July 17

Isaiah 23-27
Yesterday I wrote about the faith of the prophets and why they had that faith.  Isaiah says, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.”  He understood this truth because he had a personal relationship with God.  Over the years I have had many people ask me how I know that heaven exists, or that the devil is real, or that Jesus really died and was resurrected?  Of course, I refer them to the Bible, God’s inspired word.  But, then I am asked how I know that this is true?  Ultimately, I am reduced to simply stating that I know these truths to be evident because of my faith in the Lord.  My faith is born out in my relationship with Jesus Christ.  He has been with me, guiding and providing for me.  I know that He lives because He lives in me and I have experienced His power in my life.  For an unbeliever to experience this kind of saving relationship they first must accept that He is who He says He is.  This acceptance is a step of faith.  However, when that step is taken a transformation takes place in the heart and the questions all melt away.  For, it is through this miraculous transformation that we come to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that God and everything about Him is real and true!  It is this trust in the Lord that answers all of our questions about eternity.  I desire to bring as many people as I can into a saving relationship with the Lord.  Some of my closest friends and family members are not saved.  They doubt the veracity of the Bible.  However, they don’t doubt the life of faith I live.  Perhaps, I pray, they will one day accept Jesus Christ, be transformed in heart, and come to understand why it is essential to trust in the Lord forever.