Walking by Faith – Part 2
In the last episode or post, we defined the difference between natural faith and spiritual faith. Spiritual faith is what moves the Lord. Spiritual faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 as,“Now faith is the substance (guarantee) of things hoped for, the evidence (convincing proof) of things not seen.”
Faith enables us to treat the future as present, the invisible as seen!
Faith and Grace are two sides of the same coin. On the one hand, God has extended grace through Jesus Christ. Grace, in this sense, means that God offers us free gifts. In the biblical sense, grace isn’t something you can work for; grace is not earned or deserved; grace is unconditional. Show More
All of our natural lives, we have had to work for approval or acceptance. When you were good, you were rewarded. The Old Covenant showed us how impossible it was to observe the Law perfectly to be good enough for God. However, as New Covenant believers, what was impossible for us to accomplish, God did for us through Jesus Christ. Jesus did all the work for us; all we need to do is believe that what Jesus did was enough.
As I said, grace and faith are two sides of the same coin; as I have explained, grace, now, let’s look at how faith (belief) is attached to thatgrace. God’s grace or gifts are like unopened boxes; faith is how we open the boxes.
For example, if you had a winning lottery ticket for some great prize, wouldn’t you claim it? As long as you keep the lottery ticket in your pocket, you don’t have the prize money. You must surrender the ticket to receive the prize. Grace works in the same way; you may know that you have grace, but as long as you don’t act upon that grace, it is simply an idea or concept.
You see, faith is action! Knowing what is true is not the same as acting as if it were true. Now, here is the challenge: Faith requires action before what you believe for comes to pass.
Of course, the greatest gift of God is our salvation. Jesus offers us the gift of heaven, the washing away of our sins, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and the promises found in the Bible. This means that guilt, shame, and condemnation are no longer part of our lives. We are made clean and free through the Cross of Calvary.
The following Bible verses reveal that true faith, and grace are wrapped up in one.
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Romans 4:16, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”
Grace is what the Lord has provided through Jesus Christ; our task is to take what has been promised and apply the truths of those promises to our lives; it is believing and living God’s promises in everyday life. So, the logical question is, what has God promised?
Bible Promises
The Bible contains thousands of promises. According to one account, there are over 3500 promises in the Bible. The promises are to all Believers who will believe that these promises are “yes and amen.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” The promises of God are “yes,” which means that they are true, and “amen,” which comes from a Hebrew word, which means that the promises are trustworthy!
Often, our minds are challenged to believe the promises of the Bible because we tend to look at our natural circumstances instead of looking to our supernatural God! We want proof before we act, but the Lord says, “Act, and I will give you proof.”
Another possible obstacle to believing the Bible’s promises is that we consider ourselves unworthy to receive such great promises. Let me remind you that Jesus thought you were worthy and died for you. If you were the only person on earth, Jesus would have died for you!
You are precious in His Sight. Yes, it is true that you are imperfect, but then all of us are imperfect; that is why it must be of grace and not of our efforts to be good. Before I am misunderstood let me say that we should try to be good according to the standards of the Bible. We are all works in progress, and the work of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit is to renew our minds and transform us into the image of Christ. Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
The Bible is filled with examples of imperfect men and women walking by faith, not sight. Hebrews chapter 11 names the following as examples of faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rehab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and countless unnamed men and women. These examples are given to us to encourage us to know God’s promises and then to hear from His Holy Spirit when to believe as one who has already received the promise.
Look at what the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (the witnesses mentioned in chapter 11), let us lay aside every weight (anything that would hold us back such as fear, shame, guilt), and the sin (sin is, in essence, disbelief in what God has said, lack of faith) which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus (here is our focus), the author (Romans 12:3 says that He has given all a measure of faith) and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus did not look at His circumstances but looked to the Father. Jesus knew He had to endure some terrible hardships, but He also knew that He had the victory even before He started. The Bible says you are more than a conqueror and that you can do all things through Jesus Christ, who strengthens you. Trust Jesus and walk by faith and not by sight.
Faith works, but faith must be God’s way!
Here are some faith principles to consider as you grow your faith in the Lord.
- Get Serious – What I mean is that you consider prayer as a primary means of communication with God and not just a religious act. James 4:2b says, “Yet you do not have because you do not ask.” The prayer of faith is not something you “toss up” to heaven and hope for the best. Listen to James 5:16b, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Can you see that there is nothing casual about this statement? It takes a passionate yet confident attitude that the Lord hears us and this can only happen when we are confident that we are right with God. Hebrews 11:6 states, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Remember, it is not faith in faith, but faith in the person of the One who made the promise, our Lord God.
- Get Right Motives – As humans, we tend to think that the world revolves around us and that it is all about us. However, James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” In other words, we have a personal agenda or our own wants. Instead, we should be thinking of bringing glory to Him, the One who saved us. When the Lord fulfills prayer, we need to testify and praise Him to all around us so that they may see that the Lord is real and at work in our lives.
What are the right motives? Personal revelation through His Word. You can never go wrong when you pray the Word of God, the Bible’s scriptures, as the Holy Spirit leads you. It is so true what someone once said, “Faith is impossible unless the will of God is known.” Make sure what you are praying for is scriptural. - Get on Solid Ground – The greatest enemy of faith is doubt. The enemy of your soul, the Devil, comes to steal, kill, and destroy your faith in God. The Devil does his evil work by planting lies in your mind about the love, forgiveness, and acceptance you have in the Lord. The Devil wants to put a “wedge” between you and the Lord. In John 10:10, Jesus promised us an abundant life—a more abundant life! However, at the same time, he warns us about the Devil, who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”We must resist doubts when they come by focusing on God’s goodness and the fact that nothing is impossible with Him. A final warning from James 1:6-8, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
- Walk out your faith! Act as if you have already received what you have prayed for. Jesus said in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Faith always starts with a decision to believe what God has said regardless of the circumstances or the doubters around us trying to undermine our faith. If the Lord has spoken to you, believe and receive the promise.
In conclusion, faith is a decision! It is not a feeling, emotion, religious rite, or ritual. Faith is believing God’s promises and then acting like they have been accomplished. So, get serious with God, make sure your motives are pure, don’t let doubt corrupt your thinking, and believe what you have asked for is done and give the glory to God!
