The Uniqueness of Joseph’s Patient Faith

When we think of patient faith in the Bible three people come to mind. They are Noah, Abraham and Joseph. Noah was 500 years old when he’s first mentioned in Genesis 5:32. He was 600 when he entered the ark Genesis 7:6. Abraham was 75 when God promised him a son Genesis 11:28. He was 100 when Isaac was born Genesis 21:5. Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold as a slave. He was 30 when Pharaoh made him his second in command in Egypt. In terms of years Noah and Abraham waited longer for God to work. In terms of having patient faith in the face of adversity, Joseph is the model.

I’ve been a pastor for many years and have heard many reasons why people have given up on God. The most frequent reasons relate to people. Some are ticked off because of what a pastor or someone else in church said or didn’t say and decide to give up on God. Sometimes people give up on God because of poor treatment by others. Then there are those who give up on God because something bad or unfair happened to them and they blame God.

Joseph had all those reasons and more to give up on God but he didn’t. Instead what we see is a patient faith in the face of adversity. Let’s look more closely at four aspects of Joseph’s patient faith.

Four Aspects Of Joseph’s Patient Faith

1. It takes time to have patient faith. It means to wait.
   – Joseph was seventeen when he was sold as a slave Genesis 37:2-28.
   – He was thirty when he became second-in-command to Pharaoh Genesis 41:46.
   [Tweet “It took Joseph 13 years to become an overnight success. Genesis 41:46”]
2. It takes trust to have patient faith. It means to believe.
   – Joseph believed immorality was wrong and would be a sin against God Genesis 39:8-9.
   – He believed God gave him the ability to interpret dreams Genesis 40:8; 41:16.
   – He believed God controlled his negative circumstances Genesis 50:19.
   – He believed God would keep His promise and return the Jews to the promised land Genesis 50:25.
3. It takes tolerance. It means to withstand adversity.
   – Joseph withstood the cruelty of being sold as a slave Genesis 27:26-28.
   – He withstood the temptations from Potiphar’s wife Genesis 39:7-12.
   – He withstood being falsely accused and imprisoned Genesis 39:19-21.
   – He withstood being forgotten by one who could have freed him Genesis 40:23.
4. It takes transformation. It means to grow. One doesn’t simply grow because time passes by. It requires change.
   – Joseph was a shepherd when he was sold as a slave.
   – He patiently learned to run a household.
   – He later learned to run a prison.
   – God equipped him to run a country.

What was it that carried Joseph from the dark days of being in a pit to being elevated at the palace? It was the patient faith based on confidence in God.

When you know God, you know there is no one else to trust. Have you given up on God? May I encourage you to rethink your options? Yes, we all go through rough times but God always comes through!

Do you have a comment? Please leave it below, I’d love to hear from you.

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Struggling faith isn’t something that people want to have. Yet that’s how many of us would describe our faith. The struggling faith of Jacob is quite a contrast with the faith of Abraham and Isaac. For most of his life Jacob was not a model of faith. From the moment he was born grasping his brother’s heel Genesis 25:26 his life was one of struggling and strife.

Throughout the story of his life there’s a pattern of deceit, tricking others to get the better of them. It’s Esau who tells us Jacob’s name means deceiver Genesis 27:36. Here are four examples.

• He took advantage of Esau to take his birthright, a double portion of the family inheritance, from him Genesis 25:29-34.
• He deceived his father and stole a blessing meant for Esau Genesis 27.
• He deceived his father-in-law Laban Genesis 31:20.
• He used his children and wives as a shield when he feared Esau would harm him Genesis 33:1-3.

It’s easy to think poorly of Jacob. Yet as the Bible describes his life over time we see his faith awaken and grow. Let’s look at how Jacob’s struggling faith changed over time.

