“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised;” (Heb 10:23) “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” (Rom 8:24-25)
Many of you today are in a crisis of faith. You stand at the edge of what you can see, gazing into a hope that God has deposited in your heart. Between you and that hope is a chasm of seeming impossibility. There is no known way across that chasm. Your natural eye sees no possible path, but God always has a path prepared for those who trust in Him.
The word for “faith” in Hebrews 10:23 above is the same word translated as “hope” in Romans 8:24-25. If what you need is in plain sight, it doesn’t require faith to obtain it, but if what you see is something that is actually unseen, it requires faith/hope to bring it into the realm of the seen. For most of us, we see the prize afar off, even though it doesn’t exist yet in the natural, but what we don’t see is the path or the step by step plan to attain the prize.
Many times God doesn’t give you the step by step plan because He is going to be doing a lot of things behind the scenes that you will never comprehend and could never execute on your own. So He simply asks you to take a step of faith into the unknown, then another and another until you reach the other side. It requires the ability to trust Him when you can’t see where that step will take you, but you take it anyway. You must believe. Make no mistake. The fear is real. The risks are real. But sometimes it seems that only when we are willing to lose everything do we gain everything. To get a good visual of what this looks like, take a look at this compelling 2-minute video clip and have a faith-filled day!
P.S. On a side note, don’t forget to register for tomorrow’s webinar with Debra Thompson Roedl. We’re already close to having more registrations for this event than have ever attended one of our events. What is unique about this event is that it’s a webinar: you’ll actually be able to watch Debra’s presentation & her computer screen during the event. This is our first one. Don’t miss out! Click here to register now.
Yesterday I caught Joel Osteen on television telling a story about Patrick Henry Hughes. He was born with crippled limbs and without eyes. Naturally his parents were devastated and wondered what they had done to deserve that. When Patrick was old enough to sit up, they put him on a piano stool and he began to learn the notes. At age two, he was taking requests. By grade school he was playing old standards and by high school he was playing the blues. When he got to college he was an accomplished pianist and trumpet player.
Recognizing his tremendous gift, the college band director asked Patrick to play in the marching band which entertained thousands at the University of Louisville football games, etc. In order for this happen, his father gave up his day job and worked the graveyard shift at UPS so he could be at every practice and wheel his son in formation, spinning and turning with the rest of the band while his son blew the trumpet with gusto.
What happened with Patrick is truly amazing, how he developed a gift God gave him that could easily have been missed. What also happened, was that a blind boy inspired vision in his parents. His mother “saw” the potential in him as she taught him piano. His father, instead of mourning the fact they could never play ball together, got a vision to play music together. The band director received vision when he “saw” the gift inside this young man. The gift by the way, was far more than a music ability. As much as anything, it was how Patrick interpreted life. When asked to describe his disabilities, he said, “Not disabilities at all, more abilities.” I believe we tend not to see things the way they are but rather we see things the way we are. That should tell you a lot about Patrick and about yourself.
Patrick’s example is removing the scales of self-imposed limitations that are blinding countless sighted people from “seeing” and fulfilling their vision. What’s inside you? What’s holding you back? What’s your excuse? Gain some vision from this courageous young man, Patrick Henry, and from his family and begin stepping into the vision God has equipped you best to fulfill. As Helen Keller once said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” By the way, now when his parents ask God what they did to deserve Patrick Henry, they say it with tears of joy!
If this story and video helped you at all today, please share it with your friends, family and business associates. Who knows who you might help in the process?
