Tag: faith

james 1.

james 1.

by Kathleen Moulton

Faith and Endurance

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.  But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field.  The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.

 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

Listening and Doing

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.  So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.  But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

trusting God.

trusting God.

by Kathleen Moulton

In Proverbs, the Bible says:


Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.


Two things stand out to me.


1. Don’t try to understand everything.
2. Straight paths don’t mean everything will happen the way you want.

We don’t like that.

Do you understand how the universe was formed? Or how a baby is formed in the womb? Or how birds migrate?

Yet, we want to understand the bad things that happen in our lives.

God doesn’t leave us without comfort. He promises us that one day we will understand. He promises us that he will give us comfort and strength to endure the pain we suffer in life. He promises he will wipe away every tear.

For now though, he gives us the strength to endure. The one who created the universe is able to do that.

In this instant gratification world, you are not going to understand. God makes it clear and he tells us to trust him.

I get it. You have heard claims made of God’s love and when things go sideways in life, you want to make sense of it. We even hold God accountable: “If this is how God loves I don’t want any part of him.”


Isn’t it interesting how we get on Amazon and look at all the reviews before a purchase? We research the next car, stove, and exercise equipment before buying. We try to figure everything out so everything will work out.

But this. Eternity. The most important “purchase”.

God has already created us to know eternity is real.


He has set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

We pay more attention here rather than there. When you live consistently with an awareness of eternity … trusting God will be a simple concept.

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context.

context.

by Kathleen Moulton

I had a thought this morning.

We are not all okay.

In other words, we think this person or that person is doing well because they look happy.

Not true.

Everyone of us have something on our minds. A place in our hearts or minds that have this empty space of disappointment, sadness, loss.

Then I began to think about people who lived throughout the centuries and what kind of life they had. Particularly, I thought about the pioneers who explored and the settlers who settled. The day to day, mundane, unpredictable existence they experienced.

Their world view was limited. Each day they had purpose and found a life of contentment in what they did. How do I know this? Because it’s in all of us. The ability to be content in undesirable situations. God created us and he put it in us. Some call it human potential or resiliency because you don’t have to be a Christian to have it. Most of us have the ability to get up, brush ourselves off, and keep going.

Fast forward to 2025. Look at all we have. Now compare yourself to them.

Are we any different? Obviously, we have amazing advancements in medicine and technology. And certainly, that has impacted our physical and mental compacity to not only have knowledge, but solutions, and the ability to exceed in ways that our predecessors never had.

Yet, inside, we are the same. We experience all of the emotions to life’s challenges.

That is context.

All of my life, I have taken a step back to consider the men and women who suffered throughout the centuries. It has given me inspiration, courage, and perseverance. What God has put in all of us can only be enhanced by knowing him through the promises of the scripture.

It reminds me of Hebrews 11, often referred as the faith chapter; a list of men and women who endured suffering. They endured because they saw things in context – that their suffering and ultimate death was not the end. They knew that God promised what was waiting for them in eternity.

Then Hebrews 12:1:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us; fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Not only does remembering the bigger picture step us out of our small thinking, exasperated by our tendency to be overly focused on ourselves, but it gives us the reason for context: there is an end to the story.

Get context.

it’s all i’ve got.

it’s all i’ve got.

by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 2 Comments

There are no words for what happened in Kerr County, TX, last week.

No words of comfort.

No words of closure.

No words that will stop the hemorrhaging or heal the shattered hearts.

In recent months, I was finally beginning to understand what God thinks about me. Maybe it has been a series of events of being abandoned that has taken me this long. I don’t dwell on that but I’ve spent a lifetime searching for meaning. All I know is I was beginning to relax in knowing that God really does value me, really does love me, and will not abandon me.

I was finally coming to a place of reassurance and peace. And then came this. The little girls ripped from their beds, carried away in horrendous fear, and ultimately, death.

Jesus loves me, this I know? Why didn’t he stop it? What is this thing Christians believe?