Elements of the Struggling Faith Of Jacob

1. God spoke to Jacob Genesis 28:10-17.
   God initiated a relationship with Jacob. He does the same with all of us in many different ways.
2. Jacob took a small step of faith Genesis 28:18-22.
   Jacob bargained with God. It isn’t what a mature believer would do but it shows a glimmer of faith.
3. God blessed Jacob Genesis 30:27; Genesis 31:5.
   When God blesses His children others see it. There’s no such thing as luck. Every good thing that happens to us is a blessing from God! James 1:17
4. God protected Jacob Genesis 31:24.
   Jacob didn’t know God protected him. God does that for us as well.
5. Jacob turned to God in his time of need Genesis 32:9-12.
   At the most difficult time in his life he turned to God. Earlier in his life he would have tried to trick his way out of his problem.
6. Jacob struggled with God for His blessing Genesis 32:24-30.
   The best example of his struggling faith was an actual wrestling match with an angel. The angel could have won in a moment. This was a test to see how badly Jacob wanted God’s blessing. He had to have been exhausted but he didn’t give up.
7. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel Genesis 35:9-15.
   The final proof that Jacob’s struggling faith had become his own real, personal faith was when God changed his name to Israel. The exact meaning of the name Israel is uncertain. It is understood to mean wrestles with God or may God prevail.

There are two things I find particularly encouraging about Jacob’s struggling faith. God didn’t give up on Jacob when his behavior wasn’t godly. God rewarded Jacob’s desire for a blessing.

Are you struggling in your faith today? Don’t give up! There is a blessing at the end of your struggle.

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Isaac Is A Model For All With Quiet Faith

Isaac could be called the patron saint of all who have a quiet faith. Outgoing and talkative people are usually the ones who get the most attention and praise in life. This is often just as true in the church as in the world. There are many godly people who faithfully serve behind the scenes who get no attention and little praise. There are countless men and women with quiet faith that are the key to the success of many ministries. In keeping with their quiet faith most of them don’t want attention. Yet, every now and then it’s encouraging to hear that someone with quiet faith is recognized and acknowledged for their contributions. The purpose of this post is to do just that with Isaac, a man of quiet faith.

Of the three patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the least is said of Isaac. We aren’t told of any battles he fought or life-threatening challenges he faced. Yet he was a man of God who grew in faith throughout his life. Here are four significant times when his faith was tested and he chose to follow God.

The Growth of Isaac’s Quiet Faith

1. He accepted his Father’s willingness to sacrifice him as God’s will Genesis 22:1-14. I can’t imagine what Isaac thought about that. We aren’t told how Abraham explained what happened to Isaac. It’s clear he chose to believe God through it because he continued to walk with God.
2. He allowed his Father to choose a wife from a distant land for him Genesis 24:1-51. He quietly trusted his father and was rewarded with a woman he loved.
3. He often chose to avoid confrontation trusting God to provide for him Genesis 26:17-22. God’s blessing and protection was with him but we never saw him confront others even when they wronged him. Instead he trusted in God to provide in other ways and He always did.
4. He submitted to God’s will after he was deceived into giving Jacob his blessing Genesis 27:37-40. He loved Esau and was grieved that Jacob tricked him. Yet, he understood the blessing was a solemn matter. God had foretold that the older would serve the younger. Even though it wasn’t his choice, he submitted to God.

The Evidence of Isaac’s Quiet Faith

As we look at his life we see that God recognized and acknowledged Isaac’s quiet faith.

• God personally reaffirmed to Isaac the covenant He promised to his father Abraham Genesis 26:4.
• Isaac is mentioned 35 times in the Bible with Abraham and Jacob as a forefather of Israel.
• God identifies Himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob Exodus 3:6.
• Jesus tells us Isaac, with his father and son, will be seated in the kingdom of God. Luke 13:28

For those who have quiet faith be encouraged and comforted knowing that the one who matters most, our heavenly Father, sees your faithfulness.

What do you think? I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.

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Lessons About Faith

Abraham has a unique role in three major religions. He’s considered the father of the Jewish and Christian faiths. Islam was founded by Mohammed and believed by Muslims to be a descendant of Abraham through his son Ishmael.

For Christians, Abraham stands out as a model of one who has faith in God. There are many people in the Bible known for their faith in God Hebrews 11. If we were to identify one characteristic that sets Abraham faith apart from others, it was that he had courageous faith.

The word courageous means to be brave and not deterred by danger or pain. When we look at Abraham’s life we see five different times when his courageous faith was on display.

