Faith to Believe

[Prompted] by faith Noah, being forewarned by God concerning events of which as yet there was no visible sign, took heed and diligently and reverently constructed and prepared an ark for the deliverance of his own family… (Hebrews 11:7)

Because of faith also Sarah herself received physical power to conceive a child, even when she was long past the age for it, because she considered [God] Who had given her the promise to be reliable and trustworthy and true to His word. (Hebrews 11:11)

Faith in God and in His word is what the world needs right now more than ever. His Word reveals His promises - His promises for you and your life. God has given us His precious promises so we may know what to expect from Him & what belongs to us. He gave us these promises so that we may know what He says about particular circumstances in our lives. What is a promise? By definition, the word promise means:

1. A declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.

2. A legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a specified act.

I’ve been working from home for the past few weeks due to social distancing. Last week as I was working on my computer, I stared at my computer screen, then I began to stare outside of the window in front of me. I thought to myself, “It’s really muggy and gloomy outside. It’s going to be an ugly day.” After all, it’d been raining consistently for the past few days. For sure it would rain again today. As I was staring outside of the window, I heard the voice of the local weather woman getting ready to report the weather for the day. So naturally, I turned my attention to the screen to see what she was going to say. To my surprise she said, “Today will be mostly sunny with a high of 58 degrees, mild and sunny…” My immediate reaction was to scoff at her pronouncement. I scoffed at her because for sure she wasn’t seeing what I was seeing. She either didn’t know what she was talking about or had some keen insight that I didn’t possess. As I looked outside at the wet ground, cloudy sky, and gloomy appearance - I brushed off what I’d just heard.

About 2 hours later I decided to make a quick coffee run. As I got ready to leave, the mild weather and sunny sky met me at the door! I walked to my car and thought, “Wow, it’s a beautiful day.” It looked like two completely different days! It was very sunny and mild, just as the lady predicted - despite of my unbelief due to what had previously been and what I saw with my natural eyes. Sure enough, what she said…came to pass. As I drove off to get my coffee, I laughed and the Holy Spirit said to me, “Just as surely as what she said came to pass, so will my promises for you. It may not look like it, there may be no sign of it, but it will happen just as I have said.” All I could do was bless God in that moment.

Hebrews 11 gives us an account of people with great faith. Their circumstances were the complete opposite of what God had spoken. There was no sign that anything God had promised was coming to pass. Nonetheless, they acted, operated, and obeyed God by faith. Their faith moved God and amazing things happened. “How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death…” (Heb. 11:32-35)

What you see right before your very eyes may not look like what God has promised you. However, God’s word says in Hebrews 10:38-39, “But My righteous one [the one justified by faith] shall live by faith [respecting man’s relationship to God and trusting Him]; And if he draws back [shrinking in fear], My soul has no delight in him. But our way is not that of those who shrink back to destruction, but [we are] of those who believe [relying on God through faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah] and by this confident faith preserve the soul.”

My friend, now is NOT the time to give up or give in. It’s certainly not the time to worry or fear. It’s not the time to fold. Now is the time to exercise your faith. Now is the time to put your faith into action. Believe God beyond what you see. Have faith to believe God's promises for your life.

I pray you all stay safe and encouraged.

Blessings,💓

A.M.