Seeing in the Unseen
Week 11
FAITH GIVES THE VICTORY!

“Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature’s night. Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light. My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed thee”
- Charles Wesley

The one song that I always remember our church singing as a kid, was “Faith is the Victory”. Remember that one? Now, an older and hopefully wiser man, I can begin to understand just what that song was saying! Our faith IS ultimately our victory in this ongoing and great battle against Satan!

How has faith in the unseen helped you live in the seen world?
How does faith in Christ directly affect how you live today?

I can only speak for myself. But, I can honestly say that without the faith I have in my heart, however weak it may often be, I could NOT have made it as far as I have in this crazy world! Faith, many times in my life, has been the ONLY source of peace, making sense, security, hope and ultimately……victory! I am sure many of you would say the same thing.

What is faith? How do you define it?

Defining faith really is quite simple. Read Hebrews 11:1
Pretty simple huh? Faith is nothing more than being certain of something you cannot see.
Defining faith is NOT difficult. It is LIVING by it that I find hard. Faith is more than just believing in God. What does someone who LIVES BY FAITH look like? Read Hebrews 11:6

Faith believes that God keeps his promises. Faith is trusting in those promises, even when you cannot measure or authenticate them until they are here!

Where does faith come from? For Christians, it ultimately comes from God’s word. Romans 10:17 The principle is simple: you believe in something you can’t see because you believe the message of one how tells you it is there. THAT is what faith is…..like a blind man trusting his trained dog to lead him through a busy intersection!!!! Seeing things is NOT faith. II Cor. 5:7 tells us that!

Why do YOU have faith in God? You’ve never seen him with your eyes. You’ve never smelled him. His voice has never rumbled in your ears. Your tongue has never tasted him. Your senses have no real experience with him. Yet we believe……we have faith!

The true test of your faith is whether or not you REALLY trust God’s written testimony. Want some REAL LIFE examples?? Here try these on:
• When at a low point, you still know in your heart that all things will work for your good because he said so….that’s faith
• When sick and facing death boldly, believing God’s angels really well escort you to heaven….that’s faith
• When you can look at beloved handicapped child and truly know and believe that someday she’ll be free from that handicap enjoying all the things everyone else does….that’s faith!
And the list could go on and on!! Faith is our power source. I’d like to list a few simple specific ways in which it gives us ultimate victory.

Faith In The Future

Our faith in God gives us confidence in the future! Read II Cor. 4:16-5:4

As Christians we know that this is only temporary! We have faith that in the future…..all the “junk” goes away and that WE WILL WIN!!!! And we look forward to tomorrow.
What does your faith cause you to most look forward to in the future?

Faith Overcomes Temptation

It gives me strength in areas of weakness! Faith sustains me and makes temptations and trial lose power! Our faith overcomes this world and the temptations of it!
Can you think of any temptations that faith has answers for? Faith answers everything that Satan can throw at us! Think about these examples:
• Who could steal if they had real faith that God supplies everything they need?
• Who’d seek vengeance if they really had faith that God punishes those who deserve it forgives those who need it?
Etc. etc. etc. etc etc. Etc.....................................................................

Faith to Go On

Is it just me or have you ever just wanted to quit and hang it all up? What kept you going????? FAITH that it would get better!
Everything we’ve discussed in this series was discussed with faith. Will I always see EVERY point we discussed just like I do right now???? Probably not. As we grow and learn, some beliefs will change. As God reveals his truth, some details become clearer. But the basis of all we’ve shared will never go away! We believe that God is real, that Jesus died for us and that he supplies us with all we need to defeat our enemies!

At times we will doubt. We will question. We will wonder. That is okay. God, praise hi, understands! He is not supersensitive. And he will not abandon us just because of a period of weakness.

So…we hang on and we press on….in faith! Hang on to his hand, I urge you, even when you wonder if it’s really there!

Faith to Die

What a tool of peace, comfort and strength this is for those of faith! This is what people mean when they say “peace that passes understanding”. We find unexplainable strength to look sickness and even death in the eye….because we have faith in what our God has promised us comes after!!!!!




I pray that this series has been a blessing to you, as it has me. I have been scared. I have been strengthened. I have been emboldened. And I have been reminded that I am saved!

May your faith never weaken. May it always sustain you. May your battle never be lost!

Much love-
ME