Devotion 1 – Faith is Essential to Pleasing God
Heb.11:6 – “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.”
God’s greatest desire and pleasure is to be believed by us. He has limited us to one supreme way to have a relationship with Him – faith. We should take note of the two words that underscore this verse – impossible and must. Faith is not just something good to put into practice, the Scripture clearly says that it is impossible to please God if we do not practice it. Hence, faith is the entrance point to a relationship with God and is essential in the life of the believer.
One of the synonyms for faith is trust. Have you ever had someone distrust you? Have you ever had someone you deeply love had helped again and again distrust you? It is a very discouraging and painful experience. No one has given more, loved more, or done more for humanity than God. He is constantly loving and helping us, and He even sent His only begotten Son to be tortured and killed for us. If we still distrust Him, how can He be pleased with us?
Trust has to do with the integrity, reputation, character, image, and ability of someone. In our earthly relationships, if someone does not believe us, it is as good as the person questioning our integrity. In effect, they are calling us a liar. Hence, when we do not trust God and doubt what the Word reveals about Him, it is as good as saying “God, You are a liar!”. We are questioning His integrity, power, character and nature. That would be very displeasing to Him.
So, if we want to please God, we must learn what it means to walk by faith consistently. To walk with God means that our lives are in step with God, yielded in obedience to Him, headed in the direction He chooses. Walking with God also implies a process of intimacy and fellowship and learning more of His ways. It is not necessarily spectacular or impressive, but it must be authentic.
Unbelief is a major stumbling block that will keep us from reaching our full potential in Him as unbelief itself is a form of idolatry. It means we are trusting in something else more than God, be it money, our career or even self. If time is the currency in relationship, then faith is the currency in the kingdom of God. Without faith, God would not be able to empower us to do the work He had prepared for us to do.
God’s standard operating procedures demand that anything that is done for Him must be done in faith. For it is the fundamental element that enables us to acknowledge, revere, and embrace His absolute existence and divine presence. It helps us to grasp the fact that the supernatural realm into which God dwells is far more real and powerful than the natural one in which we live. It allows us to lay hold of the invisible realities of His existence and activities in our lives.
Faith Must Believe that God Is
Note another keyword "must". The Scripture reminds us that if we want to have the kind of faith that pleases God, we must believe that God exists when we come to Him. This seems obvious. However, if the scripture explicitly makes aware that this is an insatiable necessary (must), then we must be careful that we are constantly mindful of this reality. Sometimes, we forget how absolutely real He is.
Before we can truly walk in faith with God, we must believe that He is exactly who He reveals Himself to be in His Word. That means trusting in His nature and character revealed to us in the Holy Scripture. Perhaps, we can ask ourselves, “What is the alternative?”
There was a time Jesus taught some difficult doctrines that caused many of His disciples to turn away from following Him. But rather then softening the teaching, He turned to the twelve and asked, “Do you also want to go away?” (Jn.6:67). Peter gave a classic answer, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn.6:68).
If we forsake Jesus in times of trials and suffering, we have robbed ourselves of the only source of hope and comfort, the Words of eternal life. Faith holds on, believing that God is!
Faith must Believe That God is a Rewarder of those who seek Him
If Satan cannot get us to doubt God’s existence, he will try to get us to doubt God’s nature and character, especially His love and power - “If God loves you and is all-powerful to deliver you, why are you stuck in these terrible trials and suffering, etc, etc?”
To please God in our faith, we must also believe that God is the “rewarder of those who seek Him”. That means we must believe in the essential goodness of God—His faithfulness and dependability. Believing in God in this way takes us beyond mere doctrine or theology. It establishes a direct, personal relationship between God and us who believe.
He who comes to God in genuine faith must have a centrality of focus on the true and living God alone. We cannot please God when we have a dualistic kind of faith, a distracted and divided confidence that has a flawed view of who God is. James cautions us of this and says that it will cause us to be are unstable in all our ways.
Jas.1:6-8 – “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
If we want to have a faith that pleases God, we must be mindful and firmly believe both that He is who He says He is, in His Word and that He cares enough to respond to those who seek him. Only then, will we be a God chaser, a pursuer of God in every aspect of our lives!