"I believed; therefore, I have spoken."

Several years ago the national women’s ministry department of the organization I belong to had these words as its yearly theme: “I believed; therefore, I have spoken.” I was not the director for women’s ministries at that time, so I had no background or information concerning the theme. I remember reading the poster for the first time and thinking, “What in the world does that mean?” Today I was listening to a sermon and this same scripture was read, but this time I read it context, and God brought out a powerful truth that I’d like to share.

These six words come from a chapter that God has used numerous times to speak to me. In 2 Corinthians 4, the apostle Paul uses his powerful words to create an imagery of the power of the Spirit of God living within us. As you read the passage below, I will put explanatory information about the words or phrases in parenthesis.

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry (of reconciliation), we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God (even if it reveals our own faults). On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend (prove or establish) ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay (“cracked pots”) to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.

There are so many nuggets of Truth here, but I want to focus today on verse 13. The word “spirit” there is “pneuma”, meaning “breath of God”, as in Gen. 2:7 where God breathed into man and gave him life. When we read the Scriptures, and choose to believe that they are God’s undeniable Truth, we breath in the Word, and it builds our faith. John 1:1 reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” When we read and meditate on the Word of God, we breath in the Spirit of God, because God’s Word is God.

We must believe the Word of God, and apply it to our lives before we can have the spirit of faith. Some people seem to believe that faith is only necessary for salvation, and then we just need to obey the law and we will be fine. Not so! We need to have the spirit of faith just to live every day. A spirit of faith in God is necessary to be successful in our Christian walk, no matter how long you have been following Christ. It is my opinion that this is why so many “Christ followers” don’t seem to have made any change in their live since they accepted Christ: they don’t have the spirit of faith.

Years ago I spoke to my church about the power of praying God’s Word, speaking God’s Word, and allowing it to transform the way they think and act. Many people said “Amen!”, but few people accepted the challenge and actually did it. We are so critical of the Israelites coming out of Egypt because an eleven day journey took them 40 years. But how many of us would have to say that we have been dealing with the same issues in our own lives for 10 years, 20 years, or 40 years? The Scriptures tell us that the Israelites died in the wilderness because of unbelief, but how could they be unbelieving in God when He performed daily miracles for them? Maybe it wasn’t that they didn’t believe in God’s power, but that they didn’t believe in God’s ability or power to work through them. Ouch. How many of my sisters would have to say “ouch” with me?

See I will tell you that I believe that God can do anything, so why am I not living in faith in my own situation? Could it be that I too have issues with believing that God can do what He says through me?

This is where the six-worded theme comes into play. When I choose to believe the Word of God, even when or especially when I can’t see any evidence, I am believing in faith. I have the spirit of faith when I choose to believe God in the face of my crisis or circumstance.

Now add the second stick of dynamite. Speak out what you believe. “I believed; therefore, I have spoken.” I must speak out the Word of God in faith. I must speak out what God’s Word says, even when everything I see with my natural eyes says it can’t be true. This is Faith!

Reread verses 7 and 8. How is Paul able to say these things? How they possibly be true? Because he knows Who he believes in, and chooses to speak out His Word as Truth.

If you are new to this concept, let me help you take the first step. Read over the verses above again, and pick out the one or two verses that really seem to speak to you. Write them on a sheet of paper, or on an index card. Now insert your name or situation into the verse to make it truly personal, and throughout today, read the personalized verse aloud. If you can, put it up at your job. Hang it on the bathroom mirror. Tape it on the visor of your car. Carry it in your purse. And read it, read it, read it! Watch how your faith grows as that verse causes new seeds of encouragement and confidence to come to life.

I believe the Word of God; therefore I speak out the Word of God, and my belief just keeps getting stronger.

Be blessed today! And keep building your faith!

In pursuit of zoe,

Valentine's Day, part 2

Good evening, Jesus Girls!

Sorry for the late post, but I have been running all day. For a girl who is presenting not gainfully employed, I sure have been busy. Lest you hear fussing in those words, let me just say that I love it! Idleness is indeed the devil’s workshop in my personal life.

Yesterday we began discussing 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” We discussed verse 16, so let’s press on to verse 17.

Ok, now let’s be honest. How many of you read that verse, and thought, “Light and momentary troubles? Are you serious? Light for whom?” Before we get up on our high horse with the apostle Paul, let’s look back at verses 8 & 9. “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” Well, those things don’t seem “light or momentary” either, at least not until we begin to look at things from God’s perspective.

