Dear Heavenly Father, You are our creator and you have given us life. Your words are powerful and can create something from nothing. Thank you for loving us. Help us to quiet our minds for the next few minutes to dwell on you and your life giving words. Teach us the truths you have for each of us from this passage. In Jesus name we pray, Amen Hebrews 11:1-3
New International Version (NIV)
11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
What is Faith? Hebrews 11:1 tells us faith is being sure that the things we hope for will happen and knowing something is real even if we cannot see it because we trust the one who told us. In order to have faith we must trust the one we are putting our faith in. Truth is the bases of trust. We must believe the person who tells us something is reliable. If we don’t trust a person we will not believe him. We can trust the things we see but we must trust the promise maker to have faith in what he says. The people mentioned in Hebrews 11 were commended for their faith because they trusted God and His promises and lived their lives like the promise was true. They never saw the fulfillment of the promise yet they had faith in God to do what He said. They gained God’s approval because of their faith.
How do we get faith? The Bible tells us in Romans 10:17.
17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
When we read the Bible we see the promises God made to His people. Some of the promises have been fulfilled and because of that we can trust God’s faithfulness and that He will fulfill the rest of his promises. God is unchanging, His words are true, and His promises are always fulfilled. We have faith in God when we believe His promises.
At the beginning of the year I choose a word to pray for the year. I choose the word contentment. Through time in His word God has shown me that to have contentment I must trust Him and His promises. I needed to determine if I would find contentment in my surroundings or in God. Do I trust Him completely in all things? I can have peace, joy, hope and contentment through Jesus and anything else is empty. Jesus has won the war with Satan. As Pastor said yesterday All our battles are winnable because of Jesus. God has promised to be with me and to give me all I need. I need to take my eyes off of the glitter of the world and focus on the truths and promises of Jesus to find contentment, peace, joy and hope. Regardless of what the world says I can choose to have faith and believe Jesus’ promises. I have no reason not to be content.
Where is your faith?
Is it on Jesus or your circumstances?
Do you need a fresh faith focused on the truths and promises of Jesus?
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that you have given us everything we need to have complete trust and faith in you. Thank you for the assurance that you always keep your promises. Help us keep our focus on you to find fulfillment and contentment. You are trustworthy and have won the battle for us. Thank you for being with us, loving us and giving us all we need. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Charleen