How can I show my faith in God

Heb 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (NIV)

1. Don’t give up! Continue. Will it be difficult to be a Christian today? YES!

2 Tim 3:1-5

1 You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the last days it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful to them, and thoroughly bad. 3 They will be hardheaded and never give in to others; they will be constant liars and troublemakers and will think nothing of immorality. They will be rough and cruel, and sneer at those who try to be good. 4 They will betray their friends; they will be hotheaded, puffed up with pride, and prefer good times to worshiping God. 5 They will go to church, yes, but they won't really believe anything they hear. Don't be taken in by people like that. (TLB)

2 Tim 4:2-8

2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-- with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and discharge all the duties of your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (NIV)

Ø  Fought the good fight – It is a fight. A struggle

Ø  Finished the race – Finished not only participated. It is a race there are those that are competing against us. The devil wants us to give up.

Ø  Kept the faith – Kept the faith, not lose it one day and find it the next. Stayed faithful.

Phil 2:12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, (NIV)

Ø  Continue to work out your salvation

o   Fear and trembling – There will be times when things are so hard. Times when everything says to you that this is not working. When opposition is all around. When the people you trust the most hurt you. When you will be afraid to lose it all and fail. When your whole life is shaking.

Col 2:5-8

5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. (NIV)

When we look at the life of Joseph we can see this principle.

Ø  He was the youngest and he was faithful to his Father. He became the favorite of his Father and became the enemy of his brothers.

Ø  God showed Joseph his destiny, but DID NOT TELL HIM HOW IT WOULD HAPPEN! We have to remember this too. God will show us a little of the future but he will not tell us all that we will have to go through and change before we get there.

Ø  Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers even though they wanted to kill him.

o   Often one of the greatest things we will have to overcome is bitterness toward people who are supposed to love us and they abandon us and seek to destroy us.

o   It seemed like he was getting farther from what God showed him not closer.

Ø  Because of the character that Joseph had he was blessed and promoted in Potiphar’s house.

o   He lived his life for the Lord so the Lord was with him and because of this all that he did was blessed. He lived in Integrity, faithfulness, and was a hard worker and never gave up.

o   He was tempted by Potiphar’s wife and resisted and was wrongly condemned to prison

o   Another chance to give up and get bitter at God and people.

Ø  Joseph went to prison and once again he was placed in charge of everything because he was the same wherever he was.

o   He met the Cupbearer of the Pharaoh and the baker. He interpreted their dreams and it all came true. The cup bearer promised to remember him in Prison, but he didn’t

o   Another chance to be bitter and hurt and mistrust people. But he continued to trust God!

Ø  The Pharaoh had a disturbing dream and no one could tell him what it meant. Then the Cupbearer remembered Joseph. He was brought from the prison and God gave him the meaning of the dreams.

o   Two things happened in all these years.

§  God prepared Joseph to do what he was destined to do (save Israel)

§  God changed Joseph so that when the time came Joseph would not destroy his own destiny. i.e. through bitterness etc.. When his brothers came he said “This all happened because God wanted it this way”

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