Confident Assurance

“So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

Day 11- We have set up camp here in Judea as we wait on the arrival of John, the baby boy of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Today we will stay around camp, Elizabeth and Zechariah will join us here.

Thank you for allowing us to come and join you at your camp today. I want to share with you something so important, that I find it to be extremely necessary at this point of your journey. 

It is something we all have, but just think of in many different ways. What is it? Faith! I believe that it is your faith in Christ that you are on this journey today. Only the Lord knows the strength of your faith, as He did mine that day in the sanctuary.

Up to that day I was sure of my faith, it was God who saw my faith in Him, that He chose for me to be a Jewish priest; it was by faith that the Lord found approval and blessed me with my son John. But there was that one moment when I heard that my wife and I would bear a child in our old age that revealed a truth about my faith. I doubted! I doubted and struggled with believing that it could even be possible. It revealed that I allowed my human flesh and the situation to seem greater than the Lord, of whom I have faith in.

I want to share with you a very famous passage in the book of Hebrews that I believe will help you understand faith a little better. It is Hebrews 11:1-3 “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.”

In every story you hear, they are stories of faith, they show God’s righteousness, power and complete control. Our faith should be not that of man or the world, but of God, the one who sent His Son, and whose Son will one day return. Our faith should come from the promises God gives us from His Word.  God wants us to ask all things and in asking He expects us to believe He will answer. He also wants us to understand that it is His timing and His way.

I believe, like in my situation, when I doubted, it was because I couldn’t see how we could have a child in our old age. He showed me just how unhappy it makes Him when we doubt His authority, and power. It was not about what I thought; it was about Him putting His plan into motion. All I needed to do was have faith in the Lord and believe He could do big things. I did not need to question, I just needed to accept. Now I see that His timing in all of this was for the purpose of His Son. His timing was so John could prepare the way for Jesus. It is through our faith that the Lord shows His righteousness.

We need to understand just how important faith is. Further down in chapter 11 verse 6 the writers go on to say” So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”  Our job is to have faith in Him who created us.

God will reveal to us what He wants us to know and understand. He wants our faith to be BIG and in Him no matter what.  When you face moments that seem impossible remember they are possible with God and all He requires is faith.

I hope your faith is strengthened in knowing God is in control of all things, and He understands everything. Every situation, every obstacle, every tear, every smile, every laugh, every sickness, every diagnosis, every battle, every struggle, every addiction, every decision, every thought, every prayer, everything!

So trust in Him, believe in His promises, and cling to His Word.