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1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore." 13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 NRSV)
A blessed and tremendous Tuesday be yours, dear Reader! I pray this day find you blessed and ready to share blessings with others.
Did you have a person you looked up to in terms of their faith? Did you ever say, "I hope one day I can be like him or her?" In my years of ministry I have come across many whose faith towered over mine and I prayed that I might be just as faithful in my own way. We'll get back to that in a minute. First, let's look at one of my favorite passages on faith. The writer of Hebrews, whom many think was NOT Paul, but I suspect he might be, when thinking about faith said, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Read that again and let the words and meaning sink in. To enter the Hall of Faith, one must live and believe those words. The Walk of Faith is the important first step which allows us to have that quiet assurance of the things we have learned and read and accepted as part of what Christianity defines us as believers. The Walk of Faith is also knowing and having the conviction of things not seen, as being key to our faith. Paul knew from having seen that Jesus was real. He met Jesus personally and spent three days learning from Him various mysteries and revelations that prepared him for his ministry. Paul was even shown by Jesus the things he would suffer and even the manner in which he would die. How I wish Jesus had shown me the sermons that had me dying as I was struggling to preach and the words were just not coming! How I wish Jesus had shown me hearing things from people in church settings where I wished I had not heard what I heard. Would I have still said yes to Him? I think so, but it would have been more difficult for me. I'm very glad that Jesus held back the surprises of life that have so richly and wonderfully blessed me. Had I seen my bride early in my ministry I would have found a way to rush to the altar! Had I seen the babies that would bless our home, the same is true. It's quite enough, dear friend, to walk quietly with assurance and conviction, hoping and knowing that we walk not alone, but with the hand of God supporting us and helping us.
It was that faith that shaped the faith heroes of your life. Abraham would probably say, "I was just a man minding my own business when God came with His invitation, and I said yes. I had to!" Sarah, his wife, would have said the same. Their dreams were God's dreams for them, and were finally realized in God's time. This passage is all about the miracles that happened to Abraham and Sarah; things that would not have come to them had they lacked assurance and conviction.
Whether you believe it or not, there may be some who look up to you. Or, there will be soon. Live a life of calm assurance and deep conviction and people will notice. They know the presence, peace, and power of the Holy Spirit when they see it in you!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I invite You to dwell in me in such a way that I can inspire others to live a life that pleases and glorifies You. Bless my steps and help me mold lives for Your Kingdom; this I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Walk in faith so as to bless someone.
Blessings of love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
Bless ConCafe with your support at paypal.me/eradiovalverde! Here also is my latest podcast called "Rough Patch? Here's Hope!" I pray it blesses you! Here's the link: https://www.pimplesandwrinkles.org/media
