Hebrews 11: 4,5,7,8.
• Abel - offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, and he obtained witness that he was righteous.
• Enoch - was moved to not see death because he walked with God for a witness of life that pleased God.
• Noah - was saved from the flood with his family even though he had never fallen rain on the earth, although the Lord delayed 100 years to fulfill the promise that the flood was coming.
• Abraham - was called to leave his family and went to a land that did not even know where it was, he went out not knowing where he was going and believed in the promise of being a father of a great nation, even if God delayed 25 years to give him Isaac, the son of promise. LOOK AT THE SEA SANDS. LOOK TO THE SKY STARS.
Hebrews 11. The gallery of faith. Much is still written there. A chapter that speaks of the faith of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the Exodus from Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, the fall of the walls of Jericho, Rahab's faith.
Many other servants of God have exercised great faith at various times, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, Samuel, the prophets, the apostles and the Church of Acts.
If we look at the history of all these men we will see amazing stories in each. Miracles they staged simply because they believed that God was able to accomplish the impossible.
Looking to one side, Moses saw a great army coming against him. Looking to the other side, he saw a sea. But by faith, he touched the waters, and they parted to let the people pass.
The only thing that these men and women mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11 had was faith. The only tool they used to accomplish amazing things was the faith.
insuperable barriers. gigantic problems. Overdue by one thing: FAITH.
Do we have enough faith to overcome our struggles? Jesus himself said that his generation was an unbelieving generation. The disciples, he often called men of little faith.
How many miracles Jesus performed, saying it was happening because of people's faith? The woman with the flow of blood, believed that if only touched the mantle hem of Jesus she would be healed. How many people in the Bible received their miracle simply because they believed that God was able to accomplish what they needed?
BUT WHAT WE? WHEN we PASSED BY OUR STRUGGLES OF MOMENTS WHEN FACE OUR SORROWS and torments, WHAT WE DO? We exercise our FAITH OR REGRET?
God wants each of us occupies a place in the gallery of his faith. I need to trust in God to overcome my problems. I need my faith to see God's miracle to happen in my life. If I do not believe that God is able to perform the miracle I need to whom I turn? NO ONE IS GREATER THAN GOD, NO ONE CAN THAN HIM.
READ 1 SAMUEL 17: 48-51
What is the possibility of a 17-year-old to win a fight with a giant soldier of more than 3 meters high? None. A fight in which David there was no chance of winning. And David even had a sword or armor. How can he win? How he managed to convince the king Saul and into that battlefield instead of sending any army soldier? The answer is: by faith.
We all have struggles, we all have giant win, we all go through trials. Many of us go through immense struggles, invincible in our eyes. Like David.
The problems you face, even if you seem impossible to overcome, will only be defeated, only disappear if you have faith. There is nothing you can do when the giant is infinitely greater and more powerful than you, the only thing that can give you the chance to win is FAITH.
Why we did not win our struggles? Why can not defeat our giants? Why there is no sign that the victory come? WHY NOT HAVE HAD ENOUGH FAITH TO OVERCOME THE PROBLEM.
That was not the first battle of David, this was not the first time that David was facing a difficult problem to solve. And we did not win our battles because we do not exercise our faith. We do not put our faith to work and grow. Every battle we face gives us the possibility to use our faith and every time we use our faith strengthens it more and more, until we are able to face and overcome huge problems.
READ 1 SAMUEL 17: 31-37
David did not come unprepared, he did not get there anyway. He had already won a bear and a lion. How does someone so young could kill a lion and a bear? By faith. David was exercising his faith, he was working the growth of your faith, practicing their faith. Therefore when he comes before Goliath he had experience in exercising his faith, his faith was strong and robust, and when he goes up Goliath what happens? David wins, David realizes what seemed impossible, the giant was won because David had faith that win.
BUT AND YOU? WHY YOUR PROBLEMS NOT TAKE MORE THAN YOU cry out to God? WHY IS THAT AFTER YOU LOOK DAY DAY FOR SIDE AND YOUR PROBLEM IS ALWAYS THERE? YOU NEVER LEAVE WINNER AS YOU DO NOT EXERCISE YOUR FAITH. WHAT WAS THE LAST TIME YOU took the opportunity OF A PROBLEM FOR EXERCISING YOUR FAITH?
REMEMBER THE EXPERIENCE OF THE DISCIPLES IN THE STORM.
Every problem that appears in our lives is an opportunity that I can exercise my faith, so I can put my faith into practice until I am strong enough to greater problems until no problem torment me until I be ready for supernatural miracles of God in my life. BY FAITH. BY FAITH. BY FAITH.
What was the last time you bent your knees and just trusted in God to see the solution of their problems? Instead of whining and muttering and crying. You should bend your knees and poured out before God and trust that the Almighty will enter the battle in your favor and will give you victory.
The sole purpose of a problem is for you to exercise your faith, for God to show his power, through their faith, this is the sole purpose of battles in his life, so that among the problems you exercise your faith and God will show his power and have glorified his name.
See what makes someone exercising faith: 1 SAMUEL READING 17: 31-37
Faith gives us courage to face huge problems. David had won a lion and a bear, he had boldly that the giant would also be defeated, that philistine would be one that would be slaughtered. David trusted that the same God who had given him victory over the bear and from the lion also give him victory over Goliath.
CLOSING: How do I exercise my faith?
First I have to have faith, only then I can exercise my faith. The Bible says: FAITH COMES BY HEARING THE WORD. You have to have a coexistence of life with the Word of God, if you do not read, have to study the Bible you do not have to have faith. Faith is the product of God's promises, one who knows the promises that the Lord has already can trust that He will accomplish what he promised; this produces faith.
Second, faith comes by hearing. Attend the meetings, listen to the preaching of the Word, you have to feed on the Word for it to do spring up faith in you.
How to exercise? Work out what the Scriptures promised. Faith was born through contact with the promises and now you will pray for miracles to happen; you will say to yourself the promises that God made and when the giant comes to confront him you will say: THIS ALSO WILL HANG, THIS ALSO WILL BE LOSER, GOD WILL ALSO ME FREE THIS GIANT.
Next time you face a problem, rather than whine and cry, bend your knees and cry out to God for him to spill his power, so that it enforce every promise it in your life and pray that God will give you victory. After every fight you will be stronger and stronger to overthrow increasing giants.