February 22 - Hebrews 11:6

 February 22
Hebrews 11:6

Heb 11:6 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.

Nothing happens in the realm of the Kingdom of God without faith. Faith then is the heart-felt belief and trust in God in who He is, what He has done and what He will do for us. To receive anything from God we must believe in our heart that He is real and that He will reward you when you diligently seek Him.

Since faith comes out of the heart and not out of the head, how then do we build up our faith to trust God beyond any shadow of doubt? Our Bibles tell us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17). That means we have to get as much of the Word of God planted in our heart so that we can leave doubt behind, go beyond hope, and live confidently in our faith in God and what He has and will do for us.

I have always built my faith by finding a promise for me in the Word of God. It generally starts out as a hope with some doubt, and it resides in my head – not my heart. I then purpose to spend time meditating on its contents, which means to mutter, mutter, mutter the verse over and over again. I read it out loud so I can hear myself speak to me. I like to memorize God’s promises by repeatedly speaking it out loud, meditating on its contents, and personalizing it to be God’s Word to me. It then grows within me as it travels down to my heart. At that point, I can truly believe as I claim that promise as my own.

Over the years I have memorized hundreds of scripture verses and planted them deep in my heart. I may not remember the exact address all the time, but I can come close, or I will miss a word here and there, and many times I personalize the verse because it is God’s promise to me, which I purpose to plant deep in my heart to pull up anytime I may need it.

 When I think of the goodness of God, I am reminded of God’s promises that I have claimed as my own. When I teach, I refer to God’s promises as a regular part of my teaching. Even when I sin (for we all sin – hopefully not intentionally), God’s Word is right there in me to convict me.

I most certainly have come to know that God’s Word that we tuck in our heart is so useful and even necessary in our everyday life.

Psm 119:11 Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

I pray this was helpful for you!