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LIVING BY FAITH

Hebrews 11:1-2

1. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

2. For by it the men of old gained approval.

At the beginning of our seeking after God for something we couldn’t explain, it burned in our hearts and our thoughts, and we knew something was missing. That persistent urging to find that “thing” finally paid off at the cross of Christ, who came to save us with His life and sacrifice. I thought for the longest time that it was me doing the seeking, but as I matured in Christ, I realized that the Holy Spirit was drawing me closer to the truth revealed at the cross.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace we were saved through faith; and that not of ourselves, it is God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

That grace that came calling and knocking on my heart was the work of the Holy Spirit. I didn’t deserve His attention, but the longing in my heart called Him to my side to lead me to the truth in Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The scripture is clear; we cannot do anything to make eternity ours on our own. It is God, in His loving mercy, who reaches out to bring us to eternal life hidden in Him.

Now hear me on this point: the power behind those men of old who gained God’s approval thousands of years ago was not in them to do, but in their complete surrender to the knowledge of their loving God. By their complete dependency on Him and believing that His Words were true, life was given by promise from the Father. Just think, they did not have all the modern helps that are so persuasive in our lives today. Life was harsh in what we today would call primitive, harsh, and very dangerous. Yet they stood before God as approved. Why? Because they lived by faith and did not lean on their own understanding. They walked and fought for life while knowing that God was their only source of life. Without Him, nothing can exist or thrive. Those were not mere words in their vocabulary; it was life and survival.

In this teaching, I speak to you knowing that some are experiencing significant difficulties and possibly sickness unto death. Yes, I can attest that I have been there several times in my life. Did I make it out on my own in the circumstances? No, not at all. I tried everything I could, and when nothing helped, I cried out to the Lord for deliverance. As I grew up in the Lord, that attempt to do it on my own grew to be too heavy to continue in the same manner. I slowly turned to living my life in the knowledge that if I even suspected anything was headed into a dark place, I rushed into the arms of my lord, knowing that salvation was there to be had. Life is not perfect for me, but it is much easier now that my confidence in Christ, my Savior, has grown.

Ephesians 11 is the most comforting chapter I know; in reading it, you will come to understand the power of our relationship in Christ. It starts in the grace given to us because we long for what is missing. Then it goes on to say that it was the faith supplied by the Holy Spirit that enabled us to believe in the God of salvation. Throughout the remaining portions of this chapter, we learn that overcoming the desires of the flesh is paramount because the flesh demands attention 24/7. Cravings, both in body and in our minds, constantly put material things above spiritual things, dividing us from our peace in Christ. We must push on to a new man in Christ.

In this chapter, we learn that every person in Christ is key to all that God has for His church. He gave us gifts by the Holy Spirit to mature the church. But we all must understand that it is not beneficial to the whole church if only a few mature in Christ. We are built on the foundations of the Apostles and the Prophets, with Jesus as the chief cornerstone, placed there by the Father, and the cross that supplied our salvation. By that death, Jesus bridged that gap between God and us by His outstretched arms on the cross. The Apostle, by the moving of the Holy Spirit, directs the church of the living God in the direction that the Lord has called out in His plan. The Prophets give the direction as they hear the Holy Spirit's prompting, Go this way, do this thing.

But hear me, my friends: how can this be done without all who are in the church desiring and moving on to maturity? Power lies in the coming together as a mature church in Him. My passion is to cause you to want more of God in your daily walk. Did you know that everything the young church did, raising the dead, healing the sick, deliverance, speaking in other tongues, prophecy, interpretation of tongues, and much more, is for all of us today? What are all these gifts for? For the maturing of the saints in Christ Jesus and for the lost, tangible proof that the power of God is moving in their midst. Our walk in Christ, in many cases, may possibly be the only witness of Christ to those you encounter in your daily life. Are you confident that you are equipped and prepared to be that silent witness?