Faith Anthem

There is a plaque on the mantle of my fireplace that reads, Faith is not knowing what the future holds, but knowing who holds the future. I like that, don't you? This message, friends, is on faith. My Bible declares in Hebrews, Without faith, it is impossible to please Him.

That's a giant statement, a colossal statement. How in the world can we please God without faith? We cannot. Jesus continually reprimanded His disciples with such phrases as, Where is your faith? Ye of little faith.

Conversely, He said to a Gentile woman, Great is your faith. And He told His disciples, If you have faith, as a grain of mustard seed, Ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, And it shall remove, And nothing shall be impossible unto you. But what exactly is faith? What are her demands? What are her components to be pleasing to the Lord? In whatever situation His providence places us in, Perhaps you are presently in a trial, friend, And your faith is being tested right now.

The sudden storms of adversity have entered your domestic life, And you don't know what to do. Maybe you got a bad health report, Or you've been struck with an arrow in your heart, With grief and sorrow, And it's almost too much to bear. It seems as if your whole world is collapsing right beneath you, Yet God calls for faith.

In fact, it is only your faith in God That gets you through such times of adversity. Jesus is a faithful friend Who will never leave you, nor forsake you. He is faithful, and He calls us to a life of faith.

He wants us to have unwavering faith, Oh, when all else is unraveling around us. Listen, friends. Faith is holding on in the storm, When the ship is breaking up on the rocks beneath you, And the waves are flooding the boat to such a degree That you're sitting in cold water.

And in all that distress and extremity, Faith is the anchor you hold on to, Even when sight of land is gone. It's holding on to the anchor within the veil. Jesus is that anchor, friend, And faith is the chain tied to that anchor.

Faith is the dog of determination To stand firmly upon the promises of God, No matter how impossible they may seem, And how far and distant they appear. Faith is seeing the unseen, Laying hold of the invisible, And clinging to the hope, Which though it appears to be nothing more Than a tattered thread of hope, Yet faith holds on to that tattered thread, Come hell or high water, And it won't even let the devil himself Break through and try and loosen your grip. Faith is birthed when fear is overcome By an attitude of death for Christ if necessary.

Faith is tempered in the white-hot flames of trial, And fashioned by the fierce winds of adversity. Faith is hammered out on the anvil of affliction and sorrow, And faith is strengthened in the hour of trial. Faith is believing God no matter the cost.

Faith is unwavering belief, Even when God is nowhere to be found, And you feel you've been forsaken, And all human hope has vanished On the black horizon of abandonment. Faith is found when all human friendships desert you, And you are cast entirely on your faithful friend Who will never desert you. Faith emerges as a titan Who overcomes all odds When all odds are against you.

Faith mounts all obstacles, Tears down all walls of resistance, And steps out onto the seas of the impossible. Faith is a gamble friend, And God loves a gamble for him. Peter looked out upon the dark waters, And saw a figure approach atop the stormy waves.

Peter cried out to the figure, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. Jesus took him up on that step of faith and answered, Come on, come on. And come Peter did, As he too experienced the supernatural walk of faith.

He only sunk when he took his eyes off his master, And that is what unbelief is, friend. It is taking our eyes off of God. Faith made David write his most glorious psalm, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Faith made Moses leave the human splendor of Egypt For the unseen glories of Sinai. Faith made Jacob cling to the angel With such boldness and resolve That he would not let him go until he received a blessing, No matter if it cost him physically.

And he had a limp through life, And leaned on a staff, Because he learned to lean on his God. And when he did, God changed his name from a supplanter to a prince. Faith melts all doubts, Molds all hopes, And mends every heartbreak.

Faith is the substance of things unseen. Faith is the unseen reality of Jesus our King. Faith shuts the mouths of lions.

Faith walks amidst the fiery flame. Faith lays hold of the throne room in heaven, And by violence it is taken. Faith is tenacious.

Faith is courage. Faith is courageous. Faith is fixing her gaze firmly on her master, And placing her feet firmly on his word.

Faith is resting all our cares upon him, For he careth for us. Faith is taking up his yoke, And walking behind his team of mule, Without ever looking back. Faith makes fresh furrows in the ground of adversity.

It plows up the hardness of the human heart. And faith surmounts all obstacles which lie in the way. Faith is God's way for us to walk in.

And it is the only way, friend, to be pleasing to him. Now, friends, I'm going to read us Hebrews chapter 11. You can turn in your Bibles there now.

And as I read this roll call of the heroes of faith, I beg your pardon, friends, if I get a little excited. I can't help reading their exploits for God through faith without it lighting a fire beneath my soul. This 11th chapter of Hebrews ignites me.

And reading this chapter has an effect on me like pouring gasoline on a fire. I just can't help getting excited for God and eternity when I read about these heroes of faith. And may God's spirit ignite each one of us as we listen to these mighty deeds of faith.

Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and he was not found because God had translated him, for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

By faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house, by the which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness, which is by faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out, not knowing whether he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.

For he looked for a city, which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God, through faith. Also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful, who had promised. Therefore sprang there, even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

But now they desire a better country, that is heavenly, wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac, and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called, accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, concerning things to come.

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph, and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel, and gave commandment concerning his bones. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child, and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ's greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of thee reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. Through faith he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

By faith they passed through the Red Sea, as by dry land, which the Egyptians, assaying to do, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them, that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

And what more can I say, for the time would fail me, to tell of Gideon, and Barak, and of Samson, and Jephthah, and of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets, who, through faith, subdued kingdoms, upraised God, wrought righteousness, glory to the Father, obtained promises, thank you Lord, stopped the mouths of lions, hallelujah, quenched the violence of fire, oh ancient of days, escaped the edge of the sword, the divine deliverer, the weakness were made strong, great God almighty, waxed valiant in flight, shake the gates of hell, turn to flight, the armies of the aliens, send the devil to hell, women received their dead, raised to life again, glory to the Father, and others were tortured, the fellowship of his sufferings, not accepting deliverance, glory to his name, that they might obtain a better resurrection, Jesus reigns, he reigns, and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourges, hallelujah, yea, moreover bonds and imprisonment, worthy to suffer for his name's sake, they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy, praise God and glory to the king of kings, oh friends, for the faith that moves all mountains of adversity, for the faith that hangs on in every storm and every gale, for the faith that is fixed firmly in the hope of our blessed hope, for the faith to take his nail-pierced hand and not let go, because he will never let go of us, great God, increase our faith, lover of my soul, make my faith abound in love for thee, give me the grace of faith, oh Lord, to live for thee, in a supernatural walk with thee, in a holy life of bold faith, a faith which fears no enemies, a faith which never falters, but holds firmly to the anchor of my soul, grant us that kind of faith, great God, increase our faith, a faith that's strongest in our weakest moments, faith that's strengthened in our weakest frame, a faith that's reaching up to take the hand of Jesus, because he said, stretch forth thy hand, a faith that's staring the devil in the face and laughing, a faith that's pushing back the darkness, a faith that's storming the gates of hell, a faith that's never yielding to the enemy, a faith that's a loud ringing bell which startles the ears of the angels, oh God, increase our faith, a faith that's entering a crucifixion, no matter how painful and shameful it is, a faith that's dying to self and desire, and living for Christ with a brand of his fire, a faith is Galatians 2.20 which declares, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me, like I said earlier friends, faith is not knowing what the future holds, but knowing who, holds the future, and knowing that eternal who, is the key friend, get to know your God, and you will get your faith for sure, listen friend, faith is having faith in the faithfulness of God, Jesus said, according to your faith be it unto you, and remember friend, without faith, it is impossible to please him.