BELIEVE

The battle of the Christian life has been not just to believe, but to keep on believing. This is why the great target of your enemy is to break down your faith. If he can pull your hand back down to your side where you had it stretched out to God, he has succeeded.

Listen to Joshua’s parting instructions in his old age to his people: “You yourselves have seen everything the Lord our God has done to all the nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you.” (Joshua 23:3) In other words, look back and think on all God has done - and let history build your faith.

How about us doing that - just in the past 12 months? How many hundreds of mornings did you wake up with strength in your limbs to get up and function? You didn’t manufacture that strength yourself - I hope you don’t think that. It was a gift from God. When did you last thank God for your mental alertness, for a functional memory, or for the skills and ability to hold down a job?

We forget those things. We have greater faith for a future when we look back and acknowledge everything God has done in our past.

And then ... after Joshua tells the people to remember, he looks ahead - even at the end of his life. The first 22 chapters of Joshua tell how he has led the Israelites in conquering vast sections of Canaan. City after city has fallen to his armies. But Joshua isn’t satisfied with that. He says: “The Lord Himself will drive [the remaining Canaanite nations] out of your way. He will push them out before you and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord promised.” (Joshua 23:5)

Every one of us can point to things in our lives that are not yet the way God wants them to be. There is still a good deal of ‘land’ to be conquered. God wants to destroy the enemies that threaten to steal, kill and destroy us ... and He will, as we continue living by faith, not by sight.

Faith doesn’t come from you or me. It comes from God as we get His Word into our hearts and lives.

When we get a real faith in God, a certainty comes that when we call, He will answer ... that when we knock, the door will be opened ... and before you know it, we begin seeking Him for wayward children to be saved -- we begin asking Him for a greater sense of the Holy Spirit in our lives -- we begin petitioning Him for power to be released -- we begin trusting Him for the finances we need -- we begin following Him like never before.

And be blessed.