Five Examples of Abraham’s Courageous Faith

Abraham showed courageous faith when he:

1. followed God. God met Abraham and told him He would bless him in several ways if he chose to follow Him Genesis 12:1-4. First Abraham had to leave where he was living and go where God would show him. God didn’t tell him where he was going Hebrews 11:8. How many of us today would pack up our families and everything we own and go to God-only-knows-where because we believe God told us to do so? It would take courageous faith to do that now just as it took Abraham then.
2. set out to rescue his nephew Lot Genesis 14. Lot and his family were taken captives as a result of a battle of local kings. Incredibly, Abraham didn’t hesitate to take 318 men associated with his household to go out to find and rescue Lot and his family. They went against four kings and their forces and won. Abraham’s faith in God’s promises motivated him and resulted in his success.
3. bartered with God for the people of Sodom Genesis 18:22-33. God visited Abraham and told him about his planned judgement on Sodom for their sin. In one of the most fascinating examples of faith in the Bible Abraham asked God again and again and again to show mercy. He wasn’t afraid to boldly ask God to be gracious. God gave Abraham what he requested and didn’t allow the righteous to die with the wicked.
4. expected to become a father. Abraham was 75 years old and Sarah 65 when God promised them a son. It was humanly impossible, given their old age Hebrews 11:11-12. It takes courageous faith to trust God when it seems impossible.
5. was willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God Hebrews 11:13-19. It is impossible to imagine what Abraham went through as he walked with Isaac to the top of the mountain to obey God. The emotional pain he faced is hard for us to think about as spectators! Yet his courageous faith believed God would bring Isaac back to life.

Five Lessons from Abraham On How to Have Courageous Faith

• Follow God even though the path isn’t completely clear.
• Trust God’s promises and face into adversity when it arises.
• Boldly ask God for Him to save and help others around you.
• Expect God to do great things, even impossible things in your life.
• Be willing to take a chance on God.

Be bold and courageous in your faith today!

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The Different Ways We Use The Word Faith

I’m reading through the Bible again this year and am well into the book of Exodus. Before turning our attention to Exodus, let’s take a look back at Genesis. I’d like to revisit four of the main characters in Genesis – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Their stories are wonderful stories that teach about walking with God. One characteristic these men share that is quite practical is they all had faith in God. Over the next few posts we’re going to see what we can learn about trusting God from these men.

Faith is a term that we often use as Christians. Depending upon the context, there are four different ways we use it.

1. We use it as a verb to describe the action of trusting or confidently believing in something unseen, that hasn’t happened yet Hebrews 11:1,6.
2. We use it as a noun to describe the conduct or work in our lives because of trust in God. James says our works demonstrate our faith James 2:14-26.
3. We also use it as a noun to describe the body of truth accepted by the Christian community. Paul is described as preaching the faith in Galatians 1:23.
4. We use it as an adjective. It describes those who are trustworthy or faithful Romans 3:3.

Our focus is going to be on the first usage, faith as an action of personal trust. The definition the Bible gives us is from Hebrews 11:1 (see above). From this verse and all of Hebrews 11 we can see four things about faith.

• It’s directed to God.
• It has an element of confidence. It’s an assurance and a conviction.
• It’s based upon hope.
• It has an unseen element to it.

Let me add one other important perspective on faith.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6

This verse elevates the importance of faith for all who want to please God.

My guess is you’d like to please God today. I want to! Okay, let’s consider right now how we can trust God today? Think of something that hasn’t happened, that you hope will happen and have confidence God can bring it to pass. Trust God to bring it to pass today. Give it a try. It’s worth the effort. God thinks so.

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Noah and The Genesis Flood

The biblical account of Noah and the flood is incredible in so many ways. The event itself is so fantastic that many people don’t believe it happened as the Bible describes it. The idea of a worldwide flood is so incredible that some say the biblical account is wrong, that it was a local flood. If you’d like to see some of the fascinating evidence for a global flood, click here.

Today I don’t want to talk about the flood but about Noah, the man of God at the center of the story. Most of us have heard the flood story so many times that it has ceased to amaze us. That’s a shame because there are many amazing aspects of the flood story. One of the most amazing is Noah’s faith. Here are five different ways we can see how Noah had amazing faith.

