“MUST BELIEVE!”

 Hebrews 11:4-7                                              (ESV)

“4 By FAITH Abel offered to GOD a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, THROUGH WHICH HE WAS COMMENDED AS RIGHTEOUS, GOD commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his FAITH, THOUGH HE DIED, he still speaks.

5 By FAITH Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because GOD had taken him. Now before he was taken HE WAS COMMENDED AS HAVING PLEASED GOD.

6 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.

7 By FAITH Noah, being warned by GOD concerning EVENTS as YET UNSEEN, in REVERENT FEAR constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of THE RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT COMES BY FAITH.”

Acknowledging that we are ALL created by ALMIGHTY GOD is something we MUST BELIEVE in order to grow in our FAITH!  But one may ask about the the pregnancy resulting from a sexual assault?  Or what about the man and wife who CANNOT conceive, even after all kinds of medical intervention?  To SEE that GOD IS IN CONTROL, even of the bad things in life, things that WE WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY, is a huge step in admitting that WE ARE NOT GOD!  To recognize that WE ARE NOT GOD must happen before we can SEE THAT HE IS GOD!

As for me, this was never more clear than in July/August 2007.  The fact that I was morbidly close to exiting “this world” aside, my agenda had morphed into something that was controlling my actions, NOT being led by the SPIRIT OF GOD!  ALMIGHTY GOD, in HIS gentlemanly manner, kept me in a coma for 17 days, with machines even controlling my breathing, and awakened me to being so “groggy” that I could not keep up with conversations for weeks, even months!  Only six or seven years later were my EYES OPENED to SEE that the Brain Hemorrhage occurred in the WORD RECALL portion of my brain, something that GOD must have ordained.  HE not only SLOWED DOWN my quick tongue, HE softened my SHARP TONGUE that had not always been used to GLORIFY HIM.  

Graduating in FAITH to being able to acknowledge that we are simply CHOSEN vessels used by ALMIGHTY GOD to accomplish HIS PURPOSE is not something that some people ever accomplish.  The same GOD WHO CREATED the everything is living inside of me, accomplishing HIS PLAN.  For me to stay out of HIS WAY has to be my biggest challenge, for “the enemy” is seeking who he may devour (1 Peter 5:8) to throw kinks in the MASTERS PLAN!  

As Believers, we “MUST BELIEVE” that ALMIGHTY GOD IS IN CONTROL and HE allows difficulties to strengthen us FOR HIS GLORY.  In Matthew 8:23-27 the disciples were frightened by a storm, even though JESUS had already told them they were going to the other side!  They were astonished that even “the winds and sea obey HIM”!  Their FAITH was increased because of the storm they had to go through!  It is easy to say when everything is going smoothly, but DO NOT FEAR when the seas of your life begin to become stormy!  You “MUST BELIEVE” that GOD exists and that HE REWARDS THOSE WHO SEEK HIM!!!