WALKING BY FAITH VS. WALKING BY SIGHT

WALKING BY FAITH VS. WALKING BY SIGHT

 2 Cor. 4.15-18, 2 Cor. 4.16-18

Walking by faith is an excellent way of life by which a believer cast all his trust and confidence in God without looking back in spite of challenges of this present time. It is the life that pleases God because such a person had completely yielded to God, and so lived for God and His glory. He doesn’t compromise his stand to please the world nor the flesh, but to do God’s will and to enter into His rest at last. Such a person is profoundly blessed because God takes over his burdens and eliminated his concerns assuring him in all his ways from earth to heaven. The opposite is to walk by sight which is living by the impulse of the needs and challenges of the day. This is a faithless kind of life in which decisions are made without consulting God and without thinking of God’s holy standard. This is a dangerous and damnable kind of lifestyle as it leads to compromise and eventual rejection by God. A Christian who begins his life in the faith must be careful not to yield to the pressure of the flesh and the need of the present hour with their temptations. To walk by faith we must be truly converted to Christ, crucified with Christ, consecrated to Christ’s will and committed to Christ’s work.

Danger of Walking by Sight 1 Cor 2.14, 3.3, Rom 8.5-8, Gen 12. 10-13, Judges 14. 2-3, 2 Kings 7. 1-2, 18-20, Matt. 16.21-23, Eph. 4.17-20, 2 Thess. 3.11, Isa. 49.14, Num 13. 27-31, John 1. 46, Gen 21. 14-16, 19, Exo. 14. 10-12.

To walk by sight is to be carnally minded. That is to please the flesh and the world in taste, feeling, and friendship and in all decisions. Paul the Apostle described this way of life as being carnal and in enmity with God. Carnality, worldliness and faithlessness bring untold perils to people that engage in them. Peter was engrossed with the progress of Christ’s earthly ministry and would have preferred Him physically with them than to go to the cross for our redemption. He was rebuked by the Lord. When a man allows personal gains, interest, immediate enjoyment, or even limitations to determine his steps and decisions at the expense of God’s glory, it brings untold hardship and dilemma. This was the case of Abraham going down to Egypt without taking counsel from God. He almost lost his wife. Also Samson lost his life through his carnal and faithless walk in choosing a wife. Paul the Apostle therefore caution us saying “that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind” Eph. 4.17 .

Determination to walk by faith.  Heb. 11. 5-6, Gen. 5. 21-24, Gen. 12. 1-2, Gen 17.19, Rom. 4. 18-22, Rom. 10.17.  

Walking by faith requires personal determination and conviction to please God in all situations and not man nor the flesh. Such faith is founded upon strong confidence in God after salvation as the only one who can save from sin, heal from all sicknesses, deliver from all oppressions, provide for all needs and protect from all dangers. When a man trust God’s ability totally this way and looks up to Him at any time, God answers speedily. Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Paul and the apostles of old were amongst many who walked by faith and their faith produced tremendous benefits for them and the generations after them. To have a consistent walk by faith, we must give our lives to God and grow in His grace through constant reading, meditation and study of God’s word (Rom 10. 17). We must also determine to obey Him even though He is not physically present. Moreover, we must be ready to resist all forms of oppositions and persecutions through our faith in God to make us overcome. Like Joseph in Egypt (Gen 39.9) and Daniel in Babylon (Dan 1.8, 6.10), we must reject every action that contradicts our faithfulness to God by deliberately avoiding people, places, and objects of temptation. We must strongly determine to be established in faith(Col. 2.7) and continue in faith and faithfulness to God to the end (Heb 10.38).

Dominion of winners through faith. Mark 9.23, Exo. 14.13, Joshua 6. 10, Joshua 10.12, Matt. 8. 5-13, James 5. 16, Phil 4.13.

Faith in God is highly essential for anyone to do exploit in this world. Every believer who walks by faith is already living to please God and His kingdom, therefore exploits and dominion is a common phenomenon in their lives. They constantly live a life of spiritual victory and therefore physical and secular victory is certain. They constantly maintains their dominion over sin, self and Satan and this manifest in their day to day lives. To such people, miracles are regular, normal and naturally come at any time they are confronted with challenges. Moses simply declared “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more forever” and it was so, Joshua also was able to conquer Jericho by faith and even made a command by faith and the Sun and the moon stood still. By faith, the centurion man received healing for his servant. By faith you can also receive whatever you ask from God, only if you determine to join the winners, who walk by faith.