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"Now faith is the substance [realization] of things hoped for, the evidence [confidence] of things not seen. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
(Hebrews 11:1 & 6)
For many people, seeing is believing; they will accept the validity of something once they see it with their eyes. But for followers of Jesus, it is the opposite: we believe and then we see. Genuine faith is when we believe and hope for the things we cannot see. The writer of Hebrews says if we do not have faith or believe God, then we cannot please Him. In order to come to God, we have to believe in God. Those who do believe and seek Him, He rewards and blesses.
Zig Ziglar said, "Our faith reaches into the eternal, but it denies the daily." In other words, we have faith to believe in God for our salvation, but we often do not trust Him to guide our everyday lives. If God has the power to secure our souls for eternity in heaven with Him, then surely He can help us navigate through life here on earth. It always boils down to this simple axiom of the Christian life: you and I either believe God or we do not. It is really that plain and simple.
I love to see God reward and bless the faith of those who are diligently seeking Him. I have been traveling a little more than usual lately, and God has been giving me some wonderful opportunities to share Christ with people. I wrote yesterday about Neeli, and today I want to tell you about Bri. She sat in the middle seat, and I sat in the seat near the aisle. I commented on her hat, saying something like, "That is a cool hat." She responded by saying, "Thanks! That is a big book!" I laughed and agreed with her that the book I was reading was indeed very large. (Chernow's Grant is 1074 pages, to be exact!)
Bri shared with me that she is on staff at a local church in Austin working with students. I asked about her testimony, how she came to know the Lord. Bri told me about growing up in California and how this lady who worked at her high school befriended her and was such a positive influence on her. After graduation, this friend took Bri to dinner, gave her a Bible, and Bri ended up giving her life to Christ. She is on fire for the Lord, and it was a blessing for me to have a conversation with her and hear all the ways God has blessed and continues to bless her and her husband, Josh. In fact, they are preparing to go on a six-month mission trip somewhere in the world with YWAM (Youth with a Mission).
I shared with Bri that one of the things my wife, Ashley, and I enjoy doing is blessing others who are serving the Lord. One of my visions for DFEA is for us to be a conduit to bless others. Whenever I speak in a church or sell books that I have written, the monies go to DFEA. I told Bri that I want to support her and Josh in their ministry overseas. I gave her my email address and asked that she write me and give me the information about YWAM so we can give financially. She was so very appreciative, and I thought for sure I would hear from her the next day. Ten days passed and I still had not heard from Bri. But then I got her email. She told me that she wrote to me the day after we met but had sent it to the wrong email address. It was a blessing to hear from her and for DFEA to send a financial contribution to help her and her husband go on mission with Jesus.
It was really cool to see God answer Bri's prayers and for our ministry to be a part of that answer. God loves His children! He acts when we believe. Bri and Josh have stepped out in faith to serve God, and He put her beside me on an airplane so I could meet her, hear her story, and help out.
God loves it when we trust Him, and He will reward those who diligently seek Him. He is awesome!
Thank you for your prayers and support for DFEA. Ashley and I, as well as our board of directors, are grateful for all those who pray for us and support us financially. Because of generous donations from supporters like you, we are able to produce ministries like this daily devotional and help many people like Bri. If you would like to learn more about DFEA, the ministries we help, and how you can support us, please go to dfea.com. Thank you.
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