WHY BELIEVE GOD?


WHY BELIEVE GOD?
“As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed.”     [Romans 4:17, KJV]

Why bother believing God—His words, His promises, covenants, Him—His Essence? 

Abraham was the father of faith. He believed God, when there was (seemingly) no reason to believe—yet, he still believed. He probably got laughed at, on occasion. Noah did (we can be certain that he was—and mocked, too), I’m guessing; out there building an ark to protect himself and his family from rain, when those of his generation had never seen rain (there are a few factors that suggest this)—including him, but he kept building and preaching—and believing God. When I look at these great biblical examples of faith in God and compare them to “faith” as we see and hear it preached today, I see a vastly different picture.

The men of old believed God because He IS God. Their belief wasn’t predicated on what He would do or even so much on what He had done (especially in Abraham’s case), but simply in God. In fact, God was a stranger to Abraham when he began to believe and obey God! On God’s Word (Whom Abraham was just meeting), Abraham left all that was familiar and departed to a new and strange land. He did this because God IS God, and Abraham trusted Him (even before he knew Him!) to provide for him, direct him and “make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].
 And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves].”   [Genesis 12:2-3, AMP]

If someone you didn’t know came to you and told you to leave everything you loved—and knew behind, and go to an unknown place with such lofty promises for your future, what would you do??? I would probably ask what other bridge they had to sell me—seriously. I am NOT the father of, or the mother of faith, either. Still, like Abraham, there is within every one of us in innate desire for God. We may never acknowledge it or recognize it, but there is a void that only God can fill. That is what drove Abraham to trust God, anyway. We need God—we need Something more than the temporal earthly existence that we have in this world—we have to have a hope for something more—otherwise we are “most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19] and “to be pitied” [Amplified Bible]. God made us this way—He made us to need Him; He put the open hole (or void) in the deepest part of us that would cause us to crave Him. Trying to fill it with other things leads to damnation, eternally, we all know; but even in this life, it causes cynicism, bitterness, negativity, wrath, lasciviousness, covetousness, discontent, sexual immorality, greed, and a whole lot more. It happens whenever we try to fill God’s space in us with earthly “idols”. We, as Christians, do it, too.

Christians have a partial space for God, but only let Him have a portion of the place He created in us for Himself, alone. Then we fill God’s space with our idols, and leave very little room for God and the things of God. Today’s Christian is way more concerned with acquiring the things that make for comfortable living than he is in acquiring more of God [Psalm 37:4]. The Spirit takes a backseat to “name it, and claim it!” “It” being whatever my earthly body desires—the lust of the flesh—the things that distract mankind from the things of the Spirit. While we are having “faith” for corruptible things, our faith in God and His Word, as a Sustainer, in the midst of a dark world becomes less valuable. Our faith in God when things aren’t comfortable is nearly non-existent, unless it’s applied to becoming comfortable and fulfilling my lusts; but almost never is it applied to being content in “whatsoever state I am in”. We only know how to abound. We are completely inept as being abased. Being abased, victoriously is a quality—a great spiritual one, that too many of us can’t relate to, and refuse to accept. Many deem this holy state as “weak in faith” and lacking trust in God—in fact, it’s easy to trust God when everything is going my way. Faith is tried when I am being abased and trouble is on every side, and the challenge is to rejoice, still. If it weren’t for the years that separated them, Habakkuk and Paul could have preached together, with Paul preaching to the Corinthian believers, “We are hedged in (pressed) on every side [troubled and oppressed in every way], but not cramped or crushed; we suffer embarrassments and are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair;
We are pursued (persecuted and hard driven), but not deserted [to stand alone]; we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed;
Always carrying about in the body the liability and exposure to the same putting to death that the Lord Jesus suffered, so that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be shown forth by and in our bodies.”    [2 Corinthians 4:8-10, AMP]

But, we don’t care to know anything about non-blossoming fig trees, unfruitful vines, failing olive trees, unyielding fields and empty stalls—while the flock is cut off   [Habakkuk 3:17]. The prophet Habakkuk did—most of the great men and women of the Bible (who did any exploits, did), and they knew to trust God even when there seemed no reason to trust Him—and they knew how to rejoice in Him, not expecting perfection in their circumstances, but in the ability of God to sustain and provide. Habakkuk understood that there will always be “high places” in our lives, but the strength of God allows His people to “walk upon mine high places”. That’s the difference for the child of God—we have high places—or trials, even fiery ones, but we are not devastated by them, not when we have faith in God. He is our Strength and He prepares the way before us, so that in spite of the circumstances we can triumph, and be in victory. Horrible things happen to us, too—deaths, financial ruin, illness, loss of homes, fires, earthquakes, floods, and all of the things that happen to everyone else that lives in a sin-marred world is subject to happen to a man or woman of God; in fact, it’s par for the course. What’s different for us is that the faith that we exercise toward God, in the tragedy is first, a testimony to God, and secondly, insurance that God will keep us—no matter how bad things are. 

“ However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves…
 Always carrying about in the body the liability and exposure to the same putting to death that the Lord Jesus suffered, so that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be shown forth by and in our bodies.”   [2 Corinthians 4:7,11, AMP]

That’s the great difference between those who have relationship with God—and those who do not. It isn’t that those who have relationship with God have whatever they want—it’s that we have the rich and precious treasure of victory, in spite of difficult, even tragic circumstances. We always have a blessed hope. Even if in this life there is constant struggle—we have the knowledge that even this is a “light affliction” compared to the “eternal weight of glory” that awaits us. It’s okay to “groan” now—it’s only temporary; it will pass, it’s simply death at work in us, and it serves an important purpose—to make us mature, perfect, spotless people ready to meet Christ in the air when He appears. 

For we who live are constantly [experiencing] being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be evidenced through our flesh which is liable to death.    [2 Corinthians 5:11, AMP]

Believe God. Believe God for Who He is and His power to change us from death to life—eternal. That’s what faith is all about, that’s what faith is for.

 “He’s Getting Us Ready For That Great Day!”

       

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