But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith? (Luke 18:8 – NLT) Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12 –NLT). Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead (1 Tim 4:1-2 –NLT). Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God (2 Corinthians 7:1 –NLT).
I believe that we are living in the time period just before the rapture of the church, what is often called the 7 year tribulation, and the second coming of Christ. Above all we do this year, let’s determine to pursue faith, love, and holiness in 2014.
In the above verse from Luke 18, Jesus questioned whether or not He would find faith on the earth when He returned. This gives the inference that there will be times that circumstances will challenge the walk of faith. During 2014, let’s see to it that we keep our faith built up by meditating on scripture. Walking by faith is simply choosing to believe the Word of God rather than our own thoughts or feelings, or rather than the circumstances around us.
Walking by faith means choosing to believe that right now God has done or is doing what He said He would do in His Word. Faith never looks to the future to receive from the Lord. Faith believes that God is working right now! Faith is past or present tense, never future tense. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1- NKJV). Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it – New Century Version).
I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours (Mark 11:24 –NLT). Faith takes the place of what God promised, and you don’t yet physically have, until it manifests physically.
Make a choice today and for the rest of 2014 to be a person who walks by faith and not by feelings. Learn to live above negative thoughts and emotions by choosing to believe and speak what God says in the face of opposing circumstances.
Be like the Joshua and Caleb, the only two of the twelve spies sent into Canaan by Moses who believed that Israel could defeat the giants they saw there (see Numbers 13). The crowd of ten spies saw themselves only in the light of their circumstances. They focused on the size of the giants that made them look like grasshoppers in comparison instead of focusing by faith on how big God is! They focused on themselves
and their surroundings instead of on God and His faithfulness!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take (Proverbs 3:5-6 –NLT). So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever (2 Corinthians 4:18- NLT).
We’ll talk about pursuing love tomorrow.
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