The thing about faith is that it is often most visible to others in our response to times of great difficulty.  And, luckily, God isn’t asking us to live in perfection, clearly, because many of these folks from this chapter had struggles and sin issues of their own.  But, in the end, they are remember as having been faithful.  Here was the key verse from the chapter, and it is right at the end of it:

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.

Hebrews 11:39

The biggest difference between all of these folks and us is that we live on this side of the cross...meaning, we have the messages and the promises of Jesus to lean into, and these folks didn’t.  That is a big advantage.  If they were able to hang onto their faith without Jesus, it seems like I should be able to live in faith...I have the Bible, the Holy Spirit, organized church, history full of support for my faith...I mean, I have it easy by comparison!

God wants us to live by faith, leaning into and trusting in Him, assuming He’s going to do what He says He will do.  Practically speaking, I think that really just means trying to live the life to which we are called, living as Jesus modeled for us, and looking for those moments when we feel like we just can’t do it - because we are tired, or weak, or scared, or have lost motivation, etc. - and then doing anyway, with the expectation that He will give us what we need to take each subsequent step.  I think that is the most practical application of this idea of living by faith.

So, that’s my goal for today...to lean into what God is teaching me, where He is leading me, and to trust that even when I can’t or don’t want to, He is equip me.  I didn’t get my lunch scheduled with an old friend from yesterday’s challenge, yet, so that is on the docket for today as well!