Have the Faith of God

Faith is one of those words which has many different definitions. Biblically, one must determine by the context whether faith is referring to "the faith of Jesus Christ", the "family of faith" or "firm belief". There is no greater verse in the Bible dealing with faith as an act of utter and complete belief than Hebrews 11:1 where it says:

 

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

 

The word translated "substance" is the Greek word "hupostasis". The word basically means "essence, substance, reality; that which is the basis of something; hence, guarantee or confidence." In other words, the word means "documentable proof, thus providing a guarantee". I believe it was James Moulton who first started using the term "title deed" as the appropriate translation of this word.

 

A title deed provides proof of ownership. If you can produce the title deed to a property, then you can prove you own that property. When making the dreaded trip to the DMV to get tags for a new vehicle; you must have the title for the vehicle or it will never become yours. A title is the legal proof you own something, even if it is a thousand miles away. If you have the title, the property is yours.

 

When a person buys a car and finances it through a bank or other facility; the title goes to the bank and stays there until the car is paid off. Although you have the car, drive the car, pay taxes on the car, etc; you do not own the car until there is no longer a lien against it. As long as money is owed on the car, it never really is yours. The same thing happens with mortgages on homes. Until the home is paid off, the mortgage holder is the real owner of the house.

 

Hebrews 11:1 states that faith is the title deed of things "hoped for". This hope is really nothing more than what we are praying for. When we pray, we have faith that what we are praying about comes to pass. That faith is our title deed to what we are praying for. It is also the "evidence" of things not seen. The word translated "evidence" is an obscure Greek word only used one other place in the New Testament. The word literally means "to convict, or conviction". It is a legal word that is used as a figure of speech here in Hebrews. It would be better translated "certain persuasion" although many versions translate it "conviction".

 

Faith, that mysterious word with a truckload of different meanings, is the title deed and certain persuasion of things prayed for and not yet seen. Every great person of faith who ever lived knew by experience what this verse was talking about. In fact, the entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews is devoted to those who from God's perspective were men and women of faith. Everyone mentioned or mentioned by name in Hebrews 11 practiced verse 1 and that is what enabled them to make into the "Faith Hall of Fame".

 

Think of dearly beloved Peter. Out in their boat at night, the disciples think they see a ghost standing on the water. Peter thinks it might be Jesus, but isn't quite sure. He calls out to this ghost and demands that if he is really Jesus, then tell him to walk on the water to him. Ah, Peter knew that only Jesus would really tell him to do it. I am quite sure Peter was not expecting any reply. Much to his surprise, the Master told him ONE WORD; "COME". The word of God doesn't always have to be 2000 words. Sometimes it is only ONE word.

 

Once Peter had the Word Of God, he either needed to believe it or reject it. Without so much as even thinking about the consequences, Peter climbed out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus. Even as he was climbing out, the voices of the other disciples were ringing through his mind. "Don't do it Pete", "You are going to sink", "Think of your Mom, Peter"; everywhere and from all directions he was being bombarded with all the good reasons NOT to walk out on faith to Jesus.

 

Once you receive the Word of God in your life, start walking. Don't wait around for detailed instructions as to how to get out of the boat and how to handle walking on waves. Just DO IT!! Peter got out of the boat and immediately started walking on the water. When he took that first step of faith, he literally believed what Jesus had said to him was true. In his case, Peter did not need a title deed, but rather a plank, and he got one. Peter's faith in the word of God given to him by Jesus was the guarantee he would not sink when he tried to walk on the water.

 

Peter did begin to sink only when he "lost the faith" by getting distracted and looking at the waves instead of the Lord Jesus. When we glue our eyes upon the Lord and fasten ourselves to the word He gives us; we can walk on water. We can do whatever it is that God sets before us to do if we have complete faith it came from God and is directed to us.

 

Nowhere is faith more completely taught, than by Jesus after he has cursed the fig tree and it died overnight. In Mark 11:22 it says:

 

"And Jesus answering said unto them, Have faith in God."

