Hey Friends –
Welcome! If this is your first visit — hello, friend! You can start from the beginning here. Thanks for joining us on this red-hot fith-filled journey!
Hopefully by now you have a “Fire Up Your Faith” notebook (any notebook will do), a pen, and you are ready to prayerfully get to work!
Let’s dig in to Day 3 —
So the question on the table from yesterday was how do we allow God to ignite us with fresh hope and fire up our faith?
I shared…
Key # 1 – Presence
Sweet friend, it’s in His presence that our faith becomes red-hot!
Now I know what you may be thinking.
“Cindy, if you only knew how busy I am. I don’t have time for one more thing.”
Friend, I get it.
Please know, I am not here to make you feel guilty. No way.
As a former single mom, work outside the home mom, and now stay-at-home working mom with 4 busy kids and one naughty dog — I understand life is full.
But here’s my concern, and ultimately the bottom line: If we want God to fire up our faith, we must spend time in His Presence.
We just must. (Say that aloud — it’s kinda fun.)
We just must spend time in His Presence if we want to live with fired up faith.
This visual has really helped me (taken right out of my prayer journal, please forgive the stick drawing. An artist I am not.)
Do you remember the story of Moses going up the Mountain to receive the 10 commandments? Or saw the movie Prince of Egypt? 🙂
Do me a favor and draw the above picture in your notebook, and then read/review Exodus 32-34.
Quick review to set the scene: we have Moses, the God-empowered Deliverer; Aaron, Moses’ brother, who is the first high priest; and God’s chosen people who have been rescued out of Egypt to the Mountain of God.
The Bible says when “the people” saw the thunder, lightning and then the mountain covered in smoke, they were afraid. So they stayed at a distance. And then while Moses goes up the mountain to spend time in God’s Presence, his brother Aaron is left in charge. So with all those details, our picture should look like this —
While Moses is away, the people gather around Aaron (remember, he’s a high priest) and say, “Come, make us a god. We don’t know what happened to Moses”
Aaron says, “Come on people. Remember what God has done for us? Let’s seek Him and wait patiently!”
Yeah, or maybe not.
Instead the people impact Aaron’s decision, don’t they?
And before you know it, Aaron makes an idol, and as if this wasn’t bad enough, he lies about it when Moses comes down from the mountain.
What in the world happened?
How could Aaron, someone who had experienced God and His miracles, make such poor, faithless choices?
One author said this, “Aaron found more comfort in the presence of people than in the Presence of God”
Friend, those words have rocked my world.
I know if I am not intentional, I can easily live just like Aaron.
These are the questions I now ask myself on a regular basis:
- Do I find more comfort in the presence of people than in the Presence of God?
- Do I spend more time in the presence of people than in the Presence of God?
- Do I spend more time online in the presence of people than in the Presence of God?
Sweet friend, it’s in His presence that our faith becomes red-hot!
Here’s the good news: We can’t spend time in His Presence and not be changed.
Moses came down the mountain radiant, knowing more of God’s character and His heart.
And as we spend time “up the mountain” reflecting on Who He is, what He has done, what He is able to do, and who we are in Him — this is where our faith gets fired up!
Can I get a Woo Hoo?!
Today’s Challenge : Day 3 of our 31 Days.
1. Hopefully by now you’ve grabbed your Fire Up My Faith notebook. If you haven’t done so already, please jot down today’s date, recreate the Exodus 32-34 drawing, and then, spend time reflecting on the following questions:
Do I find more comfort in the presence of people than in the Presence of God?
As you look at your little mountain picture, who do you identify with the most?
- Moses ~ enjoying time in God’s presence
- Aaron ~ who had been with God before, but now was hanging out with the people, and allowing them to impact his decisions.
- People ~ hanging out at the camp, who wanted to stay “at a distance” from God, and were content getting God’s Word from others, but didn’t pursue a relationship with Him.
Journal your thoughts. Ask God to remove any distractions getting in the way of your relationship with Him.
2. Print off this free downloadable/printable Fire Up Your Faith Bookmark, and then “go up the mountain” and spend time in His Presence. Starting with the “A” verse, look up a verse or two and record what you learn about Who God is and what He is able to do.
3. If time allows, learn more about spending time in His Presence with this free Discovery series booklet here.
4. In the comments section, please share with us how you have made “quiet time” work for your life.
First thing in the morning? While the kids are napping? Once the kids are in bed? Share with us your tips please!
Thanks so much for stopping by 31 Days to Fire Up Your Faith!
It is a joy to journey with you, dear friend! May God fire up our faith in fresh new ways as we spend time “up the mountain” with Him!
Sweet blessings
P.S. In case you don’t want to miss a day, you can like my FB page, connect with me on Twitter, or subscribe to my blog via the sidebar. There’s 29 more days of ideas, resources, and encouragement to Fire Up Your Faith to come!
You asked about “quiet time”…I have to same I will come out being the odd ball because My quiet time is during the night. I dont do any bible study or deep prayer time until then. Heres why, we currently live in an efficiency, o neither one of us have any way to get away from the noise, or each other…lol. Hubby had a stroke 18 months ago and I am his full time caregiver. He cannot be left alone and he has this need to keep the tv on all the time, loud and when hes “watching” he is channel surfing. Therfore for now I do all my time with the Lord during the night. I do small prayers in passing during the day. So thats it about me and my “quiet time”
Genevieve, thanks for sharing! You are not an odd ball. I love that you are keeping your time with the Lord as a priority, and have found a time that works for you. I am praying for you today – asking God to fill you afresh as you pour out as a full time caregiver. May you stay connected to the Divine IV and allow Him to infuse you with everything you need, in abundance. Thank you for sharing.
The best time for me for my quiet time is in the morning. I like to spend time with God before I get busy with other things. Then throughout the day, I try let things that I am going through remind me to lean in to Him. Feeling anxious–lean into Him. Thankful for something–lean in and tell Him. I’m trying to watch for His presence throughout the day.
Thank you leading us up the mountain Cindy.
Sheryl
Sheryl, thank you for sharing! I love “lean in to Him.” What a great reminder! Sending love across the MANY miles today, friend! xoxo
Hi Cindy,
I wish I was a morning person but I just am not. I’ve tried but it seems all I do is read the words, I’m not “in His presence”. So, I do my reading with Him at night.
Climbing the mountain one day at a time!
Cindy and Readers,
First, I was blessed to have heard your story while you were here in Chattanooga, TN several years ago. Second, your newsletter/website is an additional blessing. Third, I am convinced our God has no set time to listen to us, consequently my time to speak with Him varies. Carving out quiet time is a bit easier now that both my children are in their 20s, but I’m not out of the habit that I set (for all those “toting children” years) of grabbing my quiet time with God when I could.
My quiet time changes a lot. Sometimes it’s on a run in the morning before everyone else in my house wakes up. Even with music blasting through my headphones, I can think through my day, my worries, my praises and pound out my feelings and thoughts with God. Sometimes, like tonight, I sit down after I’ve put the kids to bed and sit with these challenges and get caught up, read my Bible and write down my answers to the challenges. Some days I just hope I get 5 minutes before everyone wakes up and sit on the bathroom floor to pray. 🙂
I try to wake up early in the morning and get my study done. I make coffee and get into the Word through various studies. I love to SOAP or do homeletics. I notice a difference on the days I have my study time and when I don’t. I have a lot of distractions, namely little boys who want there mommy time. So I sometimes do quick cuddle while I’m reading and then when time to write let them know Mommy doing Bible Study. Sometimes this works, sometimes not so much. 🙂 PS: I am not a morning person until I have had that first cup of coffee.