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Walking by Faith and Not By Sight - Part 1:
Walk in the Greek means to walk around in a complete circuit. It has an emphasis added to it that says to keep on doing this as an ongoing lifestyle. Continually, daily, as part of your everyday life, walk in a complete circuit with Jesus. Throughout Jesus ministry, He repeatedly commended people for faith and reproved others for a lack of it. Faith is of great importance because it’s required for salvation. It’s also essential after we’re saved, as we are to continue living by that, which is by the firm conviction God will do what He has promised. This requires us to stay focused on the Lord, so if wetake our eyes off Jesus and start looking at circumstances, our confidence in Him could begin to waver. A example is Peter’s experience on walking on the Sea of Gailee. He started out confident, but as soon as he looked away from Jesus and saw the wind, human reasoning took over. Many believers today, are just like Peter when we know what God has said but try to add our logic to His commands. Another reason we falter is that when we focus on the circumstances instead of on Christ, little problems can seem huge and start to dominate our thoughts. Walking by faith and not by sight requires you to go to a place you do not know, one that God will reveal as you walk in obedience. Just look to Abraham as an example. Paul noted that Abraham’s belief was unhampered by the fact that he was almost a hundred years old; he was not weak in faith. He was strong in faith. Faith is a deep conviction that God’s words are true and that God will perform all that He promises. Abraham simply believed that God would do what He said. Nothing is too hard for God. Nothing is impossible for God. That is an example for all of us today, that our faith should be strong in God. “Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform” Romans 4:18-21(NKJV).
Walking by Faith and Not By Sight - Part 2:
“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (NKJV).
The “walk” here is a metaphorical reference to the way a person conducts his or her life. We still use the phrase “all walks of life” to mean a variety of lifestyles or cultures. The apostle Paul reminds his readers that followers of Christ must not build their lives around things that have no eternal significance. Rather than pursuing the same things the world pursues, a Christian should focus on the unseen realities such as Jesus and heaven. Walking by faith means that you continue to cling to the dreams God has planted in your heart, even when you’ve been thrown away, taken to prison for crimes you didn’t commit. Walking by faith requires a strong determination to follow God’s plan regardless what life throws your way. Walking by faith means you have the courage to stand up for the hurting, broken, and down-trodden, to face death yourself for the good of others. Walking by faith means living life in light of eternal consequences. To walk by faith is to fear God more than man; to obey the Bible even when it conflicts with man’s commands; to choose righteousness over sin, no matter what the cost; to trust God in every circumstance; and to believe God rewards those who seek Him, regardless of who says otherwise. It requires faith to live this way because we cannot see, hear, or touch anything spiritual. When we base our lives on the truth of God’s Word, rather than on the popular philosophy of our day, we are going against our natural inclinations. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV).
Walking by Faith and Not By Sight - Part 3:
Christians generally associate faith with their salvation experience and rightly so, by believing in Christ, therefore, we enter into a relationship with Him. But that’s not the end, since after that initial decision comes a lifetime of walking with Him. Yet, the word walk is is used to describe behavior adn conduct, we may mistakenly conclude that after salvation, which is God’s saving grace. As, the Christian life is all about performance. But today’s verses clearly state that we walk with Christ in the same way we received Him ~ by faith. This means we place our trust in Him for every circumstance of life, which to help us understand this, now Paul uses some phrases in verse 7 that describe how confidence in God grow:
(1) Having been Rooted - at the moment of salvation, believers are planted in Christ. As we anchor ourselves in the Lord, our roots grow deep, drawing spiritual nourishment from Him.
“Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving” Colossians 2:7 (NKJV).
(2) Being Built up in Him - Through obedience, the believer's life is built on the foundation of the Savior. God wants us to choose precious and valuable building materials that will last into eternity. “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it” 1 Corinthians 3:10 (NKJV).
(3) Established in Your Faith - As we begin to understand more about our Lord adn how He operates, our trust in Him increases. Then we experience stability, even in the winds of adversity and storms of oppositions.“Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law” Romans 3:31(NKJV).
Are you walkking by faith or relying on your senses adn reasoning? Walking by sight brings anxiety and fear, but faith produces peaceful confidence, hope and trust. Our natural instinct may be to hoard money, but walking by faith says we should give to those in need. To walk by faith requires that we tune our hearts to the voice of the Holy Spirit and the truth of His Word. We choose to live according to what God reveals to us, rather than trust our own understanding. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him,And He shall direct your paths ” Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV).
Walking by Faith and Not By Sight - Part 4:
Unseen, Yet Seen:
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV).
God gave the Jews signs and wonders so that they might believe. But signs and wonders are not meant for us who are in Christ. While our faith is based on the unseen, we can be assured that it is not a blind faith. Now that might sound contradictory, so bear with me as I explain.
Our Sight:
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” Ephesians 1:18 (NKJV).
Our “eyes.” The Greek word used there is ophthalmos, from which we get ophthalmology. The verse speaks of the “eyes” of our understanding and, it is translated the “eyes” of our hearts and our minds. The verse tells that our “eyes” will have a well-informed outlook so that your faith can be anchored in hope, as you walk in your calling or vocation. This is a precious verse, and it reminds us that God doesn’t expect us to just believe. He has given us “eyes” to see, but it is a different kind of “eyes” and a different kind of seeing. That’s why we can say our faith is not a blind faith. We do not have a faith without foundation. It is not a faith that is indefensible because we do not see the signs, wonders, and miracles that were manifested under the Old Covenant. It is not a faith of wishing. Rather, it is a faith of confident hope because God has shown us everything we need to know by the truths He has revealed in His Word.
The Heart Sees and Responds to That Which the Mind Receives:
Faith is generated in both the heart and the mind. The link between the heart and mind is not fully understandable, but it is comprehensible. We know that the heart can only be moved by that which the mind can conceive and the mind can only conceive and believe that which it receives. That’s why God’s Word is so precious to Christians. It holds the very thoughts of God and willingly imparts them to us. The Bible clearly tells us that our minds need to be renewed and we do that by thinking on the things of God found in His Word.
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” Philippians 4:8 (NKJV). The Bible reveals Jesus and the Bible is inerrant. Knowing Jesus and trusting Him comes from feeding our minds with His truths found in His Word and that generates confident hope and certain peace.
“The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you” Philippians 4:9 (NKJV). If your heart desires to walk by faith, you can do so by trusting in Jesus and reading His Word. Seek knowledge so you can know Jesus better and then the “eyes” of your heart will “see” Him more clearly, They “eyes” of your mind will better understand His will and ways, and your desire will be to walk in faith, fueled by the Holy Spirit. Jesus declared that we are the light of the world and that we should let our light so others might see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us and teaching us all things. May His light shine through us so others can see what we have seen. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven ” Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV).