WHY FAITH?

March 29, 2024

Now faith is the turning of dreams into deeds; it is betting your life on the unseen realities. Hebrews 11:1 Cotton Patch Gospel

1. WE HAVE A LIFE OF JOY AND PURPOSE. Faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). We are created not just for survival or to have our creature comforts met. We are made by God for His purposes. The joy of life is getting connected to our purpose and loving and serving God. I am not talking about religious formalism or just some sort of guilt-driven obedience. Life with God is freedom and abundance – an invitation to the restoration of what Adam and Eve forfeited.
 
2. WE HAVE FAITH HEROES CHEERING US ON. Hebrews 11 has been called the Faith Hall of Fame. This chapter itemizes the historical moments of men and women of God who lived by faith, starting with Adam’s son Abel and continuing through Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. In the next chapter, this group is described as “a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us” (Hebrews 12:1). Since they are now cheering us on in the grandstands of heaven, we can reference their lives and rid ourselves of every obstacle, weight, hindrance, and blockage and choose to be all in. 
 
Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1 
 
3. WE HAVE GOD’S HELP. Our flesh – the part of us that can get entangled in sin – has goofy tendencies. One preacher summed it up succinctly by saying, “Our flesh is stupid.” The good news is that in our calling and responsibility to walk by faith, we have help. We have help to walk in the Spirit and not just be led by our flesh (Galatians 5:16). God is so good that He will sanctify us, set us apart, and help us out entirely (1 Thessalonians 5:23). He is able to keep us from falling and present us faultless before His presence with exceeding joy (Jude 1:24). Let these truths from God’s Word fuel your faith and strengthen you. Lean into them a little bit more. Stand on God’s promises. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). 

DAILY CONFESSION:
Faithful is God who calls me; He will also bring it to pass! I walk by the Spirit and am not led by my flesh. Since I also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding me, I rid myself of every obstacle and the sin that so easily entangles me, and I run with endurance the race set before me. God will keep me from falling and present me faultless before His presence with exceeding joy! (1 Thessalonians 5:24; Galatians 5:16; Hebrews 12:1; Jude 1:24)


God bless you!
Pastor Jeff Perry 

sanc·ti·fy, verb
To make sacred or holy: Set apart to a sacred purpose. To make free from sin, cleanse from moral corruption and pollution. 

^{Copyright © 2024 St. Louis Family Church, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from Clarence Jordan’s Cotton Patch Gospel: The Complete Collection. Copyright © 2012 by Smyth & Helwys Publishing. Used by permission. All rights reserved. “Sanctify, V.” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, C. & G. Merriam CO., 1971, p. 2008.}