By faith Abraham, when
he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an
inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (Hebrews
11:8)
Obedience to the will of
God, whether His will is found in the Scriptures or revealed in the Spirit to
the saint, is an important aspect of faith—the faith by which the righteous
live.
It has become
fashionable in Christian circles to speak of "challenging" our faith.
The concept seems to be that the Christian is to announce what he would like to
see happen and then, if he can summon the faith, God will do what he has asked.
We are exhorted to think "big" because God is a "big God."
We are encouraged to be aggressive in our "faith."
We are not certain there
is merit in this approach. We do not see it in the Scriptures. The Scriptures
are a record of God speaking to men, and of men demonstrating their faith by
doing what God commanded them to do. The people described in the eleventh
chapter of Hebrews showed their faith by being obedient to God, not by
imagining some large enterprise and then attempting to exercise
"faith" so God was compelled to do what they supposed was beneficial.
There is an aspect of
asking largely of God that should be cultivated by the saint. God often puts a
holy discontent in our heart concerning our current situation. Our response must
be to go to God continually, believing He will do the impossible. It is a
delight to God's heart that we bear much eternal fruit. As we bear permanent
fruit, God continues to hear us, and so more fruit is borne. This process will
continue throughout eternity.
Ye have not chosen me,
but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth
fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the
Father in my name, he may give it you. (John 15:16)
However, the process of
bearing the permanent fruit of Christ's image and consequently having our
prayers answered is different from the challenge, the dare, to "do great
things for God." The former comes from the working of God in us as we grow
in Christ. The latter, in many instances, proceeds from enthusiasm, personal
ambition, ignorance of God, or some other undesirable motive.
The idea of doing
"great things for God by faith" is common among Christians of our
time, probably because we are not suffering tribulation or being persecuted
severely. The concept of doing great things for God carries with it the idea
that the mind and imagination of man are in control, not the Holy Spirit. It is
not the faith of obedience, it is the faith that attempts to force God to do
what man wants. God is made obedient to man as we exercise "faith."
Woe is me, my mother,
that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole
earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet
every one of them doth curse me. (Jeremiah 15:10)
The patriarchs,
prophets, and miracle workers of the Old Testament were not attempting to
"do big things for God." A careful study of the Scriptures will make
clear that the prophets of the Lord always acted in obedience to what God was
showing them. God spoke first and then they believed. On occasion they were
brought into much distress because of God's dealing with them.
Be careful for nothing;
but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6)
Daniel was not
"daring to be a Daniel" when we was put in with the lions.
There definitely is a
time to press forward in God, and pressing forward requires faith. There is a
time to claim a promise of Scripture, particularly when the promise answers
some strong need or desire. However, many of our prayers are not what we truly
desire.
We are to hold the
Scripture before God and ask Him continually to do His will in the matter. It
is a good thing to blow the trumpet of prayer loudly in God's ear, so to speak.
This is pleasing to God. He will receive the petition, modify it if it needs to
be modified, and then give us the true desires of our heart.
This is different from
announcing some personal ambition or good idea we have and attempting to
believe until it happens according to our plan.
We are not to attempt to
use God's promises for our ends but to employ them to enable us to live in
victory and do God's will in the earth.
God spoke to Abraham,
and Abraham went out "not knowing whither he went." Those who are
living by faith know God leads us through many situations that we do not
understand. We pray, we hope, we trust God, we are perplexed, but we do not
know what is taking place or what will happen to us. We do know if we continue
obeying God our future will be glorious. This is how the righteous live.
By faith he sojourned in
the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac
and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: (Hebrews 11:9)
To the individual who is
living by faith the present world is an alien environment. He is a pilgrim, a
sojourner living in a "tent." But one day he will inherit the nations
of the earth.
For he looked for a city
which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:10)
To
be continued.
YOUR COMMENTS ARE HIGHLY WELCOME.
YOUR COMMENTS ARE HIGHLY WELCOME.
Copyright © 2014 Trumpet Ministries Inc.
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