"Any faith walkers in here?"
The man of God looked around the room in Abundant Life Faith Ministries, Chapel Hill, NC on Friday April 7 to a room full of people cheering that indeed, that they are walking by faith and not by sight. The head of the church, Pastor Clemens had invited her friend as a guest speaker for her church revival that week, and that Friday he was preaching on Jericho and the faith walk those warriors walked as they marched around those walls seven times. In the end, just like at Jericho, the people of God all got together to shout to God from our bellies, and it happened just as Miss Darlene, a woman of God, had been telling me all week!
What does it mean to walk by faith anyway? Surely every believer walks by faith the day he or she believes in Jesus the Christ!
Maybe so, but for most of us, it doesn't happen that fast- God wants ALL of us, and it takes time to give all of ourselves to Christ. Paul convicts us that to walk by faith, we must not walk by sight (2nd Corinthians 5:7).
In Genesis 22, when Abraham and Isaac were walking up the mountain, carrying wood and fire that would be used to offer Isaac himself as a sacrifice, Abraham walked by faith. The Bible does not mention the tears, the fear, the doubt that Abraham faced. All the Bible says is that when Isaac asks where is the sacrifice, Abraham replied, "God will provide."
Jehovah Jireh. God will provide.
"Put your hand through this bracelet," Tracy, a woman of God said during lunch the other day, as she tied the purple string around my wrist. I had told Tracy that I had given up my PhD to God, as Abraham was tested in giving up Isaac, I was being tested to give up my PhD. And I did. And Tracy cut me off in the middle of my story and said, do you know the name of God in that story? I said I didn't know. She asked me to guess. I said God the savior? The promise keeper? The covenant keeper? She pointed to the bracelet she had given me:
"Jehovah Jireh. God the Provider."
Abraham, being the first recorded faith walker, must have had a million thoughts attack him up until the last minute: Isn't this the child that God gave you at the age of 100? Why would he ask you to kill him? What you are doing is an abomination! You are not on the right track! How can you think you know God's voice if God is asking you to do something so cruel? You are crazy. What will Sarah say? She will kill you! Why would God want you to have a child and then take him away? Why would God want you to kill your own son with your own hands? You are not obeying God. You are not walking by faith. You, you, you....
"People will throw doubts at you from every direction, because no one really understands what God is asking you, specifically you, to do at a single moment," said Dr. West. Tonya's church pastor, Dr. West, recounted the stories in her life where she was called to walk by faith and not by sight, throwing everyone around her into a state of doubt as to whether this woman truly was hearing from God. Pastor West learned though what people around us may say, that we are called to follow the voice of our Good Shepherd (John 10). Even Paul states that he lives not to please humanity, but God (Galatians 1:10). "Just keep following the voice of God. You know the voice of Jesus! He has put it in your blueprint to follow His voice! Read the Bible and see what God reveals to you. He is a restorer."
The doubts must have been deafening. But instead of focusing on himself, Abraham focused on God.
Abraham lifted up his hands, with the knife high up above Issac, still obedient to God's voice.
You see, Abraham was all sold-out for God. Because he knew that God was all sold-out for Isaac, his son.
Then came the Voice that stopped Abraham.
The Voice that had asked for Abraham to give up and kill the very thing that meant the most to him with his own hands stopped Abraham from killing Isaac.
The Great I AM is not a God who demands child sacrifice. The Lord Almighty demanded the faith it took for Abraham to obey His voice. God demands that those who walk with Him walk by faith and not by sight. God wants us to be all sold-out for Him.
Any faith walkers in the room tonight?
How are you walking by faith? What is God asking you to give up? Do you trust Him to provide as Jehovah Jireh?
Do you know to stand still and let God fight your battles for you (Exodus 14:14)?
Do you trust that He who has started a good work in you will be faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6)?
Do you understand that if God ordains something, no can come to annul it (Isaiah 14:27)?
Any faith walkers in the room tonight?
What is He asking you to leave at the altar? Leave it to God and watch the freedom and peace that come from surrender. He surely will not put you to shame (Psalm 25:3).
How do I know this? Well. On this Good Friday, we must realize that God provided the sacrifice to end death itself. God the Provider, Jehovah Jireh, gave up his only Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross, to absorb our sin and provide us a way out of the wages of sin (John 3:16). How must it have been for God to look at His Son on the cross? At least thousand-fold the sorrow if Abraham was allowed to kill Isaac that's for sure. At least thousand-fold our pain when we are tested in our faith to give up people and things that mean the most to us.
But turn to gaze upon Jesus on the cross. Look at Him who took our pain. Seek God our Father who ends up providing in the most surprising ways when we obey His Voice and give up ourselves to Him in faith. He wants us to be all sold-out to Christ, not because of our own abilities, but because Christ was all sold-out for us! For our transgressions, he was pierced (Isaiah 53). So we can't be sold out for anything other than Jesus Himself, because it will not hold up in times of trial. Jesus is God's covenant promise to humanity, and God's promises are the only promises that will hold up at ALL TIMES.
Don't think you have what it takes? Your inabilities of any kind are also covered on the cross. Turn to Jesus, and he will give you the faith you need to obey God's voice. As the man said to Jesus, "Help me overcome my unbelief!"
Any faith walkers in here?
Not yet?