The Amazing Faith of Noah

1. He accepted God’s plan. How would you have reacted if God told you He was going to destroy every living creature on the earth, except you and your wife and kids? Would you have believed it? Hebrews 11:7 tells us he responded with reverent fear. Are you afraid to trust God?
2. He acted on God’s plan. He had to do something no one had ever done, build a huge boat. No doubt God told him how to do it. It was still hard work! Have you not obeyed God because it was just too much work to do so?
3. He didn’t give up on God’s plan. We don’t know how long it took to build the ark but it had to be years! How many times do you think Noah thought, “Did God really tell me to do this or was I dreaming? Did I misunderstand Him?” Do you ever think that?
4. He endured God’s plan. There’s no indication Noah and his family knew they would be spending a year in the ark. That was probably a good thing. Can you imagine the smell after just one day? How about the noise of all those animals? Obeying God does not mean we won’t endure hardship.
5. He fulfilled God’s plan. God’s plan was to start over with a godly man. The first thing Noah did when he came out of the ark was worship! Genesis 8:20 What a wonderful example of how we should respond when God brings us through difficult times!

Genesis 6:22 says, “Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.”

God calls each of us to be like Noah and walk by faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us without faith it is impossible to please God! The challenge for each of us is to walk each day by faith. I think we all want to please God but we can’t do that without faith. What did you trust God for yesterday? Today is a new day and a new opportunity to trust God. Especially if it’s raining!

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Faithful Living is Something Everyone Can Do

A few days ago we talked about Nik Wallenda and his amazing high wire walk between skyscrapers in Chicago. I not only wouldn’t contemplate trying to do that, I didn’t even want to watch it. Unfortunately many people have the mistaken idea that walking by faith is just as incredible. They think of faithful living as trusting God to use us to do extraordinary things like preaching to thousands of people as Billy Graham did!

It’s true that Billy Graham and others like him have done spectacular things by faith. When we hear about those thing we think “I could never do that!” And you’re right. But God doesn’t expect everyone to do those things. The majority of things that people do by faith are rather boring. Really! Let’s dig a little bit deeper in the Bible to see this.

Faithful Living is Doing Normal things by Faith

We are fortunate to have the Bible! It is full of everything we need to know to practice faithful living. We have teaching and examples about it. Hebrews 11 is correctly called the faith chapter in the Bible. In it we have a list of people who God thinks are worthy of mention because of their faith. What’s really interesting is that many of the things those people did were pretty simple. I don’t mean they were easy to do. Faith stretches us spiritually and emotionally. But the actual things people did, for which God commended them, were normal things. There were a few extraordinary things in the list, but I’m going to leave them out and give you the normal stuff done by people as part of faithful living.

10 Normal Things People Did By Faith

1. offered a lamb as a sacrifice Hebrews 11:4, Genesis 4:1-7
2. built a boat Hebrews 11:7, Genesis 6:9-22
3. moved Hebrews 11:8-10, Genesis 12:1-6
4. believed she could have a baby Hebrews 11:11-12, Genesis 18:9-15
5. instructed his body to be buried in Israel Hebrews 11:22, Genesis 50:22-26
6. hid their baby Hebrews 11:23, Exodus 1:15-2:3
7. refused a privileged life Hebrews 11:24-26, Exodus 2:11-15
8. walked on dry ground through what had been a body of water Hebrews 11:29, Exodus 14:21-31
9. welcomed some people into her house Hebrews 11:31 Joshua 2:1-21
10. walked around a city for seven days Hebrews 11:30, Joshua 1:1-21

When you look at that list what stands out is that these were normal activities. The circumstances of some were challenging but some, like moving or building a boat, were not. What was extraordinary is that each person trusted God when it was easier not to do so. They did what God wanted. That is the challenge of faith.

[Tweet “Faithful living is about doing normal things expecting extraordinary results”]

Think about your life at home and work. Today, make the hard choice of doing what you know God wants you to do. It will please Him Hebrews 11:6. That’s faithful living.

What has God taught you about faithful living? Please share a comment or question below.

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Walking by Faith is About Seeing Things From God’s Perspective

In the first church where I served as a pastor there was an amazing man by the name of Grant. Grant is blind. He had been attending the church for several years and knew his way around that little church so well he didn’t need a cane. He was the pianist and effortlessly moved to the piano during worship and back to where his wife was sitting during the service. He had memorized the hymn book so all you had to say was Hymn 244 and he would start playing it. I never saw him trip or even bump into anyone. Even though he couldn’t see with his eyes, he knew where everything was. Everything he did was an illustration of what the Bible means when it says we are to “walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5:7.

