Faith Honors Him Whom It Trusts

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith giving glory to God. (Romans 4:20)

Oh, how I long for God to be glorified in our pursuit of holiness and love. But God is not glorified unless our pursuit is empowered by faith in his promises.

And the God who revealed himself most fully in Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sins and raised for our justification (Romans 4:25), is most glorified when we embrace his promises with joyful firmness because they are bought by the blood of his Son.

God is honored when we are humbled for our feebleness and failure, and when he is trusted for future grace. That’s the point of Romans 4:20 where Paul describes Abraham’s faith, “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith giving glory to God.”

He grew strong in his faith, thus giving glory to God. Faith in God’s promises glorifies him as supremely wise and strong and good and trustworthy. So, unless we learn how to live by faith in the promises of God’s future grace, we may perform remarkable religious rigors, but not for God’s glory.

He is glorified when the power to be holy comes through humble faith in future grace.

Martin Luther said, “[Faith] honors him whom it trusts with the most reverent and highest regard, since it considers him truthful and trustworthy.” The trusted Giver gets the glory.

My great desire is that we learn how to live for God’s honor. And that means living by faith in future grace, which, in turn, means battling unbelief in all the ways it rears its head.

John Piper 

Faith Is a Verb

“Then she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, ‘Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded, “Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand”?’ And Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!’ So she said, ‘I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.’ Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.”

JUDGES 4:6-9

 

PONDER THIS

Where does faith come from? Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith is hearing God and believing God. That’s the origin of Barak’s faith. The object of his faith was the Lord God of Israel.

Verse 6 says, “Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded?” People say, “Just have faith.” I ask, “Faith in what?” You can’t have faith unless it is faith in God. The origin of your faith is the Word of God. The object of your faith is the God of that Word. The Bible says in Mark 11:22, “Have faith in God.” What is faith? It’s not positive thinking; that’s faith in faith. It’s not believing you can do it; that's faith in yourself. Have faith in God.

What is faith? Faith is hearing from God, trusting in God, and obeying God. Deborah, a prophetess, said this is what God said. Barak heard it. Barak believed it. Then in verse 8 he said, “I will go.” Do you know the difference between belief and faith? Faith is belief with legs on it; it is a verb more than a noun.

What are some practical examples of what it looks like to have faith in God?

When has it been hard for you to have faith in God? Why?

PRACTICE THIS

Discuss with another Christian what it looks like to have faith in God. Consider what step of faith you need to take today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The “If Not” Clause in Your Faith

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.’” DANIEL 3:16-18

 

PONDER THIS

Does your faith have an “if not” clause in it? Our God can deliver you, but if He doesn't, are you still going to serve Him? We like the story of Daniel’s friends in the fiery furnace because they walked out unscathed, but that’s not always how things turn out. In Hebrews 11, we find story after story of God doing amazing works of deliverance. And in verses 35-37, we see that “Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented.”

We might say, “If they’d just had enough faith, they’d have been delivered.” Oh no. They got an A on the report card of faith, and they were not delivered in a way you and I would call deliverance. It is one thing to have faith to escape; it’s another thing to have faith to endure. It’s one thing to be sick and have faith to be healed; it's another thing to be sick and not healed and still praise God. Faith is not primarily receiving from God what you want; it is accepting from God what He gives.

When have you struggled to have faith because things did not turn out the way you wanted or expected?

What are some hard things you have prayed about that have not gone your way? How can you submit these things to God in faith?

PRACTICE THIS

Confess to God when you have struggled with Him for working differently than what you wanted. Ask God to grow your faith in Him. Trust the Giver; not just the gift.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

One Big Decision Settles Other Decisions

“Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, ‘Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?’”

DANIEL 3:14-15

 

PONDER THIS

Have you ever left for dinner not knowing where you wanted to go? You pull out of the driveway and ask, “Where do you want to go?” The people with you say, "What do you want?” And you say, “Well, I don't know.” And you're steering the car all over the city. If you know you’re going to a certain place, you just turn and go, right? You made one big decision, then the rest is automatic.

Daniel and his friends had God’s Word hidden in their hearts. They already knew what was right and what was wrong. When Nebuchadnezzar asked what the young men would do, they didn’t have to think about it. Their faith was settled; and it was strong. In verse 17 they said, “Our God . . . is able.” They believed God, even when Nebuchadnezzar asked, “Who is the god who will deliver you?” God will deliver us. If He doesn’t deliver us through the fire, He’ll deliver us in the fire. But He will deliver us. Have faith in God: He cannot fail. Have faith in God: He must prevail. He watches over His own. Have faith in God.

How has your decision to place your faith in God changed your life?

Why is it important that we settle this decision of faith before we face a major challenge?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask a friend how faith in God has changed his or her life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Do You Fully Believe as a Child Does?

PRAY OVER THIS

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.’”

Matthew 18:1-5

 

PONDER THIS

What is the word you hear from a little child so often? “Why?” Don’t despise children when they ask that. What a golden opportunity that they’re asking you why.

When we become adults, it’s so hard to break through that abominable pride. That’s the reason the Lord Jesus spoke the words from today’s passage to adults. Sometimes a child will come forward and give his or her heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, and some well-meaning counselor will get that little child and ask a lot of adult questions. And if the little child can’t answer the adult questions, the counselor will say the little child is not ready. That’s backward. It’s not that the little child must become like the adult; the adult must become like a little child. Children have an incredible trust factor. That’s not bad—it’s wonderful. That is the way God intended it. They believe fully in Him.

