Some of us already experience it and
some of us are on our way, but it still remains very difficult – living by
faith.
What do I mean by living by faith?
Living by faith is to take the Lord on His word. ‘He said it; I believe it and that settles it.’ I am constantly learning
it, since the Lord continually puts me into situations of purification and
having to rely on Him and His promises.
Living by faith remains a choice
though. When we end up in difficult circumstances, we have a choice to try and
get out of it in our own way or to abide by the directions given in the Bible.
Say for example somebody refuses to pay us what we are due. The logical human
reaction would be the desire to strangle the person until they pay up J, but since to most of us it would
be violent, we may prefer the legal route. So there we go, fighting a bitter
legal battle that affects our testimony and our relationship with various
people and the Lord Himself.
How would Jesus have done it though?
“‘You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for
tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone
strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your
cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go
with him two miles,” (Matthew 5:38-41). Yes, you have read it correctly; we
should not demand the money back.
Oops, so how do I get my money back?
Well the choice is ours whether we are prepared to forgive and by that lose the
money, but to trust the Lord to provide. If we have to calculate the risk we
can find peace in the fact that forgiveness will earn us a treasure in heaven,
so for now we have lost, but in heaven the reward awaits us. I had to do that a
number of times in my life.
In the Word of God are many commands
and promises that require faith to obey. Do we trust the Lord for our
protection and that of our loved ones, standing on His many promises regarding
protection as for example Psalm 91? I am not only referring to physical safety,
but also to moral and emotional safety. In this evil world we do not actually
have a choice, but to rely on the Lord in that regard. Concerning the emotional
and moral safety of our children we can do all we can by obeying Proverbs 22:6:
“Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it,” but we cannot stop the world from
making their impression on them. We need to rely on the Lord to watch over us.
As we obey, searching our hearts and
working along with the Lord as He initiates change in us, hearing
what He tells us and doing something about it, we walk by the faith showing the
Lord that He matters to us (Philippians
2:12-13: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always
obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to
work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it
is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose”). If we “lean not on your own understanding,” as Proverbs 3:5 says,
but “trust in the
LORD with all your heart” He will
be pleased (Hebrews 11:6).
The end of the age is near and the
Lord is preparing wise virgins, who are attentive to His call and commands, to
usher others into His Kingdom by acting in faith.
Where do you stand? We all have a
choice to either live a secular life dictated by the desires of the sinful
nature or to live a life of faith, led by the Holy Spirit.
Lord, I need to make my choice.
Please reveal yourself to me.
Thank you Lord that your Word went
out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you
empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which
you sent it.
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