Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
The fruit of the spirit is...faith.
One of my favorite quotes is “Faith is not believing that He can, it’s knowing that He will.” It’s not enough to believe that God can do it. Almost all believers can say that they believe God can do anything. But how many of us, when we really dig deep, can say that they believe He will? We all have doubts, questions, and insecurities. Believing that God WILL move, is real faith.
Do you believe that you can move mountains? Matthew 17:20 (MSG) says “Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.”
It just takes a small amount of faith for big things to happen. But we have to believe that He WILL.
I encourage you to read Hebrews chapter 11. This chapter is often referred to as the hall of faith. In the NIV this chapter is titled Faith In Action. These people had big faith.
11 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses’ parents, and Rahab are all specifically mentioned. And verse 32 says “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets.”
All of the people mentioned in these verses had a true faith and reliance on God.
4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did.
5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying
7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God
8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance.
11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed[b] that God would keep his promise.
17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him.
20 It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.
22 It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt.
23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born.
24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.
28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.
29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground.
30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.
31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God.
Every person mentioned here trusted God enough to be totally dependent and obedient to Him, no matter what the circumstance looked like. Did all of these people live exemplary lives? No, Moses murdered an Egyptian. Abraham lied. Sarah initially took things into her own hands instead of waiting for God’s timing. Rahab was a prostitute. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been. It is your faith and how your story ends that is the true testament of who you are. Our faith will be tested, but we can all follow the examples of these Biblical heroes by having “confidence in what we hope for” and assurance that God is at work, even if we don’t see it. God has a greater plan than anything we can ever imagine.
Lord, thank you that I can have the faith and trust to know that you will. Thank you that through you and through our faith, I can move the mountains in my way. Thank you for these Biblical examples to look to when I doubt myself. And forgive me when my faith waivers. Help me to remember that I don’t have to live in my past and I can look forward through my faith and trust in you. Amen
Journal prompt: What am I believing God WILL do in my life? Is there any situation in my life where my faith is wavering?
Comments