HEROES OF FAITH

Faith is the assurance that we shall see what we have hoped for, It is a belief and conviction that what is promised will be delivered, By faith we believe God spoke and the earth came into being, Believing that we will see the manifestation of things yet unseen. The heroes of the faith in Hebrews chapter eleven, All had one thing in common, They believed in the faithfulness of their God, And because of their faith they remained true to God. Abel made a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, And God commended him as righteous, Because he was the one who brought acceptable gifts, The wrongful behaviour of his brother did not bring gain. It is true that Cain did murder Abel. But because of Abels faith, Even today his voice still speaks, Telling us today To God remain faithful. Enoch must surely have been some man of God, For he did not die, for God just took him, We know that God was pleased and commended him, How wonderful it must be to so please our God. Now lets picture Noah and his building of the ark, He was obedient to God although the people mocked him, No- one had ever seen rainfall and they thought it was a lark, But Noah and his family were saved when the floods came. Abraham too was a man who walked in obedience, He moved out into the unknown when God promised his inheritance, Trusting God to direct him to the land he had promised, Isaac and Jacob too were heirs according to the same promise. Abraham was prepared to live in tents, Knowing he would some day live in a city with strong foundations, And Sarah by miraculous intervention conceived, In her old age because she believed what God promised. Surely though one of the most amazing demonstrations of faith, Was when Abraham took his precious son Isaac as an offering, Prepared to give him up even to sacrificing, Because he believed that God could raise Isaac, and had faith in his promises. God provided though a sacrificial lamb to die in Isaacs place, But through this obedience, prepared to do whatever God asked, Abraham stood out down through the ages as a strong man of faith, In his old age because of faith he became the father of many nations as promised. Now Isaac in turn passed blessings on to his sons Jacob and Esau, Jacob passed blessings on as he was dying to his own sons and to Josephs sons, When Joseph was close to death he by faith mentioned the future exodus, And gave his family instructions regarding his bones. Gods protection was over Moses from the moment of his birth,

Moses preferred to trust the God of his people rather than be an Egyptian prince, He preferred to be like the rest of his people rejected and mistreated, Rather than enjoying fleeting pleasures of wealth and sin in Egypt. Moses considered that he would gain a far, far better reward, For he considered even the reproach of Christ greater wealth, Than placing his hope in nothing but worldly treasures, By faith Moses was not worried about Pharohs wrath By faith they obeyed God and sprinkled the blood, The Passover came and the firstborn of Israel were not touched, By faith Moses led the people out on the exodus, And Moses the red sea did part when he put his hand out by faith. But the Egyptians who knew not God, Attempted to do the same and were drowned, A lack of faith was the cause of so many wilderness years, Trusting God and walking in his ways can save us many tears. Joshua led the people around Jericho obeying God, Believing God, carefully following directions, And on the seventh day the walls came tumbling down, And the people gave a triumphant shout unto their God. Rahab gets her name into the halls of fame, An unusual person the religious person might imagine, Because it would seem she was a woman of ill repute, But she was prepared to risk her own life for Gods people. We cant forget to mention Gideon, Barak and Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets who conquered kingdoms, Obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, Escaped the edge of the sword being made strong in weakness, and became mighty in war. By faith women saw their dead resurrected , Believers have been tortured, persecuted, and killed, Others suffering chains and imprisonment, Too many to count could be counted among the faithful. Today, the Lord is seeking heroes of the faith, Those who will believe all his promises, Prepared to step out in full obedience, To the Lords instructions. On reflection my faith has a long way to go, To measure up to that faith of long ago, Faith to see the even the dead raised, Or to see the red sea be parted. Dear Lord I pray, increase my faith, In you alone I place my trust, I know the yes and amen of your promises, True believing faith for me is a must. Irene McGough 2013