I am still in the process of trying to figure this out. I want so desperately to comprehend. I am frustrated because there is nothing that makes sense.

I ask God the question: how can I trust you? How can I believe that it is you who are helping me through life’s confusion and difficulties? How can I really believe that you are in tune with my life and that you hear my prayers? Obviously, the parents who left their little girls at this camp prayed for them – among other things – their safety.

And then of course, the triggers of emotions buried within me. I uttered these words so quietly: and you betrayed us. The tears welled up in my eyes of losing him 20 years ago. Tears that cannot fully come because I’ve cried so many there is nothing left. I want to cry. I can’t. But I feel it churning inside.

I remember when the disciples were confused and Jesus said to them, “Will you leave me, too?” And Peter piped up and said, “Where will we go? You have the words of life.”

You have the words of life.

Peter was right. No matter what we face in this world with all of its disappointments, sorrow, and confusion – where do we go? We can find temporary solutions but that is the problem. They are temporary. And we wake up the next morning with a hangover or guilt from the night before and what do we do? We go back for more.

You have the words of life.

But I can’t see you, God. And even though my mind tells me that I am seriously limited in trying to understand, it still hurts. 

I know people have suffered since the beginning of time. I know people are suffering today. But this. This hit me hard.

The Bible says God’s ways are not our ways and that his thoughts are not like ours. If we step back and believe he created the universe and everything in it, how can we possibly believe we can understand the why’s of suffering. It’s far too easy to say there is no God if he allows us to suffer. I cannot go there because then, I will find solutions elsewhere and honestly, there is nothing that will help. Every human solution I can think of often makes things worse.

All I have is this:

God says he will keep us in perfect peace when we trust him.

He says to trust him with our whole heart and not try to understand.

He  promises to fix it all someday by wiping away every tear we’ve cried.

That’s all I’ve got.

And Christians throughout the centuries – that’s all they had, too.

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in the context of things.

in the context of things.

by Kathleen Moulton

Have you ever thought about what life was like 100 years ago? 200? 50?

Perhaps there is no other time in history when we have we been so privileged – in the United States and other developed countries. (Although, there are people who live with far less access to wealth and opportunity who are reported to be content).

With all of our advances in science, medicine, and technology, are we much different than people who lived without it? Certainlly, we have it far easier. Even people who live below the poverty level seem to have a cell phone and can afford McDonald’s. It might not sound like much, but it would mean something to people who lived 100 years ago.

I think the context in which we live has an impact on our world view. People who lived 200 years ago did not have the abundance we have now. While there has always been the wealthy, for most people, I imagine there was more motivation to do all it took for survival. Time was spent working to that end. There was no television, Tik Tok, or Door Dash to waste the day away, putting off thinking about things another day.

Am I the only one who thinks about the suffering on the Mayflower? The colonists? The pioneers? People like you and me, hoped for something beyond here and now.

As little as 60 years ago, people sold their home in order to pay medical bills. I know of one person who said his father got up every morning at 4:30 am to take various modes of transportation, including walking, into NYC to work in a factory. This was common. People did what they had to do and I can only imagine the resiliency and perseverance factor was off the charts.

Humans suffered throughout the centuries and humans are suffering today. Perhaps the suffering is different but suffering is suffering no matter how you look at it. Suffering for one might be extremely difficult compared to another. Bottom line, no matter when we live, human suffering is with us.

There are times to fight against it and we should. But then there are times when there is nothing to be done but to accept. Not with a fatalist mindset. With hope.

When there is death of a loved one, there is suffering. I do not contend that people who lived 100+ years ago dealt with loss more easily than we do today but they experienced more of it. I think there was an acceptance of the inevitable since diseases were prevelant and life spans were reduced compared to today.

I think we take things for granted because we have so much available to us. It’s not really our fault. We are a product of our environment.

But I do think we are responsible for our responses to suffering. I think we have to expand our thinking beyond the four walls of our mind and looking at history is crucial.

