Understanding the Options, but refusing Faith

Jude 1:5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

When I think about these strong words of Christ's half brother Jude, it really impresses upon me a huge thought. I see it all through scripture and in the world I live in day to day. That large thought is that God has expressed Himself very clearly, yet many are quite content to ignore His Will and Desire.

Think about the Jews being freed out of Egypt. Everyone of them had seen the 10 plagues highlighted with a passover celebration/slaughter. They had been led through the red sea as it parted. They were eye witnesses to the greatest military power known to the World at that time be conquered by God Himself in a way that no person could claim credit for and He plundered the Egyptian captors to bless the Jews to boot. They were led by God as a pillar of fire at night, and as a cloud of smoke during the day. They were fed and watered by Christ Himself as manna and living water. If there ever was a group that had encountered the physical presence of Yahweh, these folks were it. Before you skim on through this, stop and really think through all of what they had seen, and the Good and Blessings that God wanted to impart to His people. Understand that He had shown Himself strong and also made Himself clear about His power and their need of faith in Him. No one in their right mind with all of that understanding would choose to go back and make bricks in the desert. No one would think, "I don't want the promise land". Yet that is exactly what they did (except 2, Joshua and Caleb). To improve upon our own understanding, we must ask why?

The answer was fear. The reason for the fear is that they were still trusting in themselves, and not God even after His exhaustive efforts (even though nothing exhausts God) to show His great worthiness. They saw with man made vision a race of Giants and rightly deduced their inability to conquer the land. Caleb and Joshua were the only two who used a faith fueled -kingdom vision to see the promises of God waiting for them.

Faith involves risk. Faith involves letting go of every crazy idea of self control. Faith is slitting the throat of pride in you, as you come to the end of your self. Faith involves celebrating the greatness of God and son ship with Him. Faith is initiated by grace and allows us to process our opportunities with a kingdom vision.

Make no mistake about it though, faith is imparted as we walk through walls of fear for His glory. That may look different for all of us, but there is no story of faith in the Bible in which God does not squeeze out faith in self by putting Giants, Armies, Floods, Firestorms, the opportunity to carry God's baby in a womb, Sacrifices, Journeys into unknown lands, impregnable fortresses, swords, murderers, thieves and other hurdles directly in the path of those who He wants to draw to Himself.

Faith conquers fear. It is an active link to the overflow of God. It is not an idea or concept, but a power that is only available after you submit to Christ as king.

Ask yourself this, "Is my Faith simply an understanding of the availability of God's power, or is it an active agent in your life that is being increased as you serve the Living God?" Remember that the Egyptians had a much clearer physial understanding of God's power, will and desire, yet mistakenly would not give themselves to be God's servants. They were to busy looking at themselves and not God. Are you?