Sun Stand Still - Audacious Faith

It’s time for Audacious Faith.

This past week I began a new message series called Sun Stand Still at LifeSpring Church. It is based off the Biblical account of a prayer that Joshua prayed as recorded in Joshua 10:12-13. Steven Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church, wrote a book about his churches experience as their congregation embraced the concept of developing their personal faith to the point that they dared to ask God for the impossible.

Now, I’m not talking about just praying impossible stuff, like “God, I really need $10,000,000” (5 years ago, that prayer would have been for $1,000,000, but with inflation and all, the amount had to go up).

I also am not suggesting that people can grow their ordinary, mundane faith into a powerhouse of audacious faith, with the purpose of manipulating God for their own purposes.

What I am talking about is an individual developing an audacious faith which is lived out in their lives, that is based off of the understanding that the Greatness of God can be directly connected to a person’s potential to do great things on His behalf, when that person is connected with their God-sized purpose and potential.

Let me define for you what I think audacious faith is…

AUDACIOUS FAITH:

Having the boldness or daring to ask God for the Impossible, the thing(s) that only God can do.

We read about this happening throughout the Bible. Audacious faith that leads to miraculous healings, miraculous pregnancies and births, miraculous instances of financial restoration and blessings, seemingly broken and destructive relationships between family or loved ones being restored.

In fact, in the course of my life, I have seen the impossible done on several occasions within my own family.

Any day I get in one of our 2 cars to drive, I am reminded of a time when Jodi & I were unable to afford a newer car, even though we were having “car problems” (and we all have had car problems at one time or another…you know the type…when it’s better to keep adding oil, radiator fluid, or giggling the ignition key to start the vehicle…or keeping one foot on the brake and other foot on the accelerator while sitting at a stoplight so the car doesn’t shut off…all because you don’t have the money to fix the car).

Then one day, out of the blue, someone I have never met before in my life, and have never seen since, delivered a newer used minivan to me at the church where I was leading a Bible study. This man said, “God wants you to have this”. I’m serious! It freaked me out a little at the time.

I made several attempts to persuade the man to tell me who the “human” or “humans” were who donated this minivan to Jodi & I, so I could personally thank them. It was then that the deliveryman finally said, “Those person’s names don’t matter. They are doing what God has told them. What does matter is that the God of the universe has just given you a minivan … And God let me be a part of that miracle by delivering it to you today”. And with a big smile on his face he said, “God bless you and your ministry”, and he got in car driven by some lady I had never seen before and they drove off, leaving me standing there with the keys and title to a minivan, with my Bible study group all looking out the window or standing on the porch wondering what the heck was going on and who was this guy that just interrupted their Bible study.

Let me just say, that was the first time in my life that I recall ever being so speechless that I couldn’t even finish leading my Bible Study (truth is, they were as dumbfounded & teary eyed as I was).

So, here’s the BIG QUESTION for you today:

Does the brand of faith you live by produce the kinds of results in your life that you read about in the biblical stories of men and women of faith?

If not, would you consider joining me, and the congregation of LifeSpring Church over the next 8 weeks, as we begin to explore the actions and faith needed to move from a warm “snuggie” faith of comfort to an audacious faith that allows God to do the impossible through us for His glory.

BTW, we have copies of the Sun Stand Still books, by Steven Furtick, available at our Next Steps table each week at LifeSpring Church for you to take and read.

For those of you who missed the first message of this series, you can listen to it here. I have also included the completed message notes for that week as well.

Feel free to share your thoughts and personal stories of how you have seen God at work in your life. And I DARE YOU to form your own Sun Stand Still prayer and stand back and be amazed at the work you will see God do… that is, if we ask Him audaciously.