“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,;for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (ESV)
For the past few months, I have been prompted in my Spirit to ensure that I walk by faith and not by sight. It made me really question the aspects of my life where my faith is low and I am allowing fear and doubt to come in instead of being of good courage.
So what does it mean to walk by faith and not by sight?
Well, Hebrews 11:1 defines what faith is and it is “the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen” (King James version). So when I apply it to 2 Corinthians 5:7 to me that I should walk in belief no matter what my circumstance is even if it looks bleak and I cannot see a way through. Almost similar to the NLT translation “For we live by believing and not seeing”. I will be real and admit that as easy as it looks on paper it can be really hard to actually apply this principle sometimes. There are times where you are wondering how am I going to get to A or when will B and C happen in my life or even what should I do to make sure D happens even though it is way outside of God’s will you. Yes, I have fully tried to make plans without consulting God and guess what? I ended up right back where I was in my broken state. Those experiences taught me that in my times of trials I need to be still and believe that I will endure the trail ahead of me because God will never leave or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5).
Walking by faith daily means that you will have to go through each day surrendering control to God and allowing Him to take care of your mountain and you! Then I started to think about the fact that if we could see our future, and I mean every detail of it, would we still walk by faith? Then that question made me realise that actually in terms of deepening my relationship with God, I will need to FULLY trust Him and rely on Him. That would mean living with my trust in God at all times no matter how things appear. Therefore, it would be better for me to walk by faith not knowing and not worrying about the precise details but instead just focusing on ensuring that I live according to His will and law in the present.
I remember in my quiet time with God recently, I was praying and after I said “Let your will be done” I felt a tugging on the inside telling me “My dear child do you know what My will means?”
I was speechless to the point I really started checking myself and really trying to deep what I just felt. It made me realise that sometimes I will say I want God’s will to be done BUT I don’t actually deep the entirety of that prayer. It means that His will and His way alone should suffice. No more making plans or having doubts about my circumstances and situations. In fact, I should cast my burdens and worries to him (1 Peter 5:7). Its fair to say that I fall into the trap of worrying when I feel like I can’t see anything coming into fruition. Yes, I am human and these feelings of doubt can occur BUT I serve a God who is able to do the impossible! That alone can be enough to put a hold on any incoming thoughts of doubt.
Our walk with God will take us through paths that we haven’t seen before and that we are not used to BUT these by believing and understanding the bigger picture, walking down those paths means you will mature and get stronger in God. It is a way to start living by trusting Him completely and by committing my life to God, I can freely walk with faith knowing that God will establish my plans according to His will (Proverbs 16:3). So I urge us all to walk by faith with eternity in mind, preparing yourself for the heavenly dwelling (2 Corinthians 5:1-10). Out time here is short and what we do on earth is preparing us for when we are reunited with our heavenly Father. All I know is that I want to hear the words “well done my good and faithful servant” said to me when the appointed time comes.
Lord
May we stop worrying about the things that we cannot see yet but focus on the fact that you are able to all things exceedingly and abundantly above all we can ever ask or think of. Instead, may we focus on growing our faith to the point that it like the house built on the solid rock. That out faith will not be shaken when any form of a storm comes our way. May we continue to walk by faith in your will for our lives keeping our eyes and mind fixed on the things above.
In Jesus name I pray
Amen
“If fear comes knocking,be sure and let your faith answer”
“Faith doesn’t make things easy … but it makes all things possible”
– Cherie Hill, FAITH Under Construction