Who Are You Going To Believe?

Paul wrote, "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor 5:7). Do you hear what that's saying? The context is about a difficult concept ... what happens when we die? He says, "Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord ... we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord" (2 Cor 5:6-8). So ... in context, then, you can see what he's saying. We don't see that death brings us into the presence of God ... we believe it. We walk by faith, not by sight.

I'm asking you to carry that thought a little further. Consider some of the things we see in Scripture. We hear that those who believe in Christ have (present tense) everlasting life (John 3:16). We don't see it; do we believe it? We read that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God" (Rom 8:28-29). We don't see it; do we believe it? We are promised that He will never, never leave or forsake us (Heb 13:5). We don't see it; do we believe it? We are told that in trials and tribulations we are more than conquerors (Rom 8:35-39). We don't see it; do we believe it? Paul assured us that God will supply all our needs (Php 4:19). It sure doesn't look like it sometimes; do we believe it? Paul wrote that God has "blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (the verb tense is a completed past action with ongoing results) and goes on to list examples (Eph 1:3-14). We don't see it; do we believe it?

As believers, we have some spectacular promises. Some we embrace with delight and some ... we question. It doesn't feel that way. We're not seeing it. Is it really true? We'll even claim that we believe it, but our actions don't show it. I mean, for instance, when things go radically wrong and we are devastated by it, is that the response of one who believes that God works all things together for good? Putting it in James's terms, are we "counting it all joy" (James 1:2-4)? So, when we read, "We walk by faith, not by sight," think of it this way. God is stating a fact and asking ... "Who are you going to believe ... your eyes ... or Me?" Who are you going to trust? Yourself ... or God?