People have asked me

"Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity." - Lou Holtz

People have asked me why I have such strong faith. and the question always takes me back a little because I don't think much about my faith. I try to live it in real-time as best I can. But people notice that my faith is strong and wonder what I did to make it so.

I didn't do anything outstanding. When I was a young Christian, my faith was very weak for quite a few years. I didn't know how to stand on the promises of God or how to pray through to victory. I didn't know how to get on my knees and cry out to God until His peace came over me and I was assured of his answer. That's what I mean by praying through. When I was a newbie, I didn't know the difference between praying with faith and praying for faith--both are very important. I didn't understand how much God desired to hear and answer our prayers. I guess I can sum it up by saying I didn't understand much about God and I didn't know Him.

I spent a lot of time in the Word in the years after that, particularly the Psalms. I liked them so much because they told me so much about God. And as I studied them and chewed on them, I came to understand a little about God and who He wants to be in our lives. I think that David is the perfect example of a man of God who prayed, believed, and then waited expectantly for his answers from the Lord. I decided to imitate him.

I liked the Old Testament a lot, especially the prophets, so I read about them over and over and I prayed that God would give me the faith of Elijah and Elisha. I was so encouraged and so excited about their relationship with God and I did believe that God would do for me what He did for them. So, through the study of the Word, my mind was renewed, my faith grew, and my knowledge of God grew as well until I understood enough about Him that I could confidently say that I understood the character of God.

The other helpful thing, although very hard, was that I went through many difficult trials all throughout my life. It seems to be the story of my life and if you have watched the video I did with Mark Attwood on my "video" page, you know what I am saying. There is nothing like a good old trial to throw you in your face and force you to choose to believe, even when you don't. And you can choose, by an act of your will to believe and stand on the promises of God, even if you don't feel it. I often did NOT feel it, but I chose to believe. And I have had a lifetime of physical, emotional, and spiritual trials and battles to practice that.

And finally, through all that, God blessed me with the gift of faith. I don't know when that happened, maybe about 15 years ago, but not early on and I have walked with the Lord for 54 years. He didn't just give me the gift of faith to glide through my troubles. No, I had to have my mind renewed and my spiritual knowledge increased by staying regularly in the Word, by memorizing it, studying it, meditating on it, and then enacting it in my life. Those were hard years, all of them.

When I look back now, many years later, I understand that the best times, in terms of being near to God, are the times when you are at your wit's end. I can't tell you how many times God showed up in my trials by pouring his love and presence upon me to relieve me in the moment of my agony. It came in times of prayer, like a shower of love, a warmth of love that comforted and encouraged me. You get to understand His love by experiencing it. You come to understand His character by seeing God in action.

So my answer to the question people often ask me is this: I suffered through a lot but I held onto God and stayed in His word, I applied it to my life and I chose to believe when I didn't feel it. And that caused me to grow. At some point in my life, God gave me the gift of faith which is used in my ministry in the body, but is also useful in my personal life. If you want to have great faith, it will cost you something. But believe me, it is worth whatever it costs.