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By Femi Aribisala
Paul says: “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). He is not telling us how we should walk. He is telling us how we walk. This is like telling a boy that we don’t walk with our hands. We walk with our feet. Believers walk by faith. Those who believe in God walk by trusting Him.
Jesus says: “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3).
Little children learn to walk and talk. Like them, Christians must learn to see.
All men are born blind. As a result, we cannot see God. Because we are blind, we steal right in front of spiritual CCTV cameras, foolishly thinking no one can see us. Because we are blind, we cannot see that God is standing right there looking at us while we are engaged in all manner of ungodliness.
Therefore, Jesus says: “‘For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.’ Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, ‘Are we blind also?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore, your sin remains.’” (John 9:39-41).
This means we need to admit we are blind and pray that God would open our eyes. “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.” (Proverbs 20:12).
The ability to see is a privilege given to those who are disciples of Christ. To them, Jesus makes this promise: “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” (John 14:19).
Then we will discover that the invisible attributes of God are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. (Romans 1:20).
Trusting God
A workman quoted a certain sum for a job I wanted him to do. I responded by drastically slashing the price. The man protested, saying: “You don’t trust me.” I replied: “Of course, I don’t trust you. Why should I? I don’t know you.”
What about God, do you know Him. Has he earned your trust? If not, we need to grow in grace and in the knowledge of God. As we grow in the knowledge of God, our trust in Him grows.
God told me a storm was coming. I believed Him because He had told me so many things in the past and they all came to pass. Therefore, when He told me a storm was coming, I not only believed but told others to prepare for it. Then the storm came in the form of a violent EndSARS protest in Nigeria.
Certainly, if He tells me something else in advance tomorrow, I will believe. I will see it even if I cannot see it, if you know what I mean. For this reason, Paul says it is possible for our faith in God to grow. The correct translation for faith here is trust.
It is necessary for our trust in God to grow from faith to faith. As we see daily the workings of God, we need to get to a point where we trust God in everything. Has He said it? Yes! Then we know He will do it or bring it to pass.
Holy Spirit tutelage
As a new believer, God will give you some revelations. Thereafter, they will disappear. But then: “The gifts and calling of God cannot be revoked.” (Romans 11:29). Therefore, do not worry. You are just undergoing training. The training can last for many years. At the end of the training, the gifts will reappear.
I thought I was a slow learner, only to discover that God is a slow teacher. He does not like novices. Therefore, He takes us through an exacting period of training. Now, after over 25 years, my gifts have blossomed. For example, now I see things before they happen. Now I am fully inducted into the office of a prophet and a seer.
As a new believer, God taught me a new song. I woke up singing: “When the Spirit of the Lord is upon my soul, I will dance like David danced.” I thought it was a one-off. But now, the Holy Spirit chooses praise songs, and He sings them all day long in my heart.
Use the gift you have. Let nothing discourage you. If it does not seem to work, don’t give up. God is not mediated through results. Jesus says: “Whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” (Matthew 13:12)
Faith’s good report
How can I travel from Lagos to London in the confidence that my plane will not crash or be blown out of the sky by terrorists? I can do so by trusting in God.
The writer of Hebrews says: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.” (Hebrews 11:1-2).
By faith, we obtain the good report that if we travel by air from Lagos to London we will not die in an accident on the way.
Do you have the good report of faith? What does it tell you? It tells you that you can face any challenges because God is your helper. It tells you that, because of Jesus, you can overcome the world. It tells you that whatever God brings before you providentially, He will give you the measure of faith to handle it.
Will things get better for you or will they get worse? “Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come.” (Hebrews 9:11).
It all depends then on what you can see. Can you see that you can pass through the Red Sea? Can you see that you can defeat Goliath? Can you see that you can feed the multitude with five loaves of bread and two fishes? Can you see that you can walk on water? Can you see that you can turn water into wine?
You can see all these things if you know that God is with you. That is why we walk by faith and not by sight. To walk is to live. We live by faith. We live with God and we walk with Him. That is the essence of Christianity. True Christians are the people who live with God and walk with God.
Jesus’ name is Immanuel meaning God with us. God is with believers. He is always with us. He never leaves: He never forsakes. He said to Joshua: “I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5). He says to all believers: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).
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