The Missing Link: From Belief to FaithSample

Day 1:  Belief

When we consider the concept of believing God, on the surface it sounds pretty simple. Just believe, right? If we are honest though, believing is the start, but there are some prayers that seem to be deferred in getting answered. When we are waiting for God to step in to shift a situation, doubt finds a comfortable spot in our lives and settles in.

One of the chapters I find myself drawn to on a regular basis is Hebrews 11. Here in the hall of faith are all the greats that have come before us and were able to have an awe-inspiring, life-changing experience with God and are now heroes in our biblical museum. In a nutshell, they believed God. However, have you ever noticed verse 39?  The New International Version says, “They all were commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.

Whoa! Wait a minute, so let’s be clear, these legendary faith heroes did not receive what was promised to them? Yes, for many of them, the promises attached to their faith lived and existed past their natural lives. Again, I love Hebrews 11, because it reminds me of some moderate day faith warriors that are believing God to do a new thing or the next thing. Humbly, I am one of them and perhaps you are, too. 

The thing to point out is choosing to believe is the first step toward operating in faith, but there is a missing link. We tend to start out believing God and end up walking out our faith. Though it appears this way, what’s missing is the part in the middle that makes this possible. It is an agreement: believing in God. Agreeing with Him activates our faith.  

Agreeing with God is more powerful than just a feeling. Doubt rides in on our feelings. In fact, think of agreement like this: acknowledging the promises of God through scripture so that you can gain a better understanding of His will. Yes, believe God, then pause at the missing link of agreeing with God, and you will discover that this path makes you an honorable member of the hall of faith as well.

In our next devotion, we go more in-depth regarding the agreement