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

 We all know of people who were a part of our life for a time and truly loved the Lord, they had such a strong faith in God and their life showed it! They have since passed and we will see them again, if we believe the scriptures that Christ conquered death and we do not die, but have eternal life in Christ (Hebrews 12:1,2) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God.

 We too are told to take up our cross daily and follow Him. Just as Jesus had full faith in His Fathers will for His life so do we have a great faith in Christ as we follow His example given for our lives. The life in Christ brings persecution, but we are delivered from any trouble if we stay the course, because all that will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Preach the word when given the opportunity to do so (2 Timothy 4:2-5) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. (Psalm 34:19).

 Faith is to believe through spiritual eyes the things which are unseen as though present before us. There are many who lived for God this way and are our examples of just how God was faithful to act on their behalf. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sara, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and many others as seen in Hebrews Chapter 11. God today with us is the same God they all served by faith of the unseen and lived in the miraculous as His people today can attest to through their faith!

 Just as Abraham believed in the promise that God would make him a father of many nations, we are of his seed through the generation of that promise (Romans 4:16-18) Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

 The Lord is very merciful and stays faithful to those who put their complete trust in Him.(Lamentations 3:22-26) It is the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

 Faith is the only way the believer can have God in the center of their life for without it……. it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) 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.