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Self-Examination: Are We Walking By Faith or By Sight?

Writer's picture: Brian DoyleBrian Doyle

It’s a good rule of thumb that you should never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry, for if you do, you’ll often walk out of the store with far more than you intended to buy! Yet, this is also how our very visually driven world draws us in. We’re constantly, through our phones, computers, and TVs, drawn in by the new and flashy, ads litter our social media and news pages, we’re told to buy, buy, buy! What is more, the world capitalizes on the things we see: “World on fire? Buy this gun, you’ll be safer! Vote for this elected official, they’ll protect the rights you’re in danger of losing! Protect yourself and others by following this rule or mandate. Buy all of the toilet paper you can, while you can! If you don’t follow this infringement on your autonomy, you’ll lose your rights!” I know that I pushed a lot of buttons with this, and some people may even complain, but I have to speak the truth: Christian, if you’re driven by anything other than Jesus Christ, you’re not walking by faith.


We are warned throughout the scriptures about conforming to the world, and yet we’re driven by fear of losing it! I say all of this because, if the Mark of the Beast or any other prophecy against Christians should happen today, based on how people who claim Christ are behaving today, many would abandon, and even give up their brothers and sisters in Christ, because "they (those following Christ and not the beast) were being selfish by not doing what is good for society as a whole!" Brothers and sisters, we need to wake up: this world is not our home, and if you’re a follower of Christ it is NOT your friend! We’re warned throughout scripture that to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God. This world is in rebellion. Keeping focused on it with its troubles will put us all in eternal danger, or even judgement! Today, in my study of Revelation, I read this verse (which always sticks out to me whenever I read this passage): “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (Revelation 21: 8). Notice something here: all of these traits are people who lived by sight and not by faith. Fearing anything other than God? You’ll be a coward and faithless, abandoning your faith and your brethren because fear dictates you must preserve yourself. Seeking yourself? You’ll do anything to preserve self, and do whatever it takes, thus detestable acts and murder. I could go on, but I am sure you see my point. Believers have nothing in this world. We should not put any hope or trust in it. If they threaten us, beat us, imprison us, send us to camps, send us to die or be tortured or killed (as they have for nearly 2,000 years), we must fix our eyes on Christ. This world is not our home. We can take nothing from it into eternity. There is no place in God’s presence for those who were too afraid to take a stand against the world and its ways according to the scriptures. Stop trusting your eyes. They are being used to deceive you. Trust in God. He will provide. The worst the world may do is kill you, and if they do, they’ll be sending you home sooner than naturally would have happened. Walk by Faith, trust God in each and every decision, action and circumstance. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.


So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.


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