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CURRENT RADIO SERIES Living in Hope   CURRENT TV SERIES Unchained

As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.                                        --Matthew 24:37-39 In the days of Noah, people were evil…pure and simple. They didn’t obey or respect God, and sin saturated society until things became more and more corrupt and God finally said, “Enough!” Many people wonder what our world today is coming to. Well, as believers in Christ we don’t have to wonder, because the Bible tells us that this world is coming the end and ultimately to God’s judgment. Society is becoming so tolerant of sin and evil that it’s become frightening. People live in fear, wondering whether rogue nations will use chemical or nuclear weapons to fulfill violent and evil intentions. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of hope as we look out at the world scene. But we need to remember Jesus said that just before He returns, the world will get worse and worse, as it did in the days of Noah. And that’s our hope! Jesus is coming back to set things right in this world and redeem those who are His own.  So don’t be afraid of what may lie ahead for this world. God is in control, and nothing can remove His hand from His own! The Request Jesus Refused to Answer by Dr. Paul Chappell “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” Luke 17:5–6 Often during the three years Jesus spent teaching and training His disciples, Jesus was asked to do different things for them. His normal response was to meet their need, whether it was teaching on a particular topic or working a miracle like calming a storm on the Sea of Galilee. But in one instance, Jesus refused to answer the request of the disciples. When they asked for their faith to be increased, Jesus did not lay hands on them and impart faith to them. Instead He told them that a tiny bit of faith—not even the size of a mustard seed, which is quite small, was enough to see a great miracle worked. You see, the problem is not that we need more faith, but that we need to use the faith that we have. If you read the stories of Hebrews 11, you will see imperfect people. Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David all had times of significant sin failures in their lives. Why are these people honored for their faith? Because although they did have times of failure which they confessed to God and repented of, they also faced choices when they believed God and acted in obedience to what He told them to do. We sometimes make the mistake of thinking we must be giants of faith before we can see God work. Instead we simply need enough faith to take the next step in obedience. It is only through action that we receive the benefits of a growing faith. If you have enough faith to pray, you have enough faith to see God work. Today’s Growth Principle:  If you put the faith you have into action today, it will be enough to equip and enable you to honor and serve God.