A Leap Of Faith

Date: Friday, January 16, 2015
Today's Chapters: Genesis 46-48
Message Title: A Leap Of Faith

Hello My Friend, 

While many things in this life are pretty straight forward, sometimes you cannot just go by what you see, you must take a leap of faith into the unknown. Faith is talking yourself into believing insomething, even when you cannot see it. Christians, by faith, trust in the Lord, Jesus Christ alone to save them from a burning hell. It is by faith that we believe in God, but faith is more than just believing in God, it's believing and trusting that He will make something good come out of the most difficult challenges we ever face. The truth is, we cannot do anything in life without having some kind of faith, but the most rewarding life comes when we put our entire faith in God, trusting that He will be there. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 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. 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.” - Hebrews 11:1,3,6.

For seventeen years Jacob thought that his son was dead, you could imagine his surprise when his sons revealed to him what they actually did to their brother, and that he was not only alive and well, but the govenor of all of Egypt. By faith, Jacob who was now a a hundred and thirty years old, brought his entire family, sixty-six men, women, and children into Egypt. On his way there, God spoke to him, and comforted his spirit and mind. “And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:” - Genesis 46:1-6.

Although Canaan was the land that God promised the Israelites, the famine hit so hard that the only place to get food was Egypt, thanks to Joseph, who prepared for it. Even in a strange land God will provide His children with the best there is to offer. Sometimes, life takes us to the most unsual places, but if we have faith, and trust God, we will find that it was the best decision we ever made. One thing that must accompany faith is taking that first step to go into the unknown, without makng an effort, we might as well just have no faith at all. “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” - James 2:17-20.

Now, the famine is hitting hard, both the Egyptians and Israelites, soon found out that money and possessions could not do anything for them during a famine. However, no one put their faith in God, instead they sold everything they had, even themselves, to Pharaoh just to get food. “And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.” - Genesis 47:14-18,20,21.

It was during this time that they lost their entire freedom, they sold themselves, and now they have become slaves, in a sense they sold their souls to the devil, because they were afraid they sold themselves out. People who live in the world have the mentality that money can save them from anything, but they fail to realize that it is worthless. Money cannot bring water when there is none to take from the lakes, it cannot bring food when there is no water to make things grow, it cannot keep us from dying, and it certainly cannot keep us from hell. There is only one person that can keep us from hell and that is Jesus Christ, we must believe in Him, by faith. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Romans 10:4,9,10,13.

God did keep His promise to Jacob, in only seventeen years, the Israelites did multiply, in fact, there were so many that they outnumbered the Egyptians. “And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years. And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.” - Genesis 47:27-31.

Jacob lived seventeen years after he came into Egypt, far beyond his own expectation, forseventeen years he had nourished Joseph, and now for seventeen years Joseph nourished him.Amazingly, God will always take care of His children, even when it seems like He is not there. He is always with His children preparing the way for future generations, but sadly many will fall captive to the world because they did not put their faith in Him. Sometimes, famines do happen, we lose things that we were so sure of, but that is where faith comes. When we have done everything in our own ability, that is when God will show His ability. “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.” - Psalm 37:3-5,7,23,24. 

Today's Prayer: God, You have placed us on a journey of faith where we learn to trust You for all that we have need of, for the present and the future, in our relationships, our health, our provisions and our spiritual needs. I'm so glad I learned to trust You with my life, now, help me learn to trust You in every area of my life, through all the circumstances I face, even when things look hopeless, I know You are there and will always take care of me. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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