 

Some manuscripts omit this verse, some have it as it is recorded in the KJV and still others would have it read; "Have the faith of God". Wow, what a concept that is! To have the faith of God is certainly beyond our mortal mind's ability to comprehend. How much faith does God have? Hebrews 11:3 says:

 

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed (prepared) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

 

God had to literally create everything as He prepared the ages and fashioned the universe. God spoke, and things that were not there came into being. That is faith! As Genesis 1 repeatedly says; "and God said…" and it came to pass. God spoke His Word and it came to pass because of His faith. Oh how glorious life would be for us all if we could "have the faith of God"! If we could, then back in Mark 11 it goes on to say in verses 23 and 24:

 

"For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says.

 

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive and you shall have them."

 

Faith is powerful. Prayer without faith is like a boat without an oar. When we pray, we need to manifest the "faith of God" in order to see the mountains moved and the things prayed for come to pass. I think we all know that faith is vital to seeing results when we pray. But, did you ever notice what the next two verses in Mark say, immediately after these verses on prayer? Look at verses 25 and 26 squarely in the context of having the faith of God:

 

"And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

 

But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

 

Holy something or other; it takes the "faith of God" to forgive others for those things they have done against you and to believe the Father has forgiven you. Do we need to forgive others? We do if we want our Father to forgive us. Honestly, it takes just as much faith to conquer bitterness and resentment and forgive as it does to move a mountain or expect results in prayer.

 

All these things are humanly impossible, but with God, they are possible. It takes faith to forgive for it goes against our very nature. It takes faith to believe, for the senses say it is impossible. It takes faith to conquer the doubts that keep us from seeing God's Word come to pass in our lives for they gnaw away at us like gnats in the summer. Have the faith of God!

FEMA & FORMALDEHYDE= FIASCO

In June of 2006 I first started hearing about the possibility of formaldehyde in FEMA travel trailers housing hundreds of thousands of Katrina victims in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. When the initial reports started surfacing, they were of course totally rejected by FEMA as well as all agencies charged with the oversight of these deathtraps people were living in.

 

During the long and hot summer of 2006, more and more people who were exposed to various chemicals in the Katrina flood waters began suffering horrible skin problems. People who had continued living in water damaged homes began to suffer from mysterious breathing problems. People who had been confined to FEMA travel trailers were complaining of headaches and other strange symptoms. All these physical complaints were basically ignored and the people suffering them were more or less told they were "hypochondriacs".

 

By the summer of 2007, the initial symptoms reported by many had progressed to the point of death or hospital confinement. Indeed, it was revealed that toxic chemicals had been in Katrina's flood waters and anyone exposed to them who had not received a special "bath" soon afterwards was seeing their skin pretty much disintegrate. Those who had initially torn into flood damaged dwellings without proper protection, were being diagnosed with black mold related illnesses. There is no "cure" for this, only treatment of symptoms.

 

Last summer, more and more of the unfortunate people still confined to FEMA travel trailers were getting sick. A movement was launched to get Congress to deal with the problem. Many people had their trailers independently tested for formaldehyde and the results were staggering. Readings five to ten times above "safe" levels were common and readings far higher were found also. Still, nothing was being done to solve the problem except denying it existed.

 

Just yesterday, the following article was filed by an Associated Press writer dealing with FEMA's sudden reversal of policy regarding these trailers. Here is the link to the story:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080215/ap_on_re_us/toxic_trailers

 

The people of the United States of America want the Federal Government to take care of them from the time they are born until the day they die. They want Federal assistance for everything from health insurance to house repairs after a storm. Because the people want the government to provide help, they are going to receive it, even if it kills them.

 

Katrina was an unprecedented disaster. The sheer numbers of people who lost their homes was beyond the scope of anybody's ability to plan for such a thing. FEMA should have been prepared and they were not. The states involved should have been prepared and they were not. The large charities should have been prepared and they were not. Due to lack of preparation, confusion ruled and where there is confusion there is every form of evil taking advantage of it.

