Believing God

What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  (Romans 4:3) 
 
God told Abraham many things, which at the time seemed so unreal to him. God said: His descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, he would be given a son in his old age, and this promised son would be sacrificed on a mountain. Notably, Abraham chose to believe God, even when he had trouble enough believing. This “father of faith” was no perfect saint and he made several big mistakes along the way, but he did believe God. When God said something, whether he understood it or not, he chose to believe it. That is powerful stuff! 
 
Do you believe God like that? I mean, do you really believe? All of us want to be warriors in the faith, and to be counted upon when the going gets rough. Some of us imagine ourselves boldly standing for Christ when others might run for cover. In our daydreams, we paint ourselves as heroes of the faith. We long to have others, especially those we hold dear, to see us as faithful followers of the Lord Jesus in all things. 
 
What about the little things? I’m talking about basic faithfulness in things like sharing your faith with an aggressive boldness on a daily basis, not having to be urged from the pulpit. What about praying? Do you long to be in the Lord’s presence and make plans daily to spend uninterrupted time alone with the King of Kings? How about giving? Do you actually believe that when Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given unto you,” He was talking about God coming through in the financial realm? What about your self-image? Do you view yourself through the eyes of your greatest critic or through what the Scriptures say about you? If you are reading this today, it is because you believe in Him. However, is there any area of your life where your actions would testify that you don’t believe Him and His Word? 
 
Somewhere in the middle of these disciplines lies the truth about us. Of course, we are willing to believe and stake our eternal souls on the facts of the Gospel. We are risking even now, that the only way we will get to heaven and miss hell is through our relationship with Jesus. About that, we have no doubt. Where we actually live out our faith, we stumble, not wanting to admit to ourselves or to others, that we are having a difficult time believing God. When Abraham heard God, he believed Him and lived accordingly. Even though his flesh would often get in the way, he always fell forward. May it be said about you; you always took God at His Word.