We often hear numerous faith testimonies and sermons about faith, but afterward, we find ourselves making statements that reflect an underlying attitude of doubt, such as: ‘We’re praying, but we don’t know when it will happen,’ or ‘We’ve prayed a lot, so let’s see what happens,’ and many others like these. But the Bible teaches Faith as the root to please God, without pleasing God there is no answering of prayer.. Hebrews 11:6 'And 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. ‘
Cloud of Faith Witness
Hebrews 12:1-3 'Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. ‘
When you read Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,” Hebrews 12 starts with the word ‘Therefore’ which means its a continuation of chapter 11 which is called as faith chapter. It describes how people in old testament having extraordinary faith. They were the one who are called the great cloud of witnesses?
It begins with Abel, who by faith offered a better sacrifice to God (Hebrews11:3).
Noah is next, who, by faith, built an ark and acted on God’s warning of unseen events, in a time filled with sin, adultery, and corrupt behavior (Hebrews11:7).
Then comes Abraham, who was called to go to a land he would later receive as his inheritance. In faith, he obeyed and went, not knowing where he was going (Hebrews11:8).
Sarah, who, though past childbearing age, was able to have a child because she trusted in God’s faithfulness to His promise (Hebrews 11:12).
Abraham is mentioned again for offering his only son, Isaac, as a test of faith, even though Isaac was the child through whom his inheritance was promised (Hebrews 11: 17).
Then comes Isaac, followed by Jacob (Israel), and then Joseph.
Moses is highlighted next, along with the miracle of the Red Sea.
The walls of Jericho came down by faith, and Rahab, the prostitute, was spared because of her faith (Hebrews 11:31).
Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel are also listed among the heroes of faith.
What do all these people have in common? All had great faith, yet none of them received what had been promised - Hebrews 11:39-40 'These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.’
Our forefathers in the Bible were human, just like us, yet they possessed a faith that often seems lacking in us today. What can we learn from their example?
We are often misled by the belief that "seeing is believing," which reflects our own unfaithfulness. Despite all that God accomplished through our forefathers, we mistakenly feel inferior to them and demand proof from God to believe. In truth, we (current humans) are the least, and they (our forefathers) were the greatest, yet the devil deceives us into thinking “we are the greatest and they (forefathers) are all the least and “seeing is believing” this attitude fosterers unfaithfulness within us.
Unfaithfulness is a sin before God, yet we often treat it casually, committing it with ease. As Christians, we show little remorse for the careless words we speak or the unfaithful actions we take. The more I reflect on this, the more I realize that we rarely consider how deeply our unfaithfulness and casual attitude toward this sin grieve God.
Suspecting God on his promise and saying “will that happen or not ?” is a Sin. Because God is “Spirit of Truth”
John 6:47 'Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. '
John 7:38-39 'Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. '
John 16:13 'But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. '
John 16:9 ‘ about sin, because people do not believe in me,’
God is “Spirit of Truth”, but when we allow unbelief to take root in us, we are, in effect, accusing Him of being false—equating Him (Jesus) with Satan. This is a serious sin, yet we often take it lightly, unaware of the gravity of our actions. Despite this, God continues to show us grace. The more I reflect on this, God made me feel very ashamed of what actions that may have pained him, reflect back each of us will have our own story.
This Unfaithfulness is a Sin that entangles like the Octopus tentacles to lower our spiritual walk to separate us from him as it states in Hebrews 12:1 “…the sin that so easily entangles”
Its a sin we fall very easily.. From second to second.. We have to be extremely careful on this.. put this thoughts of how we accuse God as a “Liar” when we have unbelief in your inner mind to get away from this Sin.
How do we rid of this unfaithfulness ?
Unfaithful in us is a triangular struggle involving the heart, mind, and eyes that leads us toward unfaithfulness. Thoughts originate in the heart, travel to the mind, and then the eyes see and affirm them, leading to either faithful or unfaithful actions.
