Real Faith In A Real World

Jack Graham, PowerPoint Ministries

Do you ever wonder if heaven is applauding you? And do the great heroes of the faith who have gone on before see in you a faith that trusts God? In this edition of PowerLiving, I want to show you one way you can have real faith?in the real world! In Hebrews 11:8, the Bible talks about the faith of a man named Abraham-someone you've probably heard about many times: 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. I want you to think with me for a few moments about having real faith in a real world. Consider the call of this faith. Abraham was an unbeliever-a pagan actually-an idolater who was living in the ancient city called Ur of the Chaldees. Ur of the Chaldees was a fantastic city in the world of antiquity. It was a city of extensive educational institutions, libraries, and magnificent homes. Yet it was a pagan and idolatrous city. And that's where Abraham was born and lived with his family.
At the age of 50, Abraham was called by God to leave this pagan, unbelieving, idolatrous world to follow Him. Friend, Abraham was an idol worshipper. Along with his family, he worshipped idols of wood and stone. Of course, we don't have those kinds of idols today. But you and I do have idols. The Bible calls them idols of the heart. They are the things called success, pleasure, wealth, and prosperity. And if you worship these kinds of idols, you will discover that they are no more reliable and no more satisfying than those pagan ancient deities that Abraham worshipped so long ago! Abraham was called to leave everything he had known, and simply step out by faith and believe in God. He was asked to turn from his idols to God?and he was called to go out into the unknown! That can be a frightening experience.
But that's where real faith begins?with a call from God. Have you ever been called and challenged by God to leave the known for the unknown? Have you ever had to step out?not knowing exactly why?just believing in God? Have you ever turned from your idols and turned to God? Let me tell you this, don't ever worry about the unknown if you're walking in faith and believing and following God. The time to worry is when you're living in disobedience. Abraham made the choice and stepped out by faith, believing God. And it was one of the greatest decisions he ever made. Because of that decision of faith, God blessed Abraham and made him a man among men for all times.
Today, I want to challenge you to do the same. Maybe you've never taken that step of faith to fully commit your life to Christ. Or maybe God is simply calling you to talk to that neighbor who needs to know about Him. Whatever it is, I pray that God would give you the courage?as He gave to Abraham?to make the choice to respond rightly to His call. Because He will bless your obedience in ways you could never think or imagine!