Faith Filled Friday – Is Anything Too Hard For the Lord?

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”” (Genesis 18:13–14, ESV)

Is anything too hard for the Lord? Perhaps the hardest thing to get our heads and hearts around is the reality that God can do anything! He can defy the laws of … well, everything … to accomplish His will and His plans.

Sarah is one of the cases we can point to. One day, when Sarah was 88 years old and her husband, Abraham, was 98 years old, God happened along to declare the fulfillment of His announced plan. At least 14 years earlier He had come and told the then older couple (74 and 84) that God would give them a son.

Because of impatience and a lack of faith, they chose the nightmare disaster of surrogate parenting. Now, they were again being told they would have a son. Only there were a few huge biological issues to overcome. The Bible explains it this way, “[Abraham] did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.” (Romans 4:19, ESV)

So, Sarah was post-menopausal and Abraham was impotent. This created major issues when it came to the fulfillment of God’s promise. And, since God was clear that the child to come would be from this couple, Sarah thought the prediction was absurd. And like so many of us, her doubt bellowed forth in a laugh.

But faith believes God is able to change ALL circumstances, even biological ones. God can alter the dynamics of any part of the known and unknown universe at His whim. Nothing is too hard for God. The problem is this: We often doubt God is able because we often don’t grasp the enormity of what it means for Him to be God.

Perhaps today you would choose to put God back in His rightful position. Give Him the glory due His name. He is Almighty. He is able (See Ephesians 3:20) So the real question is this: What impossible do you need to trust God for? God can easily change your impossible to possible! Will you laugh at God or after God has done the impossible?

 

Faith Filled Fridays hope to boost your trust in God and accelerate your daring and courage in everyday life. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each encouragement out of a heart that has known both great joy and great loss – his wife of 38 years, 5 months and 2 days was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. Through every experience, God has proven Himself more than faithful and trustworthy. He welcomes your comments below.

Posted in faith, Faith-Filled Fridays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Train Them Thursday – Attitude’s Key to Discipleship!

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His slave girl; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.” (Luke 1:46–48, NASB95)

 

For He has had regard for the humble state of His slave girl. Attitude is really one of the biggest keys to discipleship, isn’t it? Have you ever just NOT wanted to do something, despite knowing it’s the right thing to do, no matter who is asking you? I know most all of us have. And that is where every true human being struggles with his or her walk with Jesus.

Notice Mary’s attitude about herself. She knows and is comfortable in her position before God. She calls herself, “His slave girl.” Many translations try to dull the punch here. In fact, in the NASB95, it uses the word “bondservant” instead of the original, which I have restored.

We don’t like being called a “slave” even if it is in reference to our relationship with God. Mary had no such qualms. And this is the core of her discipleship character. She didn’t fight with her self-importance. Her attitude kept her humble. And, because she was humble, God gave her grace upon grace, just as He will do for any and all of us with the same attitude (See James 4:6).

Humility understands the character of God and appreciates who God is and what He is like. He, Himself, declares His character to be: “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”” (Exodus 34:6–7, NASB95)

When we grasp the reality that this is the One whom we serve, we display in a thousand acts a day our heart of submission and peace. God is so powerful and so personal, so intense and so intimate. His involvement in our lives, His direction of our steps, provides the sure foundation for our faith, trust, and peace. It is in our intimacy and relationship that we find our platform for His honor and admiration.

 

Train Them Thursdays seeks to wed the Great Commission directive of Jesus with the practice He employed while on Earth. Each nugget is meant to encourage the reader with a “can-do” spirit to realize that discipleship is something each person is both capable of and empowered to accomplish. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each thought and they flow out of decades of his tried and true field-testing in multiple settings from rural to inner city. He welcomes your comments below.

 

 

Posted in Discipleship, Train Them Thursdays (discipleship) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Willing Worker Wednesday – When God’s Ability and Spirit-Filling Meet!

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and provided redemption for His people.” (Luke 1:67–68, HCSB)

 

Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. When God fills our hearts and mouths, its time to speak up! It had been nine long months of secluded silence for Zechariah. In that time he’d learned and he was ready.

We can be sure there were many long nights pouring over the scriptures he knew so well but had failed to incorporate into his soul completely. We can always tell when we struggle with doubt: Expectancy is missing.

Now, all of that had been washed away. Every shred of the impossible had been scrubbed from both Zech’s software and his hardware. He was holding his son! In his old age! Can you believe that? How many times had he wanted to tell his friends, “Did you see Elizabeth? She’s pregnant! God did that!” But, in his silence, he could only muse and moan.

