Red Hot Faith giveaway by Cindy Bultema
Today I am excited for you to meet my close friend and prayer pal Cindy Bultema who is guest posting on having faith that is Red Hot. Can I get an Amen? {I am on Cindy’s personal prayer team and she is on mine. I pray for her children and marriage and she prays for mine. Our combined seven kids and two hubbies owe us each a new pair of jeans because the knees on the ones we own now are worn right through!}
This girl lives her message and I am excited to have her share that message with you here. {Be sure to leave a comment on today’s post for a chance to win a leader’s pack, which includes the DVD teaching (8 lessons) plus leader’s guide and participant guide.}
Now meet Cindy.
Cindy loves the Lord, loves her family, and loves to celebrate! With nearly 20 years of ministry experience, Cindy is a popular women’s speaker, author, and Bible teacher. But don’t let her cheerful smile fool you—Cindy has endured single parenting, overcome bondage to addiction, and survived tragic loss. Sharing messages of God’s hope and redemption is now Cindy’s great delight. Her video-driven Bible study, Red Hot Faith: Lessons from a Lukewarm Church, was released in July 2014. Cindy lives in Michigan with her husband and their four kids.
Most days you can find Cindy walking her dog Rocky, attending one of her boys’ hockey games, or serving hot lunch at her kids’ school.
Is your faith life more fired up or fizzled out? How I long for a faith life filled with purpose, passion, spark, and meaning but truth be told —most days I feel caught up in the whirlpool of life. After long days jam-packed with a house full of kids, never-ending chores, and our zany dog—I barely have energy to change the sheets, much less change the world.
Maybe when my family life slows down, then I should serve. When I lose weight, then I’ll be more comfortable sharing my story. Or when I learn more Scripture verses, then I’ll be a better Bible teacher. In the meantime, it’s easy to settle into a lukewarm routine, filling my days being busy with “good” things, while allowing the “best” opportunities God has for me to pass on by.
I wonder if you can relate. You read about women who are moving mountains with their faith, blogging to billions, caring for orphans, and you want that life! You declare “Use me, Lord!” But when it’s time to talk to your neighbor, sign up to serve, or pray for the hurting friend, you hide behind your badge of busyness and settle in to accept comfort over calling, simplicity over serving, hiding instead of hospitality. Thankfully God never intended for “lukewarm” to become our norm.
I’ve found the key to living with fresh passion and purpose tucked in a letter to the ancient church of Laodicea, also known as Revelation 3:14-22. The people in that church were not very different from you and me today. They struggled with being lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—and Jesus had the perfect remedy for their lackluster faith.
Sweet friend, what if God has purpose for us in the midst of our most mundane days? What if we went from just “believing in God” to allowing Him to ignite every part of our faith lives? Let’s learn from the lukewarm church and say “no” to lives of complacency, staleness, and stagnation and instead pursue a life of Red Hot Faith!
Visit Cindy at www.cindybultema.com.
Now for the giveaway.
Someone will win Cindy’s Red Hot Faith leader’s pack. Leave a comment on how you said ‘NO’ to mundane living and yes to living a life of Red Hot Faith.
I’ve said NO to the mundane…by teaching my daughters the importance of having faith and a daily dependence on GOD! Not having the faith in the world…
In all honesty, my way to get out of the lukewarm status, was to start really digging deeper into my Bible studies, praying more, reading more Scriptural books. I would love to have this study next, so I can blazing hot for God more so than I am already am.
I have one child going to college this year, the other changing schools, my almost 81 year old mother living with me and a wonderful husband. Boy did the “when the things at home settle down” hit me right between the eyes! There needs to be more and this study sounds like it would get the fire started!!
My walk has been such a power struggle recently! Me wanting to control my life as it feels like it’s spinning out of control. God wanting me to surrender. Me longing to surrender but clinging to my need to feel like I have some control in an out of control place. But in the midst of struggling…I said yes. To leading a summer women’s study. Even the time of preparation felt like it was spinning away from me. God is working on my heart to not grasp tightly, but to let go and let God. To burn and yearn for Him completely. With Red Hot Faith! And it is a daily choice and daily surrendering!
I need to learn how to say no to the mundane. I’ve been sucked into the whirlpool of “busyness” and I feel like this cycle is never ending.
I said no to the mundane faith life by changing churches….what a difference that made for me.
I have found that the key to keeping my faith alive and vibrant is to pretty much continually do a structured Bible study. I need the accountability of a weekly meeting and being consistently in God’s Word always encourages me and keeps my faith Red Hot! Thanks!
For the last couple of years I have been working toward becoming the woman and the person God intended for me to be.
This has meant learning a lot about myself that I really didn’t like and letting go of issues and patterns of behavior that were learned in response to someone who was not very healthy themselves.
