The Bible makes this profound statement: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Cor. 5:7. It means we become like pilots—when we can see nothing out our “windows” because the way is foggy due to challenging personal situations, we must operate by the manual to fly the plane. The manual for flying the plane of our life is the Word of God.
That believers are to “walk by faith” is something we have all heard for years. Some-times we can hear a truth so much that we be-come numb to its vital meaning. We can quote a Scripture, yet its powerful reality is lost in the mental exercise of agreement! We must keep the Word fresh by its daily application in our lives. (In the past you likely have posted meaningful verses, perhaps on your bathroom mirror or in an-other easily seen location, to keep your mind on God’s good Word every day. Nowadays helpful technology opens up powerful options for mobile encouragement beyond Scripture wallpaper and screensavers on a laptop. For a Bible app that can even read selected verses aloud to you during the day, see http://www.youtube.com/user/youversion for one of the freely downloadable possibilities!)
We are to live in this world knowing that we are not of this world, since God’s Spirit has transformed our earthly citizenship to a heavenly one. Our whole perspective changes when we learn about our new life and country through studying God’s Word. Instead of being controlled by the things of this world, we actively renew our minds with the Word and al-low ourselves to be led by the Spirit of God now living in us.
We are all governed by vision. Our vision will direct all we say and do. Is our focus on God’s unbreakable promises to us, or are we looking at the things around us, whether seen or unseen? Does “looking at unseen things” sound like a contradiction? If you think about it, all individuals are governed by things they have not seen to some extent. For example, people set goals and work to attain them. This is really an act of faith, since no one has attained a goal at the beginning of a journey.
While there is no guarantee that a worldly goal will be reached, that is not true for the believer walking by faith. As believers, we have an assurance as we walk by faith and not by sight that God will fulfill His Word to us.
Abraham, an old man who desired an heir with his barren wife, received a seemingly impossible promise from God—a multitude of descendants. Then, after the birth of Isaac, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only heir.
In this entire story, Abraham trusted God’s Word. He did not consider his age nor his wife’s, nor did he consider their physical bodies—but looked to God’s promise to be fulfilled. He talked out loud about his new role—he was the Father of many nations and Sarah was the mother of kings. Rom.4: 14-21
Specifically, Romans 4:17 declares that “God . . . calls those things which do not exist as though they did,” and Abraham began acting like God Himself. He saw the end—an heir—by faith and acted as though it were all completed before he ever saw anything. In the end, through every test, Abraham stood true on the promise God gave him—that he would have a multitude of descendants—and the promise came to pass!
Your Isaac may be a health issue or another personal need. Walking by faith is not ignoring circumstances or situations. Faith begins in our hearts seeing things as God sees them. Then, in order for circumstances to change around us, we align with God’s good plan and purpose expressed in His Word.
Walking by faith and not by sight is an active, purposeful adherence to a biblical picture of truth for us. Whether it be healing, deliverance, or biblical abundance, in order to obtain the prize as God lays it out, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and completer of our faith, by allowing His truth to saturate our lives. As a result, we live and speak as though the promise were actually fulfilled. You are in Christ victorious! Surround yourself with His Word and stand firm in God’s truth as you walk by faith daily, with the expectation of a good result from the hand of a caring Father.