January 2023 | From the Desk of Dave McLean

The past two months, we’ve looked at Hebrews 11:1 which says, “Now faith is the substance [assurance] of things hoped for, the evidence [proof, conviction] of things not seen.” Faith is not blind, and blindness is not faith. Blind faith is not founded in substance, evidence and proof. Faith in God is founded upon God Himself, His truth, His creation, His sovereignty, power, love and His relationship and investment in our world and lives. All of which is very real, obvious and clear as day if we are willing to be honest with ourselves. He has revealed Himself to every soul, the question is, will we turn from Him or toward Him. Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” It takes purity to see God. It takes repentance to “see” beyond sight, to see God; so if we are not seeing God, the problem lies with us, not God. I would like to look at ways that we see God: *Through His Creation. Growing up I was taught evolution. Upon coming to Christ I tried to blend my evolution with creation. The Lord was gracious to show me the light over time. Creation scientists have done a great job, using science and evidence to counter their Godless teaching. When you stack the two teachings side by side, evolution looks so foolish, because it is the fairy tale. Romans 1:20 “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” His magnificent creation shows us our magnificent God! Think about it, did creatures think that they needed an eye and just create one? Or did the eye with all its intricacies just happen over millions of years. To an evolutionist, a lot of time can accomplish a lot of things on its own. That is so contrary to every law of God’s creation and universe! Not only did creatures need to create this magnificent eye, but they had to tie it into the brain for focusing and processing. Ugh! Add more time. They’ve done that! So creation needed the brain first- how do you create a brain first when you have no brain? Do you create a brain and reproduce it in one generation, or pass down a partially developing brain over millions of years? How do you pass that on to your spouse (who’s already created) and has no brain, so you can pass it on to your children? That must have been an interesting marriage when one spouse had a brain and the other didn’t. Evolutionary “scientists” can’t believe that God created this magnificent universe and all that is in it, but they want us to believe that it’s the result of an explosion of matter that was smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. On its own- with no wisdom or Creator! And they think we’re out there? Many decades ago the Christian community was blindsided by evolutionary teaching, but that is changing. The Creation scientists are exposing the lies of evolution and providing real answers that actually match up with geologic evidence found on the earth. Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. I Believe! *Through His Word of Truth. Psalm 19:7-9 “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether”. The more time I spend in God’s Word, the stronger my faith gets! God is perfect and you can’t improve on perfect! He’s THERE, He’s always been there! He has no error, no flaws, no shortcomings. I can believe in Him! Here are some of man’s laws: In Alaska, it is considered an offense to push a live moose out of a moving airplane. I’ve been thinking of doing that, thanks to these Alaskan legislators now I know I shouldn’t! There is a Kansas law still in existence which reads: “When two approach each other at a crossing, they shall both come to a full stop and neither shall start up until the other has gone.” Huh? If you’re not receiving your packages, they’re getting stuck in Kansas. The Bible is only an inch or so tall and has the wisdom for all of life’s issues. God gets right to it! Do you believe God is real? I do more and more! It’s hard to believe that man still finds room to judge God! *Through His Spirit. John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” Romans 8:16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” When God speaks to you- it’s Real, He’s Real! It’s Substance, it’s Evidence, and it removes all doubt! For those who have never heard from God, I can understand their doubt. If you have not developed that relationship with the Lord, I would encourage you to. 1. Take the time to sit, wait and listen to Him. 2. Confirm what you hear with His Word of Truth. 3. Obey what you hear, otherwise why should He speak to us? I have never heard a bad word from the Lord. Sometimes I don’t like what I hear, but it’s always been what I needed and it always strengthens my faith in Him! *Through His Story (History). History confirms the Bible and the Bible confirms history, it’s His story! Many have tried to prove Him wrong and they’ve been proven liars. There are many resources out there that show the providence of God. Compare the Bible with written history- it’s astonishing! Rick Larson has done so and has produced two DVD’s. “The Star of Bethlehem” and “The Christ Quake”. These will strengthen your faith. The Bible and History don’t just confirm the existence of God, they show the Sovereignty and Providence of God! God has not just recorded History, He’s ordained it. *Through His Power. I own a backhoe. I feel pretty powerful when I dig a big hole or build a small hill. I’ve got a 24” bucket and I can dig in a few seconds what it takes man an hour or two. God spoke all of creation into existence in 6 days! Psalm 104:5-9 “Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever. Thou covered it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away. They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.” God brings things to pass, God is the great healer, God has the power to accomplish All of His will. But we may find ourselves on the opposite end of God’s power if we’re not walking right. I’ve tried pushing against God, and having God push against me- I’ve lost that tug of war every time. I try to show our guests at the shelter who God is. We can go astray and not know how we did it or how to get back and get right. Life is not easy, and it’s even harder when you’re not connected to the Creator and sustainer of our world. Our Creator is gracious and loving enough to forgive, restore and walk with us through this challenging world. But, we must Believe according to Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” There is Truth and there are consequences. Shall we face this and face Him and begin to make the most of this gift of time and life? I Believe, Lord help me to live my Beliefs! Amen? Amen!