“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4
Romans 1:17 – “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
Galatians 3:11 – “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”
Hebrews 10:38 – “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.”
Moving into 2023, I am aware that life will hold much ‘light and glory’ in the workings of God but will also be paralleled with great works of darkness. In this setting we will be tempted to move from our place of steadfastness and confidence in God and His promises. Our scripture today highlights our great need to hold fast to those things we have known, learned, seen and believed.
Keys to our ability to continue living a life by faith will be seen as we…
hold fast our places of community, (encourage one another as you see the day approaching);
To strengthen our divine connections (no division)
To continue our press into Him (holding fast to the head)
We need Him and we will need each other.
I’m not asking you to adhere to a formula of faith, but rather holding fast to the one who is faithful. I am unable to control the circumstances of my life through my confidence in my faith, but I am always able to control my responses to them. I’ve learned, and continually learn, faith is the heart condition I must guard to stay unified with the Father and the others I am divinely connected to.
All of us have lived though seasons we have not understood, and moving forward I ‘feel’ we will see more of these moments occurring. Our need will be an unshakeable faith in God. ‘Have faith in God’ is one requirement Jesus set before His disciple. Our work is ‘to believe in the Father and His son’. I love this little Greek word in, ‘eis’ which literally means ‘into’. We are to be leaning ‘into’ the Father and His son to become one with them. This keeps us vitally connected to our Father and the Lordship of Jesus as the Holy Spirit guides us through any and all circumstances we meet. You know you only lean into someone you trust, i.e. someone you have faith in.
Jesus made sure we would understand the pressures faced in this world. He warned and promised us that the one who endures to the end shall be saved. The only way we are able to endure is to make sure we are absolutely steeped in our union with Him. This act of believing ‘into’ is to find the confidence in the love and care God has for us as Father. This alone produces security and steadfastness with righteousness, peace and joy in our inner man as we pass through our circumstances.
I’ll leave you with this last scripture ~
“…without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”.
Let us find in this year disciplined hearts and minds to hold the command of Jesus ~ ‘have faith in God’ and in every step let us see our faith exercised in loving one another even as we have been loved.