Discover the Meaning of Walking by Faith
What Does It Mean to Walk by Faith?
Walking by faith is simply about placing your trust in God through every circumstance life presents to us, even when the path ahead seems uncertain. This insightful book invites you to explore what it truly means to navigate life solely on your faith in God and your belief in the unseen.
What You Will Learn:
Trusting God in Life’s Uncertainty: Understand that walking by faith means embracing complete trust in God, regardless of life’s challenges. Learn how to keep moving forward even when you’re unsure of where you’re headed.
The Power of Making Steady Progress: Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s wisdom, “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase,” this book emphasizes the importance of slow, steady movement in your spiritual journey.
Making Progress in Imperfection: Discover that walking with God doesn’t require total perfection; it’s about making progress. As Paul encourages in Philippians 3:12-13, learn how to “press on” and strain forward toward what lies ahead.
Navigating Life’s Hard Challenges: Walking with God isn’t always easy, especially when faced with opposition. This book teaches you how to lean into life’s winds and keep moving forward, even when progress feels slow.
The Privilege of Walking with God: Experience the profound truth that walking with the Creator of the universe is the greatest privilege. Discover how intimately involved God is in your life and how you can develop a closer relationship with Him.
Savoring Life’s Amazing Journey: Learn how walking with God allows you to experience and appreciate the beauty of life in ways that simply driving past cannot offer. Engage with the world around you and deepen your connection with God through every step you take.
Experiencing The Joy of God’s Presence: Understand that the constant, conscious enjoyment of God’s presence is not just for the future; it’s available to you now. This book helps you anticipate the joys of heaven while experiencing them on earth.
Having Faith in Difficult Times: Gain insights on how to walk with God even during dry and challenging seasons, just as Moses did in the wilderness. Learn how faith can sustain you through life’s hardships.
Why You Should Read This Book:
Having a Faith That Helps You Walk Closer to God is more than just a guide; it’s a transformative journey toward a deeper relationship with God. Whether you’re looking to strengthen your faith, navigate life’s uncertainties, or simply desire to walk more closely with God, this book offers practical wisdom and encouragement.
If you’re ready to deepen your faith and experience the joy of walking with God, get your copy of Having a Faith That Helps You Walk Closer to God today and embark on this enriching spiritual journey!
Get A Glimpse Of The First Chapter…Chapter 1
To Stand Strong Sometimes You Have To Dig A Well
Isaac Stands Strong With Well Digging Faith
Hebrews chapter 11:17 -2017 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. NKJV
You may also be asking who was Isaac and what great thing did he do to get him into Hebrews Hall of Faith? Well according to the bible, he was a special child. And he was what was called the child of the promise. You see one of the most unique things about his father Abraham, was that God had chosen Abraham because he knew he would be a great father. Many of the greats of the bible like Samuel and David and all those others were great leaders. They were also great followers of God, but they were very poor fathers. Most not leading their children down the pathway that they should go.
But not Abraham God chose him because he knew he would be a great father. God knew he would lead his children down the pathway that they should follow. Isaac was even known as a shadow of Christ. Think for a minute. He was born from a promise. Then he was taken to a mountain, which was a three-day journey. Wood was placed on his back. He carried the wood to the top of the mountain. He was then bound and tied to wood to be sacrificed. A perfect type of Christ and a shadow of Jesus to come.
In Genesis chapter 26 verses one through six we read the story of Isaac and his well digging adventures. Verse six says they dwelt in Gear. Gear was an up and down rolling Valley that the Philistines lived in. God had instructed him not to go down into Egypt. Unlike what his father Abraham had done on two very separate occasions.
You see going into Egypt was a type of like going back into the world and doing what the world wants you to do. Instead, God wanted to prove that he would be faithful to Isaac because of his obedience and keep him in the land of promise. And fulfill the promises he had made to his father Abraham. How many times has God told you to stay in the valley, because he put you there for a reason?
