Topic: IT IS BY FAITH – Bishop Mike Okonkwo Devotional 3 July 2021 [The Redeemed Evangelical Mission]
Click HERE for Previous Devotional
IT IS BY FAITH
‘’Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.’’ Hebrews 11:1-2 KJV
When you study Hebrews 11, you will discover how important faith is in the life of the believer. From Enoch to David, everyone received by faith. And so, we see words such as: “By faith Enoch…”(verse 5), “by faith Noah…” (verse 7) and so on. The message here is that the saints of old received what they got by faith, not by their works. But today, new testament believers are flaunting their works. These saints didn’t even have the Bible like we have today. So, how did they operate by faith? Simple! They knew that once God said it, that was it. When you know God, you are not arguing. Your brain will not stand in the way, trying to look for what will make Him accept you. The saints of old simply accepted what God said.
God looked at you and called you a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a peculiar person. Accept it. Like God said to Gideon: “Go in this thy might…”(Judges 6:14 KJV). Gideon believed it and he went on to defeat the Midianites. When God calls you who you are, don’t refuse it. What is challenging us in this decade is the inability to accept whom He called us.
Beloved, even when you don’t look like it, accept whom He has called you to be. Speak it to yourself! Never say, ‘’how will it be?’’ Leave it to Him. Mary said: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word…” (Luke 1:38 NKJV). Mary had never seen a woman conceive without intercourse with a man, but she believed the Word. The Bible declares: “And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance…” (Luke 1:45 KJV). When you believe the Word, then you shall see the performance. Only those who believe will see the performance of the Word. It is not about what you do. It is about believing what He has spoken.
Further Reading: Hebrew 11:1-35
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Job 25-27; Evening- Acts 12