“There must be a shift in your perspective to . . . enable you to handle life’s challenges with grace. . . . This is because you will know that nothing will come to you that doesn’t first pass through God’s sovereign, purposeful, and loving hand. When you trust His heart, you don’t have to understand His hand.”- Dr. Tony Evans
“For [Abraham] was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”- Hebrews 11:10 n(NIV)
Dr. Tony Evans concludes Chapter 5 of Kingdom Heroes with the third and final important thing about Abraham’s walk of faith: looking.
3. Where we look. As Dr. Evans observes, Abraham never pitched a fit when God told him to pitch his tent in a new location. Because Abraham set his sights high on the prize. So, Abraham ventured outside of his comfort zone. Thus, while he lived in the arena of promise, Abraham remained fluid enough to grow and develop as the need arose.
Hence, Abraham chose to look forward. Rather than look back. As we read in Hebrews 11:10, he looked forward to the heavenly Jerusalem. In addition, Dr. Evans exhorts:
“If and when you learn to look toward heaven, you’ll live better on earth. But if you stop looking toward heaven and focus only on what’s taking place on earth, you’ll miss out on the rewards of both. This is because, in earth’s environment, we cannot see clearly. We can’t discern the spiritual without the help of the Spirit. . . .
We integrate heaven’s perspective into all of our life on earth. . . . bring God’s rule, His thoughts, and His will to bear on our decisions, words, and values as we pursue an intimate relationship with Him.”
In conclusion, Dr. Evans states, one common theme exists between the lives of those in the Hall of Heroes: pain. Certainly, their lives came with struggles, trials, and issues. However, they knew where to look in their pain – to God. Heavenward.
Today’s question: How does your life change when you trust His heart? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “When facts conflict with faith”
