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The Greatest Tests Present The Greatest Opportunities

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Jared Meredith

There are many circumstances through life that we will encounter that will present themselves as a very obvious trial of our faith. A trial of faith as I have found through personal experience is revealed when it questions the integrity of how much that you trust God with a situation or moment. One day we might find ourselves in a position where it is hard to always say within ourselves, “God I know you are with me” or “God I know this is in your plan for me”, feeling the weight and pressure that life will bring when it proves difficult. There have been many that I have seen growing up through the years that have handled things in a variety of ways, but the persons that stand out the most to me are those who stick to their faith.

It is inspiring because they go against the substance of what would attempt to speak to them to go another way, believe a different opinion. The bible questions our faith in a multitude of ways; even Jesus in the prime moments of breakthrough was often left at the very question of the existence of faith. One of the more direct self-examination questions in the bible speaks to the effect of “which report are you going to believe”, or in other words, where do you put your trust when you are walking in life’s valley?

As for me, I hope to inspire as Job did. Job says, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will defend my own ways before him.” When people or circumstances are the most difficult is when the greatest tests present the greatest opportunity to lead others to Christ!

You Will Not Be Received Everywhere But Will Be Where God Wants You

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Jared Meredith

One of the biggest lessons that I ever had to learn in my life was through a very hard personal experience. I share this testimony to you to speak for and to show how amazing the healing power of God’s spirit works. Or in other words, please read as a person of Godly character.

Since I have been born I have always been in church somewhere. Out of all the places that I have ever attended, there was one that I spent most of my time in. It was the church I grew up in, my heritage, my starting place. It was the venue that I started life in my mothers womb as she played piano at and grew up through the age of accountability. For a space of time once I began to enter into my teen years I had a falling away from church and God all together. In the few times that I made it to church though people loved me and helped me (even when I looked like I didn’t deserve it). However during this time and season I was going back and forth driving by that same place I had grew up all my life in and remembered all of the words and love that I had heard and felt all of my life…but yet a thought began to provoke me: where was the love I needed outside of the building?

As it turns out the same place that I had been educated and led by God to salvation would not be the venue of my prodigal son moment; for as it turned out it was in a place of completely different denomination and people I had never known. In the first few weeks of my deliverance I began to have a great boldness and zeal for God (as we mostly do starting out). I had actually announced my calling to preach and had began working in a few churches. It finally hit me one day, “Why don’t I go by and visit that church?” In doing so I came to discover something that left me greatly confused: not only was the reception different than it used to be but it declined with every visit.

When I realized what God was teaching me, my heart broke. I now knew something I did not know before. As I began phasing out it became evident that the lack of love and support was never to do with where I came from but where I was now. And whether anyone will ever read this or not I am stating it anyway: working together as churches, ministries and people should never be separated by a name on the door or the doctrine it represents. To this day the door has never been opened for me to come and minister to where my heritage began. I’m not grieved, though. In fact to this day I thank God that he appoints my open doors and sends me to places where I can be of help. And to this day I hold nothing against anyone and love each and every person dearly that helped be a part of the earlier years of my life. In fact, I have had an abundant outpouring of those who were rallying for me to continue to grow knowing the circumstance!

In conclusion, here’s what I leave you with today: if you have to leave all that you have known behind to step into your calling and walk in the favor of God, do it! If people will not receive you then let go of the affliction that this would bring (shake the dust from your feet) and move on. Please do not ever let anything be as a hindrance to the true will of God for your life!

Don’t Be Afraid Of The Wind

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Jared Meredith

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Every single day, whether you be near or far in the world, we are all faced with hardships. And when these hardships have something to do with an object or person that is of worth to you, and something or someone else comes against it in some way, the experience that you deal with to go through it is what I like to call a trial. The size of the trial can vary, as well as what the trial involves. It could be something that affects your health, your finances, your family, your friends, so long as it is personal, it matters to you and your life.

When it comes to trials that are to do with our personal lives, we’ll do just about anything to make sure there is a good outcome. I have found that without being aware, more often than we would like to admit, that we completely leave our faith out of our trials all together. And in most of the cases, I have found from personal experience that doubt was ever present.

I want to bring a scripture into all of this before I go any further:

Matthew 14:22-33

[22] And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
[23] And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
[24] But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
[25] And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
[26] And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
[27] But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
[28] And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
[29] And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
[30] But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
[31] And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
[32] And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
[33] Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

So many times, we have the opportunity to remind ourselves every day through prayer and the word of God that we serve that Savior that “is I”, who will catch us when we sink. Instead, we act as the disciples most of the time, leaving our faith on the boat, complaining, being in a troubled spirit, not believing, and doubting most of all.

There is even a good portion of us who won’t even get out of the boat when that voice is bidding us to step out on the calling on our life. We doubt what we have inside of us, constantly questioning, and yet it was the one, “it is I”, who put the gift in there to begin with, remember?

There is a few out there, who will actually step out into the waters of the spirit, and get out there and begin to start working in their gifts, and as the winds around them begin to push them around, with the winds as a metaphor to the trials that they face as a worker in the church today, most of the time the only thing we can say is “LORD SAVE ME!”. And you know what? That’s totally okay!

I want us all to start getting out of that boat, with the boat standing for fear of being obedient to what God would have called in your life to do, and start stepping out there, for the scripture put it best:

“O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”

The most important part of all of this is that at the end of the day, the God that we serve will make the winds cease, and bring peace to the waves that crash all around you. In other words, those trials that we deal with would not be near as bad if we step out with more faith and less doubt. Believe that when you step out to face all the hardships in your life that Jesus is at the end of the trial waiting, and that victory is that the end, and if you should feel yourself begin to sink, he WILL catch you, for the Bible says he will never leave nor forsake you! God Bless You All!