I never set out to live by faith. It really started when I went to Howard Payne University. I leaned on God heavily in my studies and to pay off my tuition. I did not come from a rich family and most of the time I was in school nobody ever sent me money. I worked. Yet all my working wages could not pay off that tuition. Back at Howard Payne if your bill was not paid in full before final exams you were not allowed to take them.

One evening I was in a prayer group and made mention of this dilemma. We prayed for God's provision. That set my life on a course I never planned. The life of faith. God met that financial need. I don't remember how but I do remember how I knew God heard my desperate prayer and met the need.

That same scenario repeated itself while I was in school. I once even had a family I attended church with sell a horse and use the money to pay off the remainder of my summer tuition. That same family gave me an old car when I could not afford one of my own. I look back on those times with fond memories. They were building blocks of faith.

I did not anticipate my life would take on the same pattern into my adult years. All I ever wanted to do was to walk with God, follow Him, and fulfill my ministry. I have tried. Over and over again in following God I have been forced to trust Him. It is not that I wanted to live a life of faith. Living by faith started as a necessity and has remained a necessity. I have often longed for a safe, secure, and normal life.

God's path for me has always led me off the beaten trail at some point or another. There have been times when I walked off the beaten path on my own initiative. Yet, I have seen God come through time and time again. The life of faith soon became a normal part of the Edwards family. We have been forced to rely on Him. We have also sought to testify about His faithfulness. It is engrained in our DNA though we have longed to have it differently at times.

Well, this pattern does not appear to be changing anytime soon. Once again God is leading me to a step of faith. The Kermit Shake The City Revival. We will begin on June 6 of next year. We do not have a place to meet. There are no funds for a revival. No sound equipment. There are not even many people to make preparations for an upcoming revival. Yet, I have a clear mandate from God to go to Kermit and hold a revival meeting. It is another step of faith. I guess I ought to be used to those steps by now.

Another step trusting God to come through. Only He can bring revival. Only He can provide a meeting space. Only He can meet the other needs. So, here we go again. There is no turning back. Another step of faith and another opportunity to testify about God's faithfulness.

Could It Be?

Could it be that we are as close to God as we want to be? After all God said He would be found if we searched for Him with all our hearts. [Jer 29:13] Could it be we do not have revival because we are content to live without it? [II Chron 7:14] Could it be that we do not share the gospel because we do not truly care that people are perishing headed for hell? [Rom 5:8-9]

Could it be that we do not pray because we are too lazy? [Matt 6:5-7] Could it be that we do not live in holiness because we tolerate compromise in our behavior? [I Pet 1:15-16] Could it be that we are not faithful in our church attendance because we do not find church attendance vitally important but optional. [Heb 10:23-25]

There are a lot of could it be questions. It is easy to cast blame on others or our circumstances for our weak walks with the Lord. Accountability lies at our door. Could it be that the Lord is calling us to wake up from our spiritual slumber? Could it be that God is summoning us off the bench on the sidelines to actually get in the game of life and labor for Him? Could it be that we get entangled with the affairs of this world that hinders our running the race for Him? [Heb 12:1-2] Could it be that we too easily forget that we will give account of our lives in eternity. [I Cor 3:10-15]

These are sobering questions for serious minded followers of Jesus. Time is running short. May we redeem the time while we still can. May we not grow weary in doing good and may we not lose heart. [Gal 6:9]