No Doubting Allowed

Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Well…if the other chapters were hard to understand..this one sure was clear.  No doubting allowed.  My favorite definition of faith….after I read several different ones on Google was - Faith…COMPLETE…trust or confidence in someone or something…capital letters mine.  Faith is the substance of the things we can not see…the assurance in our human soul that what we believe in our heart is really the way we believe it to be.

I learned a lot from my bible study book, “ Adventuring Through the Bible” by Ray Steadman.  I hope I get this paraphrase correct…cause I really liked the way he explained that faith was not just a thought in our brains or our souls…if we truly have faith…it manifests itself in action.  He said that faith anticipates the future…acts in the present…evaluates the past…and persists to the end.  As I read the short summary of  the great people who had great faith …four of them stood out as examples of just what Mr. Steadman said.

 Noah was so COMPLETELY sure of his faith that he built a boat…not just in case it rained…because he knew it would.  He anticipated the future….the future that would bring water from the sky for the first time…so much water that a flood would destroy everything that God had made.

And then there was Joseph.  What better example of living in the present can you get?  He relied on God for so much…on a day to day basis.  He had to rely COMPLETELY on God…and wait until he blessed him so much that he eventually became a great leader in Egypt….and saved his family from the famine no one saw coming but God.

King David struck me as the perfect example of evaluating the past.  He was a man after God’s own heart…so when he realized his sin…cause he did mess up pretty bad with the beautiful Bathsheba…and even murdered her husband. I love the ending to his story…where he COMPLETELY surrendered and repented of his past sins…cause it says that no matter how big a mess we create with our sin….if we ask God to forgive us…we can use the self reflection to become an even stronger person. 

Moses…the faith he had…it is an example of  great courage. He had to dare to see himself in a new career.  His faith dared to believe that a talking bush…God in disguise… really had the power to help him overcome all kinds of weaknesses to lead a huge group of people around in a wilderness for over 40 years.  He COMPLETELY sold out to God and became one of the greatest prayer warriors and leaders of all time.  (Sure wish he were still alive to run for president this year..lol!)

And finally…but of course…not last… is the great Paul. His faith COMPLETELY persisted to the last moment of his life.  Preaching…teaching…rebuking…and gently loving everyone that God told him to love. His great persistent faith was recorded in more bible chapters than any other.

Father…continue to build my faith.  Guide me with your burning bush and help me be so COMPLETELY sure of my future with you that with your confidence I can build my own boat to traverse through the floods of the present day.  Give me the ability to evaluate my past for what it was…and use the training you provided in my mistake to help someone else who needs guidance and comfort.  Most of all father…I need your confidence to dare.  Help me to dare to believe that I can do all things because you are right there with me…just like you were with all the ones that believed before me. Amen.