1. “Am I being honest with myself?”

2. “What story do I want to hear told about myself?”

3. “Is there a tension that deserves my attention?”

A. “Is there a check in my spirit about this? “ The red flag is a tension that needs my attention.

B. Something new being brought up that conflicts with my thinking.

Some of this is quoted from Andy Stanley’s podcast.

Often, the belief part of our faith is challenged by a question that we can’t answer. What should we do?

I’ve been challenged by questions using statements from scripture that are extracted in an attempt to challenge my belief in God and His existence. I’ll take up this one challenge for now.



Actually, if you’ve read many of my posts, and the statement of faith that I’ve posted; then you know that I don’t consider myself as having yet arrived. I’m following Christ on the way that is straight. I’m not Special — well we are all special, I’m not more special in my own eyes and not anymore in God’s then any other of His creation. God considers us all special, and we often know not why. Certainly, I don’t know why He considers Michael (this writer) who posted this statement concerning me special, but He does. He died for Michael just as He did for me and you. Too bad Michael, so far, has chosen to pay for his own sins.

He is responsible for his own decisions, as are we.

Christians in every century are challenged over their faith. They sacrifice for what they know to be the truth — that Christ died for a lost world. And it appears that we may be headed for perhaps the final persecution before He returns.

We are told that after we have witnessed the second resurrection judgment, and after the New Jerusalem bride comes down from heaven, that God will then wipe away every tear from our eyes. But why would we be weeping after such a joyful time as His coming and our rule with Him? And the Awesome city of God— the New Jerusalem’s decent. There is only one reason that I can think of for weeping at this time. We will have just witnessed the second resurrection judgment, and there you and I will have seen the Michael’s, whom we have encountered over the years following their own sentencing by this God that they will no longer be able to deny; they then having been judged to pay their own sin debt owed to God at this point by them. A debt that He had already paid for them, but for which they had refused payment. Their biggest sin; then being their refusal to even acknowledge that there was sin on their part, or in some cases that there was even a God, and then to have hated anyone who acknowledges either to be true.

If you and I weep for those who we know won’t accept this great gift in this life; then how much more will we weep when we look upon them following their judgment. We will grieve over them, for what could have been. God will wipe away our tears shed for them, and for any other grief that we might bear. We are told through it all to keep the faith.

I’m often asked for evidence that there is a God. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. God offers both substance and evidence when our Faith is placed in Him. There can be no doubt in the midst of such reality.

So why then in our time are men falling away from this faith as Jesus stated would happen?

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Faith not only involves belief, but seeking God is an action on the part of Faith. James says:

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

If we simply believe without seeking to know or find Him we are without substance and the evidence necessary to stand. Jesus said: “seek and you shall find”.

Knowing that some would find the substance and evidence was why Jesus came into this world to die, even as He stated for His sheep. “My sheep hear My voice”… “No one takes My life, but I lay it down for My sheep”…

God knows the end from the beginning. He knows your end, not because He caused your actions, but because He is God and above or outside of time. You are a free Will agent under God’s creation.

Atheists don’t always remain Atheists:

Kirk Cameron – Kirk Cameron likes to call himself “a recovering atheist.” He once believed that he was too smart to believe in fairy tales. One day he was invited to attend church with a family and everything changed. During the sermon he felt guilty over sin and he was amazed by the awesome love and compassion of God found in Jesus Christ. After the service, he was bombarded by many questions in his mind such as, where did we come from? Is there really a God in heaven?

After weeks of struggling with questions, Kirk Cameron bowed his head and asked for forgiveness for his pride. He opened his eyes and he felt an overwhelming sense of peace unlike anything he has ever experienced. He knew from that moment on that God was real and Jesus Christ died for his sins. 

Antony Flew – At one point in time, Andrew Flew was the world’s most famous atheist. Anthony Flew changed his mind about God because of recent discoveries in biology and the integrated complexity argument.