LIVE BY FAITH AND NOT PRIDE – Habakkuk 2:4
Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
The word faith is only used twice in the Old Testament. Nonetheless, even though faith was not a term used, it was something that individuals demonstrated as is illustrated in Hebrews 11. The phrase “the just shall live by faith” is repeated three times by the apostle Paul.
In this passage we are given an excellent example of how God desires that we live our life. We are first told that one who is proud is not upright. The word upright means to be straight or even. Imagine the tallest building in a large town. The building is admired because it stands straight and tall. However, the building is able to be upright because of all the internal support that went into its construction. Spiritually, if we allow pride to be in our life, it would be similar to building the building with rusted out steel beams. While cosmetically one may not be able to see the internal destruction, the building will not stand for long and eventually, some trial will wipe out the entire building.
You cannot afford to live your life full of pride. Satan loves to tempt everyone who lives for God. If he can corrupt you with thinking that you are more important then you really are, then he will be able to gain a foothold into your life that will enable him to attempt to destroy your whole ministry. Knowing the dangers of pride is probably why Jesus sent HIS disciples out in groups of two. This way, while God worked through the disciples to do great things, no one was able to really feel that they did it on their own because there was someone beside them who helped them do great things for God.
God desires that we live our lives by faith. Faith is the understanding that we are simply obeying the calling of God. While faith is simple obedience, it is also the knowledge that it is God who is working through you. The building is not able to stand on its own, but a great designer spent many hours designing the building so that it could withstand many trials. The designer carefully picked the proper materials so that this building would not only look beautiful but also so that it would be structurally sound.
You have been commanded to live your life by faith. This does not mean that you step out of the nearest boat and try to walk on water. You must first hear the voice of God and follow HIM where HE desires you to go. You must live by faith like you are sustained by water. Water is a daily part of your substance. You cannot expect to live by faith if you have a faith experience once a year. You must daily seek to see what God desires you to do. You must daily seek to obey HIS voice and see how HE might use you.
Faith is your spiritual nourishment. It will be your stability when all around you is in turmoil. Without faith, your life will crumble with the next storm. Pure simple obedience to the voice of God in your life will be your only stability to the trials of life. You are not a self-made man. You cannot take credit for your successes apart from God’s grace in your life. If you try to take credit for what God has done through you, you not only will lose the benefit of God working even greater things in your life but you also will diminish your ability to sustain your next trial. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and HE will lift you up. Live your life by faith for you are HIS child.