“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Heb.11:8) In the Old Testament, a person’s relationship with God was seen by the degree of separation in that person’s life. This separation is exhibited in the life of Abraham by his separation from his country and his family. Christ spoke of separating ourselves from our family – “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26) When we speak of separation today, we do not mean to be literally separated from the world of people outside of Christ. We are not separated from those of our family who do not have a personal relationship with God. To be separated, means to distance (separate) ourselves mentally and morally from the viewpoints of the world not living according to Christ.

Because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him righteous – Abraham followed God and trusted God at His word. As followers of the Lord, we must be willing to live by “faith.” Living a life of faith means we may not understand the direction we are headed or even understand what we will do once we get there. But, we trust in the One (God) who is doing the leading and we rely on His ability to provide for us, whatever is necessary for the journey as well provide for us when we get there. One of the biggest traps in the world today is the belief that somewhere within the realms of faith God will make me successful. Faith is not about trusting in God for success as the world views success. Faith is about hope, trusting in the Lord as He prepares us for eternal life in a place that is far above the imagination of peace and joy and happiness.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb.11:1) Take some time and read Hebrews 11 again. There are many good examples of faith and the common ground shared by all is their hope in The Lord and His Word. They lived by faith every day of their lives and simply trusted in God to do what He said He would do.

“I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage.” (Joshua 1:5-6) God spoke those words Joshua as the new leader of God’s people. God spoke those same words to Moses as he was called to deliver God’s children from Egyptian bondage. God spoke those words to may other people of faith in the course of history. God’s words are recorded for our encouragement by the writer of Hebrews – “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 11:5-6)

As we go through life our faith will go through many tests and we will grow in faith if we truly desire to be separated from the world and follow Our Lord and Savior. There are times in our lives when we may feel alone – we are never alone and the only comfort we find is to rely on God, and His grace and mercy to sustain our being. There are times when we pray that we may feel as though God is not there – He is and always wants to hear our prayers. Many times we come to a stage in our life where we are not living up to the expectations of Our God – we know it, and we know that God knows it – it brings pain and discomfort in our lives – we know what the wages of sin are and it scares us. God understands all the hurt and pain and confusion going on in our life. God knows that we are unworthy of His love, His grace, and His mercy. But that is not the God that we serve and live for! Our God is a God of LOVE, GRACE, and MERCY. His desire is to share eternity with us in heaven. To do that God is willing to cover our imperfections with the blood of His Son. The Blood of His Son!!!. God’s “love” is available for those who will follow His Son. God’s “grace and mercy” is available to those who are willing to accept His Word, and trust in Him. That is FAITH!!

God is pleased by those who simply follow His direction and trust in Him. Not really sure of where the journey will end in this life but sure of the end result in the eternal life we have promised. “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3). Are we righteous in the sight of God???

Think about it !!! Mike