Tag: Faith

Children of Abraham

(Galatians 3)

Thus Abraham believed, and it was reckoned and placed to his account and credited as righteousness (3:7). Faith is the thing that connects us believers to the Patriarch Abraham. When learning about his life’s background, we see that faith guided him to obedience to the call to leave his country.  Although he had come from a family who worshiped false gods, God called Abraham out of that to a place he hadn’t known before for a purpose to form a nation out of his descendants. He gathered his things, wife and nephew and took off to a place God chose for him. The Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself away from your country, for your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing… Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had acquired in Haran, and they went froth to go to land of Canaan (Gen. 12:1-2,5).

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A Sling and A Stone in David’s Hand

(I Samuel 17:40-49)

When we hear the name Goliath, immediately, we associate him with David and his sling in a battle between the two nations.  The story here is one of a series of wars between the Philistines and Israel.  The Philistines were descendants from Ham (one of Noah’s son). They were Canaanites whom God told Israel to destroy. They were the Jebusites, the Amorites, and the Girgashite, among others. Their territory extended from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; as you go toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Adamah and Zeboiim as far as Lasha (Gen.10). In their quest to keep their land and their people, they fought Israel. Because Israel did not rid themselves of their enemies entirely earlier, they had to face them through battles to preserve their lives. In this particular battle, the Philistines relied heavily on their champion by the name of Goliath of Gath. He was not an ordinary man for he was a giant. The Bible registers his height as being six cubits and a span [almost ten feet]. He wore a bronze helmet on his head and a coat of mail, and the coat weighed 5,000 shekels of bronze [about 125 pounds]. He had bronze shin armor on his legs and a bronze javelin across his shoulders, and the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; his spear’s head weighed 600 shekels of iron [about 15 pounds]. And a shield bearer went before him (I Sam 17: 4-7).

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Let’s Hold Fast Our Confession of Faith

(Hebrews 4:14)

Faith is a beautiful endowment to men. It is a spiritual gift enabling actions pleasing to our Lord YAHSHUA. In fact, the Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11: 6a). This gift is given to those who believe that YAHSHUA is the Son of God. It takes us places where we experience God and His presence in the midst of tribulation and hardship. There is nothing impossible to achieve when our faith is focused on the promises of God. “Though the earth should change and though the mountains be shaken into the midst of the seas, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling and tumult” (Psalm. 46:2-3), faith sustains and uplifts above all circumstances.  However, the human tendency is to be fearful in hard times. YAHSHUA often dealt with the disciples for their lack of faith, for even when He was physically with them, they would fear the unknown. We are no different than they were.  When the test of our faith arrives, we often fail, and like them, we become overwhelmed even when the Word of God says, Let be and be still and know that I am God (Psa. 46:10a).

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Testimonies of Three Centurions

As YAHSHUA went into Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him, begging Him, and saying, Lord, my servant boy is lying at the house paralyzed and distressed with intense pains. And YAHSHUA said to him, I will come and restore him. But the centurion replied to Him, Lord, I am not worthy or fit to have You come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant boy will be cured, for I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, Go and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my slave, Do this and he does it. When YAHSHUA heard him, He marveled and said to those who followed Him, I tell you truly, I have not found so much faith as this with anyone, even in Israel… Then to the centurion YAHSHUA said, Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed. And the servant boy was restored to health at that very moment (Matt. 8:5-10,13). A centurion was a man of great distinction by their courage and skill in battle. They were captains over 100 soldiers. A centurion started as a soldier working his way up the ranks. Their good conduct and truthfulness were in general the causes for their promotion to the command of a centurion.

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At That Time Michael Shall Arise

(Daniel 12)

Daniel was a young man when taken captive to the land of Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar in approximately 604 B.C. He was from a noble family.  His name bears the meaning God is my judge. Through the entire time Daniel lived in that foreign land, he displayed faithfulness to God. His testimony before King Nebuchadnezzar always gave credit to God for his success in the interpretations of dreams, even before he went as far as to interpreting the dreams.

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This Is High Time

(Romans 13:11-14)

Besides this you know what hour this is, how it is high time now for you to wake up out of your sleep, for salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone and the day is almost here. Let us then drop the work and deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light (Rom. 13:11-12).

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Parting the Waters

(II Kings 2; Exodus 14:15-8, 21; Joshua 3:13-17)

Lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the Israelites shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea (Exodus 14:16).

Israel’s heart sank when facing two problems of great proportions: the sea in front of them and the Egyptians behind them. But Moses filled with faith assured them of God’s provision, saying, “The Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again.”  (Exodus 14: The Red Sea seemed to be to them an obstacle of great proportion, for there was no place to run to, to escape the Egyptians.  But it only took Moses to lift up his rod as the Lord commanded and the sea was parted. Through the night a strong east wind divided the sea. Israel was then free and the Egyptians were left in its midst when God closed it. So the words of Moses, “The Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again.”  (Exodus 14:13b).  It was a sight to see. The time had arrived when God was fulfilling His promise to Abraham’s and nothing was going to thwart His plan of long ago.

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