GO FORWARD – 15
And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” Exodus 14:15 NKJV
Hebrews 11
“By faith” is a phrase used over and over in today’s passage. So many people, through faith, did amazing things just like the Israelites. Their situations weren’t easy but they believed God.
Abraham followed the Lord “even though he did not know where he was going” (v.8). Abraham and Sarah struggled with infertility (v.11). Moses’ parents trusted God with their son’s life (v. 23). Moses was mistreated (v. 25). These are hard situations!
Despite the hard, however, the Lord honored their faith and moved powerfully. There were so many examples that the author ran out of time to list them all (v. 32)! There were those “33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.” And so many more!
Living by faith isn’t necessarily easy. It’s not having faith in faith. It’s choosing daily to take God at His word for that day.
Living by faith isn’t necessarily easy. It’s not having faith in faith. It’s choosing daily to take God at His word for that day. It’s putting one foot in front of the other and continuously following Him forward. That’s what these heroes did. They chose to believe God over what was logical. They chose to hope in Him more so than fearing earthly consequences, even if they never saw the promise fully fulfilled. The Bible says the Lord “commended” them for it.
Oh, that we would have faith that the Lord commends and that He would use us to make an eternal difference!
APPLICATION
– Ask the Lord to help you have faith. Ask Him to use you in powerful ways, just like He used the people in Hebrews 11.
– Pray that your brothers and sisters in the Liberty family would also have faith. Pray that as a church we would follow the Lord forward, believing that He will equip us to do what He has called us to do.
– Remember that we are asking everyone at Liberty to commit to being in a Connect Group for the next four weeks. Ask God how you can be a part of His work in Connect Groups moving forward. It’s not too late to commit to being a part of a group; the new curriculum does not start until Sunday. Call the church to find a group meeting in your area.
– Ask the Lord to use those serving through Liberty Loves Hampton Roads and to use those leaving today to serve in Northwest Africa (giving out school supplies). May He work through them in ways even beyond what we may see!