In Hebrews 11:27 I read, “It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.” (NLT)
There is a strong belief in our culture that influences every one of us, whether we want it to or not: “If it feels good, do it.”
But this kind of thinking allows me to be manipulated by my moods, making me live according to my feelings. God wants me to live a different kind of life. He wants me to live a life of faith, not a life of feelings.
I don’t always feel like doing the right thing and I don’t always feel like being nice to people. I don’t always feel like stopping what I’m doing to help someone. I don’t always feel like believing in God's promises for my life.
But my goal as a believer and his follower is to develop the kind of faith that persists above feelings. I deepen my relationship with God when I spend time with him, even on days when I don’t feel like it.
It’s like an Olympic athlete exercising when she doesn’t feel like it or a great musician practicing his craft, even when he’s tired. It’s the same with my relationship with God.
Having a regular, consistent quiet time with God doesn’t always happen because I felt like spending time with God every single morning. It happens because I woke up and decided to read the Bible and pray, even when I didn’t feel like it.
Faith is being persistent. Faith is refusing to give up no matter how tired I am or how many other things I wish I could be doing.
Through the example of Moses, the Bible shows me how to begin to develop persistence. Hebrews 11:27 says, “It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (NLT).
That’s how I get there. That’s how I persist. I begin to see the invisible. Only those who see God for who he really is can persist in the most difficult times of life. Only those who see the invisible can do the impossible.
Believe in faith what God can do in my life, and thank him in advance for how he is going to work.
In summary, it is by faith and not fear, and by keeping my eyes on the one who is invisible that allows me to persist. There is a strong belief in our culture that influences everyone, “If it feels good, do it.” But this kind of thinking allows me to be manipulated by my moods, making me live according to my feelings. God wants me to live a different kind of life. He wants me to live a life of faith, not a life of feelings. Now, I don’t always feel like doing the right thing and I don’t always feel like being nice. I don’t always feel like stopping what I’m doing to help. And I don’t always feel like believing in God's promises for my life. But my goal as a believer and his follower should be to develop the kind of faith that persists above feelings. I will deepen my relationship with God when I spend time with him, even on days when I don’t feel like it. Having a regular, consistent quiet time with God doesn’t always happen because I felt like spending time with God every single morning. It happens because I decide each day to read the Bible and pray, even when I don't feel like it. Faith is being persistent. Faith is refusing to give up no matter how tired I am or how many other things I wish I could be doing. Through Moses' example, I can see how to begin to develop persistence. It is by faith, not fear, to keep right on going, keeping my eyes on the one who is invisible. That is how I get there. That’s how I persist. I begin to see the invisible. I see God for who he really is so that I can persist in the most difficult times of life. Believe in faith, what God can do in my life, and thank him in advance for how he is going to work.
It is easy to be deceived by the temporary benefits of wealth, popularity, status, and achievement, and to be blind to the long-range benefits of God's Kingdom. Faith helps me look beyond the world's value system to see the eternal values of God's Kingdom.
Lord, I need you today. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can believe in faith and trust you in everything including my self-worth and a future job role. You have my best interests in mind. I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my training for a future job role and leading a small group. I pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.
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