Walking By Faith

[Dr. Shane]

"Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith to me means believing in what I do not completely understand. I interpret the term "things not seen" to also mean things not understood. To me that means that my faith in God's Word results in a conviction of its truth even when I don't understand it. This has many applications for me. I honor the Sabbath even though I don't completely understand why it is so important. There are certain foods I don't eat simply because God's Word tells me not to. There are certain activities I don't do, even when the world around me does, because I take God at His Word without the need to completely understand why.

"for we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7) "Put not your trust in princes, Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help." (Psalms 146:3) "Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil" (Prov. 3:5-7)

These three passages taken together mean a lot to me. In 2 Corinthians I interpret the word "sight" also as my understanding. The things I can see I can understand. When I take God at His Word, even when I don't understand it, I am waling by faith. I am not relying on the wisdom of man - including my own. In fact, my reliance on God's wisdom causes me to doubt mine own. When I distrust my own wisdom, God directs my paths and I am able to walk by faith.

[Guest]

Amen

1Jn 5:4 For whoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

[Dr. Shane]

FOLLOWING SELF...

Hmmm, I don't feel like going to prayer meeting tonight. I'm soooo exhausted. I would like to just sit in my lay-z-boy and watch some network sit-com or drama.

Ahhhhhhh [yawn]... I soooooo tired. After watching four hours of television, eating two bags of chips and drinking a six-pack of soda... I am just not up to studying my Sabbath School lesson tonight. I think I'll go to bed.

Oh it's Friday and the sun is nearly setting. I've got nothing prepared for the Sabbath. Oh well, [shoulder shrug] I guess I'll just go out to eat tomorrow after church.

LIVING BY FAITH...

I'm shutting off the TV and having family worship with the kids.

Let's get supper prepared and everyone ready early so we can make it to prayer meeting a little bit early.

Let start on our Sabbath preparedness list on Thursday so when the Sabbath comes we can really have a stress-free day of rest.

DIFFERENCE:

Following God's will by faith. Following the carnal nature of self.

[karl]

"Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil" (Prov. 3:5-7

This is so opposed to the wisdom of the world. "Do your own thing." "Take care of number one"

We all understand that doing God's will is good, but we seldom go the next step to understanding that doing our own will is evil. I guess we get the idea that we can do both - God's thing AND our own thing.

Is there such a thing as a part-time Christian? If I am faithful to my wife 90% of the time, does that mean I am faithful?

[skyblue888]

"Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith to me means believing in what I do not completely understand. I interpret the term "things not seen" to also mean things not understood. To me that means that my faith in God's Word results in a conviction of its truth even when I don't understand it. This has many applications for me. I honor the Sabbath even though I don't completely understand why it is so important. There are certain foods I don't eat simply because God's Word tells me not to. There are certain activities I don't do, even when the world around me does, because I take God at His Word without the need to completely understand why.

"for we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7) "Put not your trust in princes, Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help." (Psalms 146:3) "Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil" (Prov. 3:5-7)

These three passages taken together mean a lot to me. In 2 Corinthians I interpret the word "sight" also as my understanding. The things I can see I can understand. When I take God at His Word, even when I don't understand it, I am waling by faith. I am not relying on the wisdom of man - including my own. In fact, my reliance on God's wisdom causes me to doubt mine own. When I distrust my own wisdom, God directs my paths and I am able to walk by faith.

"Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

________________________________________________________________

shane, good points. The only thing I would question you on is this: "The things I can see I can understand."

Isn't it a fact known to us all that there are many things we can see but that we cannot understand? Even the most intelligent among men are baffled by the things they can see in this world, especially the human body! "The mechanism of the human body cannot be fully understood. It presents mysteries that baffle the most intelligent." M.H.417. Are we not surrounded by mysteries? "The only key to the mysteries that surround us is to acknowledge in them all the presence and power of God." Desire of Ages, p.606.

Isn't it interesting that even the things that we can see with our own eyes we cannot understand unless we acknowledge in them all the presence and power of God!

This statement not only tells us how we are surrounded by mysteries but that the only key to them is to acknowledge in them all what we cannot see with the eyes of the flesh, the invisible, the presence and power of God!

This is the faith that pleases God, the faith that sees the invisible with the eyes of the understanding even in the things we can see! Then "We are brought in touch with the unseen, mighty Intelligence that is working in and through all. The mind of man is brought into communion with the mind of God, the finite with the Infinite. The effect of such communion on body and mind and soul is beyond estimate." Education, p.14.

This is the invisible which is "clearly seen by the things that are made," (Romans 1:20), is it not?

sky

[wayfinder]

The only time we must walk by faith is when we are unable to see. The only time we are unable to see is when we are in darkness or when we are in the light with our eyes closed tightly.

Matthew 6:23 NAS

"But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness !

John 3:19 NAS

"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

John 12:35 NAS

So Jesus said to them, "For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.

John 12:46 NAS

"I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.

Matthew 15:14 NAS

"Let them alone ; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."

John 9:39 NAS

And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind."

John 9:41 NAS

Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin ; but since you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.

[skyblue888]

I do agree that there comes a time when it is no longer a matter of faith as to whether God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, Heaven, good and evil angels, exist or not. For me it is no longer a matter of faith but a matter of facts. My faith or trust is in the merits of Christ's sacrifice for it is the remedy provided for sin. This is the faith I must continually exercise. So it is not so much believing that God exist but that God is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. This is what faith is all about. Believing God's word.

sky

[wayfinder]

Sky, I agree with you for the most part. It is my understanding that we move from faith to trust, from tradition to truth.

As I understand it:

Faith, is hopeful expectation, based on belief.

Trust, is expectation based on past performance, knowing that God never changes. Perfection is perfect and there is no changing in that which is perfect. If the perfect plan changes it wasn't perfect to begin with.

[Dr. Shane]

For me faith really comes into play when self tries to take control. I don't want to talk about any real sin so I would use ice cream as an example (I do not believe eating ice cream is a sin).

When my flesh cries out to eat ice cream [plug in your favorite sin], faith tells me that ice cream is bad for me and I should eat an apple, or grapes or a mango instead. Walking by faith would mean distrusting the desires of my flesh (even though I want to follow them so bad) and instead acting by faith and following God's will.

[Guest]

I think that is a pretty good analogy Shane. I find also that if I pray when I see the ice cream monster coming, that a way of escape is provided.

And of course, a daily routine of spending time with God is indespensable. This will keep your faith much closer to where it needs to be.