GREAT FAITH! FAULTY FAITH!
Hebrews Eleven speaks of other men and women of faith who were severely tortured to death.
They suffered starvation, were homeless, lived in caves, and wandered over hillsides to find places to hide from those who persecuted them.
Their faith stopped the mouths of Lions, a reference to the faith of Daniel, a man of great faith.
What an existence, what a hopeless situation, yet!… They saw miracles of deliverance… The dead raised to life!
Many miraculous escapes from death and imprisonment, such as Joseph who was wrongfully accused of rape with Potiphar’s wife and thrown into a deep dungeon for years.
He never faulted in his resolve that God was always with him and would someday deliver him from bondage.
He by faith made the most of his imprisonment and encouraged Pharaoh’s servants by interpreting their dreams.
God moved to not only to free Joseph through the Chief Butler but used him to interpret Pharoah s’ two troubling dreams.
God delivered him and exalted him to the second in charge under Pharaoh of all the land of Egypt.
What kept Joseph from anger, bitterness, and resentment in such an unfair and cruel rejection?
He was able to freely forgive his brothers for their betrayal.
HIS UNWAVERING FAITH IN GOD was what kept him.
He trusted that God had the whole picture in mind even though he could not see the end from the beginning, so he persevered.
These heroes embraced God’s promises by faith. The Greek word for “embraced” is the word “salutes” We salute them.
Many died in faith; they did not seek faith at their time of dying; they died “in faith.”
They never went “beyond faith,” and they didn’t go “below faith,” nor did they “lose faith.”
THEY DIED IN FAITH.
Living by faith is easier when we choose to remember that this world is not our home, that on this side of Heaven, not everything is settled, and that sometimes things go very wrong. We know in part, but in eternity, all wrong is righted. That is our “True Home”, our “Better Country”.
Precious friend, God is not ashamed to be called your God because He has already prepared a place for you.
John 14:1-6.
FAULTY FAITH! Not everyone possessed a God kind of faith that was totally secure. We will note at least four of them who struggled to believe God.
GIDEON.
Gideon doubted God’s Word at first and wanted many confirmations. Yet despite himself, he boldly defeated a massive army of Midianites
(Judges 6:7).
It is excellent that God saw the potential in him by the Angel calling him, “Mighty Warrior”,_ even before he reluctantly obeyed.
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BARACH.
In Judges chapter 4, he led the hosts of Israel in a dramatic victory over the Canaanites. Yet he hesitated and only went forward when the Prophetess Deborah encouraged him.
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SAMSON.
This hulk of a man, everyone admired as “Strong”, was weak in faith. His weakness was his attraction to beautiful women. Samson’s disobedience of the Law became his downfall. He was enticed into sin by Delilah, who, for the sake of riches, betrayed him.
He, after much whining and nagging to the point of exhaustion!! told her the secret of his strength, his “long hair.” A secret known only to God.
She turned him over to his deadly enemy, where he found himself grinding a Millstone in a Philistine prison.
Yet it is never too late to regain strength through repentance and a renewed faith: Samson, though having a tragic death, slew more Philistines at his death than in his lifetime. Read the full story in Judges chapter 13.
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JEPTHAH.
He was used by God to defeat the Ammonites. Yet, in the excitement of his victory, he made a foolish vow and stubbornly kept it to the demise of his lovely daughter. This was the time of the Judges where… “Every man did what was right in their own eyes.”
It should have never happened!
Each one of these men had areas of failure in their lives… Do you and I? But Hebrews commends their faith and had them listed as heroes in the Great Hall of Faith. This shows us that,
WEAK FAITH IS BETTER THAN NO FAITH OR UNBELIEF!
You don’t have to be perfect to be counted in the Hall of Faith.
Learn this: When God speaks, please do it! Yes, do it, even if you don’t feel like it, because…
“OBEDIENCE IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE.”
Examine your measure of faith. If it comes up as faulty then repent and allow it to grow.
“FAITH COMES BY HEARING, AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD”
Spend more time in the Word of God than anything else!!
Amen.
Heather Dalzell SMS
Phone 0417 545 814.
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