Today I have a guest post by my very own father, Phil Barrett. He has written a new book called, Anchored and I wanted to share an excerpt from it:

How far will you take your faith?

Have you ever asked yourself, “How far will my faith take me?” We could put it this way, “How far will I take my faith?” How far out on the limb will you go for Jesus? Standing on the solid truth of His Word, will I place all I have… my reputation, my finances, my family, or my life on the line in the name of Jesus?

Luke describes a man who was to minister to the Grecian widows; his name was Stephen. “And Stephen, a man full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people” (Acts 6:8 NKJV). He was the first martyr for his faith.

Opposition in the synagogue arose against Stephen because of his faith in Jesus, then false witnesses charged him with blasphemy against Moses and God. They brought him to the high council, the Sanhedrin, to recount what he had said. His reply stunned and angered all of them He started with Abraham, then Jacob, and through Moses to King David, taking them to their resistance to the Holy Spirit and the prophets, ending with rejection and killing Jesus!

“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him…” ~ Acts 7:51-52 NIV

Outraged, members of the Sanhedrin drug him outside the city to be stoned where the mob laid their clothes at the feet of Saul of Tarsus seeking his approval. The Apostle Paul (formerly Saul) later told of this account, “And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him,” (Acts 22:20 NIV). This was part of Paul’s testimony: remembering his early days, persecuting those who followed Jesus, and they were willing to die for their faith.

Stephen’s faith is seen as he ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit until his eventual death by stoning. Before his death, Stephen looked toward heaven and saw the heavens open and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56). And just before he died, he proclaimed in a loud voice his forgiveness towards them.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. ~ Acts 7:59-60 NIV

How far did his faith take him?

To his death!

Stephen’s faith did not diminish in his time of trial; he remained firm to the end. It is conceivable that he could have chosen his words with less vigor and more compromise, but he spoke as the Holy Spirit gave him the anointing, full-well knowing the outcome of his words. He did not fear the outcome but proclaimed the truth with forgiveness on his lips in his dying breath!

That is how far his faith took him!

This was not so in the early years of the disciples as they were struggling to find their way with this new rabbi they were following. Jesus spoke and demonstrated a power they had never seen! It amazed them to see His boldness as He faced challenging questions, demonic activity and held authority over nature itself.

Finding themselves in the middle of the Lake of Gennesaret, (Luke 5:1) with a storm upon them, the disciples were terrified, but Jesus was asleep in the boat. Being awakened by the fearful disciples, Jesus spoke to the wind, and it became calm, a dead calm, still, no wind, no waves, dead calm!

Jesus turned to His disciples and asked, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” The disciples did not give an answer; their only response was one of amazement and fear. “Who is this man?” they asked, “Even the winds and waves obey Him” (Matthew 8:23-27 NLT).

Challenged by Jesus in each of the gospel accounts of this story, we don’t know the full impact this had on the disciples. But I suggest this was but one of the many times Jesus proved Himself to have dominion and power over everything. Ask yourself this question, “What would my response be in that same situation?” How does your faith hold up in times of great stress or conditions beyond your control where you need to trust Jesus for the outcome? How far will your faith take you?

You will never know the answer to that question… Until you step out in Faith.

Live in expectation of God’s Word:

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. ~ 2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV

What a powerful scripture!

The “Yes” is resounding… proclaimed by the Apostle Paul and confirmed by the Holy Spirit living in us! Reading through the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament our spirit comes alive with the truth of God’s Word. As you read through this book, you will see the expectations of those who came to Jesus as He met them at their place of need!

Every child that has been in a Sunday school class studies or has read of Peter stepping out of the boat to walk to Jesus. This is a classic example of expectation!

When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, it terrified them. “It’s a ghost,” they said and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. ~ Matthew 14:26-29 NIV

The words of Jesus “do not be afraid,” must have reached deep into the heart of Peter, because his response was one of obedience and Peter was quick to respond. We don’t see him confused or asking those around him their opinion. He immediately stepped out of the boat, without hesitation when Jesus called him to come! He did that which was impossible in the natural, he walked on water.

All went well for a short time until he saw the wind; fear overtook his thoughts and he began to sink. At the outset, his expectations were high, and he intended to walk to Jesus. Most of us can relate to his experience. We all have experienced a time of high expectations ending in fear, just like Peter. This can happen to any of us; just don’t allow this to become a pattern or a lifestyle.

Don’t allow fear to defeat your expectations:

The words of Jesus “do not fear,” is a thread that runs throughout scripture. Do not fear, or do not be afraid are not unusual words in the Bible; they are cited time and time again, over and over to men and women, child and adult alike.

Satan will use fear as a battering ram against you. He will try to wear you down and pummel you until he wears you out! Fear will grip you and hold you in its grasp, driving the breath out of you. The results:

• draining of your faith
• blotting out your hope
• limiting your expectations of God
• stopping your forward movement toward God

• Fear can influence you spiritually, mentally, and physically! It is a stronghold you must throw down and cast aside as you exercise your authority in Christ! Our fight is not on an earthly realm but in the spiritual realm… with all the spiritual weapons at your disposal!
• Fear is our reaction to a known threat or a threat we conceive in our mind, whether real or imagined! Many times whatever the threat may be, it is enlarged in our mind, making it more ominous.
• Fear creates anxiety and a perception of danger or a threat to ourselves, our family or loved ones. It can drive us to make rash and hasty decisions or react in ways contrary to placing our trust in God.
• Fear and anxiety are destroyers of our expectations of God.

Follow this closely: Do you believe that God loves you? I am not talking about a casual, “Yea, I believe God loves me.” I mean a real confident, complete certainty of His love for you.

A revelation of His love brings a revolution of new thinking.

Perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). Love has no fear; fear and love cannot exist in the same space, just as light and darkness cannot exist together! Light will always drive out darkness! Love will always conquer fear because love is the essence of God.“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8 NJKV). When you experience the love of God, a transformation takes place, a heart of flesh has been taken out and a new heart of peace and love replaces your old heart; You are a new creation!

• Darkness is replaced with light
• Fear replaced with faith, and
• Hopelessness replaced with confident expectation; and they are all enshrouded, capsulated and immersed in God’s love!

So now move in the revelation of His love! Replace and Immerse yourself in His love and see how far your faith will take you, and how far you will take your faith!

Get a copy of his book Anchored here on Amazon.