For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the
message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not
combine it with faith ( Hebrews 4:2).
The people of Israel were called out of the bondage of Egyptian slavery. God
said they would be brought out of four hundred years of slavery so that they
might worship God. God desired to bring them into a place of milk and honey
-the Promised Land. Yet, that generation never entered into the Promised
Land. Why? They never took what they knew in their head and transferred it
to their heart. Finally, it never resulted in actions that were based on
what they believed.
When I was a new Christian, I heard an illustration of what belief and faith
looked like when combined. If you were a trapeze artist and were skilled at
walking across tight ropes over high places, you might even be willing to
walk across Niagara Falls. In fact, I would have confidence that you could
because I had seen your abilities as a trapeze artist. However, if you asked
me if you could push me in a wheelbarrow across Niagara Falls, you would be
challenging me to put my beliefs into action. This requires faith,
participation and risk, which, until now, was only based on mental ascent.
The writer of Hebrews is telling us that if we believe God but do not enter
in to those promises, we are like the man who chooses not to get into the
wheelbarrow. If we don’t act on our beliefs, then we remain in the dessert
like the people of Israel who never received the promises of God. They did
not combine what they knew in their head with a faith that was put into
action.
Has God spoken to you about an area in your life that requires a step of
faith? Let God provide the courage, as He does the knowledge, to act in
faith on what you believe.