Faith

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

I trust you recognize the verse above, Hebrews 11:1, as it was one of our verses from 2016. Yesterday, we discussed hope. I said that hope is the intercessor to the things we desire that we can’t control in life. Hope is a feeling that brings comfort to the uncertainties we face.

But faith, faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Are you following where I’m going here? As Christians, and more importantly, as believers, we have faith that God is in control of all things. God is guiding our path and direction. God loves us and doesn’t want to harm us. We have confidence through our faith that God knows best for our lives and thus we can face the uncertainties, not out of hope, but out of our faith in Him.

That doesn’t mean we won’t face problems. It doesn’t mean we are immune to loss and tragedy. It doesn’t mean that God is going to provide a positive outcome in every situation we face. It means that God has a purpose behind all of the outcomes, positive and negative, in our lives. There may be a school you are applying to attend that you don’t get accepted to, but you have to realize that God had a bigger purpose for why you weren’t accepted. We have to walk through this life with confidence, our faith, that although the immediate circumstances weren’t what you may have hoped for, God has a reason that is leading you down a better path, with a better ending and a greater purpose.

We live in a world focused on fame and fortune. The world wants you and I to pursue fame, notoriety, and fortune with all we have, but I ask you, do you really believe God put you and I on this earth to acquire fame and fortune? God wants us to live our lives focused on loving and glorifying Him in all that we do. This runs counter to the world. Now you may attain fame and fortune in your life, and God may have blessed you with both, but it is for His purpose and to ultimately glorify Him. We’ve seen a lot of celebrity deaths in the past few weeks. Many of those celebrities definitely achieved fame and fortune but lived horrible lives in the process. George Michael fought a lot of demons most of his life and appeared to be a very loving, but tortured soul. God is directing our lives towards joy and contentment, not fame and fortune and that may be your life’s blessing in the end. We have to live by faith that our heavenly Father knows what is best for you and me.