You see it so important my friend we learn in the valley. Scripture says in the valley we restore our soul. You don’t learn when things are going great in your life. You actually learn when you have to depend on God completely. That’s the quality that God is looking for in his children. Us to have an attitude of dependence on him. In Psalms 84 David tells us of this valley he calls us to. It’s called the Valley of Becca which means the valley of suffering. The Becca was a plant that can survive in very dry climates. It can survive with hardly any water at all. This valley is also believed to be the valley of the giants.
We could say of this verse, blessed are those who stay in the valley of suffering when they are dry and dead and fight giants. And yes, my friend, you’ll have to go from strength to strength. And you’ll cry a bucket of tears along the way. But your reward will be it will give you a spiritual refreshment of your soul.
What you need to do when you get into the valley is make it a well. A well that you can draw from. A well that’s full of refreshing water from the Valley of Becca. A valley that you have learned from experience to draw from.
David said in the valley my soul is restored. And David was one of the most depressed people of all the bible. So, he knew what it meant to have his soul restored. Yes, my friends we need the valley as much as we don’t want to admit it. We need the sufferings of this life to propel us into greatness. It’s in the valley that God proves himself to be faithful to us. And as human beings we demand proof of everything before we believe it. We who struggle with identity and need God to prove that he’s real. We need God to prove that he’s with us at all times.
So well digging faith stays in the valley when God puts you there. Another incredible fact about well digging faith is that it teaches you how to sow when you’re in a famine financially. In verse 12 it says that Isaac sowed seed in the famine. Now in the natural, common sense tells us that it’s not the brightest thing to do. You need to eat the seed in a famine or you’re going to starve to death. But Isaac obeyed the Lord and when the Lord told him to plant instead of harvest he sowed. We are so tempted when the spirit of greed takes over to keep what we’ve been given for ourselves and our own pleasures. After all we need it right. We reason with our self. We even say were in a famine and you can’t get it anymore.
That’s not what Isaac, our current faith hero did. Isaac listened to God and sowed his seed in the famine they were experiencing. I’ve heard TV preachers and radio preachers all over the place talk about a harvest. some talk of 30-fold and 60-fold even a hundredfold return. But throughout all the bible this is the only place where a hundredfold harvest is revealed. Teaching me that if I want to receive a hundredfold harvest. I have to learn to sow in a famine. The TV preachers usually don’t tell you that. Some tell you sow into their ministry.
It’s like the widow woman when Elijah came to her and said bake me a cake first. Now if there had been a 24-hour news cycles like there is now I can imagine what CNN or Inside Edition would be saying. The headlines would read “Preacher steals widow woman’s last meal”. But that’s not what happened folks that widow woman needed a miracle and Elijah needed a meal. It was the perfect combination for a miracle.
The man of God also declared the word and the woman responded in faith to the word and the miracle came. If you remember her meal barrel never went dry the rest of the famine until there was a new harvest of grain. All because she listened to the man of God and did what he told her to do. Which means she sowed in a famine. We have to learn to be people that give to God first. A people that always put God first in our lives. And that’s where miracles come from. Remember this; miracles always follow a sacrifice.
The last year that my wife Susie and I were living in the spirit of poverty was my last year as an associate pastor. In the past we never got much money back from income tax. But even though we didn’t get much money back we still put God first. We would generally buy a box of bibles or a case of bibles. We would give them to the kid’s church and visitors in the services.
But this particular year I was praying about what we should give to God with our little income tax check. Since it would probably be a few hundred dollars as it always was, which was not too much. I was in bed praying one morning and God told me that I needed to give $1000.00 to the church carpet fund. Immediately I thought to myself we don’t have a church carpet fund. So, this can’t be God can it I reasoned with myself. The next day I was talking to my wife, and I said, “honey what do you think we should do with the income tax money this year?” She looked at me and she said: “Don, we should give it to the church for a carpet fund.” I was astounded, I looked at her and I said; “we don’t have a carpet fund.” She chuckled and said, “we will after we give them money for it.” She then looked at me and said, “Don, God talks to me too.” I said, “he sure does, but did he tell you how much we should give. She laughed and said, “no I guess he must’ve left that up to you.” I said, “he told me to give $1000.00 to the carpet fund. She then replied; “but honey we don’t get a $1000.00 back from income tax.” I mean one time we in the heat of the moment made a pledge for pastors’ appreciation of $100.00. It was to send our pastor to Seoul Korea to visit David Young Cho’s church. When it came time for the pledge, we didn’t have the hundred dollars, so we sold my wife’s washer and dryer to get the money.
