July 30, 2021
What does it mean to walk by Faith and not by sight?
When your world is completely falling apart and everything that can go wrong is going wrong it is extremely difficult to keep your Faith. What does it mean to walk by Faith and not by sight? Hebrews 11:1 states “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Breaking down this verse we know that the Lord is telling us that we are to stand on the type of Belief that is not movable or shakable. It is vital to have the kind of Faith that places its assurance and trust completely on the Lord Jesus Christ without doubt or unbelief. You have to come to a place where you know without hesitancy or reluctance that His Word is true and you stand on His promises regardless of what your circumstance looks like. The only way you are going to be able to build the confidence and Faith that will eliminate all uncertainty is by studying and hearing the Word of God, Romans 10:17. Establishing your Faith is so detrimental to your walk as a Christian because it is what allows the Lord to move on your behalf and without it, it’s impossible to please Him, Hebrews 11:6. Below I have listed ways that will help you begin to walk by Faith and not by sight.
1. Having complete confidence in the Promises of the Lord: The Word of God is filled with His promises guaranteeing His faithfulness, protection, and His absolute love. He will never leave you nor forsake you, Hebrews 13:5. The problem is that the storms of life produce doubt, uncertainty, and apprehension which cause us to question whether or not God’s Word is the Truth. If you can learn to stand firm on the Lord’s Assurances and not allow yourself to create disbelief, it will help your Faith grow tremendously!
Here are some examples of God’s Promises to us:
· Nahum 1:7-“The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.”
· Isaiah 40:31-“But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
· Deuteronomy 31:8-“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
· Proverbs 3:5-6-“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
· Isaiah 43:2-“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”
· Philippians 4:6-7-“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Those are only a few of the Lord’s amazing promises and if you would adhere to His every Word like it is the undiluted Truth because it is, your level of Faith will develop immensely! Don’t allow what your situation looks like prevent you from holding on to the fact that you can rely on God in every circumstance. That means trusting Him with every hardship, every sickness, every trial, and every decision knowing that you can depend on Him completely. Remember without Faith it is impossible to please God, Hebrews 11:6 makes that very clear. Not only will it not please the Lord but you will struggle greatly in your walk as a Christian because of your unbelief. Having Faith is the key that unlocks the Power of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s promises are absolute and you can rest assured that they will never be broken. God is not a man that He should lie, Numbers 23:19.
2. When things are in complete chaos, trust God anyway: Often times we find ourselves questioning our Faith especially when everything in our lives is in complete chaos. Anything that can go wrong is going wrong and there seems to be no way out of the bottomless pit that you are in! The enemy has a way of taking our moments of vulnerability and using them to plant seeds of doubt, fear, uncertainty, and wariness which in turn generates unbelief. In those instances it is imperative to keep your Faith anchored in the Word of God with complete confidence that His Word is True. Isaiah 26:3 states “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” Taking a deeper look at this verse of Scripture we can see that the Lord is letting us know that He will keep those that keep their minds focused on Him in complete peace. The key word in this verse is Trust, we have to have pure trust that He will do what He says He will do and believe it wholeheartedly. That way when the storms of life hit because they will, you will not be moved to and fro like the waves, Ephesians 4:14. Instead you will be planted firm in your Faith regardless of how intimidating your current situation looks. You have to know in your heart without any hesitation that no matter what, the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you, Deuteronomy 31:6.
3. When your prayers don’t get answered when you want them to, you trust God anyway: Walking by Faith means that even when your prayers don’t get answered exactly when you want them to, you don’t let any doubt enter in but instead you trust God no matter what! Waiting on the Lord’s timing is one of the most challenging things that we as believers will have to face. We want our miracle, healing, answer, and breakthrough right now and we tend to become inpatient. The problem is God has a reason for his timing and it is perfect. If you aren’t getting your prayers answered immediately you have to know that it is for your own good, Romans 8:28. A lot of times the Lord will allow trials and tribulations to get us to remember what it means to truly rely only on Him for everything. Life will sometimes get in the way of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ so He will permit things to happen to get our attention focused back on Him where it is supposed to be. We have to get to a place in our walk as Christians where we can confidently say though he slay me, yet I will trust Him, Job 13:15. Meaning that no matter what you go through or how painful things get in life the One Person that you can depend on regardless of your circumstance is the Lord. Psalm 139:8 states, “If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.” It doesn’t matter where you are or how far you have strayed away from Him, God is always there He loves us that much!
Bonus:
Scriptures of God’s Faithfulness:
Exodus 34:6-“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,”
Psalm 33:4-“For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.”
Lamentations 3:22-23-“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
1 Corinthians 1:8-9-“He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
2 Thessalonians 3:2-3-“And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”
Hebrews 10:23-“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
1 John 1:9– “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”