Some of us look back into history, consider the challenges, and learn from it. If we compartmentalize history with the mindset of “that was then and this is now”, without considering our make-up is really not different than our predecessors, we will be missing something that is meant to help us.

When we lose a loved one, does it help us to consider how our ancestors processed it? Even though wearing black and spending a specific amount of days in mourning occurred, they felt what we feel today.

There is no amount of medical, scientific, or technological advancements that can change the pain. However, today, we have access to help through those entities with medicine, understanding the brain, and access to online resources to help us.

I think one of the best ways to look at death is to consider those men and women who lived throughout the centuries and remember we are “surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses“. There is something about connecting with people that understand. We are strengthened and even comforted.

I believe spirituality is a major component available to us. In the Christian faith, there are promises of hope, comfort, and eternity of being reunited with our loved one. Without this hope, what do we have? We can’t change the fact that if we are honest, we do wonder about life after death.

The Bible says that God has written eternity on our hearts. That means we are hardwired to wonder. What we have to do is respond to it in some way – or not.

Some people get angry at God for allowing bad things to happen. For me, it is very difficult when Christians have a good outcome of prayer and believe God will always give good outcomes. That is not always the case. Some people miraculously survive a car accident while other people do not. We have to do something with this fact. We either ignore it or accept it.

It’s more than just “taking the good with the bad”. We can’t survive only on that thinking. We were created to dig much deepr than that and only God can help.

Why is there suffering? I don’t know. I only know that God promises that one day he will fix it all. He will wipe away every tear and there will be no more sorrow or death.

We were made to look ahead. It doesn’t stop at death.

It begins there.

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optimism isn’t faith.

optimism isn’t faith.

by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 2 Comments

“To choose to be optimistic or pessimistic is to set up a confirmation bias of your own mind to view the world the way you want it.”

-AzaRaskin

I am optimistic by nature. It’s natural for me to have hope and believe for the best.

My favorite chapter in the Bible has always been Hebrews 11, known as the faith chapter. I was inspired by these men and women of faith who believed. They resonated with my optimism and active lifestyle.

After the Jesus Movement of the 60’s, evangelical, charasmatic, and/or non-denominational churches sprung up everywhere. People wanted more of their church experience. Not to be entertained, but to know God in deeper and richer ways, understanding throughout the scripture that God wanted this, too.

Many of these churches emphasized faith and/or word-of-faith.

But faith can really be optimism and not faith at all.

Hebrews 11 lists the exploits of men and women who had faith. They were “history makers” and “moved mountains”… all the things you hear in many churches today. I think this resonates with our Western minds. Compared to other cultures, we excel at burning the candle at both ends.

But then, the end of Hebrews 11 says this:

“They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and hid in caves and holes in the ground.

These were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. God had planned something better for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect.”

What? Why? Look at all they did for God. If this happened to them, could it happen to me? But what about all the promises found in the scripture of God’s protection, etc., etc.? What about the full armor of God? What about asking anything in Jesus’ Name?

Can our faith really be optimism viewing the world the way we want it?

When our world has been shattered, when it didn’t turn out the way we had prayed for, there is no optimism. Only pain and sorrow. But in the abyss, we can find real faith.

It’s not easy for Christians with the sword of the spirit in one hand and the shield of faith in the other hand to hear hard truths.

Faith isn’t based only on good outcomes. There is real suffering that goes on in the world and not everyone who prays in Jesus’ Name receives what they want or need.

If we say one day in His courts is better than a thousand elsewhere, then perhaps one day in the abyss with God is better than anywhere else. Emmanuel, God with us, who promises never to leave us or forget us.

The abyss only reveals Him in the way you’ve wanted to know Him all along. The shadow that hid His face from you for so long is gone. You would never have seen Him completely had you not entered the abyss.

God sees the shattered pieces all around you and promises He will take care of that. If not here, the promise of eternity when He will wipe away every tear.

