|
|
 |
FAITH
I would like to believe that I am a
person of faith. But to be a person
of faith, I must know what Faith truly is, and what God really means by
it. If we read in the book of Hebrews, we find many examples of Faith,
but my question to the reader is: are you a person of faith?
To write
this question, I have to answer this question myself. What is
faith,
and how does it motivate God in any way, positively or negatively. In
the dictionary faith is defined as: (1) allegiance (keep this in mind).
(2) belief and trust in God, (3) confidence, and (4) system of
religious beliefs.
The bible defines faith as: (1)
The substance of things hoped for, and (2) The evidence of things not
seen. (Hebrews 11:1). Without this kind of faith, we cannot please God.
Even more grave is this matter, for it is impossible to please God
without faith. So we need to find out what faith is, and walk in
it. Abraham exercised faith for God by leaving a
vibrant
city, and a
successful business (for use of a better explanation), and by going to
a place where God wanted him to go; without knowing how to get there;
or what the final destination eventually was. He didn't have the
convenience of a map from God either, and he had family opposition to
his radically rash decision and departure. But Abraham
pleased God by moving forward, and never looking back. We
need to do that
every day.
Look forward, always forward, and never look back.
Another example I like to emphasis was with Moses. When he came of
years, he refused to be called the son of pharoah, but comfortably
embraced the people of God as his own family. By faith he feared not
the pharoah's wrath, but trusted in God to protect him, and to guide
both his family, and god's people to the promised land, and out of the
land of bondage. Moses never looked back. He
finally embraced his
destiny, which was a ministry, and a life of faith.
Many believers of old have endured hardship, torture, stoning, and even
death for the
faith they came to believe in. And God couldn't have been more pleased.
For He wants us to be a people who always look forward, and never look
back.
When God says leave the city, and never look back, He means it.
Remember what happened to Lot's wife when she looked back.
She never
survived that fate of looking back. We wouldn't
survive such an
exercise either. If we look back, and think that it's easy to move
forward later, we are sadly mistaken. The pull of sin is
powerful, and
to do to what's right does not always seem convenient when under the
illusion and cloudiness of sin's pull.
Embrace faith for it has substance.
It's a natural exercise to live by
faith. Embrace the substance. Learn to tune in to God's voice when He's
speaking to you, and go forward and never look back.
|
 |
|
|
