\” Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, Let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.\” ( Heb.4:14 )
Holding firmly to the faith which you profess means trusting God and believing God in His word. Has He said and not bring it to pass?
WHAT IS FAITH 🙂 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen. ( Heb.11:1 )
According to the Contemporary English dictionary, Longman, New Edition. 🙂 Faith is a strong belief that someone or something can be trusted to be right or to do right thing. for me, Faith is believing and trusting God for everything you desire even when it looks impossible to actualise.
\” The Topic of this article is \” Let us hold firmly \” was couched from the book of Hebrew 4:14. As l was reading my bible that topic strucked me and l paused before l could finished the last word that follows as in holding firmly to the faith we profess, it was then l began to see the bigger picture, then l thought about the people who held strongly to the faith they profess and at the end stands to gain the promises that are attached to the faith they held unto.
Immediately my mind began to race and riotting thinking about the people who held firmly to the faith they professed in the bible their gains and loses if there is any.
For refreshing purpose, l will mention just few names we know in the bible time though not in any particular order rather as it drops in my mind.
I believe as you read this article it will impact on you and ignite your faith in the Lord to hold unto His word and Trust Him.
ABRAHAM In the book of Genesis, ( chapter 12 1:4 ) Now the Lord had siad unto Abram, get thee out of this country and from your kindrdred and thy father\’s house unto a land that l will show thee. And l will make thee a great nation, and l will bless thee and make thy name great and thou shall be a blessing And l will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him…so abram in obedient to the Lord started off his journey of life to a place he knew not.
As Abram progressed in life and in age, he still held on to the promises of being made a father of a great nation, but at the age of 99 years the Lord appeared to him again and reminded him that \” As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee and thou shalt be a father of many nations, neither shall thy name any more be called Abram but thy name shall be called Abraham for a father of many nations have l made thee, And l will make thee exceeding fruitful and l will make nations of thee and kings shall come out of thee\”. ( Genesis 17 : 1-6 ).
Can you beat that a man of 99 years could still be fruitful. This put to shame every Biological and scientific proofs . Yes! all that seems impossible by man with God all things are possible.
Abraham is the father of all nation in the sight of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were……….without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead since he was about100 years old and that Sarah\’s womb was also dead yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why it was credited to him as righteousness (Roman 4 17-22 ).
JACOB When Rebekah, the wife of lsaac was pregnant of Esau and Jacob, she was highly troubled and she went to inquire of the Lord, she was told that 2 babies jostled each other within her. In chapter 25 : 23 of the book of genesis the Lord said to Rebekah
\” Two nations are in your womb and two peoples from wihin you will be separated, one people will be stronger than the other and the older will serve the younger\” This prediction was made while they were yet unborn. Then what happeaned there after, both of them began to run the race of their life separately according to their talents and abilities. Esau came 1st presupposing he was the1st born while Jacob was the last to came out.
Both of them were separatly loved by both parent according to their choices while Esau was loved by his father because of his talent in hunting since he normally prepares a sumptuous meals for the father with his game. Jacob was loved by the mother due to his homely instinct always in the tent with mom keeping her company. One day Esau having being eshausted in the bush by hunting, he was very famished and couldn\’t hold back his appitite when he saw a pot of red porridge prepared by Jacob he begged to have a plate of his food.
Jacob tricked him into forfeiting his right of 1st born which Esau could not resist, he threw in his towel to jacob\’s manipulative instinct for power tussel. See (Genesis chapter 25 :24-34 )
When lsaac was old and was about to die, he requested that Esau should make a savoury meal for him such he had always made for him to enjoy so that he may bless him before he dies but Rebekah her mother overheard and cajoled Jacob into bringing a venison to make a savoury meal for the father to eat and bless him before he dies. Jacob obeyed his mother and quickly made a delicious meal for the dad to eat and bless him ( jacob ) instead of Esau.
When Jacob approached his dad with the food, he called out to the father to present his food on hearing the voice his dad was apprehensive and was doubtful on the voice he heard in his curiosity he queried if it were really Esau since the voice he heard seemingly was jacob\’s since he wasn\’t seeing, he requested that he should come closer for him to feel his body
When jacob came closer to the father, Isaac his father touched his son jacob and declared \”The voice is the voice of jacob,but the hands are the hands of Esau\”. He did not recognised him for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau \” Are you really my son Esau?\”he asked \”l am he replied \”
Read the book of Genesis 27 :25-29.
…\”Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad in order that God\’s purpose in election might stand not by works but by him who calls- She was told \”the elder will serve the younger \”, just as it is written \” Jacob l loved, but Esau l hated\”. (Romans 9: 11-13).
See how providence smiled on Jacob. As Esua and Jacob progressed in life, jacob was loved by God, and He was with him throughout his journey to paddan Aram on an escape from his brother\’s revenge mission on a plot to kill him.There in the foriegn land where he sojourned, he met his would be inlaw Laban, he stayed with him to render his services to him, haven served him for 14 years he married his 2 duaghters Leah and Rebekah
Jacob acquired wealth and large family that he decided to go back to his ancestral home, he was greatly blessed and through him the 12 tribes of lsrael were born.
God Almighty is a covenant keeping God, He will honour you when you walk in the paths He directs and when he says a thing He sure will bring it to pass what you need do is to wait on His promises and confidently hold fast to him for those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
The continuation of this article will be published next time Remain blessed
\”BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO DOES NOT CONDEMN HIMSELF BY WHAT HE APPROVES\” Cheers!