Hebrews 11:3 -Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. KJV
* When I posted this yesterday, somehow it posted for earlier this month and I had to search for it. My apologies for the late posting!
Have you ever had a situation in life that you didn’t understand? Well, if you haven’t, I have had enough of them to share some with you! It is doing those times of difficulties and confusion that we find it hard to believe God; however, if you remain true to Him during those times, you will find that He is truly God, and that He can change your world!
Years ago, I was reading something Rick Renner wrote in regards to this verse, that has stuck with me. Rick said that when we look at this verse, we think about creation being formed by the word of God, where He caused something to appear out of nothing. He went on to explain, and you may need to read it from him to really get it, that it means something totally different. Basically, he stated that the Hall of Faith is written about people who changed their world, by faith in the word of God. I think that is not only an interesting point of view, but a biblical sound point of view.
There was Abraham, the father of faith, and the patriarch of Israel. At God’s word, he left Ur and went into a land that he didn’t know. As he obeyed the word that God gave him, a whole nation of people were born, changing the world as he knew it. Out of a barren woman, came forth a nation that is still in existence today! Abraham chose to believe God, and the world was changed because of it.
Take Joseph. God gave Joseph two dreams. In the dreams, his family bowed to him. Even being in slavery didn’t stop Joseph from trusting God’s plan for his life. Not only did his dream come to pass, but Joseph ended up saving his family, and thus the nation of Israel. But here’s something that jumped out at me, his brothers sold him into slavery, and his brother’s families were in slavery for over 400 years! God’s word to a young man literally changed his world, causing him to be the head and not the tail, in the land of his enslavement. And it changed the world in which he lived!
My all time favorite world changer is Jesus. He’s still changing the world today! However, I will use my next favorite person to seal the deal. Paul! Paul didn’t start out with a love for Jesus, or His message. As a matter of fact, he persecuted the believers. But one day he was literally knocked to his knees by an encounter with the Savior. As a result, his world was changed, the church world was changed, and the gospel was preached to the Gentiles. God gave him a word, and that word changed everything about his life and in his life!
World changers are people who are not encumbered with their past, or their present, but only in what they believe. Here are a few people from our immediate history I am sure you remember:
George Washington Carver, born a slave, wasn’t moved by the fact that Black people were considered less than human, illiterate, and incapable of thinking for themselves. He was moved by his love for agriculture and his faith that he could help his people make a living. In the process, he changed the agricultural world. The records show that he was a man of faith who trusted God with even his scientific discoveries. Did he experience challenges and setbacks? You bet he did! But he changed his world, with a word from God!
Harriet Tubman learned to hear the voice of God. One day God told her to run! As she obeyed His voice, she found her way up North, and freedom from slavery. His same voice, led her back South, enabling her to free over 300 others, never getting caught. She changed her world, their world, and eventually the world in which she lived. How? By a word from God!
These individuals didn’t have an easy life. They didn’t have anything to start with. They didn’t even start out as world changers. They went through great challenges and setbacks, but they had a word from God. Inside each of us, is definitely the ability to change our world, and the possibility of changing the world for others. We just need a word from God.
Faith, is about trust. It isn’t blind faith, but it is faith in the character and the word of the person you have placed your trust in. You will never experience a relationship with anyone who is more faithful to his word, then God! His favor doesn’t require a payback, or a scratch on the back! He just requires that you trust Him no matter what!
I am truly training my heart and my words to understand that what I don’t understand in this life, I choose to understand by faith in a wonderful God! Faith in a loving God! Faith in a good God! I don’t know what you are going through today, or what you went through yesterday, but Jesus is the same! His promise to us remains the same, He is with us!
You may not feel like, and it may not seem like it, but you are a world changer. If not the whole world, definitely yours. All you need is a word from the word of God to hold on to, to trust in! As you face the challenges of your life, put the word on it and begin to watch your world change. It’s time for us to realize that anybody can have faith when the going is good; but having faith when the going gets tough? That’s true faith! That’s overcoming faith! That’s Hebrews 11 faith! Wonderful Jesus!
Wonderful Jesus! 