By Faith...

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see! ... [He] will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths. [He] will guide them; [He] will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things [He] will do; [He] will not forsake them'...
[Hebrews 11:1 and Isaiah 42:16, NIV]

One of the greatest pieces of advice I ever received was..."be cautious, not fearful - and never follow a Christian leader that does not walk with a limp". For the limp is a "stone of remembrance" of the storm, adversity, miracle, struggle, wilderness, forest that they walked through by Faith - severing them from the dock and allowing them to plunge into a deep relationship with our Risen Lord and Savior - Christ Jesus! Take a moment and think of Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Daniel, Nehemiah, Paul and the other awesome examples of men and women of faith that led nations and generations in ways that go beyond our current culture of "leadership"! For it was:

By Faith...a man built a boat to save his family - when it was not even raining!

By Faith...a man left his home - following the call of God to a land of milk and honey!

By Faith...a woman too old and barren had a child!

By Faith...A man grew up and refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin; thought it better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt; left that land, not fearing the king’s anger; commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons; led the people of Israel right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground, and when the Egyptians tried to follow, they all drowned; marched the people of around a city for seven days, and the walls came crashing down!

By Faith...a prostitute was not destroyed with her city - because of her kindness and compassion shown to spies!

By Faith...a man led a nation through a flooded river into a land of giants on dry ground!

By Faith...a man was thrown into a den of lions and survived - untouched!

By Faith...a man rebuilt a wall with his brothers and sisters - sword in one hand, shovel in the other!

By Faith...a persecutor of the early church was blinded, saved, healed, restored, and called an apostle!

By Faith...we keep on going - just like these men and women of Faith - because our eyes are on and have witnessed the miracles, signs and wonders of the One who is invisible! And we look ahead to His great reward!

And as we turn the page on Hebrews 11, check out how Hebrews 12 opens...

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up! After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin."
[Hebrews 12:1-4, NLT]

Talk about encouragement, but here are some tough questions that follow...
Are you off and running today? Or are you held up in the starting blocks, still tied to the dock - waiting for the path to clear or the seas to calm? For it is by Faith that we press on and endure the waves, the wind and the storm! So grab your boogie board and lean into Him! Buckle up your 5-point safety harness and ride according to His Will - out of love and adoration for who He is, has been and will forever be in your life! And if you really want to have some fun...surf! The time is now - today is the day!

And no matter what...keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, pursue the Holy Spirit and walk by Faith!