Hebrews 11:8-13

Abraham’s name is revered by Jews and Christians alike. He is “the father of all those who believe.” (See Romans 4:11.) Most of Hebrews 11, which speaks of champions of faith, is given to Abraham. Abraham was a pagan idolater when God first spoke to him—75 years old, settled in his land, yet he left it all to go to a country he had never seen, marching under sealed orders. 

There are six principles in Abraham’s story which will help you have the dynamic faith he had. 


  1. Hear God’s Voice


Abraham was “called.” (See Hebrews 11:8.) You must hear God. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). How does God speak to us?

1) Scripture. We open the Bible and hear the inerrant Word of God. 

2) The mind of Christ. When you were born again, you received the mind of Christ. (See 1 Corinthians 2:16.)

3) The Holy Spirit. When your heart is clean and you are walking in the Spirit, you can assume that what you desire is the will of God. The Spirit will guide you. (See John 14:26, Acts 16:6-10.) 

It is honoring to God to believe Him and live in confidence. 


  1. Obey What You Know


Are you living by what you already know of the Bible? Why should God give you more light when you are not obeying the revealed Word? Abraham heard and he obeyed. A faith problem is probably actually an obedience problem. 


  1. Establish Priorities


“…He waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). 

“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4a)?

Do you think God will give faith to His enemies? The reason many of us don’t have faith is because our priorities are wrong. If this world is shaping you, do you wonder why you don’t understand God’s will? Abraham was a man to whom this world meant very little. 


  1. Stay Focused


Keep your faith focused! 

“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” (Hebrews 11:13).

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1).

There is a world that is more real than this world, and Abraham’s vision enabled him to see the invisible. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).


  1. Guard Your Heart


God gave Abraham a promise, but for a time, he and Sarah took his eyes off the Lord, and they did some terrible things. God put his faith to a test and Abraham failed at first. Be vigilant: God will test your faith. The devil will war against your faith. A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. 


  1. Enjoy the Blessings


God made Abraham’s name great. From Abraham came the Jewish nation, the prophets, the Bible, and Jesus Christ—all by faith. There is no way you will live in victory apart from faith. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).

If you put these six principles into practice, your faith will bloom. The life of faith begins with a step of faith, and that step is to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

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