Faith Begins Where Man's Power Ends

A great book for family reading

I think I have definitely stumbled onto some keen insight into the kind of faith that moves mountains by taking a closer look at the life of George Mueller.  I will chronicle some of his life stories in future posts.  His life was simply an amazing testimony of faith in Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior.  I posted a photo of the book Elijah and I are reading together, but I am researching numerous sources besides this publication.



Here's one of George's many quotes regarding faith:

'Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man's power ends.' 

George accomplished an amazing amount of work for Christ and never asked for any support from any man.  He took everything to God in prayer.  He truly lived by faith.  This man moved 'figurative mountains' by faith on a daily basis.

Self Examination:  What is God doing in my life right now?  How is he working?   Am I hindering him through my lack of faith?

 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this [which is done] to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.  Matthew 21:21 KJV

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.  Matthew 21:22  KJV


Ask in prayer, and believe.   But please don't think I am going off on some prosperity gospel tangent.  

Prayers will be answered unto the glory of God.  

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  John 14:13.

Prayers will be answered if they are in accordance to God's will unto His Glory.  QUESTION:  So how do we know what God's will is for our lives...?   ANSWER:  Pray and read the bible...!

Coach Sam's Testimony:   I asked in prayer for God to give me a hunger and a thirst for His Word and HE DID...!  He loves to answer prayers like that...!  Now, every day is an adventure of what God is going to reveal to me through scripture...!

Lord Jesus, Thank You for Your Word.  Thank You for amazing inspiring faith stories of Godly men and women who have gone before me.  Lord help my faith.  Help my life to line up with Your Holy Word.  Father enable me to be exactly the man my wife and son's need.  Help me to train them up and lead them on a path that goes straight to You.  Help us all on the way of that journey along the narrow path..

Lord You know my challenges and my desires.  I give everything to You, Father.   I already count myself blessed beyond measure.   Lord help me to get out of the way so You can work through me.  I am my own biggest problem.  But I love You Lord.  I humbly seek Thee this morning.  Go before me, order my steps.  season my words.  Bless my communication with others.

God I pray a blessing on my wife's art camp today.  I pray a blessing over my tennis classes this afternoon.  Lord I ask you to bless me so that I can be a blessing to others.  Help me to recognize needs right before me that I might be overlooking because I am so self absorbed.   Lord, let my life be more about You and much less about me.

I love You.  And I pray all these things in the precious holy name of Jesus.

Amen.

Faith That Moves Mountains: An Update

 “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”
― George Müller

I have been asking God for a few months now to show me what 'faith that moves mountains' looks like.  He has taken me on a journey showing me scriptures and working through daily circumstances.   I have been aware of the life and testimony of George Muller for sometime but have never taken the time to really look into his faith.

Recently, Elijah and I have been reading the life of Muller.  Only eight chapters into it I am simply amazed and inspired at the way this man lived his life for Christ.  I am grateful for what God is showing me.

Heavenly Father,

Lord I give today to you.  Take my cares and burdens.  I rest in You.  You have been faithful even when I have not been.  Praise You, Jesus.  I love you.  I thank you.  Lord I ask you to help me be more like you.  Keep my heart soft and tender.  Help me to be a blessing to those within my sphere of influence. 

Help my faith.  Increase my faith, Father.  

I pray blessings over my family.  I lift up my co-workers.  I pray You will go before me and season my words in all my communication with others.

Love You, Jesus.  And pray all these things in your precious, wonderful, holy name, Amen.

John 4:4 We have GREATNESS in us...!

...Greater is HE that is in me, than he that is in the world.' (1 John 4:4)

Friends:  Consider that if we are in Christ, then we are a new creation..    WE have GREATNESS in us...!

Do not allow yourself walk around tired and defeated.  If I have made the following statement one time I have said this a thousand times:

Don't tell God how big your problems are:  Tell your problems how BIG your God is...!

Inside of us is the Greatness of the one who spoke the universe into existence.  We need to walk in THAT power.   We can do ALL things in Christ who strengthens us.   Do you feel weak?  Good.   God can use you.    We are not stronger than he that is in the world if we are apart from God.

How do we get stronger?  Trust God.  Read His Word.   Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.

I know many people who say there is No God.  I say they are wrong.   I offer my own life as evidence that God is REAL and that HE LIVES. 

The Sam Chadwell that existed before he knew Christ is nothing at all like the Sam Chadwell since Jesus came to dwell within me.   And I am in no way claiming to be perfect.  But my heart has definitely been and continues to be transformed.   Those who have known me all my life can certainly attest to that. 

The existence of God can be proven by the testimonies of men and women whose lives have been transformed and changed forever by the grace of God.

Do You have a wondrous story to tell of how God has worked in your life...?  Tell it.  God is placing people within your sphere of influence who need to hear and see your story.

Heavenly Father,  Thank You Lord for giving me the strength to carry on when this world is falling apart around me... Lord You are an AMAZING GOD, a MIGHTY GOD.  In YOU: I am strong.  In YOU: I am victorious.

