Jake Provance's Blog

Crisis can shrink God in our minds. Sometimes pain can confuse us into seeing the Father as a silent observer instead of an active participant. When the bottom falls out (and it sometimes does), the Father does not stand on the rim of the pit and shout instructions. He climbs down.

As of Tuesday morning, Raymond Provance, (Jake’s grandfather, Keith’s father) crossed over and met Jesus. It was difficult to write that...

Good evening, partners, I pray the same faithful Lord who has carried me is carrying each of you tonight. It’s been one of those  weeks....

Think of prayer like a phone call. Most people dial God up when they need something, have their conversation, and then—click—hang up.

Check out the Introduction from our Latest Book:

In the year 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés landed on the shores of what is now Mexico, tasked with the monumental mission of conquering a vast and unknown territory. Faced with an immense challenge and sensing the hesitation among his men, Cortés made a decision that would become legendary: he ordered his fleet of ships to be burned. By setting these ships aflame, Cortés removed the possibility of retreat, thus anchoring his men’s resolve to one outcome—victory. Though his goal and even his character were questionable, this decisive act would become the hallmark expression for taking irreversible steps toward achieving a monumental goal: “Burn the Ships.”

In our lives, the principle of “no retreat” challenges us to confront our obstacles and adversities with steadfast faith and determination. Living a no-retreat lifestyle means setting ablaze our past mistakes, our fears of the unknown, and the excuses that keep us tethered to doubt, inaction, and mediocrity. It calls us to dismiss fallback plans, to press onward even under duress, and to navigate through life’s rugged, muddy terrains. This approach doesn’t just alter our circumstances; it transforms us.

Like blades forged in fire, our souls are tempered with every act of faith and reliance on God we undertake. Each moment of trust and each decision guided by the Word of God strengthens our spirit, akin to a sword being carefully shaped and strengthened in the flames of a forge. In this process, our souls are not malleable to the whims of circumstance; they are shaped by the deliberate touch of our Father. Unyielding, we become agents of change, capable of transforming our circumstances rather than being transformed by them. We live life from the inside out, radiating a strength and a purpose that originate from our deep, forged connection with God.

Life is not a rehearsal; it’s a one-shot performance on the grandest of stages. God has a unique and significant role for you to play. All He asks from you is that you play it from the heart. In the words of Beethoven,

“To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.”

It requires heart to focus on what matters most, to push through the demands of crisis, to trust God with every fiber of your being. As you turn the pages ahead, I invite you to draw closer to Jesus, to delve deeply into what He has revealed in the Bible, and to temper your soul with His words. This journey requires effort and the willingness to discover what God has in store for you, to explore the transformative work He can accomplish in you and through you. Will you join me in this endeavor? Will you read on and take decisive steps to lay to rest the excuses, fears, and past mistakes that have long plagued your life? The path ahead is not merely about passively reading a book—it’s about taking action. It’s about embodying the principles you uncover in these pages, about living a life marked by courage, faith, and no retreat.

“Yea, Hath God Said?” - The Serpent, Gen 3:1

Before man could fall, the serpent had to call into question God's Word. God’s Word has always been the cure to the serpent of sin. Adam and Eve’s only response should have been:

“Yea, God hath said.” And then they should have walked away from the treacherous, insidious thief of man.

Alas, they did not—and alas, many of us to this day still have not. Yes, even in this hour, in the age of redemption and grace, we still allow bondage to grip us with the same faithless and doubt filled question:

“Hath God said?”

The serpent will use circumstances, people, and anything and everything to get you to question the Word of God. His chief tactic is to convince you that He (God) doesn’t exist, doesn’t care, or is mysterious and unknowable.

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Heb 11:6)

He will always root his arguments in the natural, he will try to convince you to do the same and live by what your five senses tell you, which is a faithless existence.

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

Faith is eternal. It is the proof of that eternal. It is unseen. It is everlasting. When your trust is rooted in the natural it isn’t faith.

“Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].” Heb 11:1

THIS is Faith! This is what Satan wants to separate you from. When this faith is present, and when your trust is rooted in God, then though the waves and wind rage, though you watched two people die from the heat(Dan.3:16-30), though there be a giant before you(1Sam.17)—you will walk on water, meet Jesus in the fire, and slay the giant.

Satan will use everything in his power for you to ground you in the natural. He will devalue the Word; spread stories of people who are well-known that died. He’ll spread misinformation; he’ll lie to your face. He will do whatever he can to get you to either cast your confidence in God away or misplace it onto something in this world.

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” Heb. 10:35-36

It is not the economy, your family, that rich person you know, your job, your doctor, your lawyer, or whoever else you may be tempted to place your hope upon. God alone is your salvation. He is the one who will rescue you. He may use said people to do it. But if every person fails you—if they all come up empty—when your faith is in God, you remain steady, unmoved, at peace, and full of joy. So what if they fail, whatever the consequences, God is bigger.

Don’t let Satan separate you from your faith. Don’t live a roller coaster lifestyle. From one emergency to the next, from one crisis to another, placing your confidence, security, and trust in the temporary means of this world. Place it in the eternal. Place it on God.

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.  “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:22-24

Jesus is waxing eloquently here trying to tickle His disciples’ ears. He’s speaking with emphatic truth. If you will root your faith in God, instead of this world, then from now until you cross over to be with Him, you will never once have need for fear again. Don’t misunderstand, Satan will still come around:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

And he brings with him symptoms that threaten a lethal conclusion—when he comes after your job and you stand on the precipice of financial and physical ruin with your beautiful family looking at you with fear in their eyes. Yet, even in the day of evil, you hadn’t any need for fear, and you know exactly what to do. Here are your marching orders:

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then,” Ephesians 6:13-14a

God is Faithful. When you stand, and you are looking to Him with your faith, He will deliver you.

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” Thes. 3:3

So, recognize and root out any area in your heart that has been depending on things other than your God. Even though adam and eve failed, when the serpent came asking his insidious question, Jesus did not. When satan came to tempt Him in the same way adam and eve was tempted, we all know His famous response... "It is written"...(Mat.4:4)

So next time your situation tempts your thoughts tend towards fear instead of faith quote the scripture that has been written about it, and remind that foul serpent what God hath said, and then be at peace and of good cheer because:

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." - Jesus (John16:33)

I’ve heard the term “born again” since I was old enough to remember. It’s become such a common phrase that even unbelievers would recognize that it is a phrase referring to a new Christian. I had been so desensitized to the simple but profound meaning waiting behind this phrase by how often I heard it and how synonymous it is with a conversion experience to Christianity.

The simple truth is: we are like newborn babies to God.

There are so many comparisons to be made and realized between the role of a newborn child and us, and the role of a father and God. It is not a mistake that Jesus referred to God as the Father many times. God truly is the perfect father figure, and we truly are the fussy newborn. I recently just had my first child, and wow, what a ride it has been. The amount of effort that is required to raise a newborn is astonishing. There is no give and take in our relationship; it is all give. And I’m happy to give everything I got for that boy. Every single minute detail in his life is depending on me, and he has no idea how to even ask properly for what he needs.

I can’t help but wonder, now that I’ve experienced this, how many times has God changed our diapers, and in the process of wiping us clean and placing a new diaper on us, did we immediately have another “blowout”? Feeding our baby needs to happen every two to three hours, and our baby will cry and be super upset until he gets his milk. The Bible draws this parallel for us actually:

“ Like newborn babies [you should] long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may be nurtured and grow in respect to salvation [its ultimate fulfillment]” -1 Peter 2:2 AMP

How many times have we cried and cried until God had to tell us the truth in the Bible, and we could have skipped the whole fussy process and just enjoyed the milk by going to the Word. The Bible is chalked full of this relationship we share as sons and daughters of God the Father. Every time the Bible calls God “Father,” there is a comparison being made. Every time you see us being referred to as “children,” there is a comparison being made. I’ve lived for over thirty years, and this little one is only a little over a week old. How much longer has the Father lived than us? How much of a difference there has been.

There are many more comparisons I could make and many more Scriptures I could draw upon to bring light to this truth, but to list them all would distract from the one central truth that I believe the Lord wants to get to you today:

The Love of a Father.

Instantly, when my child was born, I felt a love that was different than any other kind of love that I had experienced thus far. All love that I had experienced up until this point was a gradual love. It was a love that was built on trust and consistent action, proving a reciprocal relationship. When my now wife and I were dating, we didn’t start out in love with each other; we built on our relationship until we loved each other. Even as a son with my parents, I loved them, but only because they loved me first. Sound familiar?:

“We love Him because He first loved us.” -1 John 4:19 NKJV

The love I felt for my son was instant and overwhelming. It was as if God took the slightest sliver of His love and placed it in me for my son. I couldn’t see straight as my heart was overflowing with love for my son. There is nothing he could give me; I would give him everything. There is nothing my son could do for me; I’d do everything for him. There is no title, position, or possession he could obtain to increase my love for him; I love him regardless of it all. I understood: This is how God feels towards us. There is only one thing that I want from my son, and that is to be near him. If he’s in pain, I want him to tell me so I can fix it for him. If he’s crying, I want to soothe him. If he’s dirty, because he made himself dirty, when it's nobody’s fault but his own, I want to wash away all the filth and make him clean. I love my boy, and so does God.

When you are born again, you become a newborn, a new spiritual creation; you become brother to Christ and son to God. Your old self is no more:

Therefore if any person is ingrafted in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old previous moral and spiritual condition has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! -2 Corinthians 5:17 AMPC

Blessings,

Jake

P.S. Here is the story in the Bible where we get the phrase “born again.”

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” -John 3:1-8 NKJV

God wants to help you in every area of your life. It isn't that He is only interested in helping you when it is helping Him. Many of the Christian faith have come to the conclusion that God only blesses when it suits Himself to do so. He only brings money into our hands because he expects that money to be used to further His Kingdom. The issue with this philosophy, as holy as it may sound, is that it misses the rest of the story in the Bible. Did God send Christ so that God Himself could benefit? Of course not! It was pure love that caused Christ to come to the Earth, not a mercenary act. God does want us to use our resources, health, and influence to further the Gospel; He wants us to want to do it too, but the blessing of the Lord does not have strings attached. God gives freely, and out of that free gift, we then give freely because we want to do as our Father has done. This is the true form of the Gospel.

God can send you some money for no other reason but to bring you joy. Somewhere along the way, we have bought into the lie that we have to negotiate with God, saying things like, "Lord, if you'll send me money, you know I'll tithe off of it. Lord, if you heal my body, then I'll serve at the shelter. Lord, if you fix my marriage, then I'll go to church. Lord, if you help my kid, then..." The list could go on and on, and that very prayer has a different implication than we dare to admit. The implication is, "You don't love me enough, are not big enough, or good enough, to help me with this situation unless you get something in return."

Could you imagine actually saying that to our Father who didn't even spare His own Son for our sake?

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" - Romans 8:32 NKJV

My challenge to you is to eliminate these types of "mercenary" prayers and thoughts from your life. God may have mercy on young Christians who have prayed a prayer like this, who haven't read their Bible and haven't had a chance to know the Lord yet. But as for those of us who have come to know and love God personally, then this kind of implication has no place in our life. The truth is you can ask God for help for no other reason than your own enjoyment.

"Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." - John 16:24 NKJV

If you're a parent, or if not, put yourself in their shoes for a moment. When you give something to your kid, do you do so because you expect them to give you something in return? When you nurse that baby and provide and shelter them, do you do so because you expect them one day to do good things to and for you? Or do you do these things because you love them? We've made it too complicated, and we've made our faith a mercenary arrangement instead of an unwavering trust working by love, aimed at the heart of God.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" - Matthew 7:7-11 NKJV

Start looking at God as your loving Father instead of just an employer. Start looking at your covenant with Him as a marriage instead of a contractual arrangement for mutual benefit. God doesn't need us, but we need Him. So every act that He has ever done for us, or asked us to do, has always and will always be motivated by love. He made us because He wanted to; He wanted kids and has moved heaven and earth for us. Walk with Him daily, talk to Him daily, ask Him for help, for things that you would like just because you would enjoy them. Believe that He will, and you'll begin to see the Lord in a way that you haven't before.

Water, in its vast expanse and unpredictability, often serves as a poignant metaphor for the challenges and uncertainties of life. I know that can sound a bit wordy, but it is no less true, so let's unpack it a bit. Whether there is a storm raging or not, the slightest movement causes water to move and take on different shapes. Our life, with all the thousands of tiny differences that occur from one day to the next, fluctuates and flows like water. It is anything but a solid foundation. It's no wonder why the vast majority of the world feels as though it takes all of their efforts just to stay afloat. Truthfully, their efforts might better be described as attempting to swim while barely keeping their head above the water. When a storm actually does descend, their true desperation begins to show, with a violent struggle to regain the painful equilibrium they once managed instead of this newfound disaster.

The missing ingredient in all of this is stability. Many seek to foster stability through money. With enough money, you can melt away all your problems; you can eat what you want, live where you want, and buy what you want. Any new wave or strong gale that would blow, you can toss money at it. You can pay others to deal with all of your problems. But money isn't stability, nor the answer to the weariness you feel in your heart brought on by a lifetime of brokenness and struggle. Sadly, and often, it takes someone acquiring money to realize that it isn't the answer. Many await a financial windfall, pinning their dreams and prayers on it. With enough money then they can relax cause then they don't have to be concerned from day to day and month to month about all the finical drains that come with living.

They mistakenly place hope in money for a brighter future, rather than finding hope in Christ for a better today. Rather your Bank account reads 0 or in the millions, you can know today, that your bills are paid, that your body is well, and that your family is protected. You can have a peace that passes understanding, a joy that surpasses expression, and a foundation more stable than the ground underneath your feet.

Money can't buy you peace, joy, or meaning. Billionaires would give away their entire fortune at the end of their lives just for another year to live, whether they come to old age or an incurable illness. They'd give every dime they had to save a loved one, who died prematurely. They use their money to distract themselves from the painful truth, cause it can't fix the real problem. Money isn't the solution, nor is it the problem, only a tool. There is one answer to this life of constant fluctuations.

Faith in God.

We were never meant to swim, struggle, and fight violently for our next breath. We were meant to walk above it all.

"Lord, if it's you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!'" - Matthew 14:28-30 (NIV)

With every step that Peter took towards Christ, he was doing what the world would consider impossible. He was walking on water. He found stability where there was none. He found the strength to press on when there seemed no way to do so. He left the rest of his peers on the boat. He walked the way Jesus did, by faith. He placed his stability on the word of God. Because even though the water was changing every millisecond into a new pattern, the word of God that beckoned him onto the water remained constant, immovable, and unshakable.

He walked as we are to walk:

By Faith.

This is not a theme the Bible was quiet about:

"...this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith." -1 John 5:4

"...The just shall live by faith." -Romans 1:17

"Now the just shall live by faith." -Hebrews 10:38

"...the just shall live by his faith." -Habakkuk 2:4

"...The just shall live by faith." -Galatians 3:11

"...For we walk by faith, not by sight." -2 Corinthians 5:7

Your life will forever be evolving and changing. Your joy, your peace, your self-worth, your purpose, and your attitude doesn't have to, though. We were never meant to thrash, grapple, and gasp for breath amidst life's challenges.

We were meant to trust in the Lord and be like a tree planted by water:

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV): "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

We were meant to trust in God and make Him the anchor for our souls:

Hebrews 6:17-19 (NIV) Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,

We were meant to build our Lives upon His Word:

Matthew 7:24-25 (NIV): "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."

Faith in God is the answer you've been looking for. So, where do you begin to start living by faith?

Take the first step out of the boat like Peter did, forget what everyone on the boat is saying or thinking about you, and fix your eyes on Jesus. Don't live your life to please others; live your life to please Jesus. Go to the last thing you felt He said to you, and do it. It may be tithing, getting up early, showing up to work on time, holding down a job, or volunteering at church. The first step of faith is often a lot less dramatic but no less significant. Eventually, there will be a time, or better yet, an opportunity, for you to step out onto the waters of impossibility; I pray you take that step!

The next thing to focus on is Jesus. There is a fight to be had: the Fight of Faith. It's not a struggle to stay afloat, nor is it a battle to repel the storm with vigor. Instead, it's a fight to keep your eyes on Jesus, to concentrate on the Word of God, and to trust Him regardless of the chaos surrounding you. That's your challenge.

You might feel symptoms in your body, roaring like the wind or waves crashing so violently that your own thoughts are drowned out. Perhaps you see a massive wave of doubt approaching, whispering, "Not this time. God might have been there for you before, you might have stood firm, but not now. Do you see the magnitude of this challenge? There's no way you can withstand it." From afar, you might hear voices from the boat yelling, "Come back! You can't maintain this path; return to safety!"

But no matter what, don't glance back, disregard the howling wind, and overlook the impending wave. Focus entirely on the Word of God. When Peter's gaze was set on Jesus, he accomplished the unimaginable. However, the instant he noticed the storm around him, doubt crept in. Similarly, when we divert our attention from God to our challenges, we begin to falter. Always keep your eyes on Him.

And finally, realize the character of whom you are trusting. Even when you mess up, there's an immediate rescue that takes place. Even when Peter began to drown in his doubt, he knew where to turn. His cry, "Lord, save me!" is a heartfelt plea we can all resonate with. And Jesus, in His boundless mercy, was quick to save. Remember, no matter how deep you sink, a sincere call to Jesus can lift you up.

"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." - Psalm 34:17 (NIV)

Friends, storms are an inevitable part of our journey. They can be tumultuous and terrifying. But take heart in the fact that amidst these storms stands Jesus, inviting us to step out in faith, to defy the odds, to walk on water.

Today, let Peter’s walk inspire you. Be bold, take that step, focus on Jesus, and always remember, even in your weakest moments, His hand is extended, ready to rescue. Stay steadfast, for with Christ, we can overcome even the fiercest of storms.

I Hate Discouragement. I’ve been there… Your faith feels like it is on hospice. The only bravery you have left is in the face you put on for others (which helps you feel fake and isolated). Not very pleasant already. But then, the obnoxious thing preys on your insecurities and inadequacies and makes everyday life the ugliest shade of gray. Spend any time with the thing and you begin to settle for lesser desires, dreams, and destinations.

It is a sad thing to find oneself discouraged. If you have ever felt like this or if you are currently feeling like this, I write to you today to let you know that you are not as messed up as you think. Trust me, I believe we all deserve a slap and a good kick in the rear from time to time, but luckily Jesus took care of the punishment side of things for our sins at the cross. So, the moment we ask God for forgiveness, then we receive it and boom… no more punishment. Praise God for His mercy. The only things left for us to deal with are Satan and ourselves. Satan got whipped down in hell by Jesus for three days, so though he can hinder and tempt us, we technically have him whipped already too. So, I guess the only thing we have to deal with now… is ourselves. Don’t worry, I think we have all messed up this part plenty.

For the time being though, put your discouragement on hold. Give yourself a break for a second, forget about the problems, how you are going to fix your money issues, how you are going to make that life altering decision, etc.... and take a deep breath. Take a step back from your situation, and read on with a clear mind. You don’t have to understand everything to understand that God loves you and will take care of you. His goodness and mercy are vast.

Child of God, put plainly, anything you are dumb enough to mess up, God is smart enough to make brand new. God’s bigger than you are little. The worst sin you’ve ever committed doesn’t even compare to the weight of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. There is no hole so deep that God’s love can’t reach in and rescue you. I know you feel like you’ve let Him down, but you haven’t. Not because He wasn’t counting on you, but because you weren’t propping God up to let Him down in the first place. God is God all by Himself. Don’t sell your Daddy short. He is well able to take care of it, and most of the time, He’ll give us another shot to get it right on the specific endeavor we messed up. We all know that God defined Himself by and as Love. So we can equate 1 Corinthians 13, what many of us refer to as the “love chapter,” to a description of who God is. You want to know how God starts off defining Himself? “Love is Patient.…” God lets you know right up front, “I’m patient.” Friend, God will wait thirty years on somebody to get it right. His faithfulness and patience are like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Trust in His patience. He’s more patient than you are, and that’s a good thing too. I would have given up on me a long time ago, but He didn’t, and I’m praising Him for it every day.

I know all the unpleasant things that accompany discouragement are a major bummer. Yet, amidst all these things, God is still good. The voice of discouragement is unbelief. Don’t give it a voice. You may feel a whole bundle of things, but only speak faith. You can feel as dry as the Sahara on the inside, and as weak as a politician’s promise, but don’t give voice to it. Never, for one moment, consent or yield to the idea that God can’t or won’t take care of you. God is faithful and patient. Faith is simple: Do you trust God? Doubt is complicated, there are many factors to consider and all of them are bad… Choose faith. Choose life. You’ll still have feelings, they’ll still come, and sometimes they’re persistent little boogers, but keep standing, and keep fighting that good fight of faith, and they’ll break, and you’ll be able to see the light again.

I love you my brother and sister.

Triumphant in Christ,

Jake Provance