Now, everything was different. All the hours of introspection and consideration, investigation and confession have paid off. His faith blazes with a light as bright as the sun and his mouth proclaims what has been shut up in his heart for far too long!

God is able and Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit! This unbeatable combination explodes into a cacophony of sound and emotion, hope and vision. There, in that moment of ceremony and celebration, Zechariah lets loose in what can only be described as a river of living water … speaking of the promises and looking at the advance man of the coming king.

This baby and this man teach us that leadership is all about the willingness to believe, to trust in the absurd because our God is able. And when we doubt, God will allow us time to review and recant, to return and repent. Then, and only then, does He give us a platform to speak and to proclaim the ability of the One we have come to realize “is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20, HCSB) Trust Him today by declaring His praises to all!

 

Willing Worker Wednesdays are dedicated to explaining the core realities of servant leadership – the Biblical principles and methods used by God’s faithful people throughout time. They further reflect the lifestyle of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords as He walked on this earth announcing the Kingdom of God had arrived. These brief lessons are written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and come from his extensive ministry within the local church, in higher education, in church consulting and as a Biblical author and leader. He welcomes your comments below.

 

Posted in Leadership Blog, Willing Worker Wednesdays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Turn-Around Tuesday – When God Releases Us!

Posted on November 6, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

 

“Then God said to Noah, “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you … So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.” (Genesis 8:15–16, 18-19, ESV)

 

Then God said to Noah, “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you … So Noah went out. Are you waiting for your release? I know, as of this writing, I am. We wait for God with great expectancy. Is this the day? Is this the connection that brings about God’s plan? Is this the moment?

Often, as has been my experience and yours, God doesn’t ride up on a gallant steed, slay the enemies at our feet and pronounce with a bellowing and authoritative voice: “You are free!”

No, more often than not, we step into our release slowly, with baby steps of faith. Choosing one thing and then another, by faith. As we trust God at His word, life grows steadily into His plan … and thus, our release. He works through His words to produce His will in our lives.

For Noah, the days melted into weeks, the weeks into months, the months into almost a year … and, then, in an instant, it was over. The confinement inside the ark – the rescue boat – was over and everyone was set free. Release was bright, it was fresh, it was … well, strange.

From the confines of that wooden ship to the endless, boundless lands before them … can you imagine the flood of emotions and the rush of adrenaline? What to do first? What did they hope to see? Accomplish? Touch? Taste?

God is working to release you. Your confinement now may be completely for your protection from the storms He is sending all around you. Step back. Pay attention. Be thankful. The day of our release is set on God’s calendar as assuredly as this day is on our the screen on our device. It will come! Be patient.

In the meanwhile, know that God is working, about to release you. Get excited. Tell people it’s coming. Show the emotion on your face and let it infiltrate your voice. THAT is what is called faith!

 

Turn-Around Tuesdays are designed to bring hope and help, insight and encouragement to those of us who are simply overwhelmed by the flood of problems life throws at us. No one is immune to trials and troubles, but God has a way of lifting us from life’s torrents. Each short thought is written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and comes from his life-journey with the God who never leaves us or forsakes us. He welcomes your comments below.

Posted in 2 - Turn-Around Tuesdays (trials and troubles), Suffering | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Magnificent Marriage Monday – One Couple Can Make a Huge Difference!

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time, the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deeply grieved. Then the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I created, off the face of the earth, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.” Noah, however, found favor with the Lord.” (Genesis 6:5–8, CSB)

 

The Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deeply grieved … Noah, however, found favor with the Lord. One couple can make a huge difference! The problem is that, when everyone else is going with the flow of culture, the husband and wife that have chosen to follow God’s will and whim will not only look strange but they will also be ridiculed for their choices and activities.

This is the price of excellence, however. Ask any winning athlete, musician, or businessperson. Significance always comes at a price. For those who want to make a difference, there are dreams to follow, convictions to possess, choices to make, and unfortunately, people to leave behind.

For Noah and his wife, the choice was made long before God’s call to build the ark was established.  Noah had decided what Daniel explained centuries later. He chose to turn from his iniquities and pay attention to God’s truth. These two acts bring about God’s favor. (See Daniel 9:13)

While the flood of humanity was bent on doing nothing but evil all the time, Noah and his wife chose a different path in life: Honoring God. That honor won the smile of the Almighty and, in doing so, brought life and a future to God’s creation.

