"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:18
How many times do you venture out in your life of faith and find something in your circumstances that, from a commonsense standpoint, contradict your faith? Arguably, this happens nearly everyday. Commonsense says a $500 bank account balance today does not equal a $650 rent bill due tomorrow, but faith says God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phillipians 4:19). Commonsense says that when the best doctors the world has to offer say that your condition is untreatable, there is no cure, but faith tells us that even if we suffer from an issue for multiple years if we just reach out and have an encounter with Jesus, He has the power to heal us instantaneously according to our faith (Luke 8:43-47). Commonsense is not faith; Merriam-Webster defines it as 'sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.' Faith is not commonsense; The Bible tells us ' faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).'
Commonsense and faith are as different as natural life and the spiritual. It is so easy to believe and say "God is going to do it for me" when you are sitting on the mountain top and your simple perception can see from on high; Could you say the same when you come down and are forced to walk in the valleys where your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8)? It's easy to say from the mountain top that God will take care of the rent when you have a paycheck coming Friday from a good paying job, but could you say the same when you are unemployed and see no money in sight? It's easy to say from the mountain top that your sickness will be taken care of or maintained when you have health plan and access to the best doctors and surgeons, but could you say the same when you are uninsured and medications are out of your price range? And if you could say it, would you truly believe the words you spoke and trust God whole heartedly to do it for you? When your strength is weakened and your vision blinded, when you have no idea how things will come together, how ends will meet, and you can't see the light at the end of the dark tunnel, will you endure the trial of your faith victoriously or will you turn back in defeat?
Faith must be tested, because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict. What is challenging your faith right now? I encourage you to believe steadfastly on Christ and everything that challenges you will strengthen your faith. Learn to look steadily at Christ in all your moments and in all circumstances. The world is unstable, but you can still experience continuity, a state of stability absent of disruption, through your uninterrupted awareness of God's Presence. Fix your gaze on what is unseen, even as the visible world parades before your eyes.
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.
How many times do you venture out in your life of faith and find something in your circumstances that, from a commonsense standpoint, contradict your faith? Arguably, this happens nearly everyday. Commonsense says a $500 bank account balance today does not equal a $650 rent bill due tomorrow, but faith says God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phillipians 4:19). Commonsense says that when the best doctors the world has to offer say that your condition is untreatable, there is no cure, but faith tells us that even if we suffer from an issue for multiple years if we just reach out and have an encounter with Jesus, He has the power to heal us instantaneously according to our faith (Luke 8:43-47). Commonsense is not faith; Merriam-Webster defines it as 'sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.' Faith is not commonsense; The Bible tells us ' faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).'
Commonsense and faith are as different as natural life and the spiritual. It is so easy to believe and say "God is going to do it for me" when you are sitting on the mountain top and your simple perception can see from on high; Could you say the same when you come down and are forced to walk in the valleys where your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8)? It's easy to say from the mountain top that God will take care of the rent when you have a paycheck coming Friday from a good paying job, but could you say the same when you are unemployed and see no money in sight? It's easy to say from the mountain top that your sickness will be taken care of or maintained when you have health plan and access to the best doctors and surgeons, but could you say the same when you are uninsured and medications are out of your price range? And if you could say it, would you truly believe the words you spoke and trust God whole heartedly to do it for you? When your strength is weakened and your vision blinded, when you have no idea how things will come together, how ends will meet, and you can't see the light at the end of the dark tunnel, will you endure the trial of your faith victoriously or will you turn back in defeat?
Faith must be tested, because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict. What is challenging your faith right now? I encourage you to believe steadfastly on Christ and everything that challenges you will strengthen your faith. Learn to look steadily at Christ in all your moments and in all circumstances. The world is unstable, but you can still experience continuity, a state of stability absent of disruption, through your uninterrupted awareness of God's Presence. Fix your gaze on what is unseen, even as the visible world parades before your eyes.
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.
