Respond in Faith

Oct 31, 2019 | by Anthony Wade

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could sit down today and plan out the next 10, 20, or even 30 years or more of your life?  Think about it for a moment.  It would be so easy if you could just know where you were going to live, which church you would be plugged into, what your job would be, how much money you would earn, or even how many children, grandchildren, and even cats and dogs you would have.  In actuality, life really isn’t that cut and dry, is it?  Life can throw us many curveballs, and when we are faced with those surprises, we need to sometimes make important decisions.

The decisions that we need to make in life range from extremely simple to life-altering.  Today, you may need to decide where your family will go on vacation this year.  In the grand scheme of things, that one is pretty easy, right?  Maybe you have been offered a position that would advance your career to places you have only dreamed, but it means moving halfway across the country.  That choice might be a little more difficult to make.  Perhaps the doctor just told you that you have cancer and your likelihood of survival is based on the option of treatment that you choose.  Now, that is a life-altering decision!  A decision like that really puts the vacation choice in the proper perspective, doesn’t it?  No matter what type of curveball life has thrown at you today, you need to choose to make the proper response.

There are many ways that people make decisions in their lives.  Some people decide how they will travel through life based on fear, excitement, or some other emotion.  These individuals like to feel their way through life.  Other folks need to gather all of the facts, write down all of their options, and then think their way through the choices set before them.  Now, don’t misunderstand me; our thoughts and feelings are good.  Those feelings were given to us by God Himeslf.  However, they should never dictate how you should live your life!

So how should you respond?  God’s Word says that we are to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  Another verse says that the just, or those who have been made righteous, shall live by faith (Romans 1:17).  The only way a believer should ever respond is in FAITH.  That’s how we are to live.

You may be asking, “What does it mean to make decisions in my life by faith?”  Well, part of it is looking down the line at how you hope your life will turn out someday and then making decisions that will help you get there and not hinder you.  After all, faith is the substance of those things that you hope for in your life (Hebrews 11:1).  There was a time when I used to only see faith as the rod and reel that can reach out and grasp those things that you envision in your future, and pull them into your present.  But, that is just a part of it.  If you’ll decide to base your entire life on what Jesus provided for you at His cross, then you will have the proper foundation in place, my friend.  You will not just look forward with that rod and reel anymore.  Instead, you will live your life with a dual focus.  You will always be looking back to see what Jesus made available so that you can properly see where to cast that rod and reel.  If you are faced with cancer, you can stand on God’s Word and speak life to your body because by His stripes, you were healed (1 Peter 2:24).  You will end up, not only seeing your faith as a rod and reel, but as the bridge that connects Jesus’ supply to your need.  His past supply can meet your future hope right now in your PRESENT!

All of a sudden, you will find yourself basing your life’s decisions on what He would want for you.  He will truly be the source of your heart’s desires (Psalm 37:4).  You will rest in the love of your Heavenly Father and the achievements of your elder brother, Jesus.  You won’t see your faith as something you use to get God to DO something for you, but you will see it as your proper response to what He already DID for you.  Don’t shy away from the curveballs of life.  Respond in faith and you will overcome!

Today’s Word Study:  1 Peter 1:1-12