Pick up your cross and keep walking...you'll find your faith :)
The man of God looked around the room in Abundant Life Faith Ministries, Chapel Hill, NC on Friday April 7 to a room full of people cheering that indeed, that they are walking by faith and not by sight. The head of the church, Pastor Clemens had invited her friend as a guest speaker for her church revival that week, and that Friday he was preaching on Jericho and the faith walk those warriors walked as they marched around those walls seven times. In the end, just like at Jericho, the people of God all got together to shout to God from our bellies, and it happened just as Miss Darlene, a woman of God, had been telling me all week!
What does it mean to walk by faith anyway? Surely every believer walks by faith the day he or she believes in Jesus the Christ!
Maybe so, but for most of us, it doesn't happen that fast- God wants ALL of us, and it takes time to give all of ourselves to Christ. Paul convicts us that to walk by faith, we must not walk by sight (2nd Corinthians 5:7).
In Genesis 22, when Abraham and Isaac were walking up the mountain, carrying wood and fire that would be used to offer Isaac himself as a sacrifice, Abraham walked by faith. The Bible does not mention the tears, the fear, the doubt that Abraham faced. All the Bible says is that when Isaac asks where is the sacrifice, Abraham replied, "God will provide."
Jehovah Jireh. God will provide.
"Put your hand through this bracelet," Tracy, a woman of God said during lunch the other day, as she tied the purple string around my wrist. I had told Tracy that I had given up my PhD to God, as Abraham was tested in giving up Isaac, I was being tested to give up my PhD. And I did. And Tracy cut me off in the middle of my story and said, do you know the name of God in that story? I said I didn't know. She asked me to guess. I said God the savior? The promise keeper? The covenant keeper? She pointed to the bracelet she had given me:
"Jehovah Jireh. God the Provider."
Abraham, being the first recorded faith walker, must have had a million thoughts attack him up until the last minute: Isn't this the child that God gave you at the age of 100? Why would he ask you to kill him? What you are doing is an abomination! You are not on the right track! How can you think you know God's voice if God is asking you to do something so cruel? You are crazy. What will Sarah say? She will kill you! Why would God want you to have a child and then take him away? Why would God want you to kill your own son with your own hands? You are not obeying God. You are not walking by faith. You, you, you....
"People will throw doubts at you from every direction, because no one really understands what God is asking you, specifically you, to do at a single moment," said Dr. West. Tonya's church pastor, Dr. West, recounted the stories in her life where she was called to walk by faith and not by sight, throwing everyone around her into a state of doubt as to whether this woman truly was hearing from God. Pastor West learned though what people around us may say, that we are called to follow the voice of our Good Shepherd (John 10). Even Paul states that he lives not to please humanity, but God (Galatians 1:10). "Just keep following the voice of God. You know the voice of Jesus! He has put it in your blueprint to follow His voice! Read the Bible and see what God reveals to you. He is a restorer."
The doubts must have been deafening. But instead of focusing on himself, Abraham focused on God.
Abraham lifted up his hands, with the knife high up above Issac, still obedient to God's voice.
You see, Abraham was all sold-out for God. Because he knew that God was all sold-out for Isaac, his son.
Then came the Voice that stopped Abraham.
The Voice that had asked for Abraham to give up and kill the very thing that meant the most to him with his own hands stopped Abraham from killing Isaac.
The Great I AM is not a God who demands child sacrifice. The Lord Almighty demanded the faith it took for Abraham to obey His voice. God demands that those who walk with Him walk by faith and not by sight. God wants us to be all sold-out for Him.
Any faith walkers in the room tonight?
How are you walking by faith? What is God asking you to give up? Do you trust Him to provide as Jehovah Jireh?
Do you know to stand still and let God fight your battles for you (Exodus 14:14)?
Do you trust that He who has started a good work in you will be faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6)?
Do you understand that if God ordains something, no can come to annul it (Isaiah 14:27)?
Any faith walkers in the room tonight?
What is He asking you to leave at the altar? Leave it to God and watch the freedom and peace that come from surrender. He surely will not put you to shame (Psalm 25:3).
How do I know this? Well. On this Good Friday, we must realize that God provided the sacrifice to end death itself. God the Provider, Jehovah Jireh, gave up his only Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross, to absorb our sin and provide us a way out of the wages of sin (John 3:16). How must it have been for God to look at His Son on the cross? At least thousand-fold the sorrow if Abraham was allowed to kill Isaac that's for sure. At least thousand-fold our pain when we are tested in our faith to give up people and things that mean the most to us.
But turn to gaze upon Jesus on the cross. Look at Him who took our pain. Seek God our Father who ends up providing in the most surprising ways when we obey His Voice and give up ourselves to Him in faith. He wants us to be all sold-out to Christ, not because of our own abilities, but because Christ was all sold-out for us! For our transgressions, he was pierced (Isaiah 53). So we can't be sold out for anything other than Jesus Himself, because it will not hold up in times of trial. Jesus is God's covenant promise to humanity, and God's promises are the only promises that will hold up at ALL TIMES.
Don't think you have what it takes? Your inabilities of any kind are also covered on the cross. Turn to Jesus, and he will give you the faith you need to obey God's voice. As the man said to Jesus, "Help me overcome my unbelief!"
Any faith walkers in here?
Not yet?
Pick up your cross and keep walking...you'll find your faith :)
What a powerful message! If we only have the faith as small as a mustard seed we can move mountains! Apart from Him we can do nothing but if we abide in Him we can do ALL things!!
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteIt is good to abide in Jesus Christ, our risen savior :)
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