Lord Jesus, when I call YOUR name the enemy flees.   So right this very moment I bind the enemy in the Name of JESUS.  I pray a hedge of protection around my house and my friends and family.  Satan has NO authority in my life because greater is HE that is in me (Jesus) than he (satan) that is in the world.

I love you, Lord.  And I thank you for the opportunities and the responsibilities You have placed before me.  Help me to be strong.  Help me to be faithful.  Help me to resist the temptations and the distractions of the enemy.   You are a Strong and Mighty God.  I rest on your promises, and I pray all these things in the beautiful name of Jesus.

Amen.

Psalm 117

Psalms Chapter 117

Viewing the Standard King James Version (Pure Cambridge). Click to switch to 1611 King James Version of Psalms Chapter 117

¹ O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.

² For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.

This is one of the shortest books of the bible. Might as well memorize it.   Might as well do what it says.

God is Good.  God is faithful.   God always was.  God always will be.  Forever Faithful...!

Dear Heavenly Father:

Lord thank You for being God.   Father thank You for creating me.  Thank You for giving me the opportunities You have given me.  Lord I ask a blessing on this day.  Father help me to be what You created me to be.  Help my family to grow in You and to honor You with our lives.  Lord help us to see things through your eyes and love with Your Love.  Bless us Lord and allow us to be a blessing to others.

Father I need a little extra strength and courage to face to today and the rest of the week.  Thank You for your kindness, Thank You for your provision.   I love You, Lord and pray these things in Jesus' name:

Amen.

Imagine a Mustard Seed...

Thou wilt keep him in perfect[1] peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.  - (Isaiah 26:3)


I have been thinking about the kind of faith that moves mountains.  Why don't we see mountains moved today?  Jesus said that we would do greater works than he. I read a devotional today that discussed our imagination.  Its suggested that our big challenge was to keep our imagination focused on Christ.

Yes, we MUST keep our imaginations focused on Christ.  That has got to be a key ingredient to having faith that can move a mountain.  I don't know about you, but my imagination runs all over the place.  Honestly, I don't want to share where my imagination takes me at times.  This is why the apostle Paul instructed us to think on things that were true, and noble, and right, pure, honorable, excellent, etc...

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.  John 14:12

It's about belief.  Its about trust.  It's about having faith as small as a mustard seed.  Oh yes, our greatest challenge, our greatest battlefield is fought is the battle of what thoughts occupy our mind.

How can we get a grip on what is in our heads?   Well, what gets in our heads is what is taken in by our eyes and ears.   Remember:  Faith comes by hearing the word of God.  Romans 10:17

Don't forget that our eyes are also an amazing organ that allow us to read the word of God.  What we take in visually is permanently recorded in our brains.  Consider that if we spent more time reading the Word of God out loud we would take God into our hearts and minds two fold:  through our ears and eyes.

Instead we occupy the majority our time with mindless entertainment and pursue activities that have no eternal value.  

Forbid it, Almighty God...!

Friends, Join me in repenting.  Let's not allow our lives to look like the life of non believers.  Let's focus on Jesus.  Let's allow our hearts and minds be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Let's have more of God and less of the World.   Get in the Word,  Be in Prayer. Take a stand for our souls and the souls of our family and friends.  Let's develop faith that will move a mountain.  Pray for me.  I'll pray for you!

Your Brother in Christ,

Coach Sam

 

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Isaiah 40:26

"Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things...."

God created the heavens and the earth.

God is REAL. HE is the creator of everything.  The heavens declare the Glory of God.  All creation sing his wonders.  Even the rocks cry out...!  

But we live in a world that does not believe God exists.  We desensitize our thoughts and feelings continually by what goes into our heads.

We must guard our hearts and minds.  We have been assigned to live in this world for a period of time and we are not to become of it.  And we must stand in the gap for our families and each other.  

Always remember, we have three enemies to be aware of:  Satan, the world, and our own fleshly desires.    Can we stand against this three fold attack and survive...?

YES WE CAN.    But only through God's grace and providence.

God's Word says that Greater is HE that is in you, than he that is in the world.   The Word says: Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.  

If you are struggling:  Ask Jesus into your heart.  Join the family of God.  

If you have already asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, then dive into God's Word.  The bible is rich with encouragement, promises, and life instruction.   Pray to God for wisdom to understand what you are reading.  He loves to answer prayers like that.  Be mindful that our adversary is prowling about.  You must arm your selves and protect your families by praying a hedge of protection around you.

Are praying and reading the bible your life style?    Mommies and Daddies:  We set the primary example.  And young people, here's a word for you straight from the holy scripture: Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12.

There is a world out there that is lost and hurting.  God's Word is the Rescue Boat.  We are the emergency personnel God will use to implement life saving procedures.

Pray about how God can use you to witness to those within your sphere of influence.

God made the stars in the sky and he made you and me.  He's got the whole world in his hands.  He can do ANYTHING.  Our focus needs to be on God more than the world and our problems.

Some trust in chariots and horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7

Friends, we are at a crossroads today just as the Israelites were under Joshua's leadership in the old the old testament.   Here is Joshua's defining statement to God's people:

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.  Joshua 24:15

Friends,

My family and I are with Joshua.  Who are you with?  Who (or what) will you serve today...?

