faith

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One Word 2017 - FAITH

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My One Word for 2017 is FAITH.

The past six months have been a whirlwind with a lot of challenges and have required me to live out my One Word from 2016, perseverance.  Circumstances have now given me the opportunity to strengthen my faith and rely on God completely in 2017.  Part of me is anxious for 2017 and the other part of me is eager and excited.  It's a daily battle to trust God and understand that He has a plan, but that's the reason that I have chosen faith as my One Word.

I typically feel like I have control over most things in my life and have the ability to make things happen, but I'm learning that there are some things outside of my control that require complete surrender to God.  2017 is going to bring change, that's a given.  I don't know what that change will look like, but I know that my faith & trust in God is going to be at the forefront of everything.  Each decision I make for my family will come from a deep understanding that God is in control.  

While I might not know what my future holds, I will always know who holds my future.  When challenges are met with faith, perseverance becomes very powerful.  I'm so excited to embark on this faith journey in 2017 with my wife and two girls!  Your prayers and support are always welcome as I know that I will struggle to live out this One Word consistently.  This year is going to be one to remember - let's make the best of it!

Past One Word's:

2017 - Faith

2016 - Persevere

2015 - Serve

2014 - Immediacy 

Confident Faith

“Confident faith” is a characteristic that we as coaches need to embrace every day of our lives.  Acts 6:1-7 is a great demonstration of “confident faith,” as the apostle Paul writes about discipleship.  The church was upset with numerous things involving widows and therefore, the 12 disciples gave them a talk and told the congregation to pick seven men of good reputation to lead them.  The people liked what they had to say and decided to choose seven men to lead them.  The chosen seven were: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus.  You may have never heard of them before, but we read that the reason they were so special was because Paul tells us they were, “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”  We see at the end of the passage that the Word of God continued to be preached, the number of disciples multiplied, and even priests were being obedient to this faith!  How did this core group of seven chosen leaders accomplish this calling?  They were full of “confident faith,” and these are the characteristics that it displays.

1.    Confident faith sees every failure as an opportunity to get better.

James chapter 1 tells us to, "count it all joy..."  Through both failure and trials, we need to see them as an opportunity to become better.

2.  Confident faith spends its time doing what it's called to do.

Don't get discouraged if you are not an expert in your calling right away.  Despite the lack of experience, it is essential to stick to what you're called to do!

3.    Confident faith chooses the right people to tackle the problem.

The congregation chose 7 men who were full of the spirit and wisdom.  The people that they chose were already in the church, but they just needed to be noticed.  Find somebody who is passionate about fixing the problem even if they aren't experts.

4.    Confident faith trusts the team to come up with the solution. 

Have faith in your team.  Don't try to do everything on you own.  The 12 disciples could have tried to fix everything on their own, but instead they allowed the church to pick their own leaders to find a solution.