July 29 – Assurance + Conviction = Faith

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1 (NASB)

We consider some of the narratives found in our Scriptures. Those narratives have prophecies, revelations and promises from God’s Word. The key to receiving these promises and the blessings they bring is ‘faith.’  We all have a kind of faith and exercise it every day. We have faith in a light switch, but not when our supply of electricity has been cut off. However, a promise from God in which we have hope and are convinced it will be is because of our faith. When we learn of a promise from God it is by faith that we have assurance of its fulfillment and that is where our hope is. By faith believing in what God has promised, we have assurance and conviction even of things we cannot see. Hope in God’s promises and convictions that what is promised is true even if we cannot see it, feel it, or touch it, is because we have faith. Heaven, is a promise. Jesus Christ coming back one day is a promise and we have hope and conviction in its truth. What promise of God will be good to have faith in today? Let’s do so and we will not be ashamed.

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April 10 – Assurance and Conviction

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”    Hebrews 11:1 (NASB)

We all have hopes, don't we?  We hope for good things and good outcomes when challenged by troubling circumstances.  But are we convinced that these kind of hopes will be realized?   True faith trusts the promise of the things we hope for because by faith we realize the promises we have received are true and so, we live by and we hope for their fulfillment.  We have faith in things we can't really see.  Our faith becomes our conviction they are real and they exist.  Having faith is not a pathway to material wealth and prosperity.   No, faith is knowing what we believe, we have been promised by God, is already ours. Faith is knowing that what God says will be, already is in Him.  All of Hebrews 11 is an account of examples of this kind of faith where God fulfilled His Word in the lives of those who believed His promises.  He does the same for us today.  We might be able to write a bit about our examples of when we've had assurance and conviction of what we have been promised but do not see right now.    

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January 18 – Be True

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”   Psalm 145:18  (ESV)

Our promise today is assurance that God is aware of us when we call on Him in prayer.  He listens and draws near to us.  We do have a wonderful God in heaven.  He knows each person and He knows those who truly believe in Him.  He is aware when any one of us wants to express our feelings to Him.  Often we may say, or hear someone say that they will pray for another who is facing a trial.  We don't know exactly if they are sincere or just trying to be sympathetic – but we know if we are being truthful.   God knows who is calling on Him in truth for themselves or for others.  He knows the heart and mind of each of us and because He promises to be near to all who call on Him in truth, we can have confidence that He will be near when we call on Him with a truthful heart.  Let's be true when we say we will pray for a needs of another or of our own need.  God is standing near listening.  He knows. 

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September 21 – Trusting our Hope

“...and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5 (NASB)

The Apostle Paul, in writing the letter to the Romans, takes time to encourage the Christians in Rome because they were facing some fierce tribulation and sufferings for their faith.  In the fifth chapter Paul tells them the value of the testing is a series of character developments.  He finishes with the verse we have today. The final result is a hope that means assured expectation.  Our hope is a sure thing and it will not let us down, it will not disappoint.  We will never be put to shame for the hope we get from suffering for Christ.  Knowing that God loves us leads us to trusting His love and that trust results in more than knowing, but also in feeling the love.  We have this expectation because God has poured His love out in our hearts.  This action is done by the Holy Spirit who we have received.  The Holy Spirit was promised to us and sent by the Son from the Father. We are promised a hope that is sure, we can trust it. 

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April 10 – Faith, Hope and Promise

“Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the Lord.” Psalm 31:24 (NASB)

At the end of this song in which David praised the Lord for keeping him through difficulties which he had encountered, the psalmist gives this short word of encouragement. It is encouragement which we can apply to ourselves today.  We, too, can have strength and courage if we hope in the Lord and we trust you have this hope if you are a believer in Jesus Christ. If you are, then you have put your faith in Jesus. Our verse for today doesn't mention faith. It speaks of hope, the kind of hope that includes faith. Faith and hope are closely related but there is a difference.  This kind of hope means we have assurance and expectation. Our verse is for people who are expecting something from the Lord because they have faith in His Word. When we hear a promise from God we believe it by faith but then we continually expect him to keep His Word – that is this kind of hope. Having this hope is the basis for the encouragement spoken in our verse and it gives us strength and courage – that too, is a promise.

January 1 - He Will Not Fail

“The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

We start this new year with a verse from Deuteronomy that brings to us a wonderful promise. God promises over and over in His word that He will not fail us, not forsake us, not leave us. We do not have reason to fear or be dismayed. These are words spoken by Moses to Joshua in the presence of the people of Israel who were soon to enter their promised land. We believe that we can take these words and apply them to ourselves. As we begin our new years 2018. We believe that our Lord will be with us each day as we trust Him. He will not leave us or forget us. He knows our every need and He will be with us to care for us all along the way. Let's be sure to thank God for this assurance and for the promise we can trust. We do not have to be discouraged – even when we are tempted to.  

August 22 – Understanding and Knowledge and Wisdom

“... that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:2-3 (ESV)

The Apostle Paul wrote these words as a prayer to encourage the Christians in Colossi and to tell them what he hoped for them and for all believers. We are thinking especially of the two expressions in these verses.  The apostle said he was hoping that the believers would have “all the riches of full assurance of understanding and knowledge.” Then he said “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” which are found hidden in knowing Christ. Jesus, the Son of God does have many things to reveal to us – things which we cannot understand on our own. Truths which are of great value, like a rich treasure and they can only be found with our Lord's help. Let's turn to him and let him teach us each day and discover the understanding and knowledge and wisdom which are all in Christ. 

