickly turned it into wine. While on a hillside he took a young boys lunch of a couple fish & loaves and turned it into a complete all-you-can-eat buffet for the masses that were gathered to hear him teach. We have been experiencing this kind of “Turning” throughout the process of launching Soul City Church. God is taking the things that have become ordinary in our lives and is turning them into extraordinary growth.
We have walked with Jesus for many years and we have devoted ourselves to ministry – but just like every other human being we often find ourselves having fear about the future – leaning into our propensity to want to control life – and clinging to our selfish desires for comfort. It has almost become a daily experience where God will take our developed and far to ordinary skills of fear, control, and comfort and invite us into an opportunity for him to turn it into extraordinary growth.
God has been taking our fear about the future, finances, and finding a facility and He consistently has invited us to allow Him to turn it into faith.
God has been taking our desire to control the housing market, the details in our team building, the timing of how it all comes together, and He consistently has invited us to allow Him to turn it into trust.
God has been taking our desire for comfort as we leave our home, say good-bye to dear friends, and move to the unknown – God has invited us to allow Him to turn it into joyful sacrifice.
God loves to turn things around…
Where does God need to…
- Turn your Fear into faith
- Turn your desire to Control into Trust
- Turn addiction to Comfort into Sacrifice?
…will you let him?
