The importance of our staying in and walking in faith… 

The Bible tells us that the scriptures were written for our example and admonition that we may learn lessons from them…

From God’s point of view, the emphasis is always on us remaining in faith, and as we grow in the knowledge of the scriptures we learn how not to allow the enemy to deceive us and get us off track.

The truth is, going all the way back to our original parents Adam and Eve, we have all been bitten by “Old Sleuth Foot the serpent,” whose name is Satan.

And because of that infection which we all have inherited through Adam’s blood, we each have a sin nature from birth, which nature the Bible says is at enmity against God (Romans 8:7-8).

But through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has de-fanged the snake.

When we place our faith in Christ, the snake’s venom is no longer fatal-and when we situate ourselves against the prevailing winds of culture, we can easily hear him, smell him, and pinpoint his location.

Even so, Christians are still bitten by the snake.

How? We turn our backs-not our faces-to the wind and move with it, dulling our senses to sin and allowing the snake to surprise us when it strikes.

And so in this pilgrimage of faith, that starts when we are born-again, and doesn’t end until we graduate to glory, out of necessity we must learn as Paul warned us, “lest we be taking advantage of, we should never be ignorant of the enemy’s devices (his modus operandi),” and the way we are taught these things, they are given us through the instruction of the Holy Spirit, as we study, meditate and immerse ourselves in God’s Word.

The development of our faith is what’s at stake and remember how Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God!

The key lesson here, unless we continue to press forward in faith, then the law of entropy applies, and all we have to do to start slipping backwards is do nothing!

Hebrews 3
Contemporary English Version

Jesus Is Greater than Moses
1 My friends, God has chosen you to be his holy people. So think about Jesus, the one we call our apostle and high priest!

2 Jesus was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in serving all God’s people.

3 But Jesus deserves more honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house deserves more honor than the house.

4 Of course, every house is built by someone, and God is really the one who built everything.

5 Moses was a faithful servant and told God’s people what would be said in the future.

6 But Christ is the Son in charge of God’s people. And we are those people, if we keep on being brave and don’t lose hope.

A Rest for God’s People
7 It is just as the Holy Spirit says,

“If you hear God’s voice today,
8 don’t be stubborn!

Don’t rebel like those people
who were tested
in the desert.

9 For forty years your ancestors
tested God and saw
the things he did.

10 “Then God got tired of them
and said,

‘You people never
show good sense,
and you don’t understand
what I want you to do.’

11 God became angry
and told the people,
‘You will never enter
my place of rest!’ ”

12 My friends, watch out! Don’t let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God.

13 You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called “today.”

If you don’t, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn.

14 We were sure about Christ when we first became his people. So let’s hold tightly to our faith until the end.

15 The Scriptures say,

“If you hear his voice today,
don’t be stubborn
like those who rebelled.”

16 Who were those people that heard God’s voice and rebelled?

Weren’t they the same ones that came out of Egypt with Moses?

17 Who were the people that made God angry for 40 years?

Weren’t they the ones that sinned and died in the desert?

18 And who did God say would never enter his place of rest?

Weren’t they the ones that disobeyed him?

19 We see that those people did not enter the place of rest because they did not have faith.
____

And finally, let us all remember the admonition of Peter:

1 Peter 5:6-11

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)

Come join the Adventure and keep your faith strong in Christ!

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