For we live by faith, not by sight – 2 Corinthians 5:7 

In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, we are told how to wake up our faith. – “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

 To live by faith, don’t focus your hope on things that are seen but on things that are not seen. You have to decide not to be dominated by circumstances. Instead, listen to the promises of God, which supersede anything you see with your natural eyes.

When Jesus cursed the fig tree, and nothing happened, the disciples may have thought, “Well, that prayer didn’t work.” But 24 hours later, the tree withered from the roots. You may be looking at a circumstance that you have prayed over and not seeing any difference. But the moment Jesus spoke to the tree, the hidden roots began to wither up and die. Even though the disciples could not see it, something started to happen beneath the surface.

The Bible says in Romans that faith comes by hearing the word of God. So, you don’t lean on what you see but on what you hear from God’s word. In 2 Samuel 5, there is a story in which David is fighting the Philistines. God told David (paraphrased), “Now, when you go out to the battlefield, I want you to go off to the side under a grove of mulberry trees and wait. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of those trees, I’ll go out before you. That’s when you’re to go in with your troops and fight the Philistines.”

If David had looked with his natural eyes, he would have seen the advancing, overwhelming army of the Philistines coming straight at him. But God was telling David that He did not want him focused on what he could see in front of him. He wanted David to go by what he could hear. He wanted him to hear the sound of victory. He wanted him to hear the sound of the angel armies marching over the tops of the trees on his behalf.

The prophet Elijah once faced a severe famine, but he did not go by what he saw. Elijah said, “I hear the sound of an abundance of rain.” He didn’t look at the “facts” and accept what he saw. What you are facing may look scary but place your faith in God’s goodness and faithfulness because He is in control.

The Bible tells us that “Man shall not live by bread alone (what he can see) but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Are you living by God’s words? Ask yourself today, “Am I allowing my current circumstances and what I can see in front of me defeat me? Or, “am I relying on what I hear God saying in His word?“