What is a lifestyle of faith? One that refuses to draw back or give up. One that doesn't wake up wondering whether or not he should live by faith. One that doesn't look for options or alternatives. One that is committed and one that is perpetuated!
Most of the time in the Bible you will find God speaking in terms of at least three generations: "I am the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob." I believe the reason is this: once a lifestyle is adopted by at least three consecutive generations of people, there is a strong likelihood that it will be perpetuated.
If God can get me to live by faith and my children to live by faith, and my children's children to live by faith, it is likely that from now until Jesus comes, the Savelle household will be people of faith.
God wants you and me to live by faith not just because it works, but because He is establishing a heritage. For us to draw back is to do dishonor to our heritage. Why did God record everything Abraham did? Because He wanted to establish a heritage of faith.
Genesis 18:19 says, "For I know him (Abraham), that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord." Here we see the Lord saying, "The reason I have chosen this man Abraham is because I know him. He will command this lifestyle of faith to his children and to his children's children."
Abraham is called "the father of faith" not simply because he exercised faith in God, but because he perpetuated that faith through his descendants. This is where Noah failed. Although Noah acted in faith during his own lifetime, he failed to perpetuate that life of faith in his sons and their sons after them.
As the children of God, you and I are to create and demonstrate a lifestyle of faith in our homes. In many families, the children see Christianity demonstrated only on Sundays and special occasions. The only time they see their parents praying is just before a meal. The only time they see them reading the Bible is on Saturday night in last-minute preparation for Sunday school the next day.
Most children who see such a double standard being set before them grow up not wanting to have anything to do with that kind of empty, hypocritical lifestyle.
In developing this lifestyle of faith, when you talk, talk faith. When you get up, talk faith. When you lie down, talk faith. Whenever you open your mouth to speak, talk faith. What are the results? When you and I have demonstrated this kind of lifestyle of faith before our family and have passed this heritage of faith down to our children and grandchildren, the Lord has promised that He will bring us into a place in which everything we need will be provided for us.
When faith has healed your body, your mind, your marriage, your family and your finances, when it has provided you a place to live and clothes to wear and a car to drive and food to eat, then it will be too late for anyone to try to convince you that it is not necessary to live by and pass on your glorious heritage of faith.
I believe that is the reason that Peter called this faith "precious." It is a spiritual heirloom passed down from one generation to another. It is my responsibility to pass down this precious heritage to my children. My life before them must be an example of faith. I am held responsible by God not only to passing the life of faith to my children, but also for seeing to it that they, in turn, pass it down to their children.
Psalm 89:1 says, "I will sing the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make know thy faithfulness to all generations." What a title to be placed on our family crest: The Household of Faith! What a heritage!
Our Ancestry
It is not uncommon for people today to hold conversations about their family, their ancestry. One person told me that someone in her family decided to trace their family tree. This person kept going back generation after generation, and the further back she went, the more disappointed she became, her heritage was not too thrilling. In fact, she was embarrassed.
But you and I are not like that. We have a wonderful family history, one that we can be proud to pass on to future generations. It is a faith history, and it is recorded in the Bible.
For example, we are descended from a man called Abraham who had the audacity to believe God that he was going to be the father of nations when he knew full well that in his body he was as good as dead.
We have another ancestor named Daniel who had so much faith in God that when he was thrown to the lions because of his faithfulness to the Lord, he was able to lie down beside the savage beasts and go to sleep in peace and security.
Another of our ancestors by the name of Elijah prophesied to the king of the land that there would be no rain for months until he had decreed an end to the drought - and it happened just as he said it would. This same man was so strong in faith and endurance that he once outran the king's horses and chariots.
We have another ancestor named Samson who was so powerful that when the Holy Ghost came upon him, he would uproot city gates, slay a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey and rip apart lions with his bare hands.
You and I have a wonderful heritage and legacy of faith. And it is faith that activates God, that gives Him access on the earth, that moves His hands to intervene on behalf of those in need. God wants you and be to live by the faith of our ancestors and to pass it on to our descendants to that those who come after us will know and experience this wonderful gift - this marvelous heritage of faith.
I encourage you to do as God instructed me to do with my family, sit them all down and share with them their precious heritage. Reveal to them the vitality and importance of living by faith and not just experimenting with it. Most of all uphold a lifestyle of faith before your children and your grandchildren so that this faith can be perpetuated in your family for generations to come. Declare that your family is a Household of Faith!
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Dr. Jerry Savelle was an average, blue-collar man who was struggling and needed God's help. While he considered himself a "nobody," when he became a believer God told him not to worry about it because He was a master at making champions out of nobodies. God has since taken Dr. Savelle from being a constant quitter to a man who knows how to stand on the Word of God until victory is experienced. Because of the life-changing combination of God's faithfulness and Dr. Savelle's "no quit" attitude, his life is totally different than it was thirty-eight years ago.