Of course, there would be the long hours of hard work building a craft never before seen in a place no one could imagine water would come to. Being united in God’s heart brought peace in the midst of the chaos and crookedness of their culture. It will in ours as well.

When a couple has a magnificent marriage, one that pleases God and works together, they can change not only their home but also the future of humanity. Will you choose to be that couple?

 

Magnificent Marriage Mondays are helpful hints, clues, ideas, and solutions for the child of God who is looking for a spouse, in a relationship with someone, or are already married. Each post seeks to bring help, hope, and honesty to your life and make the rest of your life, the best of your life. They are written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and come from his 38 years, 5 months and 2 days experience with his wife, Melodee, who was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. He is currently seeking God’s will for his new life partner. He welcomes your comments below.

Posted in Magnificent Marriage Mondays, Marriage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hope For Today – Producing Thanksgiving!

Posted on November 4, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

I’m Dr. Matthew Lee Smith and I want to share some Hope For Today to encourage you on how to produce thanksgiving in the hearts of others.

 

Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out our website: EaglesInLeadership.org.

Just push the media button below to hear this encouraging message!

Posted in Hope For Today, Transformed | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Faith Filled Friday – Faith Obeys Immediately!

Posted on November 2, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.” (Genesis 17:23–24, ESV)

Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house … that very day, as God had said to him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old. Excuses are a dime a dozen these days. In reality, they are the lies we tell ourselves when we simply are in rebellion to the plan before us.

Abraham, the Father of Faith, knows no such imperfection in his character. Once God declares His will and explains the direction has never changed, despite the living, breathing child of doubt standing beside him, Abraham pivots and obeys.

Character is seen in swiftness and boldness, in obedience and in cost. Surely, Abraham had to deal with his failure and his misjudgment as to how God would accomplish this daring plan – a child would be born from his body – and that was with Sarah! Wow!

Now, not willing to make a second mistake, he returns to his character – faith acts. And, without delay, “that very day, as God had said to him,” he circumcises his entire male household. There would be pain. There would be hesitancy in the heart of the normal man. Not in Abraham. Not even his age stood in the way of God’s plan … “Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.”

In the grand scheme of your life, can you say that you choose to obey over delay? Now, be serious, and write down five things you have done that God has told you to do … painful things … things that cut into you. Finances realigned to include generous giving? Scheduling reworked to make room for God? Relationships dropped or added? Rebellions abandoned? Disciplines added?

God longs to bless you. He blesses the person of faith. As Jesus has said, “According to your faith be it done to you.”(Matthew 9:29, ESV) Since faith acts, what do you need to do to demonstrate your faith today? Are you just one obedience away from God’s blessing?

 

Faith Filled Fridays hope to boost your trust in God and accelerate your daring and courage in everyday life. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each encouragement out of a heart that has known both great joy and great loss – his wife of 38 years, 5 months and 2 days was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. Through every experience, God has proven Himself more than faithful and trustworthy. He welcomes your comments below.

 

 

Posted in faith, Faith-Filled Fridays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Train Them Thursday – The Bigger The Ask, The Bigger The Importance!

Posted on November 1, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. “For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, the slave girl of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:34–38, NASB95)

 

And Mary said, “Behold, the slave girl of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”What’s your reaction when God calls you to do the impossible? Are you stunned? Like Moses, do you tell God you just don’t want to? How would you react to God’s next assignment if it meant embarrassment and ridicule?

Mary had to know the implications of such a reality – growing up in the small hamlet of Nazareth with all those distinct personalities. There, people had nothing better to do than to be in everyone else’s business. Gossip was the social media of the day.

So, despite the impending deluge of innuendo and finger-pointing, judgment and criticism, Mary chose without hesitation to accept the mission of God set before her. That is what a disciple of Jesus does. They trust God despite the difficulty. They know God never asks us to do anything that doesn’t have a purpose.

Perhaps one of the great truths of following Jesus is that the greater the personal pain the greater the Gospel gain. When God asks, He has a purpose we often can’t comprehend. Mary was blessed with an inkling of what God was up to: “The holy Child shall be called the Son of God. “While she may not have understood all the ramifications, she truly understood some of it. Just read her song (Luke 1:46-55).

As you contemplate the mission God has been asking you to do, I wonder if you might be honest enough to admit your response to God right now. He knows, by the way. Are you hesitant or are you excited? Is it scary? That’s ok. Does it launch you into the unknown? God is already there. Since God asked, He is up to something using you!

 

Train Them Thursdays seeks to wed the Great Commission directive of Jesus with the practice He employed while on Earth. Each nugget is meant to encourage the reader with a “can-do” spirit to realize that discipleship is something each person is both capable of and empowered to accomplish. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each thought and they flow out of decades of his tried and true field-testing in multiple settings from rural to inner city. He welcomes your comments below.

 

 

Posted in Discipleship, Train Them Thursdays (discipleship) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Willing Worker Wednesday – Learning Our Lessons In the Silence!

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“So they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote: HIS NAME IS JOHN. And they were all amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.” (Luke 1:62–64, HCSB)

 

Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.There are times when our doubt causes God to sideline us. He chooses to silence us in order to allow us time to reorder our priorities and rekindle our faith.

For Zechariah, father of the newly birthed John who would become the Baptizer, his nine-month seclusion came to an end when he declared by faith the name of his new son! Has there been a time when you have doubted God could or would work? Do you know the season of silence that we speak of here?

For those of us who have traveled along the road of regret for questioning God, we know what Zachariah did so long ago: Faith flows from the abundance of the heart. When our hearts are cool to the ability and willingness of God, nothing good happens in our lives.

Stepping into the presence of God through His word on a daily basis can feed our faith and intensify our willingness to trust Him, even in the absurd. Nine months without a word. Can you imagine Zechariah’s frustration? Can you feel the torture to his soul? Can you empathize with his regret?

Being a willing worker for God – a leader if you will – is all about stepping up and stepping out when and where God says, “Go!” And once we rewire our souls and realize that we must not only rekindle our faith but keep it blazing because we never know when God is going to arrive or what God is going ask of us, we have found the path of life! And on that path there is joy, abundance, and peace.

Zechariah’s explosion of praise can be ours. We just have to fan the flame of faith by opening the Word, trusting that the God who spoke and acted will speak and act just like that all over again in our lives. That’s what leaders do. That’s what they depend on. That’s why they are leaders. That’s who God is making you to be! Embrace it!

 

Willing Worker Wednesdays are dedicated to explaining the core realities of servant leadership – the Biblical principles and methods used by God’s faithful people throughout time. They further reflect the lifestyle of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords as He walked on this earth announcing the Kingdom of God had arrived. These brief lessons are written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and come from his extensive ministry within the local church, in higher education, in church consulting and as a Biblical author and leader. He welcomes your comments below.

 

Posted in Leadership Blog, Willing Worker Wednesdays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Turn-Around Tuesday – God Is Making A Way!

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out.” (Genesis 8:13–14, ESV)

 

In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. Unless you love math, you probably missed this when you read it.  Noah and his family had been on the ark for ten and a half months! Can you imagine the stench? Can you feel the claustrophobia?

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to be trapped. I don’t like to wait. And I surely don’t like animal smells. So, everything about this situation goes against who I am, except, of course, the fact that this was the ONLY way God was rescuing Noah and his family.

And there it is … isn’t it. Often we are called on to wait. To sit. To work. To deal with the stinky situations while God unfolds His rescue plan for us. And, we have to admit, that often we complain about the method of rescue more than we appreciate the fact that we are being rescued. Guilty here. How about you?

Often God stages our rescue in a messy manner. We were hoping for the limousine and God sends a donkey, so to speak. We wanted fanfare and God gave us a job that makes us work hard. We thought it would be filled with happiness and God makes us go through the valley. To be honest, God seldom rescues us according to our imaginations or fantasies.

Today, as you think about your mess, realize that one day you will have a message. And God is setting you up to share it is the following way “I thought God would … but this is what He did!” God prefers to do things His way. He makes a way where there seems to be no way. He is the way maker.

Our task is simple: Trust and obey. Wait patiently on His rescue. Trust in His character. Expect something to happen. And don’t give up! In the midst of your situation, God is working your rescue. Be thankful and praise him in the mist of the stench … soon you’ll be released!

 

Turn-Around Tuesdays are designed to bring hope and help, insight and encouragement to those of us who are simply overwhelmed by the flood of problems life throws at us. No one is immune to trials and troubles, but God has a way of lifting us from life’s torrents. Each short thought is written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and comes from his life-journey with the God who never leaves us or forsakes us. He welcomes your comments below.

 

Posted in 2 - Turn-Around Tuesdays (trials and troubles), Suffering | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment