Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight



Do you know that God has AMAZING plans for your life? Plans you could NEVER dream of?  And the best part? He gives us all we need to accomplish these plans in our lives, along with grace, hope, and peace.  He gives us the strength to carry out His will for our lives.  He gives us REST when we need it the most... He is our greatest comforter.
 
 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
    “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so my ways are higher than your ways
    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. –Isaiah 55:8-9

 
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. –John 14:27

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. –Hebrews 11:1
For we walk by faith, not by sight. -2 Corinthians 5:7

What’s the catch?  Faith.  We can only live out this amazing life God has planned for us, if we live it out by faith.
 
Faith is ‘the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see’.
 

Let’s look at Hebrews chapter 11...
3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God...
8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going... Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

This chapter goes on to show the immense faith of those who believed in God’s promises: Sarah believed that God would keep His promise and bring her a child, Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son because of the immense faith he had in God, Jacob blessed his children because of his faith, Joseph proclaimed that the people of Israel would leave Egypt, Moses left Egypt not fearing the king’s anger, and finally, Rahab protected the disciples and in doing so, was not destroyed with the rest of her people in her city who refused to obey God.  These people showed great faith in God, without being able to SEE how everything was going to work out for them.  They believed; they trusted.
 
God, let us trust you with this kind of faith.

I love verse 27!  ‘It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.’
What faith Moses had to not even care what the king would do to him, but to just continue to trust in the one true GOD.

It then goes on to explain what feats people made by having faith in God, and also what consequences they had to endure for doing so.  Even though God has set before us an amazing journey doing His will, it WILL cost us... and sometimes, the cost is our lives (whether that be giving up your own plans for your life, or giving up your physical life).  Is it worth it to you?
All of these people did these things BY FAITH.  It was by faith that they lived fully for God and were blessed beyond measure.  The following were the characteristics of these people of great faith:

  • followed God’s call solely by faith not knowing where they were going
  • sacrificed for God and gave him acceptable offerings
  • lived righteous lives
  • pleased God
  • believed God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him
  • their actions showed they served Him
  • confidently looked forward
  • believed God would keep His promise
  • agreed they were foreigners and nomads here on this earth
  • always were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland
  • they were not afraid
  • chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin
  • suffered for the sake of Christ
  • kept their eyes on God
  • obeyed in the midst of terrifying circumstances
  • obeyed and followed God even when no one else could understand
Do any of these things portray the type of faith that you have?  Why or why not?  What can you do to become more like these great pillars of faith?  And remember—all of these people had struggles, made mistakes, and had major weaknesses to overcome.  Yet, their weaknesses turned to strength through their faith.  Let us who claim to have faith live out our lives like this! Don’t miss out on God’s blessings and plans for your life because of disobedience or fear.

God has amazing plans for your life (and mine, too!)  Don’t be scared to take that step, to listen to that still, small voice, or to respond to that little tug on your heart.  Just because you can't "see" something happening or it doesn't make much sense, doesn't mean it isn't God's will for your life.
Don’t delay; respond to God in faith today.