Faith to Bear Fruit
ICS Daily Devotions
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV) For we walk by faith, not by sight.
When we live out God’s calling, we must walk by faith. God’s promise is established on His calling for your life and the Scriptures He has given you. It must occur in the spiritual realm before manifesting in the natural realm. Therefore, there will be a time lag between your prayer, the Word of promise received, and the answer to your prayer. The opening Scripture says that if God has given us a Word, we should not be swayed by what we see. Instead, we should be convinced by what we believe.
Unfortunately, many believers give up at this stage because they are too accustomed to being affected by what they see, hear, or experience, rather than standing on the promise and exercising patience. As humans, it is normal for us to be affected emotionally, so our faith can be shaken when we see and hear news that contradicts our beliefs. However, if you are convinced that you have heard from the Lord, don’t quit! It is a daily fight of faith between choosing to believe what we have heard from the Lord and what we are experiencing.
Doubt is a dream thief. It convinces us to focus solely on the present circumstances and forego our faith in God. Because we are too used to seeing and believing, doubt and fear can easily prevent, hinder, and cause us to give up on the calling of God in our lives. In contrast, faith is not based on what we see, because if we only believe after seeing, faith is optional. Rather, faith is established in the heart, though the mind will need some time to align with the Word. Therefore, our mind may agree with what is said, but struggles to believe when a crisis hits us. The mind can be an obstacle, as in the case of Thomas, who believed only after he saw. Therefore, there will always be a struggle between what we believe and what we see, experience, and feel through our senses, which causes the mind to doubt.
Faith is believing in our hearts, apart from our senses, because it is established on the Word. We need to walk in faith, not by sight, throughout our lives. However, through this journey, we will come to know God personally by being constantly connected to Him in a close relationship. We will experience Him speaking to us through His Word, leading us through the Holy Spirit, and we will receive ideas and wisdom from Him as we walk with Him and tune in to the voice of the Holy Spirit. We will live a well-balanced life, having the right priorities, because our faith is in Him, and bearing fruit because we are branches connected to the Vine.
Sermon Series：You Have A Calling!
