by Alisa Hope Wagner on January 27, 2012
Rooted Belief
“And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15.5 NKJV).
Abraham believed God. God promised him that he would be the father of many nations, yet Abraham and his wife had not conceived a baby yet. Years passed after God gave Abraham this promise, and God blessed him with protection, prosperity and prominence; but the kingdom-promise of a heir with his wife, Sarah, seemed hopeless. However, it is in this season of impossibility that God tests the legitimacy of our faith. Will we believe God at His Word or will we be persuaded by the physical evidence in our lives? Our true allegiance uncovers when we find ourselves in a desert land of doubt, and God quietly watches our resolve either strengthen or disintegrate. When circumstances mount against our kingdoms-promise, we must rise up carrying the weight of our hope and shout to all who will listen that we still believe. And in our free-will decision to stay rooted in our faith, we will stand righteous before a Holy God.
”The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9.24 NLT).
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by Alisa Hope Wagner on January 26, 2012
Righteousness Found in Hell
”The the Lord said to Noah, ‘come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation’” (Genesis 7.1 NKJV).
The Bible never said Noah was perfect, but he found grace in God’s eyes because he was righteous in his generation. The Bible says that the wickedness of humans was so great during Noah’s time that God was sorry He ever made them (Gen 6.6). Obviously, Noah grew up in an extremely corrupt and perverse family, culture and generation. Some Christians may have a preconceived notion of righteousness based on the trending culture of Christianity existing today. These Christians incorrectly judge others based on outward appearance and/or conduct that do not fit into their world-view of righteousness. However, like Noah, the circumstances surrounding these people may be extremely corrupt and perverse; and God sees the heart of those who are trying to trudge by faith through the swamps of ungodly experiences, upbringings and legacies. God gives grace to people who are fighting against the darkness they’ve come to know and understand and who are trying to live for God in a Christian world totally foreign to them. Because of the cross, God attributes righteousness in the center of their struggles, and the Holy Spirit transforms them from differing levels of glory into the image of His Son. Jesus reaches down into the individual hells of all His children and pulls them into His love, mercy and forgiveness; and as they cling to Him, they find grace and strength to loosen the strong-holds of sin.
“Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life” (Titus 3.7 NLT).
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