The Key to Faith

Hebrews 11:8

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.

Faith is the key to living a successful Christian life. Many want to experience the blessings that living by faith brings, but they don't want to do the works that living by faith asks you to do. Many want the blessings that living by faith brings without the sacrifice living by faith requires. You cannot know the blessings of living by faith without the sacrifice it took by those who lived by faith.

When reading the Scriptures, we see how God blessed people of faith, and we desire their blessings, but those blessings do not come without stepping out by faith as these people did. As I read about men of God in history that God used mightily, I often see their great faith and realize that God used them because of their faith.

I think of Dallas Billington who needed a larger auditorium, but right after he started building it, World War II broke out, and there was a moratorium on steel because it was needed to to build supplies for the armed forces. Yet, he continued to build by faith, and God blessed his faith by giving him steel, and he finished what he started.

I think of George Müller who started an orphanage by faith and believed God would supply the needs for it. He did not solicit funds from every church in the country, but he solicited supplies and funds from God, and God met every need. He understood that God was very capable of supplying the needs of the orphanage if he just trusted him by faith to keep going forward. The miraculous stories we hear about Bro Müller have encouraged many to have a prayer life like he had, and to attempt great things for God as he did.

However, there is one key to experiencing the blessings that come from living by faith. The one word that shows why God blessed Abraham’s faith is obeyed. Obedience is the action that faith requires, and you will never know the miracles that faith brings without obeying by faith. Faith requires trusting-obedience. I know this sounds strange, but it takes trust to obey God by faith. Faith asks you to do something you cannot see; therefore, you must trust and obey God even though you can't see the end of where God is bringing you.

My friend, if you can't obey God in what you can see, how will you ever obey Him when He asks you to step out by faith? You want the miracles, but miracles are never experienced without facing the impossible. It is scary to step out by faith when you look through the eyes of human capability, but when looking through the eyes of faith it won't seem scary because you are trusting an almighty God to supply your needs as He has promised.

Do you want to see the miraculous in your life? Well, it starts with obedience. If you are waiting to see the supply of the need before you obey, you will never know what miracle faith would have given to you had you trustingly obeyed Him. God wants obedience before He supplies the need. The only way God can see you are truly invested in His power is by your obedience. Before God invests His power, He wants to see your investment by obedience to faith. When God sees you are totally invested in Him is when He will invest His power in your life and ministry with the miraculous.