FAITH CAPSULE: Giving God attention is all that pleases our jealous God.
Hebrews 11
Pleasing God is positioning of self for a pleasant life in the hand of God.
How then do we please Him? Pleasing Him is phasing out fear while taking shape in faith. Where fear is not phased out faith sinks and God is reduced in one’s life. Fear can operate loudly or silently; fear is unarguably the opposite of faith. Abel ignored fear, engaged faith and could not doubt when he offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Despite his not knowing what harvest will later produce, he did not reduce in giving to God sacrificially. Noah did not reduce to fear when he received the instructions to build against destruction. Noah could have chosen to give in to doubt and not respond.
Doubt an agent of fear and its specialty is to render man faithless. To exercise doubt is a demonstration of a silent fear. It is written, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.” (Hebrews 11:8-9) The Bible declares that it was by faith and not by fear Abraham obeyed God. The choice is either you move by faith or you are moved by fear and there is no neutrality or middle ground. Is lack of faith impacting your advancement? As an acclaimed believer, it is time to let faith rise in you and have fear sink. Until then, your vehicle motion will remain stagnant.
How do we please God? Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” You have come to God by His grace, but do you believe that He is the center of your life? To believe Him is to be living the word and that is behaving the word of God. Behaving the word is exercising faith. Exercising faith is giving God all the attention which He deserves from us. Giving God attention is all that pleases our jealous God.
Have faith; seek Him diligently and He will evidently see you. Pleasing Him will make Him to always be with you. Above all, Jesus said, “And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” (John 8:29) Keep your eyes on Him and not on the fear-generating challenges that are temporal and not permanent in our life.
Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to constantly live in faith and not fear.