So, we were very careful at obeying God’s giving standards for us. The only thing was if we only got a few hundred dollars back. Where would we get the rest of the money for the thousand-dollar pledge? We didn’t tell anybody about what God told us. We filled out our income tax 1040 form and were completely amazed. This particular year we were getting $1017.00 back. So, when the check came, we cashed it and took the cash money and rolled the thousand dollars up with a rubber band. We went straight to the pastor’s house, so we weren’t tempted to spend it.
As we slowly pulled up to the pastor’s house he happened to be at the mailbox. He leaned over and greeted us and we handing him the rolled-up money. We said, “Here pastor take this money for the church carpet fund. Now our car was smoking so bad and was in such bad shape. As we talked to him, I had to move the car forward and backward to get him away from the exhaust fumes. He said, “But brother Don we don’t have a church carpet fund.” I said well we do now, and it’s got $1000.00 in it. He looked at me and said, “but brother Don I can’t take this money from you. You guys are in need of a car.” I looked at him and said, “pastor you have to take it from us it’s God’s will.”
Now I’d love to tell you that It felt good as we went to Bud’s pizza. After all we had seventeen bucks to spend on pizzas for the family, so we could go out to eat. But within a couple days the car was ready to blow up. We drove it to the junkyard and got $75.00 for it.
So, just think for a minute, after our personal sacrifice to God. I find myself sitting around the house with no transportation. I was feeling pretty low in the Molly Grubbs. Because I gave God my thousand dollars that I needed it for a car. Just then the phone rang, and it was my friend Francis. He asked me how I was doing. I told him terrible because my car blew up. He offered to help me out. He said, “if you need a car, I’ve got a car in my backyard you can have if you want it. I’ll give you this old Volkswagen Rabbit that I’m not driving anymore if you want to come on up and get it.”
So, I drove that Volkswagen Rabbit for almost two years. Folks God always has a plan for a harvest when he tells you a seed to sow. We have to be willing to sow in the famine if need be. Yes, Isaac sowed in the famine and in verse 13 it tells us he became so prosperous that he was very prosperous. Something else that well digging faith gives us is peace. In fact, it makes us a sort of peacemaker. Verses 15 to 20 tells the story of how Isaac opened the wells of his father. You see in the bible days a well was like the title deed to the land. You couldn’t live where there wasn’t any water and so you look for water before you set up a homestead.
Abraham dug wells, Isaac dug wells, Jacob dug wells. In fact, they all dug wells which made them what was called well diggers. As they conquered new lands, they would dig a well in that land and it would then belong to them. It was the title deed to the land that truly belonged to Isaac. Since it first belonged to his father Abraham. But Isaac decided not to be in a constant war with the inhabitants so Isaac decided that he would be a peacemaker. He would tear the title deed up to the land. Then move on and let those who threatened his well-being have the well.
Scripture also says; “blessed are those that are peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.”
In fact, every single time Isaac’s enemies rose up against him he refused to fight and gave them the well. He did this on three separate occasions. He decided that keeping peace was better than fighting. You need some peace in your life? Are you having trivial quibbles with family members? Sometimes over things that you don’t remember what they are?
Then my friend you need to be a peacemaker. You need to be the one who first takes a stand for peace. The one who doesn’t get their own way all the time. The one who’s willing to bend because your relative would break. We need to be like a palm tree and bend in the circumstances with our roots firmly embedded in the rock of the word of God.