I have a deep desire to be on fire and have that red-hot faith. I really want to see God’s hand in every situation and to see his presence every where I go and with every person I meet.
I’ve finally realized that I can be God’s ambassadori in every situation that I encounter. It doesn’t have to be life-changing mountaintop moments but can be in the every day seemingly mundane things.
My goal is to be joyful, strong, and brave as I live out my life being who I am supposed to be!
I found myself in a situation I wanted out of but my circumstances didn’t change for six years. I could so easily have felt sorry for myself and withdrawn into myself. The best way I found to improve my attitude and forget my disappointments was to live a faith on fire. My ministry efforts took off during this time. Helping others helped me when I needed it the most.
I was working in a mundane job and not feeling like I was being used to the fullest in service for God. I took the leap of faith and left my good paying job to work in ministry. There have been many bumps along the way, but God has been good and I am learning regardless of what I “DO” He loves me so dearly.
I would love to share this with my church. I need something to help strengthen my prayer life and this could help.
Many years ago God began teaching me about loving people right where they are. It’s not my responsibility (or ability for that matter) to change anyone except myself. With God’s help, I love His people, which is everyone; homeless people, people of different denominations/beliefs……..people. All people. Every person has a need and desire to be loved. Every. Person.
I have recently, with the help of my pastor, stepped out of my comfort zone and started a weekly lunchtime Bible study with a few other working ladies in my church. The purpose is to encourage each other, accountability, mentoring, and disciple making (disciples making disciples who will make disciples – Matthew 28:18-20.)
I said “no” to mundane living when my husband and I adopted our two sons. That was five years ago and life has never been the same! I truly believe that God would have used me in other ways had we not invited two little boys into our home, but I cannot imagine my days without them! Prior to this life-changing event, my husband and I were fully entrenched in the located ministry and busy with church activities. Though we are still in the ministry, my focus has shifted somewhat due to more responsibilities at home. Thus I have many times felt like I’m not doing “enough”. I really need some ‘Red Hot Faith’ to boost my lukewarm-ness and get back to the heart of what really matters in life.
In this season of life it is not fighting where God has put me but rather accepting it and His will, not fighting it, trusting Him and serving faithfully where he has put me.
I think what helps me to either get going or continue to ‘go’, especially when it is about something mundane or when I am ready to move on to the next chapter of my life (in my opinion :) ) is the verse that says ‘do everything as you do unto the Lord’- and somehow it uplifts and inspires…because He sees it all, and he probably equally appreciates our small and big contributions to the Kingdom, while on earth they indeed may seem of a different scale.
often feels hard to have that in the suburbs, when I think of big faith, I think of missionary life. it’s the obedience in the daily grind that’s so tough to maintain!
After being a pastor’s wife for 30+ years, partial retirement has felt hard. I want to have a ‘Red Hot Faith’ to impart to my grandchildren as well as other women I come in contact with. Interesting timing as I am preparing to speak next spring at a retreat group of dear women I know. Thanks!
I wish I could say I’ve said yes to living a life of Red Hot Faith. but I feel I’m stuck in this holding pattern. Getting ready to start a Bible Study – maybe this is the one for us. Thanks for the timely post.
I’m helping to lead our children’s ministry at our church. I’m not exactly sure how it all happened, but I went from being a reluctant assistant to an excited curriculum planner, and it’s neat to see things growing and happening!
I have been quilty of believing my age determines my usefulness:( Too many 60+ women think they retire … we retire from secular world work, but NEVER from God’s work. After spending large amounts of quality time, just me and God, I know that He has even bigger plans for my life, now that I have more time! I would love to experience this study!
I am learning to say “NO” to the mundane living now that I’m experiencing more migraines, unexplained illnesses, and more self-induced stress. The busyness had kept me from spending adequate time with God. I could be totally off base, but I believe He’s trying to get my attention by allowing certain things to happen. He requires more than praise and worship in the car, Sunday worship or reading a devotional between breaks at work.
I’m really needing to get the Fire back !! I think that the RedHot Fire Series would help !
I would like to win this pack and do the study with a women’s group at church that I’m a part of. In answer to the question I’m going to be honest and say I know for a fact my faith hasn’t been red hot lately. I am doing better in the area of spending time with God which I know is a first step to having a faith like You described. One thing that may seem small but is a big step for me is that I’m going to step up and help for a week at VBS at my church. For me, this will require much but I believe God wants me too. I have 3 chronic illnesses and as an added bonus back trouble. Morning tends to be one of my most painful times of day so I will have to have much faith that God will uphold me during the week and each hour of VBS so I can be a help during this week so that many children will be able to hear God’s truth. May God help me and may I have faith that I’m doing what God wants and faith that God will hold me up during this next week..
I said no to mundane living when I step outside of my walls (comfort zone) and it into an unknown world- teaching 4th grade. Who knew I would love it?! :)