I Lift Up My Soul

Dr. Charles Stanley

September 26, 2017

The Basics of Faith

2 Corinthians 5:7

We walk by faith, not by sight

Until we discover what it means go have faith, we cannot begin to walk by

faith. Faith in God is more than just believing He exists; it is living with

confidence that He will fulfill all His promises and bring salvation to us.

We must discover whether we have placed our faith in God or if we only

are wishing His Word is true. As our faith is tested, the true spiritual state

of our hearts is revealed.

A situation is presented before us where we can act within our own

strength, doing whatever we can to manipulate the outcome, or we can

trust in God's strength, taking our hands off the problem and allowing

Him to enter the scene.

As we begin to walk by faith, there will be times when we stumble

and fall. However, falling and getting up is part of learning how to walk.

Once we get up and dust ourselves off, we take our next step with more

wisdom, more strength, more faith.

Walking by faith is a lifestyle, a way in which we conduct ourselves. As

God molds and shapes us more into His image, He desires for us to live a life

of faith, a life that relies upon Him for everything we need. Paul wrote, " For

we walk by faith, not by sight.... Therefore we also have as our ambition,

whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him"( 2 Cor. 5:7, 9 NASB)

Lord, guide me to that place where I go beyond just believing You are real

but, rather, rely on Your wisdom for every detail of my life. amen