Great Faiths

The Old Testament taught me examples of GREAT faiths (See Hall of Faith, Hebrews, Chapter 11 which made references to the Old Testament). You can never have much faith unless you are dissatisfied with the way you are now, and are longing for something better. All through the Bible, the great enemy of faith is a complacent spirit, an attitude of self-satisfaction with the status quo. Faith always pleases God, because it comes to grips with our own reality. Christian who have faith understand the reality of their lives. Book of Hebrews talks about "Faith". To me, it is a book about "Faith". The Better Way: Faith 10:32-12:29 The Need for Faith 10:32-39 Examples of Faith 11:1-40 The Exercise of Faith 12:1-17 The Objective of Faith 12:18-24 The peril of refusal 12:25-29 The Practice of Faith 13:1-25 1. Walk by faith in God, not by sight. 2. Walk by God's reason, not by our own fallible feelings and emotions. 3. Walk by God's word, not by what seems right to us. 4. Walk by God's directions, not by human tradition. 5. Walk by God's influences, not by the convictions and practices of the majority. 6. Walk by God's commands, not by the views and customs of our ancestors. 7. Walk by God's desires, not our desires and pleasures in sacred things. Sixteen Old Testament heroes of the faith, Hebrews, Chapter 11 Cain and Abel (verse 4) - his sacrifice of the lamb demonstrated his belief that God would one day send a way to save them from sin. Enoch (verses 5-6) - walked with God Noah (verse 7) - believed that God would send rain even though he had never seen it before. Abraham (verses 8-19) - willingly left for an unknown land and trusted that God would keep his promise to make him father of a great nation even though his wife had no children. Isaac (verse 20) - by blessing his sons continued the tradition of faith Jacob (verse 21)- when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. Joseph (verse 22) - faith that his people would return to the promised land Moses (verses 23-29) - led the people even against difficult odds. Rahab (verses 30-31) - believed that the Israelites were God's people and wished to join them. Gideon (verse 32) - that God would use him to defeat his enemies even though he felt insignificant. Samson (verse 32) - that God could still use him despite his mistakes. David (verse 32) - God can use even young and small people! Samuel (verse 32) - listened to God's instructions and obeyed them. Regarding Joseph: In Genesis 50:20, "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." (KJV) "As for you, it was in your mind to do me evil, but God has given a happy outcome, the salvation of numbers of people, as you see today." (Bible in Basic English) "As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people." (New Living Translation)