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Hebrews 11:1 - FAITH.

Hebrews 11:1 (GNT) To have faith is to be
sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of
the things we cannot see.

COMMENTARY PEARL

Believe It So You Can See It
Faith is visualizing the future. Its
believing in something before you see it. Hebrews 11:1
says, Faith shows the reality of what we hope
for; it is the evidence of things we cannot
see (NLT).
A lot of people say, Ill believe it
when I see it! God says the exact opposite is
true: Youll see it when you first believe
it. Many things in life must be believed before
they can be seen.
In the 1960s, the Soviet Union sent the
first cosmonaut into outer space. He circled the
earth, and when he came back down, he did a press
conference and said, I searched the heavens, and I
looked for God, and I did not see him anywhere.
Therefore, there is no God. The Communists, an
atheistic regime, concluded, We now have scientific
proof that there is no God.
About six months later, John Glenn, an
astronaut from the U.S., went into space, circled the
earth three times, came back down, and held a
press conference. He said, I saw God
everywhere! I saw his glory in the galaxy. I saw his
splendor in the universe. I saw his majesty in the
stars.
Jesus said, Unless you are born again,
you cannot see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3
NLT). Before there is spiritual transformation in
your life, youre too narrow-minded to see the
possibility of what God is doing in the world around
you. This is true of every person. Faith comes
before seeing.
It is faith that causes an architect to
design a building, first believing it can be done.
It is faith that causes an Olympic athlete to
practice and go to the Olympic trials because she
believes she can win. It is faith that causes the
scientist to believe that we can put a man on the
moon.
It is a universal principle of life: You
have to believe it before you see it. When you
have faith, you will see the amazing things God
is doing in you, through you, and around you.
[Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]

COMMENTARY

Everyone has and lives by a form of
faith. Now, someone might say theyre not a
person of faith. But everyone has faith. Everyone
applies faith. Even the atheist has faith, even
though it isnt faith in God.
Actually, I think it takes more faith to
be an atheist and to not believe there is a
Creator or someone who is in control of all the
things around us.
Everyone has a measure of faith. Everyone
has faith in something. Maybe its faith in
themselves, which will be disappointing. Maybe they have
faith in a political system, which will be even
more disappointing. But they have faith.
I think the problem is that we make faith
so mystical when, in fact, we act in faith
every day. For example, when you go to a
restaurant and order, you have faith that the food will
be fresh and will be prepared properly.
When you board a 747 that weighs more
than 300,000 pounds, you apply faith that it will
somehow get up into the air and take you to the
place you want to go.
When you step into an elevator, youre
applying faith that all the cables are working and
that maintenance workers have done their due
diligence. When you go to the pharmacy and to fill your
medications, youre trusting the pharmacist knows what
he or she is doing and will put the right pills
in the right bottle.
But when someone comes along and says,
Have faith in God, people will think thats
insane. Yet the Bible tells us, The just shall
live by faith (Romans 1:17 NKJV). It doesnt
say, The just shall live by emotions,
because sometimes were up emotionally, and
sometimes were down.
So lets believe the Word of God
regardless of our emotions because theres no safer
place to put our faith than in God Himself. [Greg
Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com re Rom. 1:17]

ILLUSTRATION

Faith And Our Feet
Faith is not about how much you believe
in what you believe. Faith is about believing
that the One you believe in is believable. In
fact, you can have all of the faith in the world
that your SUV is going to take off and fly you to
Canada cruising at 12,000 feet in the air. But that
won't change the fact that you're still going to
be stuck in traffic somewhere with all four
wheels firmly on the ground.
Faith is about believing that the One you
believe in is believable.
The way you find out if the one you
believe in is believable is by knowing and
experiencing Him.
It's like when a child climbs up on the
back of her daddy for a piggyback ride. She
doesn't get up there and start asking herself if he
can hold her or if he is going to drop her.
Instead, she immediately starts asking him, "Do you
have me?" as she wiggles and adjusts her legs
into place.
By asking her daddy, "Do you have me?"
she is affirming in her mind that the one she is
putting her faith in is faithful. Because if he
says, "Yes, I have you," and she rests up there
only to discover that he really does have her,
then the next time she climbs on for a piggy-back
ride, the questions become fewer.
But until she first climbs up onto the
back of her daddy, she can say all day long that
she believes that he can hold her. Saying it a
thousand times won't reduce the hesitation she feels
when the offer to get up there is first extended.
She will never get to the point where she can
experience the full pleasure of his presence until she
takes that first climb of faith to discover that
he is faithful.
Faith experienced is faith that is real.
It is an easy thing to say that you believe. It
is an easy thing to feel like you believe. But
faith is not situated in our feelings. Faith is
situated in our feet. That's why the Bible calls it
"walking by faith" rather than "feeling by faith."
[Alternative View with Dr. Tony Evans;
https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/alternative-view-with-dr-tony-evans/ re Heb. 11 and Psa. 1]

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE

Hebrews 11:1 - FAITH.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200110-1416.html

Hebrews 11:1 - What Is Faith?

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170621-1533.html

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0

Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo

Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782

Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE

Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]

Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/

Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx

Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible

Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657