Not sure how you did with math in school but I at least came out being able to do computations in my head very well. But when it came to Algebra or Geometry or Trigonometry I was lost.  But I do know this, if you are outnumbered in anything you can feel overwhelmed and sometimes defeated.

Unless that is of course, if God is in it. To him the Math Doesn't Matter. Take the example of Jesus feeding the 5000 folks who listened to his powerful sermon but were getting hungry. His disciples mentioned they needed to be fed and asked him what they should do about it. He looked at them and said you feed them. He did this of course to prove that God could do what man could not. He prayed then made 5000 three piece dinners out of 5 loaves and 2 fishes, with leftovers.

You can also look at David in 1 Samuel 17 going up against Goliath, a 5 foot something kid versus a 9 foot giant with armor that probably weighed more than David. No one dared fight him except David who had an unwavering confidence in what God had done in his life (killed a lion and a bear bare handed) and in his faith that God would not be defeated by "an uncircumcised Philistine".

David stoned him to death and cut his head off because when God is involved The Math Doesn't Matter.  That includes our fight against addiction or any other sin that we may be trying to overcome. The odds may seem against us, the relapses and rehabs may be piling up but God has no equal. No drug, no charges, no overwhelming desperation phases him.

Finally look at Elisha in 2 Kings 6. Caught giving the foreign King's battle plans to his Israelite King we pick it up when he was surrounded and his servants reported there were horses and chariots surrounding them and he said "What shall we do?". As Jesus prayed before distributing that food, Elisha prayed "Open his eyes so he could see". When the servant looked again he saw hills full of horses and chariots of fire from the Lord.

Of course you know who won that battle because when God is in it The Math Doesn't Matter. Feeling overwhelmed yourself, odds stacking up against you - say a prayer and look around - they are there, maybe a couple thousand angels extending their arms to you and saying we got you.

Dare I say it one more time, please memorize for a later test - when God is in it The Math Doesn't Matter!

PS. Credit to Pastor Steven Furtick for my blog title!

What do you believe? How did you come to believe it? Passed down through generations, written in books, taught in school, heard from your parents, or maybe learned in the lessons of life.

Belief powers action. We believe in our cause we fight for it. We believe in our sports teams we travel far and wide to see them, cheering on like crazy people. We believe in our country, we are ready to do battle to protect our freedom. We believe in ourselves, there is no telling how far we can go.

From a spiritual standpoint, what do you believe? And because you do what are you willing to do for it? I read something so simple yet profound in John 6 this morning: Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the work God requires?" Jesus answered "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

This question came from Jewish brethren who were used to having to follow a strict set of rules. The answer Jesus gave must have been too simple for them as later in that same passage some of his disciples turned away from him, which prompts another question from me.

Why do we complicate Christianity? Belief should be enough to propel action like in making disciples, being kind and compassionate, being someone people can count on, or sharing love above and beyond normal? But instead we are still trying to make rules that others must comply with. Truth is if we believe we will follow the moral code he gives us and like him, do the works of the father out of love not rule keeping.

We will not just be rabid fans, we will take ownership of the gift of redemption he has given us and open it up to share with others.  Later on in John 8 he added another caveat that extended the belief to action: If you remain in my word, you will be truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

We are now free to roam the planet talking about Jesus, just believe!

There are days, there are moments, there are critical decisions to be made that are most difficult because we just think they are too hard to deal with. We don't want to do it but we have to Do Them Anyway.

We can look at Naaman, the commander of the army of the King of Aram in the Bible in 2 Kings 5 as a wonderful example of this. He was a great man and a valiant soldier, suffering from a greatly disarming  disease - leprosy. The servant of his wife suggested that Naaman go see the prophet in Samaria who could cure him.

Somehow the instructions got skewed as the King of Aram wrote a letter to the King of Israel suggesting that he could cure Naaman, and the King knowing he had no power to do this thought he was being set up for a quarrel. But the prophet Elisha heard about what happened and sent for Naaman.

So Naaman knocks on Elisha's door but instead of a face to face with the prophet Elisha sends his messenger. The instructions: go wash in the Jordan river seven times and you will be healed. No problem right? On the contrary Naaman was mad that he was disrespected because after all he was highly regarded and a valiant warrior. Elisha didn't see him personally, but he must have forgot he had leprosy.

He was in a rage, he said why couldn't the prophet just wave his hands over me and cure me, or why couldn't he wash in the rivers of Damascus, but his servants convinced him he needed to follow Elisha's instructions. He did so and was cleansed and healed from his disease. 

This just proves to us as humans that when we are asked to things we are uncomfortable with in uncomfortable places (if it is the right thing for us), we need to Do It Anyway, often to be cleansed of our problems whatever they might be. We can't deviate from the plan or it won't happen.

If you remember, Jesus sweated blood (Luke 22) in the Garden of Gethsemane thinking about how difficult it would be to take the weight of the world's sins on his shoulders. He asked for that cup to pass but eventually just asked that God's will be done. Then, when he needed his apostles to comfort him they all fell asleep and cared little for his welfare. In fact an angel had to come and comfort the Lord.

He might have been thinking why he should he die for these clowns? But he Did It Anyway because it was the only way we could be cleansed of our sins. It was his purpose, his divine instructions.

Next time we think that something may too hard for us to do, think about Jesus, and where we'd be if he failed to follow those instructions!