Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by James MacDonald (2015-06-18) from his book, Lord, Change My Attitude: Before It's Too Late (p. 190). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. ( Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) As James says, “Only when faith replaces doubt in the life of a believer can the joy of knowing God become a reality.”   But what is faith?   We have a lot of faulty notions of faith.  So don't you think that is a good place to start to answer the question? So  what are some of the faith is nots?  Here is one.   James says: “Faith is not an ostrich, head-in-the-sand and denying the obvious or the inevitable. It’s not pretending that something is real when deep down you really don’t believe it. That’s fear, not faith. ” Another one, “Faith is not anti-intellectual, either. Faith is not a warm feeling that requires you to check your intellect at the door. That’s feeling, not faith. ” “Faith is not a stained-glass and dreamy sort of Little-House-o

A thought by James MacDonald (2015-06-18) from his book, Lord, Change My Attitude: Before It's Too Late (p. 179). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. ( Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) He continues, “The details may vary, but we all live with highs and lows.”   We all do. He goes on, “Advice columnist Ann Landers gets this when she says, ‘Opportunities are often disguised as hard work. Most people fail to recognize them.’ Those who study human experience agree almost universally that life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you choose to respond.”   How you and I choose to respond makes the difference. He then quotes Seminary president and author Charles Swindoll, one of the most gifted Bible teachers in our generation, who wrote: “Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitude.… I believe the single most important decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my attitude choice. It’s more im

A thought by James MacDonald (2015-06-18) from his book, Lord, Change My Attitude: Before It's Too Late (p. 171). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. ( Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Now that thought is not the whole thought.   That is what is called a grabber.   Here is the whole thought by James, “Faith is not a part of the Christian life … it’s the whole thing!”   That clears up what he is saying, doesn’t it? He continues, “Faith isn’t like love and joy and hope. Faith isn’t something to add to your spiritual arsenal. Faith is the gun that fires the bullet! Faith is everything! If you can’t trust God; if you can’t lay hold of His promises, expect a lot of defeat in your life.” He goes on, “The thing about faith is that you can’t tell by looking at a person how much faith he or she really has. Faith in a person is like water in a bucket— you find out how much is inside when you bump it. When circumstances bump you, you spill wha