Faith is more important than facts. This is evidenced by many of the stories in the Bible. Every miracle done by Jesus proved this. Let’s list a few instances where this happened:

• Jesus heals a man with leprosy. Mark 1:40-45
• Jesus heals a paralyzed man. Matthew 9
• Jesus heals a sick woman from bleeding. Matt. 9:20-22
• Jesus raises a girl from the dead. Matt. 9:23-26
• Jesus feeds 5000 men (not including women & children). Mark 6:30-44
• Jesus walks on water. Mark 6:45-52
• Jesus is resurrected from the dead. Mark 16

Let’s look at the difference between faith and facts. The two often contradict one another like two arguing siblings. (Probably like you did with your little brother growing up!)

Facts says…

• It’s over.
• It’s too late.
• It’s impossible.
• I can’t do it.
• I’m not qualified.
• I don’t know how.
• It can’t be changed.
• I messed up too bad.
• There’s not enough for everyone.

It’s cool how my list made a stair case going downwards. If you keep focusing on the facts of the situation, then you will stay down and not go up. Focusing on the impossibilities will keep you down.

This morning I was counseling someone about a dream. I encouraged her to talk to other people and learn from them. She said, “They probably won’t talk to me.” “They’ll probably say, no.” I looked at her and asked, “What if they say yes!”

We have to start thinking about what could be, rather than what is. Faith stands up to the bully of facts. Faith says…

• God can resurrect my hopes and dreams.
• God can change my situation.
• God can stop the bleeding in my life.
• God can qualify and equip me.
• God can teach me how.
• God can fix my mess.
• God can use me.
• God can heal me.
• God will provide.

When we focus our faith on God, then we open our situation up to the miraculous. Facts are based on what we can do, while faith focuses on what God can do. Faith takes all of the responsibility off of you.

Nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37

Question: What situation are facing that you need to look through the lenses of faith, rather than facts?

Most people never think of hardship and difficulty as a gift in their lives. Let’s be honest, who would really think this? It usually takes hindsight and a different perspective to think this way.

In the life of Joseph he faced his own fair share of difficulty. If anyone had a reason to be bitter, it would have been him. He was abused by his brothers, sold as a slave, falsely accused, and put in prison for a number of years. Instead of becoming bitter he chose to look at his life differently.

Gen. 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

In this verse Joseph was saying to his brothers that even though they meant to bring about his destruction, God used it for something good. I’m not sure if Joseph could have said this in his early years, but years later, he saw the hand of God in it all.

We don’t like to think God allows bad things to happen to us. This usually doesn’t sit well with our theology. It goes against many of the teachings of the modern church. We wonder why would a loving God would allow pain in our lives.

Sometimes we need God’s perspective on our lives. Maybe it means we need to ask God to give us understanding on how we can use our circumstances to help others.

Your hardship becomes a gift when you give yourself away to help others. It’s our decision to hoard the gift or give it away, but it doesn’t become a gift until we give it away.

Question: How can you help someone in a similar circumstance as yours?

Most Christians recognize Abraham as the “father of faith.” He’s listed in Hebrews 11 with many other “who’s who” of the Christian faith. His life was exemplified by a life of adventurous faith. We can learn a few lessons from his life.

By Cindy Cornett Seigle

In Genesis 17 the Lord came to Abraham and Sarah and told them they were going to have a son. The idea was so ludicrous to them they laughed at God. They laughed because they were both really old and way past the childbearing years, so they thought!

God changed their names before they could receive their promise from him. In Genesis 17:5 Abram’s name was changed to Abraham. Abraham means “father of many nations.” In Genesis 17:15-16 God changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, which means “mother of nations.” Sarah went from being called “one who was barren” to “mother of nations”.

The most interesting part of the story is that God changed their names a year before they saw the fulfillment of the promise. We know it was a year because of verse 17:21,

But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.

Abraham and Sarah had to walk around a year calling out their new names and speaking the promises of God over their lives before they saw the birth of the promise. They had to speak faith over their impossible situations for a year before they saw any changes.

Sometimes God has to change how we talk and think before he give us the promise. I think this is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said in Romans 4:17, “As it is written: I have made you a father of many nations.He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.”

Our words serve as the bridge between our faith and the promises of God. Your words are just an expression of your inner life. I think they had to go around speaking their new names for a year by faith before they could receive what the Lord wanted to give them. In other words, they weren’t ready to receive it yet because their level of faith hadn’t increased enough.

What areas of your life do you need to change how you talk and think?

What areas of your life do you need to start speaking the promises of God over?

It’s hard to leave something that is familiar to us. It takes courage and wisdom to know when to stay or went we should go. The line between the two is often blurry and not easily recognizable. In our lives today we must be careful to not allow ourselves to get stuck in these places.

We often stay in places and in relationships for a myriad of reasons such as:

• We are afraid of change.
• We are afraid of disappointing others.
• We are afraid of making a mistake.
• We are afraid of failing.
• We are afraid of ________________.

In the book of Genesis we read where Lot accompanied Abraham to the Promised Land. They both started on the same path, but some time later, their lives ended up in two very different places. Lot ended up living in Sodom, while Abraham chose to live in the plains. Lot chose following his flesh over the Lord’s path.

On two different occasions Abraham had to bail Lot out of trouble. The first time is when Abraham and his men went and fought the kings who came against the king of Sodom. In a miraculous battle, Abraham and his small band of 318 men defeated an army of kings. The second time is when God was going to destroy Sodom for it’s wickedness. Abraham interceded for Lot and the Lord sent angels to escort Lot and his family out of the city. It was clear that Lot was blessed and alive because of his relationship with Abraham.

In the time of all this, Abraham was still waiting on his promised child from God. It’s interesting that while Abraham was waiting on his dreams, he was helping someone else find theirs.

Finally, in Genesis 20:1 it says, “Now Abraham moved on from there…”

Abraham finally separated himself from Lot and then God came to Abraham and he saw the promises of God begin to unfold in his life. After this we never hear from Lot again in scripture. The reason is because God won’t use someone who follows their flesh.

From this we can learn there are often people, relationships, mindsets and past mistakes that are holding us back from what God has for us. Sometimes we can start off with good intentions, but they can quickly deteriorate into something that is not life giving for us.

The lesson to be learned in all of this is that sometimes God won’t give us our “Isaac” until we move from places in our lives that hold us back.

What place, relationship or mindset do you need to get moving from?