by faith.

It was Abraham's response to God's invitation for relationship that qualified him to receive the tremendous favor by which God made a father of no one into the father of a nation. Face to Face with God, Bill Johnson

i long to have faith like abraham's. before asking for substantial evidence that He'll provide or solid proof that what He has for me is good, i want to choose to believe simply because of the intimate relationship i have with God. without first seeing with my eyes, without a favorable probability, and even with all odds against me, i desire to have the kind of faith that will say yes and choose God above all else. what type of faith does it take to be considered a friend of God, the kind of friend that He actually speaks to face to face? i yearn for that special friendship with God. i confess, my controlling nature needs answers, detailed plans and results. in almost all cases, i'll play it safe and not risk much of my time, energy or heart unless i'm fully confident i'll reap the benefits. i realize it's only when it comes to love and relationships that i'm quick to give all of myself. in the past, my motives and desires were misdirected because i didn't know my worth or my identity. now i'm ready and so willing to surrender everything i am for the only one who will never disappoint or leave me empty. no regrets and no reservations. He has an amazing calling & exceeding good promises over my life and i feel Him inviting me to step out in faith- before possessing a blueprint or clear view of the future. sometimes i can't help but wonder how different the world would've turned out if abraham wasn't obedient, if he lacked radical faith because of his reasonable doubt. but God knew who He was choosing and He knows what He's doing now. that's the point. despite our weak faith, there's always a "but God..." the author and perfecter of our faith.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

Hebrews 11:8-19