Amazing how the darkness can show us the true way.

suffering.

suffering.

by Kathleen Moulton

There are many views within churches about suffering.

Over the years, I have found it is human nature to gravitate to a particular view found in the scripture and stay there.

Naturally, those who have faced difficult situations and needed a miracle – whether physical healing, a financial breakthrough, or a relationship restored – tend to see what prayer and faith have done for them. This is their message and they, with good intentions, tell others through encouraging, teaching, or preaching.

My church background wasn’t word-of-faith (Kenneth Copeland, et al) but we did see the healing and restoration Jesus displayed and therefore this was presented with confidence.

In my personal suffering of trying to make ends meet financially, loss of a business, loss of relationships, and more, I often sat wondering at those in my church who stood and testified of what God did for them. I suffered more when I wondered why I was left out of these wonderful answers to prayer. But it didn’t stop with me. I wondered about many others, too.

When we stand up in church and say God healed me, or God spared my loved one from death, the next question is: what about me? Doesn’t God care?

These aren’t only church goers who think this. More importantly, these are people we want to reach with the gospel. People who don’t go to church.

Is our message to them that through faith, every sickness will be healed? Every one we love will be protected? Spared from death? We know this isn’t true so why aren’t we addressing this honestly?

A biblical principal that worked for us can make us inadequate in helping people who are suffering. We think it’s a simple solution to stand on the word of God and have that ever important quality of faith.

Yes, the Bible says much about the importance of faith. But it also says much about suffering.

Problem is, those who have had good outcomes with their faith preach it, as if it is all that is needed. It is an injustice to people to not address the other side of things. Whether it is a small church or a big name preacher on television, people are being misled.

I get it. The Jesus movement of the 70’s ushered in a fresh, vibrant faith in a personal God who is not sitting on a throne somewhere watching the world go by. The Bible came alive, no longer rote prayers or passages that didn’t touch our hearts and minds. Worship took a new expression and one could feel the presence of God. Church wasn’t just for Sundays or Easter. Faith became a life style; a real connection with God.

Denominational churches were felt to be lacking and non-denominational churches sprung up in living rooms across the country. Of course, the denominational churches, if they preached Jesus Christ and him crucified, were our brothers and sisters, too, and not to be dismissed. Yet, I wonder, if in our desire for “God doing a new thing” which is always exciting, some threw the baby out with the bath water; forgot the richness of those hymns and the value of liturgy and ceremony.

Fortunately, there are churches that have learned to combine both. That is because the Church is an ongoing masterpiece referred to as the Bride of Christ. Over the centuries, with each church age, we walk in more light as our eyes are opened to wonderous truths from the scripture.

Yet, there are certainly some, and perhaps there will always be, remnants of pushing faith and exluding suffering, as if it is something God never allows. Hearing that Jesus took our infirmities on the cross and by his stripes we are healed is one scripture often quoted in prayer.

This is a truth. Thing is, I think far too many are left without an explanation when they or their loved one was not healed. There is silence. Then they continue on with their sword of the spirit and the shield of faith because God wants us to be victorious.

Have we thought about how God wants us to be victorious in our pain and suffering? When we didn’t have a good outcome?

The fact that we trust him, find comfort in him, and are able to endure is victorious.

If we are not telling both, we are setting people up for disappointment, disallusionment, and more suffering.

Up next: suffering part 2.

the problem with faith.

the problem with faith.

by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 6 Comments

For years, years, I have been troubled with people who prayed and “believed God” for a miracle, got healed, and proclaimed their experience for others to believe, too.

Don’t misunderstand. I was happy for them. I understood their thankfulness and desire to make known what prayer can do.

I was not troubled with them.

I was troubled with the people who believed God, too, and did not get healed.

In my 40 years of being surrounded and involved with understanding faith and prayer, I can count on one hand how many people have been healed.

We have to do something with this. Because there are a whole lot of people who are confused and discouraged. And I think God cares about this.

I believe in prayer simply because the scriptures are clear.