In 2 Corinthians 5 Paul is talking about the unseen reality of our future destiny in heaven. Paul makes the point that even though we aren’t with Jesus we should live with unseen reality of His presence in the forefront of our minds. Walking by faith is all about living with spiritual realities in view. There are so many things that are true that we can’t see with our eyes. Grant couldn’t see the aisle between the pews, but he knew it was there.

Walking by faith enables us to see things like God sees them. We could say it enables us to see things as they really are. Here are 10 things we can see when we are walking by faith.

10 things We See When Walking by faith

1. We see God as a loving Father who wants to run and meet us when we turn back to Him after running away from Him Luke 15:20, 11-32.
2. We see how to treat people who are mean and harsh to us Luke 23:34.
3. We see gentleness and patience as alternatives to anger and strife Galatians 5:19-23.
4. We see the tenderness and forgiveness of God toward us as a model for treating others who harm us Ephesians 4:32.
5. We see our arrogance and pride as foolish when compared to the wonder and greatness of God Isaiah 40:21-22.
6. We see reading the Bible a joy and delight not as drudgery or something to read out of obligation Psalm 19:7-10.
7. We see service to God and others as an expression of dignity not as a menial task to be despised Mark 10:45.
8. We see every good thing that ever happens to us as an intentional gift from a loving Father James 1:17.
9. We see our sin as ugly and painful and hurting God rather than enjoyable and satisfying Genesis 6:5-6.
10. We see trials as something to make our faith stronger, not as attacks from the enemies or punishment from God James 1:2-4.

[Tweet “Walking by faith enables us to see that Jesus is invisible, not absent.”] How has walking by faith enabled you to see life differently? Please leave a comment or question below.

The post 10 Ways Walking By Faith Improves Your Vision appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.

Faith is Not A Magic Pill But A Proven Help In Hard Times

The world is full of experts who are ready to tell you, or should I say sell you, the key to success. It doesn’t matter if you are starting a dance school, writing your first book or wanting to sell mattresses, there is someone who knows the keys to making it successful. Many of these people do have great ideas and successful track records, which is something we all want.

What about the key to success in our Christian lives? Wouldn’t it be nice if there were sections in the Bible like headlines we read on the internet?

5 Ways to Defeat Giant Obstacles But You Only Need 1 by King David

1000 Keys to a Happy Marriage by King Solomon

How to Lose Weight and Stay Mentally Alert on Vegan Diet by Daniel

It would be nice, but God didn’t write the Bible with headlines like we write for blog posts! That doesn’t mean the truth we need isn’t there. On the contrary, even though it isn’t written with such a flashy headline, there is a universal principle in the Bible that will help us no matter what kind of difficulty we are facing: faith.

The Two Characteristics of Faith

An entire chapter in the Bible is devoted to the topic of faith. In the first verse of the chapter we’re given two key characteristics of faith. Hebrews 11:1 says,

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

From this verse we see two key characteristics of faith.

1. Faith is real. It’s personal. It’s something we have in our possession. It’s the firm knowledge that something we hope for is real. We don’t hope blindly or foolishly but based upon a promise of God. Our faith in that promise gives us the present assurance of future blessing and hope!
2. Faith demonstrates the existence of a reality that we cannot yet see. Faith gives us proof in our hearts, certainty of something not yet seen. We have evidence of something that has not yet happened, that has not yet been seen.

3 Ways Faith Helps Us

1. Having the assurance of something we hope for gives us a way to persevere through hard times, times of waiting, times of struggle, times of uncertainty.
2. Faith is a forward looking capacity that enables a person to venture forth with courage and peace into the unknown future with confidence. It is confidence based upon God’s word.
3. Faith enables us to maintain a steadfast commitment to God.

[Tweet “Faith doesn’t just tell us that everything will be okay, it already is okay.”]

How To Use Faith In Your Circumstance Today

• Find a promise of God that applies to your situation.
• Pray that promise/verse back to God. For example, for finances, pray back Philippians 4:19, discouragement John 14:1, fear 1 John 4:18, etc.
• Sort through, talk through your situation with the Father until you trust Him. It may take a while. Don’t stop until you trust Him.
• The peace of God will fill your heart.

[Tweet “Give faith in God a chance. How’s the alternative working out for you?”]

How have you learned to live by faith? Please leave a question or comment below.

The post Whatever Your Circumstance, Faith Is the One Thing That Will Help appeared first on To Every Nation Ministries.