Faith

I was going back through my e-mails to try and find something and came across an e-mail I sent to some friends. It was dated 7/24/2011 and it was about what God had been showing me at that time. I completely forgot about it until now. I still find it amazing that even in the moment when God teaches me something that I never fully know all that it implies. When I re-read this today I just had to smile as now I'm in the process of raising funds to be a full time missionary in Nicaragua. He was showing me a lot more than I realized at the time! God is so amazing!

Here is what I wrote:

God has been showing me a lot about faith recently. Last week’s bible study was in Numbers 13-14. It was the story about when spies were sent into the land of Canaan, the land God promised to the Israelites. Of the 12 people sent to spy out the land for 40 days, only 2 came back encouraging the people to take the land God gave to them. The others were discouraged by the size of the people and the strength of their cities. God told them that this was their land but yet when they saw the “obstacles” they trusted in them and not in God. They didn’t see God as greater than the size of the people or the strength of the city. This story showed me how important it is to trust in God’s promises at all times. God often puts us up against things we cannot do on our own. That’s where faith comes in. He did that with salvation. We can’t do that on our own. It’s by faith in Christ that we are saved and reconciled to God.

 

This week’s bible story is about the fall of Jericho in Joshua 6. As I have been studying for it I keep thinking about Hebrews 11:30, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.” These weren’t just any ordinary walls. This was a fortress. I learned that these walls were built onto an embankment. There was a retaining wall with a stone wall on top of it, then further up the embankment there was another stone wall. From where the Israelites were this could’ve looked ten stories tall!  Yet God had them march around the city once with the ark and sounding the trumpets but not saying a word for six days. Then on the seventh day, they were to march around seven times and only on the seventh time at the right time everyone was to shout and the walls came down! It’s by faith that we enter our “promised land”. What’s keeping you from trusting God? From going into your promised land? Fear, doubt, the past? Whatever it is, God is able to break down the walls that are keeping you from where God wants you to be. We just have to turn to Him and have faith that He will break those walls in our lives.

 

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

 

2 Corinthians 5:7 “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

 

Isaiah 7:9b “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.”

 

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

 

 

Thinking about the faith God requires and the wisdom I’ve been asking for I was reminded that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” (Psalm 111:10)  Also seen in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” In this passage, I was reminded that to know God is wisdom. To truly see how Holy, Mighty, Sovereign, Powerful, Loving and Great He is will change our whole perspective. We will no longer see the obstacles; all we’ll see is the Promised Land. To live by faith is to trust that God is greater than anything that stands between us and Him and what He has planned for us. God is good, His plans are the best and He will be with us every step of the way. His glory will shine throughout all generations when we live a life characterized by faith. Nothing is impossible with God.