Faith gives us courage to face the uncertainties of the future.
—Martin Luther King, Jr.
People of God are to be full of faith. Romans 12:3 tells us that we have each been given a measure of it. In the simplest of terms, faith is abandoning ourselves to God.
F For
A All
I I
T Trust
H Him
We do so many things in faith, but we do not often recognize that we are operating in faith. Each time you turn on a light switch or a faucet you expect, in faith, that you will have power or water. After all, you have tried it before and it has always worked.
But when it comes to the things of God, we are so unsure, and we often fail to exercise the measure of faith we have been given. We look around at others and feel like God used a measuring cup for their faith, but for us He used a teaspoon—or worse yet, an eye dropper!
Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 that all we needed was faith the size of a grain of mustard seed (which is an extremely small seed) to speak to a mountain and it would move.
True people of God don’t settle for mustard seed faith.
They increase their faith by hearing and reading the Word of God (See Rom. 10:17). True people of God make every effort to add to their faith (See 2 Peter 1:5). True people of God operate in faith birthed from the love of God that has been shed abroad in their hearts (See Rom. 5:5).
You’ve got it and the world needs it.
Stir yourself up in your most holy faith this week and take it to the streets—to the people around you who need Jesus. You have the faith you need, so add to it and then get out there and make a difference in your world!
Excerpt permission granted by Albury Publishing
Carman Domenic Licciardello is an enigma in Christian music, often described as part evangelist, part Vegas Showman. His concerts were more like a rock and roll Billy Graham Crusade than a Christian music event. After all the singing, dancing, clapping, and preaching, crowds of people would stream down to the counseling area to accept Christ-many times as many as 5,000 in an evening.
Admission was usually free; a simple offering was taken, similar to 30,000 churches on Sunday mornings. And he filled the largest stadiums the world over. Carman held the record for the largest Christian concert ever in Dallas, Texas. But it even goes beyond that. Take the Mega Stadium acts that played the famed landmark such as Pink Floyd, U 2, Madonna, The Jackson Five, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and even Metallic. As the newspapers noted, you'll see that the one-act that drew the highest attendance in Texas Stadium was Carman, with 71,132.
Carman (1956-2021) was a popular contemporary Christian singer and songwriter.
Born Carman Licciardello, he began recording under his first name and released his debut album in 1980. Carman began charting contemporary Christian hits in 1984 with "Sunday's on the Way," reaching No. 1 with "The Champion" (1986) and "Radically Saved" (1988). His other hit songs include "Lord of All," "Jesus Is the Light," and "Satan, Bite the Dust!" Carman reportedly holds the world record for the largest audience at a Christian concert. His popularity was at its height in the 1980s and early '90s, but he continued releasing albums for years, including his most recent release, 2014's "No Plan B." In 2018, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
