21 - Connecting w/ God

Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
CONNECTING with GOD
Day  21| NOW FAITH IS
NOW FAITH IS

Hebrews 11:1
 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
(NKJV)

Just as our physical eyes are the sense the gives us evidence of the material world in which we live, FAITH is the “sense” that gives us evidence of the invisible spiritual world.  Much like radio waves which we can’t see and yet are all around us, FAITH opens our eyes to another reality, the spiritual realm which is also all around us.

Ephesians 2:8 says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

Most people I know like animals and are kind and supportive.  (A good thing inasmuch as God entrusted the care of the animals and the planet to mankind in Genesis 1.)

But animals haven’t been shown God’s grace or been given the gift of faith. They don’t know what it is to pray to God, to choose Christ as Lord and Savior, or to become a child of God.

We should rejoice that we have been SO loved that we have been chosen to experience His love, His grace, His presence, His salvation, His faith, His Holy Spirit and so much more.

In the AMPLIFIED Bible Hebrews 11:1 readds like this:  “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].”

What are you hoping for?  Do you have a list?  I hope HEAVEN is on your list.  Your physical eyes can’t SEE heaven or God’s Holy Spirit or His angels (or the demons for that matter), yet with FAITH we can see that there is a spiritual reality all around us.  And although we are three dimensional beings in a 3D world, there is another dimension – some call it the 4th dimension – the realm of the spiritual which is just as real.

And once the eyes of your faith are open – really open – I believe you will more than ever want to reach out to and hold on to your faith in God and indeed, do what you can to help that faith to GROW and mature.  We can do that by doing the things needed to GROW our faith – staying in the Word, praying, not forsaking the assembling together of ourselves (church), and FEEDING our spiritual selves in a way that is pleasing in His sight.

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)  and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.”  (Romans 10:23-24)

Prayer, Lord I DO want to have a healthy, growing connection with You.  I want to be a healthy child of yours and GROW every day in every way that is pleasing to You.  Help me, guide me, teach me.  Amen.