March 31 – Drawing Near

“and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:21-22a (NIV)

These words are part of a letter to Christians of the Hebrew race, who we might call Jewish Christians. They knew well and were very familiar with the function of the high priest in representing people in the temple before God.  For Christians who first received this letter, and for us today our representative before almighty God is Jesus Christ. Our verse today encourages us then to draw near to God trusting in Jesus as our representative in God’s presence. Yes, it is possible for us to draw near to God through prayer, meditation, reading and studying the God's word the Bible. Let’s take advantage of this possibility today for it is one way to see how the ministry of Jesus affects our lives each day.

March 1 - On Our Behalf

“For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.” Hebrews 9:24 (NIV)

We thank our heavenly Father, the great and only God above all, for sending His Son to die for us on the cross. By accepting what Jesus did for us, we can become God’s children. Today’s verse reminds us what Jesus is doing for us now. We know that soon after Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, he ascended into heaven. Our verse tells us what he is doing there. He is in the presence of God in our behalf. Yes, my friend you have someone representing you in God’s presence right now. When you pray to God, you can do so in the name of Jesus because He is right there and He is there for you. Doesn’t it strengthen your assurance in God’s love to know that His son is there as our verse says for us?

February 26 - His Joy In You

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11 (NIV)

During Jesus’ ministry here on earth and with his disciples he emphasized his love for them. The Bible records His statements of assurance. During the Last Passover Supper evening with his Disciples he told them of His love and why He did it. It was to bring joy, His joy into their lives in a completely satisfying way. Our Lord still wants his followers to be joyful. And He knows that one great source of our joy is the assurance that our Lord loves us. If we remember that our Lord is the God who created the universe and who controls it with His almighty power it is so very assuring to know that He loves us. It makes his love effective because He can work things out for us. And all this produces joy in our hearts. It makes our joy complete, not mixed with any doubts and this joy is really our Lord’s joy made a real part of our experience just as Jesus said. 

November 8

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

It is critically important on this election day in the United States that we who follow Christ affirm that the Christian life is a life of faith. We remember that the 11th chapter of Hebrews is called the “faith chapter.” The Christian life is not based on wishful thinking. Actually that is what many people mean when they say, “Well, I hope everything will be alright.” When they say the hope for something they are really just wishing that it might be so. In the Christian life, however, hope is an expectation based on God’s promises. And as we look forward we know that God has promised many things and, we can be sure that He will keep His word. We may not see it now but we can be certain about it. That’s what faith is.

October 15

“You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” Psalm 18:28 (NIV) 

David sang to the Lord in gratitude for His help during a dark period of his life. Has this been your experience, too? Have there been times when the prospects were dark for you but you have realized that your God is still with you and helping you? How wonderful to know that when we go through dark hours our God is aware of what is going on in our thinking. Then we hear Him speaking words of assurance, reminding us of His presence. Our faith is renewed by these assurances and that is what David meant about keeping his lamp burning. It may still be dark around us but our lamps are burning and it is God at work in us.

September 30

“They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.” Zachariah 13:9b (NIV)

These words are a part of a prediction by the prophet Zechariah about God’s people repenting and calling on His name. It tells us how God reacts when His people call on Him. The Lord said that when His people would come back to Him and call on His name, He would recognize them as His own. We believe this is how God reacts to us when we call on Him whether in repentance or in a plea for help. Anytime we call He recognizes us as His own. He says, “They are my people.”  Is it not good to have that assurance that He knows we are His when we call on Him and He takes action on our behalf?

August 31

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.” Psalm 33:20-21 (NIV)

Whatever our responsibilities and our plans let us remember that we need God’s help. So we put our trust in Him and look to Him for guidance, for wisdom, for courage, and for patience – to name only a few of our needs. As we look to God for His help, we expect Him to give it. And the attitude of expectation is really what is meant by the word “hope” as the Bible uses it. So when we wait in hope we are really expecting God to do something for us. And waiting in hope is really a matter of trusting. Trusting brings assurance and there is joy and rejoicing for us today in this kind of expectant trusting. 

August 29

“Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” Proverbs 16:20 (NIV)

There is a great benefit that comes to those who put their trust in the Lord. We read that to rely on the Lord brings a blessing. It is well for us to remember that the word translated “blessed” can also be translated “happy.” We can also read the verse as follows: “Happy is he or she who trusts in the Lord.” That is what trusting in the Lord produces in our lives. It produces happiness and satisfaction. As we trust in Him for all our needs, the burdens we have carried and the uncertainties of life are taken care of. We then have the assurance that our loving Almighty God will care for us. Is not that a source of happiness?

August 14

“For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, Ordered in all things, and secured;” 2 Samuel 23:5 (NASB©)

These words are some of David’s very last words. Let us see what he said about God’s promises to him. He could look back on his life with perfect assurance that what God had promised would come true. As he came to the end he had not doubt whatever in the faithfulness of God and His promises. As God had been faithful, He would continue. And this included all the details of the things God had promised for his family and for the people he had ruled as king.

Scripture quotation taken from the NASB©. (www.lockman.org)

July 23

“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  Psalm 23:6 (NIV)

These words may be new to you, or they may be very familiar. Maybe we have memorized them in childhood. The psalmist had come to know his Shepherd and here expressed his faith in the Lord, His Shepherd. He had the assurance that he would be taken care of as long as he lived on earth. The goodness and love of God would be a part of his daily experience. And this is true for us who follow the Shepherd even now. We can experience His goodness and love each day, and can have the same assurance David had about life in eternity. There is an eternal home awaiting us too. So, let’s be encouraged!

June 2

“Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.”  Psalm 16:5 (NIV)

This is an expression of faith in the sovereignty of God and also in His loving care. The psalmist David was aware that God was in control of the events of his life and the assurance made him relax because he knew that God was taking care of him. You and I can have the same kind of assurance. If we know that God is in control and that He is a good and loving God, we can be sure that He’ll take care of us and that we are SAFE in His care. We can relax as we think of the future which is all in His good hands.