Recently I was having a conversation with my best girlfriend. Like most friends, we discuss everything under the sun from eye shadow to what is going on in our respective lives. I thank God for this relationship. On one particular Sunday, she and I had time to sit and chat together and we began talking about subjects near and dear to both of us. During my conversation, I spoke about doubt, sadness, and despair; expressing how I feel from time to time. In the moment of the conversation, I had not truly taken into account what I had done.
Not only had I spoken about those things over my life, but I almost left my best friend sitting in those same negative juices. Conviction came over me about what I had done, not just to myself but to my friend as well. After I left my friend’s house, a word reverberated in my spirit–faith. Simply, have faith.
The scripture Hebrews 11:6, came to me during Sunday morning worship, “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.” Before I go to the meat of this column, I want to back up to some verses to see how we got there.
The 11th chapter of Hebrew is, to me, one of the most powerful chapters in the Bible. If you or I have ever wondered if faith really can do all that pastors, evangelists, teachers, your mother, your grandmother, and your father or your grandfather, said here it is isolated in chapter for you. Hebrews 11 is a who’s who in scripture. It contains all the super heroes and super heroines of Biblical text. Hebrews starts with power, “Now, faith…” say it, aloud if you are in a place where you can. say it aloud,
Just these two words, “Now, faith” alone are infused– they blow the roof off doubt, sadness, self-pity, despair, lack, sickness, disease, shortcoming, downfalls, sin, lies, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. They bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Faith is that healing balm of Gilead that applies liberally into the wounds of our lives. You may say, “Please, I believed and nothing changed. I had faith but things only got worse.” I hear you. But God has a higher prize. Do not allow your circumstances fool you into giving up your faith. You cannot pay the bills. You are sick. You are praying for that son or daughter and the report is worse than the day before.
I still say to you my brother, my sister HANG ONTO YOUR FAITH! Lift up your eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh YOUR help. Psalms 121:1. Get back in there and look up for your help draws nigh. I know you know this. My sister, my brother you will reap in due season if you faint not (Galatians 6:9(b)).
This does not mean that there will not be moments of doubt or disbelieve this is when we say God help my unbelief. Quickly, in Mark 9 starting at verse 17 a father had a son who had was vexed with a spirit that tried to take his life.
Surely, this father needed Jesus to heal his child, in verse 23 “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” The father’s reply in verse 24; “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Even in the midst of our belief, we have unbelief. However, this father, you, I, all of us must be real enough with the One who knows our down sitting and our uprising to say, “Lord God help thou my unbelief.”
The Bible says that Jesus healed that man’s son. Will He not do the thing you need in your life? Yes, He will– stand on God’s promises today.
Let us return to Hebrews 11. Each verse is an account of how faith is the elixir that cause change. In verse 3, God uses the power of faith to frame the world. The dynamic power of faith brought the world into existence. You can frame your world through faith. Verse 4 finds that Abel through his faith in giving, was witnessed as righteous. That is to say he had right standing with God. Verse 5, Enoch through his faith walked off with God.
He did not see death. His testimony was that he please God. Verse 6 is the verse of this article “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.” Listen you cannot even approach God asking with the elixir of faith. Faith is pleasing to God. He cannot work with faith being present. We must know that He is. Who is God? God is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He is One who framed the world.
He is your creator. In every circumstance HE is. You must know that He is larger than any situation that you are going through today. Acknowledging the power and the awesomeness of God allows you to establish the setting in your heart and mind of God eclipsing your life and Him operating as a rewarder.
If you question the capability and abilities of God you cannot and will not be rooted in what He can do or what His words says. God is faithful. Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
I feel that I have much more to say about Hebrews 11 and in other articles, I am sure to return to the chapter. Let us leave this power filled chapter knowing that if we are applicators of faith we too will obtain a good report. The chapter gives accounts of what faith in the “hands” of the believer can do. Won’t you have faith today?
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