Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Richard Cecil
Devotional: 3 Shocking Biblical Facts About Faith
Faith is like a muscle because it only grows if it is pressured, challenged, and put in painful positions. It’s easy to say you have faith when things are going well or to to believe you’re faithful when the rent’s getting paid, food is on the table, and gas is in your car’s tank. What if all of that disappeared overnight? Would you still have faith? Keep the following shocking facts about Biblical faith in mind. They are based from familiar stories in the Bible.
Fact: Faith can turn a coward into a conqueror
Gideon was hiding out from the enemies of Israel. He didn’t want to be found. He had a million reasons to doubt himself and feel small. Still, God selected him, of all His children, to lead Israel against a fierce foreign army. Gideon hemmed and hawed and tried to duck, but he took a leap of faith and decided to view himself the way God viewed him. The result: Israel’s enemies were crushed by Gideon’s army.
Fact: Faith can turn a prostitute into an instrument of salvation
Rahab was a young Canaanite prostitute. Living in idolatrous, sin-filled Jericho, she still saw through Joshua’s spies and understood their mission and wanted to help them. Her faith in them, their mission, and her actions in ensuring their safe passage led to her being part of Jesus Christ’s family tree. Since Jesus brought salvation, Rahab was an instrument of that salvation. She had faith in Joshua’s spies so much she placed a red cord out of her window, which was an exercise in visible faith. Just like the Passover lamb’s blood separated those who had faith from non-believers, Rahab’s red cord spared her and her family’s lives when Jericho fell to the Israelites.
Fact: Faith can turn a slave into a ruler
Joseph was bright, perceptive, and unafraid to report the truth. This set of traits is exactly what drove his brothers to plot to kill him. However, they struck a compromise and sold him into slavery in Egypt instead. Instead of feeling crushed, depressed, and discouraged, Joseph rose to become the head of the household of Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s castle guards. Falsely accused of sexually assaulting his master’s wife, he got thrown in jail. In jail, Joseph rose to be the second-in-command of the warden. What was his secret? How does he always rise from defeat and poverty to the top ranks of wherever he found himself? It was his relationship with God. He let God transform him and let his faith guide his way.
Conclusion: You might be shocked what faith can enable you to do
Jesus said that if we only had faith the size of a mustard seed, we can command mountains to fall into the sea. Now, that’s some power! Faith can move mountains. Faith can give us the power to make things we can’t see become visible. Faith can move us to turn plans that only exist in our dreams, hopes, and wishes into things we can touch, see, smell, hear, and taste. Are you ready to be shocked by how much faith can empower you to do?
