Have you ever wondered what gave men like Abraham and Jesus such strong faith in their lives? Abraham was willing to offer his only son, convinced, the Bible says, that God would raise him from the dead (Heb. 11:19). Jesus ministered boldly and confidently and with total authority (Matt. 7:29).

We might speculate that these men were special cases with God given extraordinary anointings. Jesus, we might argue, was the Son of God and therefore stood in a unique category.

Yet Jesus himself said,

“…he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these….”
(John 14:12)

So what was the key to their strong faith? If we uncover that key, might it strengthen our faith?

Is it possible for us to develop an unshakeable confidence in God? I believe it is, if we understanding covenant as they did.

A Powerful Exchange
The Bible says in Genesis 15:18 that God made a covenant with Abraham. When two parties made a covenant it was actually an exchange of life and properties. Both parties to the covenant agreed that there would be a mutual exchange of all resources and assets to the benefit of both parties.

For instance, when tribes would make covenant, they would pledge to help each other. A warrior tribe might pledge to help an agricultural tribe.

The warrior tribe would protect the agricultural tribe and the agricultural tribe would pledge to supply food for the warriors. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

When God offered to establish covenant with Abraham, Abraham understood he had little to offer God but his trust. God certainly did not need Abraham for any purpose except to establish a point of contact with a trusting human being.

Abraham was willing to be that point of contact. In fact, God was looking for a point of contact with a human so that He could deliver to this earth a “seed” of blessing through Abraham. That “seed” would be Jesus Christ.

As part of the covenant agreement, God offered to protect, provide and prosper Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 15:1; 17:2; 22:16-18). God’s promise extended not only to Abraham, but also to Abraham’s seed (Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:16).

Think about this for a moment. God Almighty pledged to both Abraham and his seed the availability of heaven’s every resource! Wow! Abraham thought that was a pretty good deal and the Bible says he believed it (Rom. 4:3)!

An Heir To The Promise
Not only did Abraham believe it, but also he walked in the reality of it. Abraham was blessed, prosperous and he lived a long life (Gen. 24:1; 13:2; 24:34-35; 25:7-8).

You might say, “Well, that’s great for Abraham and his seed (Christ), but what about me?” Here’s the good news. Galatians 3:29 says,

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
(Gal. 3:29)

In other words, when you received Christ, you got in on the covenant! The same pledges and promises God Almighty made to Abraham and his seed, He makes to you. That makes me want to shout!

God’s promise is to protect, provide and prosper you! Your part of the covenant is to believe Him and act accordingly. Romans 4:23-24 says the promises given to Abraham were not written for his sake only, but also for our sake. They are written so that we too, like Abraham, would believe God.

That is why Christ, the seed of Abraham was confident and bold in the face of every life challenge. He knew that He was a covenant Man!

He could boldly proclaim that whenever he prayed, God Almighty heard him (John 11:42). He knew that twelve legions of angels awaited his beckoning call (Matt. 26:53).

Friend, the key to strong faith is to know that God already initiated covenant with you. That covenant has been sealed with the shed blood of Jesus Christ. God’s not backing off of His pledges and promises to you.

Why not trust Him today?

Erie Christian Fellowship Church
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