"By Faith"

Just read a wonderful verse this morning. I've been studying faith the past few day's and while reading Hebrews Ch 11 this morning verse 20 stood out to me. This is a verse I have never seen before but it's so powerful. "By Faith Issac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come". One of the common themes of Ch 11 of Hebrews is that those who live "By Faith" saw into the future. What did they see? They saw God's promises. Faith sees into the future regardless of whats may be seen in the present. Vs 13 sums up this thought "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth". Now back to our verse. Issac was the son of Abraham "the Father of Faith". Issac was the son that God promised to Abraham when he and Sara were to old to have children. Gen 11:3b "In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed". In you means in your seed or through your lineage all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Notice how the first son in the lineage blessed not just the families of the earth but his family, Esau and Jacob. Before the earth can be blessed our family needs to receive the blessing. Issac learned faith and how to bless from his father. Abraham blessed Issac and Issac blessed Jacob and Esau. What was the blessing according to this verse? Issac spoke to them concerning the things to come. Following the example stated in vs 13 Issac saw the promises of God afar off, was assured of them, embraced them and confessed that he was a pilgrim and stranger in the earth. Parents bless your children everyday by first seeing God's promises for yourself and then relaying them to your children. Can you see God's promises being fulfilled in your child. What about the ultimate promise that God has given us all. To be blessed by receiving Jesus and walking in His love and power. Seeing them be a blessing to others through serving and giving away Christ to those around them. We must bless our children and help them embrace what God has promised. Look at the words used in verse 13 again concerning the people that died in faith and their reaction to Gods unfulfilled promises;

Assured or Persuaded (King James); - to induce one by words to believe. To trust or to have confidence. Faith is to be firmly persuaded. We are persuaded through words. Gods word persuades us or build our faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We can build our Faith and the Faith of our children through speaking to them and helping them to learn Gods word. Also our word to our children must be consistent and true. If we say something do it!! We grow in faith but we must see what faith grows us into. One of my favorite verses is in 2 cor 3:18 "but we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of God". The mirror is Jesus and His word. We look into the mirror by reading His word. Jesus was the word of God made flesh and He dwelt among us. We see Jesus and what His word says we are or should be. The Spirit transforms us or brings us into what we see in the mirror. This is done by the Spirit through our faith or firm persuasion. We are being transformed to look and act like Jesus!!!!!

Embraced-to draw to ones self. To receive joyfully. What we embrace is what we will become. Parents help your kids through speaking Gods promises and then help them to embrace them.

Confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims. - People of Faith through their walking by faith will show through their life that they are strangers and pilgrims to this earth. Again they saw another earth or kingdom. They saw God's Kingdom and they sought to live in this kingdom. People of Faith are strange. What do you think the Noah's neighbors thought about him when he began to built a boat because God promised it was going to rain. Nut!! Religious freak!!! Holy roller!!! I can hear the jeers now. Noah didn't get caught up in earthly things nor was he moved by the words of his neighbors. He was a stranger and a pilgrim to the earth. He was firmly persuaded and for 120 years he was a preacher of righteousness and built an ark for the saving of his household. Noah blessed his family concerning things to come. Not only did he speak what God had promised but he lived it by preparing himself and doing what God to him to do to prepare him to receive the promise.

May you be found blessing your children whether they are spiritual childfren or physical ones.