Faith and God's Promises
'These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, ... were persuaded of them.' Hebrews 11:13
The promises of God determine the difference between walking by faith and presumption. You and I fly over your city on a clear, beautiful day. At five thousand meters I look out the window and ask, 'Do you think God could catch me if I jump without a parachute?' You express apprehension, and, after responding with 'Oh ye of little faith' I jump out. On my way down I realize that although the statement is true, 'God can catch me,' He never promised He would. What I anticipated to be a step of faith, I found to be presumption.
You cannot hope to leverage God into doing your bidding by an act of faith. By faith you respond to what God wants, never vise versa. God gives you promises to encourage you to do His will, not so you can talk Him into doing your bidding.
Although the promises of God can never eliminate risk, they do give your faith direction. His promises come from His revelation; Scripture forms the source of ascertaining His will. Because God's promises originate in Revelation, they tend to provoke the animosity of the world. The wisdom of God appears foolish to the world.[1] Since God's promises come from His wisdom, they can never find the affirmation of the world.
'...he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.'[2] You must believe that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He promises. There will be times when it will appear as though His promises fail you; they don't seem to be answered in accordance with your expectation. During these times of testing, your faith must rest in who He says He is rather than your understanding of what He has promised. You are best served trusting His character.
[1] cf. I Corinthians 1:18 f.
[2] Hebrews 11:6
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