Oswald Chambers, a Scottish evangelist, born in 1874 once remarked: “Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led - but it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of FAITH, not of understanding and reason - a life of knowing Him who calls us to go.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 reminds us: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Faith is defined as a complete trust or confidence in someone or something. It often encapsulates a profound conviction, hope, expectation, or credence in life. Faith in God, and of His presence in our lives, often creates an ideology that is forever part of us and may even succeed in becoming foremost. It could be regarded as a leading light that remains permanently illuminated, and satisfies the wishes and purposes of both man and God’s direction. This light not only irradiates a forward passage, it reassures the love that God has for mankind. It can be seen as an important and essential aspect that can provide a source of comfort, reassurance, strength, and purpose that can guide and lead. Its pathway may sometimes be rocky, we may encounter hardships, obstacles, adverse weather conditions of turbulence and storms aimed at deterring forward progress, but often failing in their accomplishments with the help, superintendence, and power of God.
Revelation 13:1-18 reminds us: And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also, it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear: If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain.
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.”
The struggle against evil remains constant throughout life, even with God by our side. Tyrannical powers are ever-present, they tempt and deceive a person into straying from the path of righteousness. They coax wrongdoings and uphold sin. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
Accountability remains prevalent throughout the whole of life, from the youngest child to the eldest adult. Choices exist to allow for individual discernment and democratic reasoning to tread the good pathway. Ben Fountain, an American writer once remarked: “Democracy's premise rests on the notion that the collective wisdom of the majority will prove right more often than it's wrong; that given sufficient opportunity in the pursuit of happiness, your population will develop its talents, its intellect, its better judgment; that over time its capacity for discernment and self-correction will be enlarged.”
Sight is a useful instrument in enabling one to see where they are going in life. However, if its image does not contain clarity, then we may lack intelligible vision. Without vision, one can become blind in certain respects. We may become oblivious to the perils of temptation and sin that can deceive or mislead. However, if we open our eyes to God, we become spiritually awoken, we perceive better, our judgments and decisions retain a sound footing and become more productive. We walk more easily.
James 1:22-25 reminds us: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
However, sight combined with faith implies the ability to see or perceive something beyond that which is physically visible. It is a belief and trust so deep that it allows one to see through the troublesome darker sides of life. It contains its own perfect illumination of such propensity that it becomes similar to floodlights on a football pitch. It cuts through the blackness to highlight the perils that darkness may contain. John 9:33-41 confirms: “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”
Correct choices in life will often merit rewards. Incorrect decisions may invite adverse results that require repentance to avoid its pitfalls. God is a forgiving deity, if we are sincere in our contriteness, then He will usually open His arms to welcome us back into the fold. Revelation 20:4 reminds us: “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
Amen.
