A Kingdom Of Faith

Read: Numbers 13:26-33

Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” Numbers 13:30

IN WORD

God puts His promises out there, but they usually apply only to those who accept them. That’s because faith is the currency of His Kingdom—like dollars in the United States or euros across the Atlantic. You can’t get much of anything in God’s Kingdom without believing what He has said. Salvation, a transformed heart, an answer to prayer—all are given to those who believe. Those who don’t may receive many common blessings in spite of themselves, but they don’t receive the Kingdom. Faith is the key to fulfillment.

Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies whose lives were extended long enough to receive what God had pledged to give. Why? Because they believed when everyone else thought they were being foolish. Being perceived as arrogant, naive, presumptuous, and out of touch with reality didn’t faze them. They anchored themselves in what God had promised, knowing that the God of promise doesn’t lie.

We see this dynamic in the ministry of Jesus often. “Your faith has healed you” and “if you have faith” are commonly repeated phrases in His encounters with those who needed His touch. The clear implication is that without faith, the outcome would have been different. That doesn’t mean that every time a prayer goes unanswered, the asker didn’t have enough faith. Kingdom life is more complex than that. But it does mean faith is very often the difference between receiving and not receiving.

IN DEED

Kingdom citizens are, above all, people of faith. We understand that the King responds to those who trust Him, who hang on His every word, who reject the opinions of others for the sake of His faithfulness. We apply our faith not only to what He has promised but also to what He has instructed and what He has done. We accept it all because it comes from Him. That kind of faith is transforming, fulfilling, and entirely pleasing to Him. And it’s always eventually rewarded.

ADDITIONAL READING: Hebrews 3:12-19

I do not want merely to possess faith; I want a faith that possesses me.

CHARLES KINGSLEY