To Encourage You

2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

One of the Bible’s most basic messages is that things are very often not as they seem. So many times, things that appear to be very good for us are actually very evil and destructive. We are warned that “even Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). On the other hand, often it is the hard things – difficult things – things we would rather avoid – that often prove to be some of the best things that ever happened to us in the long run.

People can be very deceitful, passing themselves off as our friends, while actually treating us as enemies behind our backs or encouraging us in lifestyles and choices that can bring great harm to us. The Bible tells us that we can even deceive ourselves about ourselves!

Material things are so temporary, and over time most of these things lose their value although when we first acquire them, they can seem so wonderful and “must haves.”

So how can we know how things really are? How can we know which things are truly valuable and which things are very fleeting in their value or even worthless? And how can we know ourselves?

God has told us to walk by faith, not by sight. Faith is another word for trust. So, what can we trust to tell us the truth about things, about value, and about ourselves?  What can help us to know how things really are? The trust the Bible talks about is trust in God Himself and His Word. We can be certain about everything He has told us. These things are the absolute truth. Everything that runs counter to them is a lie, no matter how much we may want to believe it or how it may seem.

May God open our eyes to see the truth of his Word and to live according to its certainties.