Hebrews 11:6
6Buth 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.
To
believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, it takes faith. But what is faith?
The word says in Hebrews that Faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen. We often miss the verse right
after it which it says, For by it the elders obtained a
good
testimony. Ah...there's that word, "testimony." The root of the word
testimony is "test." The origin of the word "test" is Latin meaning
earthen pot. According to
wikipedia,
earthen pots were made of clay and before they could be used they had
to be heated or placed in fire to solidify the shape for use. The
purpose of a test is so when you come out there is a testimony. On the
opposite side of that, the enemy tries you because he doesn't believe
your faith is where it is. The word says the enemy is the accuser of the
brethren. Remember, he did it to Job because he didn't believe that Job
really had faith. The word says the enemy comes to steal, kill and
destroy in John 10:10 but Jesus comes that we may have life and life
more abundantly. What does that mean? It means that the enemy's sole
motive is to discredit you like a prosecutor attempts to discredit a
witness on the stand. God allows the trial to prove the opposite which
is called the defense. But it takes faith to enter a trial and to come
out of it. So then what is the purpose of a testimony? Your testimony
isn't just to increase your faith, it is also to increase the faith of
those who are to hear it. Ah...another key word, "hear." If the enemy
can get you to a place where you no longer have faith, doubt, etc, then
it stops you from gaining the ear of anyone who could possibly believe.
Remember, the enemy wanted to be equal with God and that is how he lost
his place in Heaven. Misery loves company. But back to the word hear.
Did you know Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines hear as, 1)to perceive
by the ear, 2) to gain knowledge of by hearing: learn 3)heed
also:attend 4) to give a legal hearing to or take the testimony from?
In Romans 10:17 it says that
faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God. So when your testimony is complete, those who hear
will increase in their faith. But in order to hear, people have to be
listening. Listening and hearing are not exactly the same thing.
Merriam-Webster defines listening as 1)to pay attention to in order to
hear, 2)heed. So if someone isn't watching or listening they can't hear
the testimony and therefore increase in their faith. The biggest way for
someone to miss it is via a distraction. The distractions are the
obstacles the enemy throws in your way so no can see past them, not even
you. If you and those around you cannot see God in the trial because of
the distractions, then the enemy will keep them from hearing the
testimony and you from giving it and they will not grow in their faith.
And the word again says above, that without faith it is impossible to
please God.
The formula is the same but used in different
ways, How you see it, assists in determining the outcome. In other
words, you cannot lose your faith during the trial. If you seek God as
the word says above, even in the trial with faith, He will reward you.
