Literature Ministries International


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February 15, 2018

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Substance... Hope... Evidence

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

Faith does not rest upon promises. It rests in the One who has made the promise. Faith is the "whereby" that the just live by. It is a divine, supernatural, justifying, saving faith, the faith of God's own. It is not of us; it is the operation of God, whereby all believers are endowed from above. Faith gives the "things hoped for" a real substance, as if they were already present. Faith, being the "evidence of things not seen," is the means of the preservation for believers against all opposition, under the fiercest of persecutions. It is faith that lifts us "above" our circumstances while we are yet "in" them. It enables us to live with things that are future and invisible. It gives sustenance to the believer and provides evidence of the truth and reality that will secure him from falling, whatever the trial may be. When we exercise faith, claiming a promise God has given us, we are putting our confidence, trust, and reliance in the "infallible character of God" and the merits of His Son, Jesus Christ!

If I were to make a will, and if the day came when it was read, and if it said, "I leave to my daughter, Beverly, my ocean-going yacht; to Sharon, my French villa; and to Robin, my oil rights in Texas," they would say, "Dad really went off the deep end before he died, because he never had any of those things!" Such a will has no character and is absolutely meaningless. However, if a rich man dies, everyone pays very close attention to the reading of the will, because he has the "character, ability, and resources" to back what he has written.

Some years ago, a friend of mine commuted each week to New York City. About 50 miles north, the train would stop in the little town of Harmon, New York. He asked the conductor on one occasion, "Why are we stopping here?" "Oh, we switch engines here. We're not allowed to bring a steam engine into the city, so we're switching to an electric engine." When the conductor showed him the engine that would soon be attached to the train, my friend exclaimed, "You don't mean that little thing is going to pull this long train!" The conductor said, "No problem." He explained that there was a third rail along the tracks to which the "shoe" of the engine connected, supplying the power. With that, the train started forward, ever so smoothly, all the way to New York City. When they arrived, the conductor leaned over to my friend and said, "We made it, didn't we? You see, when that electric engine connected to the third rail, all the power generated from Niagara Falls was at its disposal." It's not the size of the engine that counts, but the SOURCE OF POWER to which it is connected. The "shoe" was the conduit. There was no power in the "shoe." It simply acted in "faith" and connected to the unlimited source of power from Niagara Falls. Let me ask you: Is your "shoe" in place? Are you connected by faith to His infinite power? It will take you safely all the way home. Remember, it's not the size of the engine that counts, but the source of power that determines our journey. Get connected to His "power plant"! "The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1).

© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.


This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2018-02-15


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