OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SUNDAY - 06/04/2014 - THE REALITY OF FAITH BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

THE REALITY OF FAITH

MEMORISE

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

READ

Genesis 12:1-4

1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

MESSAGE

 The Lord Almighty is calling us to a life of faith in Him. A life of faith involves a substantial walk with God with evidential trust and commitment to Him. Some people claim to have faith, but in the real sense of it, they do not. The heroes of faith did substantial things in their walk with God. For example, the Bible in Hebrews 11:8 says:

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.”

Though he did not know where he was going, he trusted the One who called him out that He would take care of him. He lived as a patriarch while he was still childless. No wonder God loved Him and gave him an everlasting covenant of blessing. There are many ways in which we can honour God, but the best way is by our faith in Him. In fact, His heart is filled with joy when He sees His human creation trust Him for everything. This is why the Bible in Hebrews 11:6 says:

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Jesus Christ demanded faith from His disciples as a requirement for experiencing the supernatural. He said this to them in Mark 11:22b-23:

“Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”

This implies that our faith must not be misguided; rather, it must be in the God that never fails. As we continue in our journey of life, only faith can make us land safely at the glorious destination. Now what is faith? In the context of today’s Bible reading, simply put, faith is accepting the verdict of God in all situations. Faith is not praying contrary to the perfect will of God. Faith is saying “Yes, Lord!” Many people settle for what is not the perfect will of God and later regret their desperation. It is faith when what we believe for tallies with God’s intention. We must learn to identify the will of God as we exercise our faith, because faith that is outside the will of God is nothing but magic. Jesus Christ exercised His faith in the will of His Father when He prayed in Luke 22:42. My prayer is that God will give you the God-kind of faith in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT

Father, reveal your will in all situations of my life in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Ezekiel 46:19-48:35; Psalm 77:11-20