 

In the two and one years since the Katrina/Rita/Wilma disasters in 2005, much has been done on all levels to better prepare for future disasters. Most of what has been hammered out is now in a document nobody has ever heard of unless they are involved in disaster relief work. There is now a National Disaster Response Plan in place that pretty much spells out exactly what is to take place when a huge disaster strikes. Obviously, if another Katrina hit, there would not be the confusion and tardiness in action started as there was in 2005.

 

Still, considering that this plan is squarely in the hands of FEMA, one has to wonder how well it would work and whether situations such as formaldehyde in trailers would be ignored for years. FEMA did not make a lot of friends in Katrina devastated areas. Constantly changing policy, mismanagement, fraud and confusion of all kinds turned a huge disaster into a catastrophic nightmare. Perhaps never in the history of this great land was a more shortsighted and irresponsible plan ever hatched than to order travel trailer manufacturers to cut corners and build trailers as fast as possible disregarding health risks, electric and plumbing codes and even structural guidelines.

 

The trailers were built in record time. Thousands of people were herded out of motels and cruise ships into these trailers which ended up many times in FEMA trailer parks. That was just about it as far as the government was concerned. Due to labor and material shortages, the repair and rebuilding of homes took well over a year to really begin to make a dent in the numbers of families living in trailers. All the while, as it turns out, these poor people were daily being exposed to chemicals that were destroying their health. So what that they had survived the storm, their lives were a living hell in every possible category.

 

I personally know many sick people who until recently were doomed to living in these deathtraps. Their only other option was to move back into a mold infested house that was probably unsafe to live in. Let me very clear here; there are health concerns raging all along the Gulf Coast that no one in the country knows about. The upturn in heart and lung issues is beyond the point of being alarming. The mental health issues are so huge that the system to treat them is overwhelmed.

 

Some physical issues take time to show their symptoms, while others appear quickly. The horrific symptoms of mold take quite awhile to become manifested. Once there, the road to recovery is long and painful. Ask anyone who has had to deal with mold in their lungs how pleasant the situation is. There are thousands upon thousands of very sick people in Katrina damaged areas. The vast majority of these people do not know what is making them sick, nor do they have the means to get treatment.

 

Those who have been exposed to formaldehyde poisoning should receive complete treatment and a dwelling free from toxic chemicals, at the very least. But, just as those exposed to "agent orange" found out; the government is not very quick to clean up after its messes. Due to the sheer numbers of people involved, those who claim to have medical conditions related to formaldehyde in FEMA trailers will probably end up waiting in long lines, then arguing with insensitive agents and put on a list that will take months if not years to bring to full resolution. Meanwhile, they will be miserable, dejected and many will simply give in and give up. Is that what the authorities really are wanting?

 

If any major investigative reporting agency ever really took the time to dig under the surface of supposed progress in the states affected by Katrina; they would quickly find issues that should be at the forefront of political campaigns instead of the meaningless ones that get all the headlines. There never was much love for the Federal Government down in Katrina land, but after this FEMA travel trailer fiasco, Montana might have another area of the country barking at its heels as far as extreme dislike for the "Feds".

 

My earnest prayer is that those in the legal and medical fields will respond to the needs in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and provide free help to thousands of hurting people. I pray that those trained in mental health will continue to volunteer to deal with the effects of a disaster that lingers on and on for many. I pray that as a nation, we never forget that although much has been done to repair and rebuild homes and businesses; the rebuilding of people's lives lags far behind.

 

For more information on the current state of things down "on the coast", please go my website at:

www.heart2heartshare.com and go to the "Sharing Partners" tab and follow the link to "Tri Coastal Community Outreach". Please get in touch with this wonderful group and they have ways to get you in touch with whomever you would need to talk to.

 

Please America, do not forget that the area which provided the nation with its most horrific natural disaster is even now reeling from an even bigger disaster; dealing with yet more fallout from poor decisions made after the storm. I pray we do all we can to help those who are at this very moment sick, depressed and feeling forsaken.

You CAN Help!

