WANT TO PLEASE GOD ?
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HERE’S HOW.
Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Here are the basics of faith. We must believe God exists. The second part is about belief in God’s character. Believing He rewards (responds to) those who sincerely seek Him. God is pleased with all faith. Therefore He is pleased with all who have sincere faith in Jesus. Some may take umbrage at the ‘must believe’ of Hebrews 11:6. It is demanding something I cannot do. The Bible has an answer to that. Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
God has dealt to every human being a measure of faith. Everybody has the ability to have faith. I came across an example of that on the net. Two guys who were not Christians. They had some weird ideas about the Bible and about Jesus. Somehow though they had grasped the fundamentals of faith. They were applying those principles, and it was working for them. Why? Because God has dealt to everyman a measure of faith.
Hebrews 11:1 gives a deeper explanation of faith. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith perceiving as real fact, what is not revealed to the senses. (Amplified Bible) The book of Romans also says, Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So faith is merged with the Word of God. What does Hebrews 11:1 mean? Let’s say I am suffering from some sort of weakness. I open my Bible and I read, Let the weak say I am strong, (Joel 3:10) or I have strength for all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:3) Now I have a choice. Do I believe how I feel or do I believe what the Bible says?
There are 7,487 promises to us from God, in the Bible. Hebrews 11:1 means we believe what God has said first, over and above any evidence to the contrary. Faith perceiving as real fact, (because God has said it) against what I see, hear or feel. (the senses) Faith is the acceptance that God speaks the truth and does not lie. It pleases Him when we accept his promises first, before we have any other evidence.
Notice it says faith is the substance and the evidence. When I feel strong again I will have the substance and the evidence. No! faith in what God has said is the substance and the evidence. Because God only speaks the truth, we can take His Word as all the substance and evidence we need.
We are then left with one remaining task. To make ourselves acquainted with the Bibles promises.
