Introduction : Faith is difficult to understand because it rises above the five senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling. However, the only way to live a godly life is through faith. We will be frustrated if we try to learn about God through our senses. If Adam had lived by faith, he probably would not have been dazzled when he looked at the fruit of good and evil through his physical eyes. When Jesus fasted forty days in the desert and was tested by the devil, Jesus lived by faith and completely trusted in the word of God. In other words, Jesus gained victory over the devil, and He did not follow His five senses.
1. Abraham, the ancestor of faith. 1) When he was called by God, he did not know the way of faith (Ge 12:1-4). 2) When he got into trouble with his nephew Lot, he lived by faith and received a promise of God´s blessing (Ge 13:10-15). 3) When he was 85, he received the promise by faith that God would give him a son. However, he did not continue to live by faith but by sight, and he faced great trouble. Later on, he came back to his faith in God. (Ro 4:18-22; Ge 15:5-6) 4) Glorious faith - He sacrificed Isaac his only son as a burnt offering in the region of Moriah (Ge 22:12, 16-18).
2. In order to live by faith. 1) We must have a relationship with God just as a father and his children (Jn 1:12; 3:16). 2) We must serve and obey God - King Saul was deserted by God because of his disobedience, but David lived by obedience and became a godly person (1Sa 15:22). 3) We must understand the Word of God (Ro 10:17; Col 1:13; Eph 5:8). 4) We must receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:13; 1Co 2:10).
3. A fight between faith and senses. 1) We must clearly understand the Word of God - The Word of God is a rock of faith (Jn 1:1; Heb 11:3; 1Pe 1:23). 2) We must accept the Word of God deep in our heart, just like a mother embraces her baby. Therefore, we must become one with the Word of God (Pr 4:5, 8; Jn 6:63; 15:7; Rev 1:3). 3) We must make a firm decision to believe without compromise. Do not look back (Lk 9:62; Heb 10:38; Dt 30:19-20; Ge 19:26). 4) A proclamation of faith is a sword that attacks the devil (Eph 6:17; Rev 12:11; Heb 4:12; Nu 14:9; Lk 10:19; Mk 16:17).
Conclusion : In this New Year, we must live by faith as the children of God and become the light of the world, instead of living as a slave of the devil.
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