Faith Foundations Week Two
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for".
Hebrews 11:1-2
Hope, faith, and belief are three words that strongly impact our lives. As a nation, we are facing an ideological war around politics, equity, inequality, and gender, provoking families and friends to divide. This is not new. In fact, the writers of the New Testament lived in a similar time when there was a fight over what people believed. Our beliefs are essential, because the bible teaches us that it is impossible to please God without faith. We must first have faith that God exists and rewards those that seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). In order to build our faith we must pause and ask ourselves what do we really believe?
We are in a faith fight that started with original sin in the Garden of Eden. Satan first attacked Eve's hope by questioning God's love for her (Gen 3:1). Next, he challenged her faith by twisting God's Word (Gen 3:4) saying, "You will not surely die." With a foothold, Satan substituted a new belief system (Gen 3:5); if she eats from the tree, she "will be like God, knowing good and evil."
By diminishing her hope, Satan got her to buy into a new belief. And he does the same with us. When our adversary looks to attack us, he starts by attacking our hope and telling us:
You'll never be who God said you could be
You'll never be worthy
You'll never be acknowledged
You'll never make it
The fix is in your faith. God has given each of us a measure of faith, which we all exercise to some capacity. How we exercise that faith and in whom we place that faith determines our hope and confidence. The problem with receiving God's promises is not that we don't know them. It's that we doubt them, don't believe in them, or don't pursue them. God will often promise the most incredible things that are so mind-blowing that we don't know how to process, think about, or consider them. The writer of Hebrews wants us to know that faith is the vehicle by which we are saved and the gateway to everything God has promised for our life.
Faith can't work without hope. What are you hoping for today? Are you hoping, working, and believing for a life of meaning, value, and purpose?
