SOMETHING WE ALL CAN DO: BELIEVE
"But without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." - Hebrews
11:6
For
the next few weeks, I intend to dedicate my weekly blog message to the
concept: "Something We All Can
Do." This message is written for
believers who feel like underachievers compared to the "superstar"
saints who seem so gifted and talented.
The
good news is that every born again believer can contribute to God's work. You may never preach to a stadium of
unbelievers. You may never sing a great
anthem that inspires millions. You may
not have the ability to teach with enthusiasm, impacting the lives of your
students. But there are some things you
CAN do. Today, let's look at one thing
all of us can do: believe.
Faith
is not a flashy subject. Yet all of us
can live and walk by faith. God has
given us the wonderful gift of faith, but it is up to us to faithfully use it. Instead of impressing or inspiring others,
our main goal should be to please God.
According to Hebrews 11:6, faith pleases God. A great singing voice does not always please God. Great oration doesn't necessarily please
God. A well-presented Sunday School
lesson doesn't automatically please God.
Yet a believer, greatly gifted or not, can please God by living and
walking by faith.
How
can we live and walk by faith?
1. TRUST IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
First
of all, trust in the presence of God every moment. Realize that God is always there with you. You never face a situation alone. The ever-present Lord is there for you
regardless of the circumstances you face.
Jesus has promised to never leave us (Matthew 28:20). I used to think that we enter God's presence
when we pray, however, we are always in the presence of the Lord because He is
with us all the time.
One
of my favorite songs is the old Stamps-Baxter song, "Hand In Hand With
Jesus." The chorus summarizes a
life of faith:
"Hand in hand we walk each day,
Hand in hand along the way;
Walking thus I cannot stray,
Hand in hand with Jesus."
Although
I'm walking hand in hand with Jesus, it is His hand that is securely holding
mine. He is leading the way. Through faith, we embrace the unseen reality
of God's presence.
2. TRUST IN THE PROMISES OF GOD
Secondly,
trust in the promises of God. According
to 2 Peter 1:4, God has given us "... exceeding great and precious
promises." Faith is taking God at
His Word. God has given specific
promises to us. These promises are
found in His Word, the Bible.
The Bible says, "... faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Hebrews 10:17). Faith is based upon the promises of God's
Word. We were saved when we believed
God's promise of salvation. We are
victorious when we obey the Word. If
you want your faith to increase, spend more time in the Bible. The Word of God feeds your faith. You'll either feed your faith or starve your
faith. If you study the lives of great
men and women of faith, you'll find that these saints were faithful in reading,
studying and obeying the Word of God.
3. TRUST IN THE POWER OF
GOD
We
should trust in the power of God. God
can do all things. It is not our
education, training or intelligence that ultimately makes a difference. When God indwells a person and lives His
life through that person, amazing things take place.
God
has not designed us to live victoriously on our own. When we die to ourselves and allow God to live and work through
us, victory is imminent. God has the
power to do what we could never do alone.
No wonder Paul could write, "I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13)
God
is trustworthy. We can trust Him. We should rely on Him. Believe His Word to the extent that you obey
His commands.
It
is not faith, but the object of our faith, that makes a difference. Don't trust in your faith --- trust in
God. Trust in His presence. Trust in His promises. Trust in His power. God is pleased when we live and walk by faith.
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