I want to exhort you to walk by faith and not by sight. We will, therefore, be looking at three themes — what does it mean to walk by faith? Why should you walk by faith? And how do you walk by faith?
[2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV] “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”
Honestly, I do not want to make an already complex subject complicated. I will remain as simple as is possible.
What does it mean to walk by faith and not by sight?
Psalm 37 is the best description and definition of walking by faith and not by sight. I will be glad if you can find time to read the whole psalm and meditate on it. This psalm is the definition of what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.
[Psalms 37:1-7 KJV] “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.”
“Trust in the Lord , and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord ; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
“Commit thy way unto the Lord ; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.”
“Rest in the Lord , and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”
To walk by faith and not by sight is to;
- Decide not to fret yourself because of evildoers; whether they prosper or fail. Sometimes, when we see the prosperity of evil-doers, we become envious but it is not faith to do so.
- Trust in the Lord and to delight yourself in Him.
- Commit your ways to Him, to rest in Him, to wait patiently, and not to fret yourself because of those who prosper by an evil device.
To walk by faith and not by sight is to receive the word of God and walk in it; to be guided by the word.
Why should you walk by faith?
It is important to walk by faith and not by sight because of the following reasons;
1. All that glitters is not gold:
Many of the things that glitter have no real value. Many of the things that the world is running after does not satisfy. Sex does not satisfy, money and wealth do not satisfy, possessions do not satisfy. The only thing that truly satisfies is godliness with contentment. To serve God and to accept whatever your lot in Him is.
2. The wicked shall not inherit the earth, they shall soon be cut off like grass:
And there will be no hope for them, but when we fall asleep we shall rise again to a life of peace.
3. Those who trust in the Lord and rest in Him shall dwell in the land:
They shall be fed and satisfied, and honoured with glory and shine. To walk by faith and not by sight is the safest thing to do. It is the wisest thing to do.
Don’t be fooled by the fake smiles of the wicked. If the world is truly happy, they would not need photoshop to look nice. Real happy people don’t need makeup to look nice.
How do you walk by faith?
The life of people like Daniel (See Daniel 9:1-5), Simeon (See Luke 2:21-35), and Anna (See Luke 2:36-38) teach us how to walk by faith and wait for the manifestations of the god word of the Lord.
In Jeremiah 29, we learn that God sent His word through Jeremiah to the people of Israel. He spoke the word just like how we now speak it every day. The word was not pleasant but that was the word of God to the nation.
The continuity and peace of the nation depended on four key things. Because the Lord warned them that if they rebelled, they will be destroyed by the sword.
On how to walk by faith, I will be touching on the five key things but let’s read the following text first;
[Jeremiah 29:1-14 KJV] “Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;”
[2] :(After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;) [3] By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,”
[4] “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; [5] Build ye houses, and dwell in them ; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; [6] Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.”
[7] “And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. [8] For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.”
[9] “For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord. [10] For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.”
[11] “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. [12] Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.”
[13] “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. [14] And I will be found of you, saith the Lord : and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord ; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.”
So, what secret helped Daniel to wait for 70 years for the restoration; how could Simeon and Anna respectively wait for the consolation and redemption of Israel?
1. Confirm the word:
Whenever you hear a word of prophecy, confirm it. Be sure that it is the Lord speaking. Israel almost made a mistake because some belly full stomach direction prophets gave them false prophecy. God is not obligated to keep things He has not said.
2. Believe the word:
Receive the word with gladness, even if it is not pleasant. The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men. Mary walked by faith because she received the word with gladness.
3. Meditate on the word:
Meditate to understand the word. When the Lord told His disciples to be wary of the leaven of the Pharisees, they nearly erred because they did not understand the word. Strive to understand whatever you have believed.
4. War a good warfare by the prophecy:
Arise and fight in prayer, fasting, singing, listening and watching and soaking in the word, and strategise on how to discharge the Lord’s commands. This is how you war a good warfare.
[1 Timothy 1:18-20 KJV] “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;”
“Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.”
5. Wait for the word:
No matter how long it takes wait for it. The Bible teaches in Hebrews 11:39, that our fathers though obtained a good report did not receive the promise. How then were they able to walk by faith and not by sight? They waited. They continued steadfastly. They did not allow the contradictions to discourage them. They fought gallantly until they won.
I do not doubt that you can walk by faith and not by sight. You will go far and be fed. The Lord will exalt you above many others, simply because you trusted and rested in Him.
I love you!