People all the time ask me how they can help those who are suffering. There are many ways anyone can help, even if funds are low. Today I went to JC Penney store which was having a huge clearance sale. In the middle of an aisle, there was a big rack with many disaster readiness products. There were flashlight/radio which you crank up instead of using batteries, combination grill/coolers, combination cooler/radios and emergency preparation kits.

 

All these items at one time had a price tag of $40 on them. There were of course mark down stickers as the store was trying to get rid of last year's products to make room for the coming year. Today the sale was supposed to be 75% off. There were 36 of the crank flashlight/radios alone. I spoke to the store manager and we worked out a deal that if I bought all the stuff, he would cut the clearance price in half again.

 

I was able to get essential items that will save lives in hurricane prone areas for 10% of their original cost. In other words, I got 10 items for what only 1 cost not too long ago. Of course I now have all these boxes out in the barn awaiting my next journey down to the Gulf Coast. The point is; if a person is willing to spend a little time bargain shopping, there are incredible deals out there that could greatly help either yourself or someone else.

 

I was thinking today that if everybody went to their local JC Penny store on Monday, they could get the same items I did at the same price I did today; for that is their next mark down. Anyway, if people with a heart to help others did this, then we could have enough of these products scattered around to then figure out how to get to where they are needed before they are needed. If anyone follows through on this idea, and ends up with a large amount of these products; please go to my Heart2Heart SHARE site and contact me.

 

In previous posts I mentioned the need for food. This need has grown greatly with the recent tornadoes. We are not to the point we were after Katrina when we needed to have huge city-wide food drives; but someone needs to start putting some kind of drive together and start collecting canned and boxed goods to be shipped to various locations when needed in a few weeks.

 

Some of you do eBay. Did you know that eBay allows you to specify a certain amount of a transaction go to the charity of your choice? Many charities have people doing nothing but selling things on eBay. Individuals can also allot a certain percentage of certain products to go to charity.

 

Starting in April and running all summer, every Saturday you could get your car washed ten times if you wanted by various youth groups raising money for trips. Car washes, bake sales, yard sales and auctions are all great ways to show support for a group. They are also wonderful ways to generate excitement and get more people involved.

 

I cannot begin to communicate the urgency of need in certain areas. I know from my travels last year that the areas hit hardest by the tornadoes earlier this week are currently being well taken care of by FEMA and the big charities such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army. But, in the not too distant future these groups will all pull out and leave everything in the hands of what is known as "long term care committees". These groups are made up of representatives from various charities, churches and civic groups in the local community. Their purpose is to identify needs and work together to find ways to meet them.

 

This is all well and good, but what these groups will need soon are resources. It takes money, supplies and volunteers to rebuild a community and restore families to some degree of normalcy in their lives. Usually about two months after the disaster, that is when the needs start really piling up and the avenues for giving and service do so also.

 

No one needs to feel they cannot help their neighbor in need because of lack of finances. There are many ways to help. When I got back from my first journey to Katrina devastated Mississippi back in 2006, numerous people took it upon themselves to go door to door asking people if they had anything laying around the house not needed any longer to donate to the cause. Within a week, I had a huge truck full of everything from clothing, to furniture, to food, to building supplies and books.

 

At any given time, if one person gets it in their heart to share, and the fire starts burning brightly; their enthusiasm becomes contagious. Before long, others want to get involved because it is so much fun to quit worrying about yourself and become totally concerned about others. If anyone wants to do this and manages to round up some supplies; please contact me and I will arrange to pick them up wherever you are.

 

My Dentist and his wife left on a trip last Wednesday night. Every year they take 10 days in early February and go to a small clinic in Haiti to donate their services. When asked why they do this every year, the answer is "it is rewarding". Giving of yourself to another in need is indeed rewarding. It makes us feel good to know we are helping someone else. That is the way God set it up to work. Our greatest rewards in this life are not the ones we earned, but the ones we receive in service to others.