The word “light” used in this verse means “light in weight.” Keep that in mind as we continue to read the rest of verse 17. Our “troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that outweighs them all.” Paul is using a compare and contrast technique here to help us to understand that our trials have a purpose: to create in us a faith that is of greater worth than gold. (1 Peter 1:6&7) Glory is a that means “weightiness”, and gives the mental picture of a scale that is so heavy on one side that the other side cannot even come close. This glory, this weightiness of God, is so much more valuable, worth so much more, that even gold couldn’t come close it.

Verse 18 continues, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” This is a common theme for Paul to keep reminding us that what we see around us is not all there is. If fact, in light of eternity with Jesus, it isn’t even what is the important thing to be concerned about. Now before you think I have lost my mind altogether (cabin fever has been known to do that to a girl!), please know that I am not talking about ignoring your reality to live in la-la land. Our “light and momentary troubles” can steal our joy, our excitement, and our power if we don’t understand what Paul is trying to say.

Thing is, troubles come. And usually at the most inopportune times. Our days seem to be filled with children who need attitude adjustments, husbands who need clean laundry, bills that must be paid, checkbooks that are slim-pickins. Don’t deny these things, but don’t dwell on these things.

Do you want to know the secret weapon God has shown me through this trial at the Cotignola home? Praise and thanksgiving confuses the enemy half to death. And praise and thanksgiving are habits that can be learned, and can become as natural as breathing, no matter what our circumstance looks like.

See the beauty of God is that He never changes. Our circumstances change, but He never does. He is the “I AM”, the ever “ISING” one. Yes, I know that is horrible grammar, (sorry Mrs. Eisman), but it seems to fit better that when we say the One was, and is, and is to come. To me, that almost seems like we are saying He was one person is the past, He is another person now, and He will be someone else in the future. But truthfully, He just IS. Don’t try to wrap your head around it; just settle it in your heart. He IS. He is faithful, He is trustworthy, He is always there, He gets the real me. He Is.

So what do your light and momentary trials look like today? In spite of there appearance, can you thank Him for Who HE is: Creator, Protector, Healer, Restorer, Provider, Friend? When we do, He makes the trials that feel monumental to seem like they are truly light and momentary.

In pursuit of zoe,

Valentine's Day, part 1

Hey Jesus Girls!

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, the holiday my thirteen-year-old officially dubbed the “stupidest holiday EVER!” Now, I don’t normally allow the “stupid” word to be part of her vocabulary, but I have shared this same thought many times in my life. Funny thing, I know more married women who dread the holiday than young women. Somehow our expectations don’t make it into reality. Can I hear an amen from my girls?

So what is Jesus girl to do? How do we deal with the disappointments that want to steal our joy, our peace, our contentment.

Don’t wallow in the “if only’s” or “I wishes.” We need to grab some Truth, God’s Truth, and allow it to soothe our broken expectations and hearts.

Here’s what God gave me last night. 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 reads, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

First, let’s take this apart of bit. These verses begin with the word, “therefore”. This basically means, because of what I already stated. Whenever you see that word, go back and read the verses that came before so you will understand what the author is referring to. In this case, the apostle Paul is talking about how we have the glory of God living inside our jars of clay (literally in cracked pots.) Ponder that for a moment. We have the glory of God residing inside of our hearts. We don’t have to go to a temple somewhere to feel His Presence; He is living inside of us!

Now look at the next part. Because we have the glory of God living within us, “we do not lose heart.” In the Greek this means to be utterly spiritless, completely exhausted, weary beyond explanation. We aren’t talking about the kind of tired that requires a mental health day. We’re talking about the funk that comes over us, causing us to not want to get out of bed—ever.
Before I touch on that, let’s keep reading.

“Though outwardly we are wasting away,” (does anyone else’s mirror remind them of this daily??), “yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Our spirits, the part of us that is reborn at salvation, is being renewed every day.

In the Greek, this means to mature, to make new, to be changed into a new kind of life as opposed to the former corrupt state. Those girls who have been a part of my Bible study should write in the margin of your Bible the word “zoe”! As our outer body continues to age and wrinkle and shift, our inner person continues to mature into the zoe, the greater life, that Jesus promised His followers. How is this possible? Because His glory lives within us, enabling us to look beyond our circumstances, and to rely on His power.

Look at Isaiah 40:29-31, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Another phrase for “hope in the Lord” is to wait expectantly, to trust completely and confidently, to bind together. Our strength is renewed as we bind ourselves to the Truth of His Word, and trust Him confidently and completely. To me, binding means to read the Word, speak the Word, write it out and memorize it—make it a natural part of your daily life. That is how we renew our spirits, through the Truth of God.

Let these scriptures soothe your spirit and remind you that God wants to renew you, not just on the days when you feel spent, but every day!

Be blessed by His Truth. We’ll continue the rest tomorrow.

In pursuit of zoe,