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Abraham had waited years for a son, but then God said, “Offer Isaac to Me as a sacrifice.” What? But God was testing him—and he passed the test. When God asks us to do what makes no sense, we can reason, like Abraham did, “God promised me good, so I know that He will make this work. He will never fail in His promise to me.” Let’s glorify God with our faith, believing that He will bring us through.

Is heaven on your mind? When we don’t have faith, we settle down on this earth—and our hopes and fears go up and down with news headlines and the market numbers. But God wants us to walk above all that by faith, focused not on this world but on the kingdom of heaven. If you’re worried about politics or the economy, get heaven on your mind. Our great hope is going home to be with Jesus.

What are you tolerating in your life that’s offending the Lord? Even as Christians, we put up with things that hurt us and hold us back. Yes, we should be tolerant of people, loving them, being patient with them. But as Jesus told the churches in the book of Revelation, we should never tolerate sin. If we love the Lord, we should love what He loves and hate what He hates.

A lot of people don’t believe that Jesus is coming back again. You can tell by the way they live. But to the men and women of faith in Hebrews 11, heaven was so real that they lived as strangers and foreigners on Earth. Faith brings a consciousness of God, His promises, the value of a soul—the invisible things of eternity. We can live by sight, or we can live by faith. Let’s walk by faith.

The faith of Abraham and Sarah that they would have a child started with a promise from God. Faith is not “If I believe hard enough, it’ll happen” or dreaming something into existence. It has to be initiated by God. Then, when His promise is a long time coming, we can keep believing, because God said it would happen. What has God spoken to you? Believe Him today. God is good.

Everyone God has greatly used throughout church history has had to leave what they’re used to and go to a new place. Sometimes we get our definitions more from our church cultures than from God’s Word, and God says, “Leave.” That’s what He told Abraham—and John Wesley, and George Whitfield, and William Booth, and many others. To be used by God, we need to step out in faith.

Streamed on April 16, 2024

Too many Christians are not just in the world, they’re of the world. But anyone who is walking with Jesus by faith is a pilgrim on this earth. We should never settle down in this world, because God has something far better for us! Like Abraham, we should be looking forward to the heavenly city God has promised us and be shaped by its values. This world is not our home; heaven is.

There’s one thing that always accompanies faith: obedience. Abraham had no idea how leaving home and going to an unknown land would work out, but when God asked him to do it, he obeyed. What is God asking us to do? Let’s do it. Like Abraham, let’s believe God so completely that we don’t just intellectually agree with Him but we act on our faith in Him.

The church in America is in a crisis. We are asleep. But as people who trust in Jesus, shouldn’t a dynamic force accompany our faith? We need revival—a fresh work of the Holy Spirit. Then we will produce the same fruit the early church did when they devoted themselves to God’s Word, God’s presence, God’s people, and God’s love for the lost. Let’s pray, “Lord, revive us again.”

When Abraham got to the promised land, you’d think he would have built himself a nice, big house to settle down in. But he lived in tents, like a stranger in a strange land, his entire life. Why? He was looking forward to heaven. The promises of God were more real to him than the earth around him. By faith, let’s live as strangers in this world. Soon we’ll go home and see Jesus.

The first thing God ever said to Abraham was, “Get out of town. I have great plans to bless you, but not where you are.” Not everyone should leave home, but the greatest stories in the Bible are about people who left the familiar to go to something God had for them. It might feel scary, but when we step out in faith to obey the Shepherd, goodness and mercy will follow us all our lives

What would you do if God told you, “Leave your home, your job, your church, and I’ll show you where to go”? We like security, predictability, five-year plans. But Abraham didn’t even have a five-minute plan! He obeyed God, not knowing where he was going. That’s not emotionalism or fanaticism. It’s true biblical faith. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to lead us.

Do you feel that God is not hearing your prayers? That He isn’t listening? Actually, He’s working behind the scenes to bless you more than what you’re asking for. We get tired, we complain, but God has set every star in place; He knows every hair on our heads. Remember the wonderful works of God! He will come through for you.

Noah didn’t see any rain, but when God told him to build an ark, he did it. By faith, he was sure that if God had warned of a flood, there would be a flood. God has warned us too of judgment to come—and He has sent us an ark named Jesus. Are you in that ark? By faith, trust Jesus, and when judgment comes, He will be your salvation.

For many of us, God is a subject in our minds that we study. But God is not a subject. He’s a living person. He is. How few of us have a living God! Our lives would completely change if we walked in the faith that Jesus is with us—listening to us, watching us, directing us moment by moment. This isn’t mysticism. It’s the life that pleases God.

Emergency circumstances demand emergency prayer. Daily devotions are good, but sometimes you’re facing a mountain that you can’t get over, and you need to shut everything down and fervently pray. Like the early church earnestly prayed for Peter in prison, let’s press in to prayer and see God open doors that no one else can.

God can be made happy, and He can be made sad. So what displeases Him? When we walk in unbelief. “I’m never going to make it; the world is against me.” That’s not faith. God rewards those who trust Him and come to Him and pray, “God, I’m asking You to meet my needs.” Remember Paul’s statement of faith: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Let’s make God happy today.

As Christians, we have faith that God has washed away our past sins. But we also need faith to live for God every day. Actually, we need to trust Him hour by hour—talking to Him, praising Him, walking with Him. If God can keep us for one hour, then He can keep us for the next hour! Enoch understood that, and that’s why God was pleased with Him. Let’s trust God every hour today.

