What is your Method of Operation: Faith, Fear, or Foolishness?
Background Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-13
Holding on to God’s truth and His Word will always see us through. (Genesis 32:24-29; Job 14:14)
What we go through is just temporary. (II Corinthians 4:16-18)
Everyone has a method of operation for his or her life. Whether good or bad we move, stand, and speak based on these methods. The question for you is which are you moved by and is it the right method of operation. Most of the time we just go on living our lives and don’t think about how we live our lives unless or until something comes along and forces us to make a decision. This is living in a box.
Living in a box is safe for some and crowded for others. The one’s who feel safe in the box are living by Fear or Foolishness. The one’s who feel crowed are those people who are not afraid to live and step out on Faith. Christians are to live by faith because there are no limits to what we can do in Christ if we operate by faith (Philippians 4:13; Hebrews 10:38).
Sadly, many Christians are living beneath their privilege because they live in a box and since our belief system is in a box we think God operates in a box. Guess what, He doesn’t! God operates so far out of the box that we can’t even begin to imagine how He will work in our lives. Many times in my own life I have expected God to move in a certain way on my behalf and He chose another way to bless me. God is so awesome He can do anything but fail (Matthew 19:26).
If you are hanging out with God you have to operate in Faith because faith living is not box thinking, it’s limitless thinking. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”. The key to this passage is that God will do more than we ask but there is a condition. The condition is according to the power that works in us. In order for God to do the unthinkable we must have an unlimitless belief in God’s power.
God spoke this world into existence by His word. God stands on His word. What do you believe in or stand on? I ask this question because many Christians don’t operate in the right kind of faith. Not the God kind of faith. As a result they are not living the abundant life that Jesus talked about (John 10:10). I believe that everyone, Christians included, operate in one of the 3 F’s: Faith, Fear, or Foolishness.
In order to figure out which one you operate in you will have to do a self examination of your opinions, decisions, beliefs, and even the people you hang around with. That’s right the people who hang around with will have the same beliefs you do (birds of a feather flock together). Sinners have a form of faith but it’s not faith in God. They have faith that the brakes on their car will hold or faith that a chair will hold their weight, but when asked to give their lives to Christ they answer foolishly. Commons respones are, “I’m too messed up for God to accept me” or “I will later on”.
Faith, fear, and foolishness play a big part on all of our lives, health, relationships, and goals. We suffer or don’t suffer, succeed or don’t succeed by how we operate. Those that succeed are those who don’t put limits on what they believe, the live by faith. Those people who live by fear or foolishness never get to first base. Sadly they become naysayers and hecklers who never get in the game of life and try to stop others from moving ahead. But keep in mind that everyone who has succeeded in life has done so because of the naysayers and hecklers. We all need a little manure to grow!
Definitions:
Faith – a confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing
Fear – a ground for dread or apprehension
Foolishness – a lack of good sense, judgment, or understanding
Characteristics of people who operate in the 3 F’s:
Faith – rely on truths, have patience, tunes out the nayssayers, uncertain at times but focused on the goal, disliked by people because of your faith, controlled by God
NOAH’S GREAT FAITH*
Genesis 6
· Noah demonstrated great faith even in an unbelieving world – Gen. 6:5, 8-9
· Noah exhibited great faith by preaching an unbelievable message – 2 Pet. 2:5
· Noah displayed great faith by completing an unbelievable task – Gen. 6:14, 22
· Noah’s faith seen in his:
· Character – Gen. 6:9
· Conduct – Gen. 6:9 (cf. 5:24)
· Family – Gen. 6:18 (Heb. 11:7)
· Because of his faith, Noah became “an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Heb. 11:7; cf. Ezek. 14:14, 20)
THE FAITH OF MOSES (Prophet of God)*
Exo. 3 – Deut. 34; Acts 7:30-41; Hebrews 11:23-29
· God calls Moses at the burning bush (Exo. 3:1-4:17)
· “Let my people go!” (Exo. 5:1-12:42)
· The exodus from Egypt to Sinai (12:31 – 18:27; 1 Cor. 10:1-2)
· The law of Moses (Exo. 20-31)
· The rebellion of Israel at Sinai (Exo. 32)
· The rebellion of Israel in the wilderness (Num. 11-14)
· Forty years of wandering in the wilderness (Num. 14)
SARAH’S FAITH*
Hebrews 11:11
· She had faith in the word of God
· She had faith in the power of God
· She considered God to be faithful
· Her faith was rewarded
Fear – will not take chances, always find excuses, always seeking validation from people not God, will not stay the course if facing resistance
⢠The rich young ruler (Matt. 19:16-22)
⢠Lot (Gen. 19:15-26)
⢠King Agrippa (Acts 26:1-28)
Foolishness – expects good results without trying, always taking shortcuts, believes God will forget sin it it is not confssed or repented, will not consult God
⢠Foolish builders (Matt. 7:24-27)
⢠Foolish virgins (Matt. 25:1-13)
⢠Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 4:33-37, 5:1-11)
*www.bibleanswer.com
