Abraham believed and God accounted it to him as righteousnes

What does it mean to have faith? God told Abraham to "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, to a land that I will show you."

What if God told you that? Would you go? Would you leave your home, your family, your job, your security, your hopes, your ambitions, your whatever, and go do something NOT that God had shown you (past tense), but that God WILL show you (future tense). In other words, Abraham wasn't sure exactly where God was going to take him; all he knew was that it was God who was doing the taking.

With the command came a promise, however. "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you, and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

When you read further about Abraham you discover that he was blessed in his lifetime, but the real blessing of prosperity would come many, many years later, after his death. Yet Abraham believed. And even though his confidence waned at times, (he lied twice to save his own skin), still Abraham trusted God.

One of the most heated theological arguments I ever had with a man in church was over the issue of faith. He had been taught, and was convinced, that true faith was blind faith. You just had to believe what you believe. I argued that true Christian faith is not blind faith. It is not a leap into the dark. Christian faith is based on God's revelation of truth. We can only believe in what we know to be true. In Abraham's case he believed in what God had said. God did not give him every detail, but He gave him enough. Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness. But it was not enough for Abraham simply to know what God said and believe, he must also have acted. He had to actually pack his stuff and hit the road. If Abraham had stayed home, he would not have been blessed and we wouldn't be reading about him in the Bible.

Thus Christian faith is not Christian faith unless it consists of three indispensable components: knowledge of God's will/word; belief in God's will/word; and trust in God's will/word. We must know what God has said. We must believe it was God and be clear on the instructions. Then we must act on the promise.

Knowing is not enough. Lots of people know what God says in Scripture and even in their own hearts, yet they do not believe.

Believing is not enough. Lot's of people believe in God and in God's Word, but they do nothing. They are "hearers only, not doers of the Word."

Trust is still necessary. For true faith, we must act. We must know, believe, and trust. We must step out on faith and do what God calls us to do.

I know that God called me to Live Oak. I believed it, and I came. I know God has placed a desire on my heart to see this church grow for His glory. I know God has called me to begin an early service on Easter Sunday. I can give you the details of how I know this from Scripture, my own heart, circumstances, and counsel of other Christians; but I know it. I now must believe it is truly from God. Once I believe that, then I must act, else I am being disobedient.

What has God spoken to you? If you say, "nothing," then you're accusing God of mismanagement of His resources. God is not a lazy manager and he doesn't employ any lazy Christians. If you say, "I don't know." Then you need to ask God and find out. If you say, "I do know but I do not believe God is really asking me to do this," then pray for strength and seek encouragement from godly Christian people. If you say, "I do know, and I believe," then get off your back side and get on the front lines of faith. Do something!

If you say, "Oh, that's so easy for you Keith. You're the pastor," you would be terribly wrong. I have been challenged so many times in my faith over the years, and I am challenged right now this minute with several things God has put before me. But with the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of other believers, I will make those steps. Yes, faith may be as small as a mustard seed, but with a little faith we serve a BIG God.