A devotional received today from a friend....

I went to a wedding last weekend.  It was lovely...beautiful bride, handsome groom...lovely attendants....one of whom just discovered that she has cancer in her leg....engaged to be married in the fall... this was sent from her "support system".... I like listening to Tony Evans on the radio....

NOTES & QUOTES | JUNE 27, 2012 (#0843)
BE STILL AND KNOW: FAITH IN A DEAD SITUATION (PART 2)
TONY EVANS
John 11
v. 39 – Jesus says – remove the stone – Martha says it makes no sense
“You will always know when God is ready to do a resurrection in your life, in your
circumstance and in your situation because He will always make an illogical request. He
will ask you to do something that is ridiculous.”
v. 40 – Jesus answers Martha - What is faith:
“Faith is simply acting like God is telling the truth. Faith is acting like it is so even when
it’s not so in order that it might be so simply because God said so. Faith is the decision to
act in spite of the craziness of the request.”
Faith is very tangible – it’s an action not a feeling it is based on what God said
“Seeing is not believing, believing is seeing and you believe by following through on the
action prescribed.”
“You will never know God’s secret plan until you respond to His objective instruction.”
v. 41 – Martha got others to help her move the stone – faith help
“If my faith is too weak to remove the stone then you get some other folk and you
collectivize your faith, so they removed the stone.”
vv. 41-42 – Jesus intercedes for Martha and Mary – for us
“Biblical intercession is when Jesus prays for what you’re asking... It’s when Jesus talks
to the Father for you.”
“God may turn us down for many reasons… The way to get over on the Father is to get
the Son to make the request for you. How do I get the Son to make my request for me?
By letting the Son see your act of faith. After they removed the stone, THEN.”
v. 43 – Jesus raises Lazarus – personal resurrection
Conclusion:
“Is there a faith act being left undone that is keeping Jesus from praying your prayer for
you?”
“If you’re tired of the natural kind of life… and you need for God to just do something
unique and special and distinctive for you well that means you’ve got to get something
get bad enough gotta let it die so that you are desperate enough to cry out to Him at a
whole nother level so that you will do what He asks you to do, remove the stone,
demonstrating faith which will engage Him to talk to the Father for you which will
guarantee that what was dead now lives. “