Yet, I think we should be careful about isolating a scripture and building so much upon it that we have created inaccuracy. Because God cares about those people who were not healed and are broken-hearted.

It only poses questions such as, “Doesn’t God love me?”, “Didn’t I have enough faith?”

I don’t believe God wants that for anyone.

I have struck a balance in my life of praying for good but accepting the bad. Too much either way causes problems.

Many contemporary churches emphasize Bible believing Christians doing greater works than Jesus.  

Hmm. If that were the case, where are all the miracles, healing, and deliverance?

If some can proclaim what they see, some should be able to proclaim what they don’t see. This is not a lack of faith. In fact, I think it reflects a very deep kind of faith which is not based on personal experience, but acknowledges that we do not see and understand everything.

Faith isn’t always visible. Faith can weather many disappointments and still rest firmly on God’s promises, and ultimately, the last chapter of the book when everything concludes:

He will wipe every tear from their eyes.

There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain,

for the old order of things has passed away.

I often think about the people who endured suffering throughout the centuries. Read their biographies. Sing their hymns. They still speak to us today, “the great cloud of witnesses”. What truths did they build their life on that contemporary Christian thinking has all but ignored?

What ever you are facing, let your faith find its place. And while I cannot promise a miracle, I can promise wherever you plant yourself, your roots will go deep and sustain you for the rest of your life…

until God fixes everything in eternity.

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have faith in God.

have faith in God.

by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 1 Comment

Some speak to mountains

and do not doubt

and the people marvel.

Have faith in God.

Some wield a stone

at the impending doom

as the threat falls to the ground.

Have faith in God.

Ravenous lions bow

tumultuous seas rest.

Step out of the boat

and let us see

your faith.

Take a risk.

Stake a claim.

Lights. Camera. Action.

But then the Lord looks down upon

things not seen.

The trusting ones

patient suffering

of trials proving genuine faith

just because you have not seen Him

yet you love Him

still.

Have faith in God.

The unfading beauty of a gentle, quiet spirit

so precious to God.

A cup of water

the extra mile.

A stable

a donkey.

A gentle whisper

a still, small voice.

Have faith in God.

Submition

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do not despair.

do not despair.

by Kathleen Moulton

The earth comes alive with fresh spring colors, celebrating rebirth.

Hidden eggs and colorful candy, butter yellow chicks and soft rabbits.

Cream colored lilies adorning churches.

Daffodils and tulips sway in the breeze.

Best Sunday dresses and ties to match.

Hymns and prayers, messages of hope.

Not everyone joins in the celebration.

A young mother is facing her fourth surgery today.

A family grieves the suicide of their loved one.

A couple have separated.

All around us, people are facing something.

Through faith men have conquered kingdoms

gained what was promised

and shut the mouths of lions.

Quenched flames 

escaped the edge of the sword

and women received their dead back to life again. 

But some did not.

There is suffering in life.

Repulsive, horrific, tragic, tormenting agony.

We question why? How can a “good” God allow such pain?

He did not remove it but God literally left his holiness and stepped into a world of corruption, depravity, and wickedness, in the human form of a man, to save it.

Perhaps it is because without the human form he would have obliterated earth entirely because of his holiness.

God wanted to show his love in a way we could understand. Jesus took on all of the depravity of mankind on the cross.

3 days later he came back to life, showing us He is God.

Who else would have power over death?

This is the hope of those who are happily celebrating today.

This is the hope of those who are not.

How is it that some get answers to prayers?

How is that some do not?

It’s easy to celebrate when there was a good outcome.

It is not easy to celebrate when there wasn’t.

Let’s remember

those who were all commended for their faith

yet none of them received what had been promised

since God had planned something better

so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Hold onto that hope today.

God didn’t give to one and not to you.

God gives those who are suffering comfort and peace.

God sees.

God knows.

God is with you.

God promises that one day, he will make it right.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

-The Bible

close up environment flora ground
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