Not everything we do in the name of God pleases Him. Hebrews 11 tells us that God was happy with Abel’s offering—but not Cain’s. Why? Because Abel gave his offering by faith. We can serve God mechanically, out of duty or routine, or we can serve Him by faith—leaning on Him, trusting Him, communing with Him. It’s not our service alone that pleases God but our faith.

Paul, the greatest Christian we know of, said, “Pray for me.” He had been to the third heaven and seen things he couldn’t even talk about, yet he asked ordinary Christians to pray for him and his ministry. How much more do we, pastors and lay people, need prayer? Let’s not let pride keep us from asking others to pray for us. As we ask, Jesus will work through us in power.

What problem are you facing? If God created the entire universe just by speaking it into existence, then no problem of ours is so big that He can’t handle it. Our God, who created everything out of nothing, is even tender enough that He sent Jesus to die for us and to touch our hearts with His grace and love. God never says to us, “I can’t do that.” Nothing is impossible with Him.

God is impressed by one thing: faith. Never once did Jesus say, “Wow, is that guy smart!” or “Did you hear the woman sing?” Instead, He commended people like David, Abraham, and Sarah, not because they were perfect, but because of their faith. These people banked their lives on God’s promises—and so should we. What’s concerning you today? Give it to the Lord, and honor God with your faith.

Some people don’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead. Others do, but it’s a mental belief that has very little effect on their lives. But then there are those who say to Jesus, “Stay with me, please. There’s something about being with You that changes everything.” Jesus didn’t die only to save us; He wants to have fellowship with us. Jesus is alive! Let’s walk with Him.

Too often we say, “I prayed on Tuesday, and now it’s Thursday, and nothing’s happened. God, where are You?” But we need to be like the men and women in the Bible who were commended for their faith. They so trusted God, so received His word to them, that they banked their lives on it. We can be confident and assured that whatever God has spoken to us, it is real. He will bring it to pass.

God doesn’t commend our intelligence; He knows everything. He doesn’t commend our wealth; He owns everything. He doesn’t commend our talents or abilities; He gave them to us! But faith? Childlike trust? That means so much to God. Stop worrying. Don’t be afraid. Whatever you’re going through today, put your hand in the hand of Jesus Christ, and say, “Lord, You have this.” And He does.

The Christian life begins with faith—but it also has to be lived out by faith. In other words, we have to persevere in trusting Jesus and not shrink back. If it wasn’t possible for us to shrink back from faith, why would God warn us in both the Old and New Testaments to endure? We can choose to panic or try to solve our own problems, or we can choose to trust the Lord. Let’s live by faith and see God deliver us.

There’s some funny business going on in Christian theology today. Since the Protestant Reformation, no one has ever said, like many Christians do today, “Fulfill your destiny, your dreams.” No. They said, “Do the will of God.” Our dreams could be whacked. In any decision or plan we need to make, we should say, “Lord, let me do Your will.”

When you trusted in Jesus, did you know that were signing up not just for peace and joy but also for suffering, persecution, and rejection? But Hebrews 10:35 encourages us: “Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.” Our focus is on eternity! Are things shaky in your life? Hold on to God. The best is yet to come.

Have you ever worn a mask—acting one way in church and another way at home? That’s what the religious leaders of Jesus’ day did, and when Jesus called them out for it, they killed Him. We’re all guilty of hypocrisy in one way or another. But it doesn’t matter what people think; what matters is what God thinks. Whatever we’re going to be, let’s be real.

The Christianity of the Bible includes suffering. The early believers faced insults, persecution, the confiscation of their property—and they did it joyfully. Christianity isn’t measured by pleasure, money, possessions, or dreams and destinies. God give us the courage to say “Thank You, Jesus, that we are counted worthy to suffer for Your sake.”

Are you going through something hard and the enemy or some carnal Christian says, “What’s wrong with you? Look, if you aren’t getting well, there must be sin in your life," or, "You don’t have faith.” But the early believers went through a great conflict of suffering, and they endured. Problems don’t mean that you’re not right with God! Rejoice. If we endure with Christ, we will reign with Him.

Is it possible that a believer could fall away from the faith? Or is it once you’re saved, you’re always saved? The warning in Hebrews 10:26–31 is to believers—people who have experienced grace and are now insulting grace. But let’s remember, “The Lord will judge his people.” We aren't the judges. In the end, God’s going to settle everything.

Today’s passage is a warning—written to Christians. Why would God warn believers of judgment except to tell us, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling”? As Warren Wiersbe said, there are just enough warnings in the Bible that if we think we are standing firm, we should be careful that we don’t fall. Whatever our theology is, let’s stay close to Jesus today.

Today’s passage is highly debated by those who believe that once you’re saved, you can never lose your salvation. Others point to this passage to say that salvation can be lost. As we consider this, let’s remember that others are people whom Christ died for. We can leave things with Him. If we show mercy, we will receive mercy.

What does Easter save us from? Hell. As believers in Christ, the sobering reality of people facing eternity without God should stir our hearts. Jesus said that the road to destruction is broad and that many are on it. May the love of Jesus in us compel us to courageously share His gospel with others so that they too can be saved from darkness and brought to light.

Anytime a believer forsakes gathering with other Christians, unless there’s a physical reason that he or she can’t meet, that person is on the road to ruin. The gathering of the saints is of vital importance! In the midst of a dark and evil culture, we need each other. If you’ve given up meeting with other believers, come back. You can encourage others—and you will be encouraged too.

The test of a real relationship with the Lord is how we get along with people. Some of us say, “I love God. I just can’t stand people.” But Christians are not to isolate themselves from others. We are to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” We can spur others to love just by loving them. Why don’t we do it today?