How have you seen the simplicity of faith in a child?

Why is it so difficult for adults to have child-like faith?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask God to develop a child-like faith in you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Remedy for Pride

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” — yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13–16)

James is talking about pride and arrogance and how they show up in subtle ways. “You boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”

When you take three categories of temptation to self-reliance — wisdom, power, and riches — they form a powerful inducement toward the ultimate form of pride; namely, atheism. The safest way for us to stay supreme in our own estimation is to deny anything above us.

This is why the proud preoccupy themselves with looking down on others. C.S. Lewis said, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you” (Mere Christianity).

But to preserve pride, it may be simpler to just proclaim that there is nothing above to look at. “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 10:4). Ultimately, the proud must persuade themselves that there is no God.

One reason for this is that God’s reality is overwhelmingly intrusive in all the details of life. Pride cannot tolerate the intimate involvement of God in running the universe, let alone the detailed, ordinary affairs of life.

Pride does not like the sovereignty of God. Therefore, pride does not like the existence of God, because God is sovereign. It might express this by saying, “There is no God.” Or it might express it by saying, “I am driving to Atlanta for Christmas.”

James says, “Don’t be so sure.” Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live, and we will get to Atlanta for Christmas.”

James’s point is that God rules over whether you get to Atlanta, and whether you live to the end of this devotional. This is extremely offensive to the self-sufficiency of pride — not even to have control over whether you get to the end of the devotional without having a stroke!

James says that not believing in the sovereign rights of God to manage the details of your future is arrogance.

The way to battle this arrogance is to yield to the sovereignty of God in all the details of life, and rest in his infallible promises to show himself mighty on our behalf (2 Chronicles 16:9), to pursue us with goodness and mercy every day (Psalm 23:6), to work for those who wait for him (Isaiah 64:4), and to equip us with all we need to live for his glory (Hebrews 13:21).

In other words, the remedy for pride is unwavering faith in God’s sovereign future grace.

John Piper 

Who Do You Have Faith In?

PRAY OVER THIS

“And Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!’” Judges 4:8

 

PONDER THIS

What was the object of Barak’s faith? The object of his faith was the Lord God of Israel. Now sometimes people say, “Just believe. Have faith.” Believe what? Have faith in whom? Believe God. Have faith in God. That’s what it’s all about.

Just having faith is positive thinking. And positive thinking is not faith in God; it is faith in yourself. What is the origin of faith? The Word of God. The object of faith? The God of the Word. And the operation of faith is obeying the Word of God and the God of the Word. Barak said, “I will go.” Faith is not mere mental intellectual assent; it is obedience. Faith is belief with legs on it. Our English word believe comes from an old English word by-live. What we believe we live by; the rest is just religious talk. Show your faith by your conduct.

How does the way we live tell others what we truly believe or don’t believe?

Where does your life not align with your stated beliefs?

PRACTICE THIS

Write out a list of things you believe. Write a corresponding list of how you show your beliefs with your life. Consider areas where your actions do not align with your stated beliefs. Determine what needs to change and change it!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are You Standing by Faith?

PRAY OVER THIS

“If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

(Daniel 3:17-18)

 

PONDER THIS

It is one thing to have faith to escape. It’s another thing to have faith to endure. It’s one thing to be sick and have faith to be healed. It’s another thing to be sick and not be healed but still praise God. That takes greater faith. It’s one thing to be delivered. It’s another thing to die by faith. There better be an “if not” clause in your contract with God. Our God is able to deliver us, but if He doesn’t deliver us, it’s not because He can't. You read in the New Testament where James was put in prison and Herod cut off his head. Then Peter was put in prison and God delivered Peter out of prison. Therefore, God could have delivered James, but He didn’t. Why? Well, you can ask Him when you get to Heaven. God is a sovereign God. He knows what is best, and He may not always deliver you from your trials, tribulations, and temptations. But if He doesn’t, what are you to do? Just stand. Just stand by faith.

When was a time you exhibited faith and saw God’s deliverance? When was a time you stood by faith but didn’t see your circumstances change?

How do we glorify God in both situations, no matter the outcome?

PRACTICE THIS

Take time this week to read Hebrews 11, reflecting on how some of those who stood by faith were delivered and others were not. Nonetheless, all glorified God.

 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Talk to God, Not Just About Him

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. (Psalm 23:4)

The form of the 23rd psalm is instructive.

In Psalm 23:1–3 David refers to God as “he”:

The Lord is my shepherd . . .

he makes me lie down . . .

he leads me . . .

he restores my soul.

Then in verses 4 and 5 David refers to God as “you”:

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me.

You anoint my head with oil.

Then in verse 6 he switches back:

I shall dwell in the house of the Lord.

The lesson we can learn from this form is that it is good not to talk very long about God without talking to God.

Every Christian is at least an amateur theologian — that is, a person who tries to understand the character and ways of God and then put that into words. If we aren’t little theologians, then we won’t ever say anything to each other, or to God, about God, and will be of very little real help to each other’s faith.

But what I have learned from David in Psalm 23 and other psalms is that I should interweave my theology with prayer. I should frequently interrupt my talking about God by talking to God.

Not far behind the theological sentence, “God is generous,” should come the prayerful sentence, “Thank you, God, for your generosity.”

On the heels of, “God is glorious,” should come, “I adore your glory.”

This is the way it must be, if we are feeling God’s reality in our hearts as well as thinking it in our heads and describing it with our lips.

John Piper