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.

The first thing you must do, to have strong faith, is to believe that God is. Believe that God exists. When God told Moses who He was, He said, “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) In other words, God said, “I am whatever you need.” Are you lonely? God is the friend who is closer than a brother. Are you confused about which way to go? He is the door that opens to future possibilities. Are you feeling lost? He is the Good Shepherd that cares for you and guides you. Faith hopes for the unseen because it believes God is. The second thing you must do, to have strong faith, is believe that God is the One who will meet the needs deep within your heart. There are those who believe God is, but they do not really seek Him. Why must you diligently seek God? Why isn’t it enough just to believe He is whatever you have need of? Because God knows that if you diligently seek Him, the very things for which you seek Him will fade in importance as you realize it is Him you needed all along. I believe most of us have no problem with the first of these two requirements to faith. We believe God is, but because we don’t believe He rewards those who seek Him, we seek Him  half-heartedly if at all. “I don’t have time,” you might be saying. Not true. You have time to golf, time to see your favorite ball team play, time to hunt, or time to fix the plumbing. Every single one of us, without exception, has time. We do what we want and make time for what is of value to us. When we seek Him, we are rewarded because hanging out with the Lord opens the door to fabulous blessings from Him.

Challenge:

Have you been trying to please God in your own strength apart from faith? Are you the type of person that works to ‘do things’ or ‘not do other things’ in hopes to make God satisfied with you? Here is the good news for today, God is well pleased with His Son Jesus Christ and when you place your complete trust in the Lord Jesus, then God is equally well pleased with you. Your challenge this week is to rest your faith in the Lord and take time to earnestly seek Him. You see, faith helps you endure the difficult situations because you will begin to see things from God’s perspective and vantage point. Faith says, “Though everything around me seems to be going wrong, I will trust the Lord will bring me through.” Do you find yourself in a time of great desperation with little hope that the situation will get better? Your faith in God reminds you that He works all things together for good to those who love Him and those who look to Him. Engage your faith today and believe that God is at work behind the scenes on your behalf. God bless you.