I Choose Faith
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
From the beginning of time, religions have tried to understand the idea of the unseen and the seen.
Aristotle, who is known as the father of Western philosophy, believed that truth came through the gathering of evidences. “You have to see it to believe it.” This is the dominant philosophy that shapes our education and culture.
But 500 years after Aristotle, one greater arrived on the scene and opposed his philosophy. His name was Jesus, and he taught that believing is seeing.
After Jesus was crucified, He appeared to His disciple Thomas who didn’t believe that Jesus resurrected. After easing Thomas’s doubts, “Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” (John 20:29)
From the beginning of creation, we see that the life of faith is not limited by what is seen but rather anchored in what is not seen. God spoke what is seen, (the cosmos, the planets, and the solar system) into existence, and as Christians our faith is founded on this principle: We believe and out of that faith comes the perspective through which we live our lives
All throughout its pages, the Bible highlights men and women who believed before they saw. The first chapter of Hebrews, known as the, “Faith Hall of Fame,” identifies several people who lead lives of faith. The chapter mentions Able who had faith enough to offer God the first and best fruits of his harvest; Noah who obeyed God and built an ark before even knowing what rain was; and Enoch who walked with God daily.
Where would you say your faith is on a scale of 1-10? Do you choose to walk by what is seen or unseen? Maybe you honor God and serve the Lord when it works in your schedule. Or maybe you don’t respond to God’s word or His daily nudges in your life.
Hebrews 11:6 says, without faith it is impossible to please God. In order to lead lives of faith, we also have to put God first, obey His word, and walk with Him daily. God is not in our fear, doubt, gossip, disobedience or negativity. He's in places that are filled with faith and obedience.
When we put or faith in God who is unseen, we’ll be able to develop a confidence in what is seen. When we walk with God in faith long enough, we build confidence in His character, and begin to see that He never forsakes the righteous, is good, faithful, and always on time.
What is God nudging you to do? Is he asking you to reconcile a relationship? To forgive? To draw closer to him? To give? To serve? To obey? Act on the nudge. When you choose to believe in the unseen and put your hope and confidence in God and obey him, you'll be able to see him clearly, and evidence of who He is will be indisputable in your life and in the lives of those around you.