I love you and I am praying for You.  Wishing you a wonderful day in Christ Jesus.  Please call or text me if you need prayer or would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus.

Your Brother in Christ,

Coach Sam Chadwell, 713-818-9109
coachsam@chadwelltennis.com

Stand in the gap with me today...

Friends, I could use prayer today.

As always:  Stand with me in defense of our families.  Stand with me in defense of all that is right and good. 

But today I ask specifically that you would lift me up as I meet with a man about an employment opportunity this morning.  Pray that God would go before me and that he would season my words.  Please pray for a witnessing opportunity.  Pray for God to give my wife and I discernment regarding this matter.  Pray for God's will to be done.

I am standing on the many promises in Psalm 34 this morning: 

The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.  Psalm 34:15

God is listening.  He is attentive.  He hears and answers prayer.  

My meeting is around 11:30AM.

Thank you brothers and sisters for standing with me this morning. 

Your Brother in Christ,

Sam

Spiritual Pep Rally -We are on the winning side...!

Greater is HE that is in you than he that is in the world...  1 John 4:4

Who is 'HE' that is in all Believers?   Jesus.

Who is 'he' that is in the world...?  Lucifer

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  James 4:7

....and the gates of hell shall not prevail...    Matt 16:18


I am conducting a study on 'faith that can move a mountain'.

What is a 'mountain' in your life?

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.   

Remember:  God has authority over mountains.  He made them.  

Prayer Changes Lives - Do You Pray...?

Prayer and 'faith that moves mountains' go together.

I have been reading one of JC Ryle's books on prayer.   One of the first questions he posed that really gripped me was do you pray, or do you say your prayers...?    A lot of those reading this post will not know the difference between the two, but there is a BIG difference.

When I was a young I was taught to say prayers, but they were merely memorized oratories that sounded pius, but they were not from my own heart.  I prayed the same stale prayers over and over for years.  And I was instructed to not bother God too much because he was very busy.  I was taught to pray instead to other beings in heaven and ask them to intercede with God on my behalf.  Some prayers went to Mary, some prayers were said to other saints, some were even made to angels.

Can someone show me any instance in the bible where people prayed to anyone other than God and received deliverance?   True prayer is one on one communication with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  The bible says call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. It doesn't say: "Call upon Mary mother of God and ask her to speak to her son about your salvation next time she sees him." 

 In the sheltered life I grew up in I never heard an authentic one on one prayer to God until I was eighteen years old.  I remember that moment so clearly:  I was seated at the dinner table with the family of a young lady whom I was fond of.  Her daddy led the blessing over the meal.  It was like no prayer I had ever heard before.

His tone of voice was soft and reverent.  It sounded like he was having a conversation with someone in the same room.  You could tell from the conversation that the daddy's words were from the heart.  You could tell he loved and respected the God he was praying to.  He humbly thanked the Lord for the provision of our meal.  And He thanked God for many other things, too.  Then what he said next really got my attention:  He thanked God for me.  He said: "thank you Lord for Sam." And he asked God to bless me.   I was blown away.  I had never even heard my own parents pray over me in eighteen years.

That prayer and that moment changed my life forever.   I could see that this family loved each other.  And they didn't say prayers, they prayed.  They acknowledged God in everything they said and did.  They prayed to God to intervene in lives and circumstances.   They went to church, they read the bible.  My 'lady friend' even gave me my own bible and she hand wrote scripture addresses in it for me to reference when I might face challenging circumstances later in life. 

Although my relationship with my lady friend was not meant to be forever, my relationship with my Lord and Savior was meant to be everlasting.  Praise the Lord for Godly families that faithfully live their lives out before the world, and Thank God for prayer.  

My new life in Christ started with a meal time prayer and the living testimony of a family that walked with the Lord and loved him, and me.

So I ask you now the same question JC RYLE posed:  Do you say your prayers, or do you pray...?
 

Heavenly Father, Thank You Lord for the testimony of the family that showed me so much love when I was a young man.  Lord thank You for the testimony you have given me, Father.

Lord I didn't have a Godly earthly father, but you provided other Godly men in my life to shape and steer and model for me exactly what I needed.   Thank You for my journey.  I especially thank you for the difficult trials that have drawn me ever so closer to you throughout the years.

Where does my help come from?  My help comes from You:  The maker of heaven and earth.  My loyalty goes to YOU.  My prayers go directly to YOU, and You hear them.   The bible tells me you are ever present and ever lasting.  The bible tells me that you see everything and that you never sleep.   The bible tells me that you and you alone are worthy to be praised.

I love You, Lord.   And I lift up my family to You.  I lift up all the circumstances I hold dear to my heart to you, Lord.   Thank You Father, And I pray all these things in the precious holy name of Jesus.

Amen.

Ready to Cast a Mountain into the Sea...!

 

 

Mark 11:23 KJV:   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 saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Matthew 21:21 KJV:  Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

Why don't we see any mountains moved today...?

Father God, my prayer today is that you would help increase my faith!  In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen!