2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith and not by sight.
So…let’s get this straight. I am not one of those girls who grew up in church and spent my life praising the Lord for everything. I was taught that God helps those who help themselves; and never, for even a second, thought miracles were a daily part of life. Every now and then, you would hear about a woman who lifted a car off her child after an accident, and of course that was a miracle—but every day, it just didn’t happen.
When I was in high school, there was a girl who used to bring me religious pamphlets about how I was going to burn in hell. At first it scared the daylights out of me, and then before long it just made me mad and I became angry. I wasn’t interested in hearing about going to hell and didn’t want her in my face. Needless to say, I was less than friendly when I told her about it.
Then came 2004, a challenging time in my life, but by no means the lowest point in my life. At that time, I was living in the ghetto…on a ¼ acre of land in a tiny house that was a joke. One night, a guy I knew came over and told me how the Bible changed his life and I told him,
“Ain’t no book got that kind of power.”
Oh, how that makes me laugh when I think back on those words. Who would have known, 15 years later, I would be preaching and writing the words from a book I “believed” “could not change anyone’s life”? In all honesty, it wasn’t the Bible that changed my life, specifically; it was having a genuineencounter with the Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, that changed my life. The Bible taught me how to walk His path.
One of the most powerful verses in the Word is: “We walk by faith and not by sight.” As incredulous as this sounds; it’s a fact. To walk with Jesus, you have to believe the impossible. Note, I say you have to believe! Nothing in this world is as it seems. We elect politicians and hope they will bring change, only to find out they’re no different than their predecessors. Jesus will NEVER make you promises He can’t keep. He never promised your loved ones will live to a ripe old age. As a matter of fact He told us “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:12). So you now know, you will one day leave this earth and then you will stand before the Father for Judgment.
No one wants to face judgment. Some “believe” if we don’t acknowledge judgment, we can escape it. This is sadly untrue. Here’s the truth: you don’t have to believe a hot stove will burn you, but if you put your hand on it…your skin is coming off. Your belief in the stove will not change the fact that you will get burned. Another way to say this is that it is not the measure of your faith, but the objectof your faith.
What we believe is only powerful when it is rooted in Christ. Jesus laid down his life for his brother (that’s us) and now He (Jesus) is the king of the universe He created alongside his Father. The same universe so many people worship. Walking by faith means we close our eyes to the things we see. Let me give you an example…if a parent believes their child hates them, it is still their responsibility to faithfully raise them on the right path. Faith and belief reside in the ability to see what is not yet visible. This place of faithful obedience is where we are supposed to live.
Most people don’t realize they start every day with a measure of faith. If you were really honest with yourself, you would realize every time you walk out of the door you are leaving your house in faith; and every time you enter your home, you do so with the faith that no one is there to hurt you. We naturally have faith to make it through our life. Walking by faith is an entirely new level. Almost everyone talks about “having faith,” but the slightest challenge causes them to start doubting. Even worse, they lose a loved one and cannot restore themselves. A person TRULY walking by faith remains in faith no matter their circumstances. The only way to accomplish this is through diligence and hard work, and through the tool called the Holy Bible.
Walking by faith means God can allow any circumstance to come your way, and you will still stand with Him and trust Him to bring about the end that is best. Whether you understand it or not, believe this: walking by faith does not always mean you will understand, but you have a strong enough relationship with the Godhead (i.e. the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) you know He has your back. You know God is not out to get you, even though life might hurt.
Alright, let’s bring this back down to earth a little more. You want to know where you really get to test out this ‘walking by faith’ thing? It’s in the area of goal setting. Whenever we set goals, it is our hope we will be successful. So, a person sets out to accomplish what they want to do. If they quit as soon as things start getting hard, they will never know what it feels like to overcome. Everything worth having is going to come with a fight. This is not referring to people, but to the life courses you want to take. This is where your faith comes in. This is where you have to trust that Jesus is fighting on your behalf, and God is actually listening to both Him and you. So many times, we quit before the end actually comes and we never know what could have happened.
Start living a life with no regrets. Walk out on faith and see the beauty that comes with that decision.
