For we walk by faith,

We don’t walk by sight

2 Cor 5:7

So how do we pull that off?

We look not at the things which are seen,

but at the things which are not seen:

for the things seen are temporal;

but the things not seen are eternal

2 Cor. 4:18

We don’t look at the troubles

We don’t look at the crisis.

We don’t look at what appears

to be swallowing us

and destroying us

from every angle.

Sure we can see it all around;

it is our now.

No reason for denial.

But we fix our gaze on things

that can’t be seen with

physical eyes.

The things we see now

will soon be gone,

they are only temporary.

But the things we can’t see,

the spiritual world will last forever.

We need these icky things to

Shut us up to faith

Gal. 3:23

We are helpless except through

God’s way of faith.

Unfortunately we don’t want to

pay the price of living by faith.

We want to live by sight.

God has to shut us up to faith.

Our physical limitations,

our natural inadequacies,

our circumstances,

our trials,

our disappointments,

all serve to shut us up

and keep us in a position

where the only way out

is God’s way of faith.

Moses tried by self-effort,

He tried by personal influence,

He even tried by violence,

to bring about the deliverance

for his people.

God had to shut him up forty years

in the wilderness before he was

prepared for God’s work.

Paul and Silas went to Europe

to share life solutions for others

through a life of Faith in Jesus

And faith in God’s Word.

They got off the ship

They walked into Philippi.

They just wanted to encourage

people to learn to live by faith.

They were attacked.

They were beat up.

They were locked up in prison.

Their feet were chained up

in the stocks.

What was all that about.

How are they going to pull off

this faith life?

How are they going to teach

this faith to others?

By God’s plan.

They were shut up to faith.

They trusted God.

They sang praises to God

in their darkest hour,

and God used their faith

for deliverance and salvation.

John was tortured and locked

away in exile to the Isle of Patmos.

He was shut up to faith.

Had he not been so shut up,

he would never have seen

his beautiful visions of God.

This is how Revelation is composed.

It all comes by being shut up to faith

Our ugly and greatest trouble;

Our worst disappointments,

our tragic sorrows

our devastating unspeakable

losses!

Are we in a hard place?

We’ve been shut up to faith.

We have to embrace God’s way.

Commit it to God.

Praise the Lord that He makes

us grow in faith!

all things work together for good

God works for us

as we wait on Him

in prayers of faith

there will be His blessings,

there will be His help

there will be revelations of God

that will come to us

that never could otherwise

have come;

Only only only when we are

shut up to faith.

Adapted from the writing of C. H. P.