READING: Hebrews 11-13
By faith.
That’s the way we’re supposed to live if we’re Christians. In fact, we can’t please God without faith (Heb 11:6).
Faith is “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb 11:1). It’s believing without question that God will keep His Word. It’s knowing that God’s people will be victorious even when it seems like Satan is winning. It’s resting in God’s established future even when the present is filled with trouble and grief. It’s seeing what we cannot see, yet allowing the unseen to guide the way we live today.
Indeed, faith is action-oriented. Take time to review Hebrews 11 (the “Hall of Faith”), and you’ll see many action verbs showing that faith is illustrated by what we do. By faith, Abel brought God a sacrifice, Noah built an ark, Abraham obeyed God, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, Joseph spoke about the exodus, Moses’ parents hid him, Moses left Egypt, and the people of God passed through the Red Sea (Heb 11:4-31). Others apparently know our faith by the actions we take.
At the same time, faith is trusting. Some believers “conquered kingdoms” and “escaped the edge of the sword,” but others faced just the opposite: they were tortured, flogged, stoned, sawn in two, and killed (Heb 11:33-37). By faith, some found victory in life, but others experienced victory through death. The latter may have “wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the ground” (Heb 11:38), but they, like Abraham, continued “looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb 11:10). The future they saw with eyes of faith gave them confidence to die in the present.
Here’s the point: when you get to the place where you live and act in faith, don’t worry about where you live, and aren’t concerned about dying, the enemy really can’t hurt you anymore.
ACTION STEPS:
- On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being the lowest), rate whether you have “a clear conscience and a desire to live honorably in every way” (Heb 13:18).
- Do something in faith today. Take a step in the right direction because you trust God.
PRAYER: “I praise You, God, for the faith heroes who have gone before me. Let me follow You in faith, even if it requires my death.”
TOMORROW’S READING: James 1-5