"Faith does not minimize difficulties but does magnify God."
-General Bramwell Tillsley
How is your faith? Be honest with yourself; sometimes, our faith in God and his will and plans for us are small, while other times, our faith is so overwhelming it bursts from us like a beam from a spotlight. I can attest to that. There have been times in which I didn't want to have faith in anything other than myself; faith in anything else didn’t seem feasible. That is the "I got this" mentality. This seems to happen when great difficulties arise, and we want to be able to control any given situation. In times like these, the last thing we want to do is let go and have faith in something else.
But there are the times of great faith where you know that everything is going to work out with no notion of the alternative. Times when your boldness can inspire others. Times when you know nothing can stand against you. This spectrum of faith is illustrated for us by one man in one biblical account.
Matthew 14:25-33 reads:
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified.
"It’s a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid."
"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
"Come," he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
Peter embodies the spectrum of faith in this account. After we learn that all of the disciples were afraid, it is Peter who says "Tell me to come to you on the water."
Peter knew the power of the Lord. He knew that if Jesus said the word, anything was possible. He steps out of the boat and walks on water! His faith in Christ's word and his power over creation allowed him to do something only Jesus could do.
But then something happens. His faith is overwhelmed by the things surrounding him. After he sees the winds, fear strikes, overtaking his faith, and he begins to sink. How many are sinking in the world today, just like Peter whose fears consumed the place where faith once stood strong?
Jesus catches and saves Peter from drowning and then says to him, "Why did you doubt?"
This man who had enough faith to ask to walk on the water, enough to get out of the boat, and enough to start walking suddenly lost sight of what his faith could accomplish.
Friends, I don't want you to lose sight of what your faith can do. Don't let the things of this world deter or minimize your faith. Great things can be accomplished if we have the faith to continue moving forward. Don't focus on the winds of this world. Keep your eyes fixed on the glory of God and the sacrifice Jesus made for you. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus tells us that with faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains. Imagine what you can do if you have and keep the faith it takes to get out of the boat.
Written by Bramwell Applin
Cadet, College for Officer Training
Have you ever known someone who prides themselves on keepin' it real? This may mean different things to different people, but to me, someone who is keepin' it real calls it exactly as they see it. No punches pulled - it may not be what you want to hear, but at least you know what they really think and feel.
Jesus was all about keepin' it real. In Matthew 19:16-30, He was talking with someone who is described as a young man. This young man asked Jesus what "good" things he must do to ensure eternal life. Jesus is real in saying, "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments."
Boom. Right away, Jesus tell this man exactly what he needs to do - no ifs, ands or buts about it. After asking which commandments, the man says he has kept them all and asks if there is anything else he must do. So, Jesus is blunt: "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." He kept it real.
This was too real for the young man. He went away sad because the Bible says he had great wealth. This young man let his stuff, his possessions, get between him and the Lord of all creation and eternal life. When Christ was real with him, the solution he was seeking hit a little too close to home.
Let me keep it real. Is something holding you back from going all in to follow Jesus? The crazy part is you don’t even have to sell all of your possessions. You don’t have to leave your home. You just have to ask for forgiveness from your sin (keepin' it real - we are all sinners), and take up your cross and follow Him. And while you may not have to give up your worldly possessions, you will have to give up the things of this world steeped in sinful nature. But -real talk- isn’t eternal life worth it?
Written by Bramwell Applin
Community Relations Manager
A very popular image being used on posters all over the world is that of a crown with the phrase "Keep Calm and Carry On" written underneath it. This phrase was coined by an unknown civil servant to be a moral boost to citizens of the United Kingdom during the perils of World War II.
Like our friends in England during the Second World War, we too are under siege. The difference is while the British were being bombed, we are at war with sin and hell. Knowing this way back in 1912, General William Booth is reported to have given his famous "I'll Fight" speech.
"While women weep as they do now, I'll fight. While little children go hungry, as they do now, I'll fight. While men go to prison, in and out, in and out, I'll fight. While there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight. I'll fight to the very end!"
Society is changing. Sin is now seen as acceptable. People are justifying sin as a part of society and believe that as society changes, what God views as sin changes along with it. I must emphatically disagree. Malachi 3:6 says, "For I am the LORD, I do not change." Not convinced? How about Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." God's word, God's views, God's love, God's will NEVER changes because God himself never changes. He is perfection, as is his will and his law.
Society is not going to get better without some fighting. Not physical fighting, but true engagement in spiritual warfare. This may scare you. People are afraid to send their children to school, to go to the movies, and even leave their homes let alone engage their secular friends in conversations for Christ. But I have a message for the timid: Keep calm, and I'll fight. I'm not alone in this. The Salvation Army is full of fighters on the streets you wouldn't want to walk down, in the neighborhoods you're afraid to drive through...Where there seems to be no hope, no light, we will fight.
The message is for today's society and future generations. As the chaos of this world consumes you, I'll fight. As sin guides you in your views, I'll fight. While there remains one soul reaching out for the redeeming blood of Jesus, I'll fight. So, everyone just Keep Calm, and I’ll Fight.
Written by Bramwell Applin
Community Relations Manager
In 1890, General William Booth released his best-selling book In Darkest England and the Way Out. This book set forth his, and subsequently, The Salvation Army's mission for turning the tide in the war against poverty and a secular society's grip on the people of England. One hundred and twenty-three years later, what is our mission? What is the solution to In Darkest New Jersey, or In Darkest America and the Way Out? The only answer is the same ultimate answer General Booth knew all those years ago: Jesus.
In John 12:46 Jesus says, "I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark (NLT)."
It's so clear, yet as a people, we move further away from this very plainly-stated fact. As we move away from a Christ-centered state, country and world, we move further into darkness. Should it really be surprising to us that as we take away the 10 Commandments from our state houses, prayer from our schools, and Bibles from government-run facilities that our financial and social systems are failing? The more we remove God, the further into darkness we descend.
But hope is not lost! Yet there is only one solution to our struggles as a society. That answer came and died for all who would reach out and be washed in the blood of the Lamb. We know this by the words of John 3:17, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (KJV)."
As people cry out for someone to save us, we need to be bold and cry back that our Savior has come! We need to cling to Christ, not a political ideology. No political party or agenda has the answer to moving into the light, certainly not through taxes or public policy. No political figure or personality has all the answers or solutions. There is only one way for us to be in the light. Jesus is the only way.
Written by Bramwell Applin
Community Relations Manager
