The Book of  Hebrews defines faith, and how the just, that is those in right standing with God, shall LIVE by faith.  That doesn’t mean we just try to work up some faith to get us through a time of trouble, but rather that we ABIDE CONTINUALLY in faith, that it is a way of life for us every moment of every day. And there is great reward in doing so, both in this life and forever.

It is written in Hebrews 10:35-38,
Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Heb 10:37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Heb 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Heb 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Sadly, what I see happen many times is that people will turn to God when they face an emergency, and God in His mercy will help them.  Then, after the crisis is over, it’s like they tell God, OK, I’ll take it from here. I’ll let you know when I need you again.  And though they had called Him, LORD, LORD, He was only their Lord for the duration of the problem, then it was back to business as usual.  Can you imagine living ALL THE TIME with God’s blessing and help?   Well you CAN live that way, if you don’t draw back.  You see, that’s the nature of mankind, to want to rule their own world, and not have ANYONE tell them what’s best for them.  Personally, I WANT God to tell me how to navigate through life.  I don’t want to be like a ball in a pin-ball machine, being bounced around all day every day from pillar to post.

Remembering the story of Abram in Genesis, where the LORD told him to leave where he was and to go to the place the LORD would lead him.  We’ve all heard the saying, A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.  God was calling Abram to leave all that was “home” and comfortable to him, and depart to places unknown, and most likely there was some, if not a lot, of apprehension in his heart, nevertheless, he did what God told him to do.  We can read about it here:

Gen 12:1  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Gen 12:4  So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
Gen 12:5  And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
Gen 12:6  And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
Gen 12:7  And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
Gen 12:8  And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

Well of course there’s much more to this story, and this is only the beginning of it, but do you see how Abram LIVED by faith?  His faith walk wasn’t just a hit-or-miss occasional thing: it was a way of life with him, and for that he was God’s friend.  How would YOU like to so close to God that God considers YOU His FRIEND?  You can, you know, but it won’t happen by YOU trying to run your life, but rather letting God choose your path and you staying on it, trusting God to deliver you to your own particular “promised land”.  I don’t know where that is, but thank God, HE KNOWS WHERE IT IS!  And it will be a GOOD place, to be sure.

It is written in Jeremiah 29:11-14:
Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jer 29:12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Jer 29:14  And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds exciting and encouraging to me.  While we can see only a limited bit of what our decisions bring us, God is over the whole creation, and His view is much higher than ours, and He sees the outcome of our every decision, and how it’s going to affect not only our present, but our future.  Let’s look at Isaiah 55:6-13:

Isa 55:6  Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isa 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Isa 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isa 55:10  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Isa 55:12  For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Isa 55:13  Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Living by faith certainly has its challenges; and it goes against everything our natural mind and flesh wants to do.  God didn’t say it would be EASY for us to live by faith, but the rewards are well worth it.  Besides, God didn’t create us to be able to do everything on our own strength or wisdom anyway, but rather to rely on Him to guide us in the way we should go.  So how about YOU?  Are you living every day “BY FAITH”, or are you living each day led by your own mind, will, and emotions?  It’s not for me to judge how you’re living, you know that.  But if you want to live in your own personal “Promised Land”, you will have to pack your bags and leave the place where you are, and I’m not talking necessarily about your geographical location.  I’m talking about forsaking the place where YOU are lord, and going to the place where GOD is LORD, and abiding there for the rest of your days. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace. Does that sound like the place where YOU would like to live?  That can be your new home, WHERE THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.

How do you become “JUST”?  That’s the easy part.  If you haven’t done so already, turn the lordship of your life over to Christ Jesus.  Then in God’s eyes, you are “JUST”, not because of your own works, but because of what Christ Jesus did on the cross for you.  You see, it was God’s own decision to tear down the wall of sin that separated you from Him, because He wants fellowship with you.

Your becoming “JUST” separates you from your sins, no matter how long you’ve been doing them, or how bad they were.  Sin is sin, and it is all rebellion against God, and it all results in the death of our soul.  God Himself provided the sacrifice for the ransom of your soul, and that means YOU can live continually in sweet fellowship with Him, from now on, ages without end. At that moment, you become as if you had NEVER sinned, ever.  Go ahead now, call upon the Lord Jesus and step out now and leave the land of bondage by faith.  Then let Him lead you by the Holy Spirit from then on.  Oh, you’re going to love it! You’ll never have a dull day.   Promised Land, here I come!!