 

Please, there are more people in need now than ever before. Anything and everything you can imagine is desperately needed by someone, somewhere. There are numerous areas still devastated by Katrina. There are many communities still reeling from floods and tornadoes last summer. There are plenty of localized situations we see advertised on bulletin boards every week. There is plenty of need to go around. I pray there is plenty of help to supply those needs.

Food Crisis: Urgent Appeal for Help

As more and more "extra" personal funds are being diverted to pay for mortgages, gasoline, food and entertainment; there is less and less available for charity. This is the report I am receiving from numerous places scattered around the country. This alarming trend must be abated for the sake of those suffering in situations they cannot deal with. A difficult as times may get, economically; we must never lose the fervor which has sparked charities in this country for decades.

Even if the economic stimulus package ever gets through Congress, it will be May at the earliest before anyone receives any money. What is worse, this package is not geared for those in dire financial straits; it is geared toward those who would use the money to buy more "things". It is an absolute travesty of justice for the House of Representatives to have passed this measure with NO checks going to senior citizens only living on Social Security.

Perhaps the Senate can add this to the measure, but there is strong resistance from politicians who for some reason don't want seniors to spend money on prescription drugs, rent or utilities. The same thing is being rammed though in relation to the poorest of the poor. Little or no money is available for them. But, in an equally shortsighted and stupid move, the Senate wants to give people making hundreds of thousands of dollars a check. It makes absolutely no sense to give people making $500 thousand a check and not give some poor senior citizen trying to live on $800 per month a check.

Obviously all the politicians want is to get free money into the hands of people who will re-elect them next fall. Pity the common folks who need an economic jolt; they are not important. I hate politics and politicians with a passion. How shortsighted, stupid and ignorant can they be to put this country deeply in debt to hand people a few hundred dollars with the stipulation it is to be used for plasma televisions, new furniture or a down payment on a new car. It makes my blood boil that this is all going on when the nation's attention is fixed on Super Bowl and Super Tuesday.

At the bottom of the economic ladder are many suffering families. The needs piling up among those who are trying to scrape by making minimum wage or attempting to live off of Social Security alone are staggering. In the ultra poor areas, disease, heart attacks, strokes and stress related disorders of all types are exploding. The corresponding medical bills are staggering. Crime is dramatically increasing as desperate people are resorting to desperate measures to find the money to feed their families.

I am very aware of the problems with drugs and other addictions that run rampant in poor areas, for I have written about them here. But, I am also aware of the desperate condition many families are getting into. They have no hope, no way out and no one to help them. Countless small charities have shut their doors in the past few months. They cannot find supplies and in some cases volunteers to help. Food banks have little food and that which they have has to purchased at very high prices.

If a community outreach center tries to provide a box of food per week for a family to help bridge the gap and keep them from resorting to crime or eating trash out of bins; the cost of the food in that box would conservatively be at least $50. If the center tries to help 100 families per week on average; that means they need $5,000 of food supplies per week to fill the boxes. This translates into over $20,000 of food per month. Where on God's green earth are these charities going to find this kind of money?

Food banks have "stood in the gap" for years making available canned goods and even frozen foods to charities at a dramatically reduced price. They were able to do this because of arrangements with many huge suppliers of grocery products that would donate as "gift in kind" excess, soon to be expired or discontinued products. Food banks would have to pay to get the products shipped in and stored. They, in turn would charge the individual charities a small price per pound to buy the product.

After a huge disaster, such as hurricane Katrina, vast amounts of food would be donated to the Food Banks, and shipping would be donated also. As a result, local charities could receive emergency food supplies free of charge for a season. In the case of Katrina, this went on for well over a year. Sooner or later the supplies run out and things go back to the old "price per pound" method.

Currently, most food banks are charging local charities around 18 cents per pound for food. That doesn't seem like much until you stop and realize how heavy a can of any kind of food is. A can of corn weighs just under a pound. That means a can costs a charity 18 cents. If the charity wants to put a can of corn in each of the 100 food boxes; that amounts to $18 just to purchase the corn. Now start adding in other vegetables, fruit, pasta products, and canned meat and the price starts skyrocketing. Just ten different canned products push the food bank bill up to $180 per week. Add in some frozen meat and other products to fill the box up and one can see how the total bill can end up far past the charity's means to pay for it.

