You are not in this battle alone. God told Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Jos.1:9). We must be like Joshua, strong and courageous: There are battles ahead, but there is no victory without warfare — our faith must fight.
Years ago, I was very frustrated at the spiritual condition of the church and our nation. I prayed, “Lord, many of us have faith that things can change, but nothing seems to be working!”
Through Scripture reading, I soon realized that faith often involves action: “The day I pray for God to move the mountain, I often wake up next to a shovel” (Anonymous).
By faith, Abel offered the right sacrifice. By faith, Noah built the ark and saved his family. By faith, Abram obeyed God and left his country in pursuit of the promise (cf. Heb. 11). And on and on it goes … faith obeys God.
Faith Must Fight to Ignite
To be clear, I’m not talking about physical warfare but spiritual warfare. The same Gospel that brings peace with God brings war with sin. We must be prayed up in order to be built up, live in the Word so we don’t live in fear, and worship to drive out worry.
We cannot usher in utopia while things continue to decline, but God calls us to fight, not flee. He calls us to step out in faith rather than run like cowards because our faith ignites faith in others.
Are we igniting fear, or are we promoting strong faith in the midst of adversity? Worry comes when we put fear over faith.
The Best Way to Please God
Walking in faith trains spiritual muscles for spiritual battles. We don’t always know the exact course we are to take with absolute certainty, but faith provides hope for the journey. “The Lord never builds a bridge of faith except under the feet of the faith-filled traveler. If He builds the bridge ahead, it would not be a bridge of faith.” (Streams in the Desert)
Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that without faith it is impossible to please God and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. When God calls, faith answers.
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