Tag: © 2015-2021 by Tom English and Wilma Espaillat English

Previously: The journey to accomplishing your goals, fulfilling your dreams, or receiving a promise, can take years. Many people start out strong, but somewhere along the way — often just short of the finish line — they run out of steam and give up. If you’re going to achieve your goals, and reach your desired destination, you’ll need to: (1) stay on course — no veering, no side stops (Stay focused on your main objectives); and (2) stay fueled by faith, the premium “gas” that enables you to complete your journey. But what exactly is FAITH, anyway?

Faith is an unshakeable belief or confidence in something or someone. If Michael Jordan ever told his teammates he wasn’t sure he could make a particular shot from the free throw line, they probably smiled and said something like: “We KNOW you can make this free throw! We have FAITH in you!” Jordan’s teammates had seen “His Airness” in action, and they had complete confidence in his ability to slam dunk the basketball. Putting our complete confidence in God isn’t too different. Many of us have seen the
God of Creation do some pretty amazing things. And really, we can daily see His mighty hand in the flight of a hummingbird, in the smile of a child … in life itself. For others, including those individuals too myopic to see the everyday miracles taking place all around them, there’s an historical document recording the greatest feats and most glorious triumphs of all time — all performed by the all-powerful, all-knowing God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel — and it’s called the Bible (literally, THE book )! All we need do is read it!

Seeing is believing, right? But true Faith is still believing even when we can’t see. That takes an incredible amount of TRUST. We believe in the human soul, but we can’t see it or measure it’s physical dimensions. We also believe in an invisible God. And we believe in His divine ability to freely grant us eternal life. Jesus Christ — after returning from the dead, a fact verified by reliable contemporary witnesses — told His disciples, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” (John 20:29 NLT) “In the same way, Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. The real children of Abraham [the Father of our Faith], then, are those who put their faith in God.” (Galatians 3:6-7 NLT)

How does the Bible define Faith? “…Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV) So, you can imagine how important faith is for fueling our dreams and all those invisible goals we hope to achieve. Another translation states it this way: “…Faith is … the conviction of things not seen.” (NASB) Do you have any strong convictions? About issues or ideals? Or about certain incidents? Here’s an example: “I’m absolutely positive that Junior broke the cookie jar — even if I wasn’t there to see it happen.”

One last translation: “…Faith is the reality of what is hoped for….” (Holman CSB) Faith is confidence or conviction or — in this sense — treating something as though it were a done deal. Children do this all the time. Tell a child you’re taking him or her to the circus on Saturday at 2 pm, and the child will not just take you at your word. He or she will actually start planning what circus acts they’re going to see, how much cotton candy they’ll eat, which friends they’ll tell afterwards! The car could break down on Friday night — not a problem! You the parent could be told you have to work on Saturday — doesn’t matter! The circus could move on to the next town — so what?!  YOU made a PROMISE, and the child has just as much faith in your promise as he or she has in the sun rising the next morning. Nothing can prevent it. IT’S A REALITY!

That’s how God wants us to treat all the promises in the Bible. Even if we can’t see any progress being made, even if things “appear” to be going south, He wants us to consider His Word a done deal. A supernatural reality more real than our current circumstances and present  prospects. That’s FAITH! That’s CHILDLIKE faith — the kind Christ desires for us! (Matthew 18:3)

“…Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV) Tomorrow: How much faith is enough? And how do we get it?

The journey to fulfill your dreams or achieve your goals can take years. Many people start out strong and full of hope, but somewhere along the way — sometimes just short of reaching their goals — they run out of steam and give up on the journey. These people often abandon their stalled dreams, like a car that’s run out of gas, as others speed past them — all the way to the finish line. Why do some give up when they’re so close? What enables others to complete the journey? It all boils down to a few things.

If you’re going to achieve your goals, fulfill you dreams, reach your desired destination, you’ll need to: (1) Stay on course — no veering, no side stops. Stay focused on your objectives in life. If circumstances such as time, money, health, or family obligations force you to take a detour, make every effort to get back on track as soon as possible. Detours in life happen. But detours should be just that: round about ways and slightly longer routes that eventually get us THERE! No one ever intentionally takes a detour and then decides not to get back on the main road … unless they don’t have enough fuel in their tanks.

(2) Fuel up! One fuel we previously discussed is PASSION: an enthusiasm, a zeal, a fervor, a preoccupation — perhaps even a mania — for what you’re hoping to achieve. You Certainly need to be passionate about your dreams and goals. But there’s another, even more important fuel: FAITH. Believe it or not, everybody has faith — in something! If not, no one would ever have the courage to get into a car and go out on the freeway during rush hour. Now THAT’S faith in action: faith in God, faith in the car’s proper functioning, faith in the driver, faith in all the other drivers. People only differ in what they have faith IN. The atheists have faith in science. They don’t believe in a supreme God who created the Universe and all that’s in it, including people; or that God is still in control and that He cares about us.

Some people put their faith in themselves. What a shock these people must get, when they try something and fail. And sooner or later we all fail and come up short — repeatedly. The great Patriarch Abraham chose to put his faith in the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible. And it was his faith in God that kept him fueled on his long, sometimes winding journey to reach his destiny.

Abraham was so gassed up with premium fuel that the Bible refers to him as the “Father of Faith”; not because he was perfect — no, Abraham was far from perfect — but he WAS faithful! When God asked his friend  Abraham to do something, he did it.

God made Abraham a promise: that he would one day have a son, and through that son Abraham would leave a legacy to all the world. So Abraham’s dream was to see the promise fulfilled, and reach his destiny. There were, however, two huge roadblocks. First, try as she might, Abraham’s wife Sarah had been unable to bear a child, and now she was so far past the age of childbearing that things were looking scientifically impossible. Second, the journey to the promise took not years but rather DECADES. So Abraham needed to stay fueled, if he was to stay the course, and obtain the promise. Did he make it to the finish line? Did he and Sarah receive the Son of Promise? Yup. After a quarter-century he reached his goal!! And you can read about it in the historical book of Genesis, chapters 18 and 20.

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.” (Romans 4:20-21 NLT) “It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise.” (Hebrews 11:11 NLT)

Sooner or later, we all need a little help in life. We have to put our confidence, our trust, in something greater than ourselves. We’ve put our trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. We hope you have, too. “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20 NLT)

Coming soon, we’ll explore what faith is and how to keep your tank full. Happy motoring!