Here you have the crux of the current problem. The need is great in poor areas and getting greater by the day. Local charities are closing due to lack of supplies and/or financial means to purchase them. The charities which remain, must now handle a marked increase in numbers of clients. Even if they had budgeted for the year and done fundraisers to get the money to stay afloat; with the increase in volume, they quickly are overwhelmed and find themselves in the same situation as the smaller charities. It is exactly like dominoes hitting each other and they all end up falling down.

Somewhere along the line, there has to be a domino strong enough to stand. Somewhere the collapsing charity train must be kept from totally derailing. Somewhere, someone must receive the wherewithal to keep receiving supplies and/or funds to purchase them so they can take care of the people. We must continue to fight for the "little guy" in the realm of community outreach, or people will end up literally starving to death.

Here is a dirty little secret no one knows; the government social agencies when confronted with a starving family can do nothing more than refer them to a PRIVATE charity to find help. So, for those who insist it is the government's problem, go tell exasperated social workers that. Well, if not the government, it should be the big charities. Bless their hearts, they are doing the best they can, but are slowly but surely having the same noose tightened around their necks when it comes to food.

Then surely the local churches will help the people. The truth is, very few churches have any money available in their budgets for local mission work. What few churches that do have the funds, usually can't help more than a handful of people and then run out of supplies. They quickly refer the people to the local community outreach centers; and they cycle starts anew.

We are truly facing a crisis in a realm no one believes exists. Very few Americans really believe there are people in this country starving. Don't just take my word that there are, go find out for yourself. Sure, some of these people brought it on themselves and need to go get a job. But, there are countless tens of thousands who through no fault of their own, find themselves without shelter, heat and worst of all food. Many of these people are over 70 years old with no family to help them. Many are single mothers or families being raised by the eldest child because the parents are strung out on dope.

There are many reasons why people end up at the end of road with nowhere to go. There are many reasons why people end up homeless, penniless and hungry. There are many reasons people cannot afford medical care or insurance. To lump all these people together and say it is "their fault" and refuse to offer aid to them is paramount to abuse. To dump all these people on governmental agencies, big charities, churches or community outreach programs; and NOT SUPPORT THEM is nothing but hypocritical arrogance.

Please, any of you reading this, if there is any way you can help; there are thousands of innocent victims suffering out there. These are not people in Africa or Asia, although there are millions suffering in those places also, they are in this country. These are people who may have at one time been your neighbor or co-worker. They may have checked you out at the store for years. They may have had children who went to school with yours. They may have gone to school with you. The people in greatest need just might be someone you know but don't know it.

How can you help? The food banks need major donations from suppliers, retailers, distributors and wholesalers. Mid-level charities need supplies such as truckloads of boxes of food, baby products and senior items such as meal-drinks and adult diapers. Smaller community outreach programs need FUNDS to purchase food from the food banks to keep providing a little help to those who are most desperate. Individual families need SPONSORS who will develop relationships with them and honestly find out what they need both short term and long term. Individuals need someone to work with them and direct them to a path that leads to self-sufficiency.

Please, America, don't become so self-absorbed you forget to "love thy neighbor as thyself". Please remember the golden rule of "doing unto others as you want done unto you". Instead of smugly criticizing those who have fallen on the hardest of times, why not try sympathizing with their situation. Who knows, you might be in the same boat they are in sooner than you think. If America rolls up its collective sleeves NOW, we can head this crisis off at the pass. If America turns up its collective noses now, then it is only going to get worse and more painful to deal with in the future.

If you want more information on various groups desperately in need of help; please go to my Heart2Heart SHARE website and click on SHARING PARTNERS. Here is the link to that website:

www.heart2heartshare.com

Thank you for your prayerful consideration in this matter. It really is a matter of life and death for many people. God bless you.