Heart and Mind as Originators of Belief (Faith)
We depend on the Hebrews 12:1-3 "cloud of witnesses"—the stories of our forefathers—to help us overcome unfaithfulness.
Therefore, we should meditate and re-meditate on these stories from Old testament to untangle our doubts.
Through meditation, we strengthen our faith from within—the heart.
The heart is the source of our unfaithful thoughts, and we can combat these through the meditation and re-meditation of our forefathers' examples.
Once the heart is aligned, the mind will follow suit. These two invisible aspects influence our emotions significantly.
With both heart and mind working together, we can achieve true belief that our Father will do - Hebrews 11:6 'And 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. ‘
The Eye as the Approver of Belief (Faith)
In matters of faith, the eye serves as the approver and centre of how faith develops within us. When we see, our heart and mind acknowledge our actions, and the eye has the final say.
Consider our forefathers: they did not see but believed. Hebrews 11:13 'All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. ‘
How can our heart and mind approve without seeing? We hope for what we cannot see, and that is faith—“the assurance of what you do not see.” As Says Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."
Often, Satan tries to persuade us with the notion that “seeing is believing,” but Christian faith is about “believing without seeing.” How do we overcome this?
When you can’t see anything, fix your eyes on Jesus. Hebrews 12:1-2 “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
Focus on Jesus and declare, “You are my rescue, Father. You are my help.” Surrender and position your helplessness before Him, like a lame person trying to cross a great mountain.
John 7:38-39 "Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” This refers to the Spirit, who those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time, the Spirit had not been given since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
John 16:13 "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears and will tell you what is yet to come."
For God, it is impossible to lie. Unfaithfulness is not in his vocabulary. As he states in Hebrews 6:18 "God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged."
The promise is there for us, yet we often choose to believe that God is lying, when in fact, the devil is the true liar. As It states in John 8:44 "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
God will flow rivers of living water to strengthen us. He will change our circumstances because He is the Spirit of truth, guiding us into all truth to accomplish His will. We will be victorious.
Focus on the cross of calvary and visualize the struggles that Jesus went thru to help break the unbelief within you. Reflect step by step on His journey to the cross—His nailing, the beatings, the shame, the accusations, the mockery, how He responded, and how He ultimately conquered. This reflection will transform unfaithfulness into faith.
How do we get the Assurance of Faith ?
Hebrews 12:3 says, "For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
We must trust in Him; otherwise, the work of the cross becomes meaningless. In essence, we tell God that what He did on the cross is merely a joke, mocking the significance of His sacrifice.
Jesus endured the cross to make us victors—not to prove anything to us, as He has nothing to prove to meek humans like us. His sole purpose was to grant us victory by offering His one and only Son.
So, what can we do as an expression of our faith? We can obey with our heart and soul and take a leap of faith in Him (the unseen Jesus). He will take the next step for us; that is what truly matters.
Obedience holds great importance in our walk of faith, even when our circumstances contradict our actions.
Obedience strengthens our faith; it is like the mustard seed (smallest seed) in our spiritual journey:
Matthew 13:31 "He told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.'"
Mark 4:31 "It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth."
Luke 17:6 "He replied, 'If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it will obey you.'"
Matthew 17:20 "He replied, 'Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.'"
Without faith, we cannot approach Him, nor can He do anything for us. As Hebrews 11:6 states, "And 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."
The meaning of His reward is for those who obey and embody the faith of a mustard seed.
As a closing thought, offer a simple prayer of faith, asking God to forgive you for all the actions of unfaithfulness that have sinned against Him. Request His forgiveness for the times you may have accused Him, siding with Satan as a liar through your words and deeds. Seek earnest forgiveness from the Father, knowing that His heart will be filled with joy when we see things from His perspective. Ask God to grant you faith like a mustard seed and to help your eyes act as witnesses to the "cloud of witnesses" approving what cannot be seen—just as Noah did when God commanded him to build the ark.
Amen