cannyben

“Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.” Hebrews 11:1 The life that God planned for you to live is simple. It’s a life of faith and love. The Bible explains the principle of love: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind’ . . . ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself’” (Matthew 22:37, 39 NCV). And Hebrews 11:6 explains what it means to live a life of faith: “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (NIV). If you’re a parent, you know how pleased you are when your child trusts you. It’s the same way with God. Your trust in him—your faith—pleases him. What is faith? Faith is believing when you can’t see it. People say, “Seeing is believing.” God says the exact opposite: “Believing is seeing.” Some things you’ll never see unless you believe them first. Hebrews 11:1 s...

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 Many people ask God to guarantee their success before trying what he has asked them to do—but that’s not faith. Faith always requires risk. Faith means you obey even when you don’t understand. For example, forgiveness never seems like a good idea before you do it, but it’s one of the greatest tests of your faith. When someone hurts you, it may not feel right to forgive that person; it may not appear just. But forgiveness is always the right choice, regardless of whether you understand it. That’s how it works with God too. Faith is doing what’s right even when it seems absurd. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding” (HCSB). You never know the whole picture, but God does. The Bible gives a great example of this in the story of Gideon in Judges 7. Gideon took 300 Israelites to battle 135,000 enemy soldiers. The odds were 450 to one...

“It was by faith that Moses left Egypt and was not afraid of the king’s anger. Moses continued strong as if he could see the God that no one can see.” Hebrews 11:27 (NCV) There is a strong belief in our culture that if it feels good, do it. That influences every one of us, whether we want it to or not. But when you allow yourself to be manipulated by your moods, you are living your life according to your feelings. But God wants you to live a different kind of life—a life of faith, not just a life of feeling. The truth is, I don’t always feel like doing the right thing. I’m sure you don’t either. But God can give you the kind of faith that persists above feelings. If you look around, you’ll see that successful people do things they don’t feel like doing. They get tired of going through the motions and want to do things differently. They do the things that other people aren’t willing to do. You can’t be an Olympic athlete unless you spend the extra hours training. You can’t be a master m...

“By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings” Hebrews 11:4 (NIV) It’s interesting that the first person who gets mentioned in Hebrews 11’s “Faith Hall of Fame” is Abel, one of Adam and Eve’s sons. What did Abel do that caused him to be included alongside Moses and Abraham and other significant biblical heroes in Hebrews 11? As far as we know, Abel never did anything great. He never took any major risks. But he gave an offering in faith, and that pleased God. It’s not what Abel gave; it’s how he gave it. Abel gave with an attitude of faith. Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings” (NIV). Giving and faith go together. God couldn’t care less about the amount you give. God doesn’t need your money. He wants your heart. In fact, if you’re not giving in faith, don’t give. The Bible says, ...