Get Truth Get Life

Faith in God leads to eternal life,
For God so loved the world that if we believe,
We shall have access to the Tree of Life,
We shall not perish; eternal blessings we shall receive.

Faith in God is the most blessed choice to make,
Shun sin, shun fear, and always move by faith,
God’s blessings are for us to grab and take,
We can only access them if we move by faith.

I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength,
I can be holy and perfect through Christ, who gives me breath,
I can access heaven if I actively and consistently live by faith,
I shall be the first and not the last through God, who makes me great.

Profess faith, every word you use, talk it,
Act by faith everywhere you go; walk it,
Believe you can, and you are halfway there,
Believe you can’t, and you’ll never get there.

Hebrews 11:5 (KJV) – “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

Enoch

Enoch’s faith led Enoch to inherit eternal life. He pleased God to the point that God did not allow him to face death. God gave him long life while on this earth in that he lived up to three hundred and sixty-five years. After living for that long, God translated him directly to heaven.

Genesis 5:24 (KJV) – “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”

“Of Enoch it is written that he lived sixty-five years, and begat a son. After that he walked with God three hundred years. During these earlier years Enoch had loved and feared God and had kept His commandments. He was one of the holy line, the preservers of the true faith, the progenitors of the promised seed. From the lips of Adam he had learned the dark story of the Fall, and the cheering one of God’s grace as seen in the promise; and he relied upon the Redeemer to come. But after the birth of his first son, Enoch reached a higher experience; he was drawn into a closer relationship with God. He realized more fully his own obligations and responsibility as a son of God. And as he saw the child’s love for its father, its simple trust in his protection; as he felt the deep, yearning tenderness of his own heart for that first-born son, he learned a precious lesson of the wonderful love of God to men in the gift of His Son, and the confidence which the children of God may repose in their heavenly Father. The infinite, unfathomable love of God through Christ became the subject of his meditations day and night; and with all the fervor of his soul he sought to reveal that love to the people among whom he dwelt.” – Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 84.3, Ellen G. White.

Enoch walked with God. The Hebrew word used for walk is the same word used for follow. Therefore, it makes sense to conclude that Enoch followed God. Our sinful nature blocks us from seeing God and having face-to-face communication with God. Since Adam and Eve, our first parents, sinned, everyone born was born with a sinful nature. Enoch was born after Adam and Eve had sinned. Therefore, he was born with an iniquitous nature.

Like us, he could not communicate face-to-face with God while on this earth. He could not see God. The Bible says that anyone who sees God’s face will die (Revelation 22:4). Having established this, we can see that Enoch did not visibly see God while he was in this world.

Therefore, when the Bible says he walked with God or followed God, we can conclude that he was following someone invisible. This is the whole essence of faith, esteeming the invisible above the visible. Thomas could not believe that Jesus had risen until he touched the hand of Jesus. Jesus told him in John 20:29 (KJV) – “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

Enoch received the blessings that Jesus spoke about when addressing Thomas because he followed God without seeing Him physically. Faith in God always has blessings, and the greatest blessing of all blessings is to inherit eternal life. Enoch was privileged to receive the greatest blessing before the second coming of Jesus.

“Enoch became a preacher of righteousness, making known to the people what God had revealed to him. Those who feared the Lord sought out this holy man, to share his instruction and his prayers. He labored publicly also, bearing God’s messages to all who would hear the words of warning. His labors were not restricted to the Sethites. In the land where Cain had sought to flee from the divine Presence, the prophet of God made known the wonderful scenes that had passed before his vision. “Behold,” he declared, “the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds.” Jude 14, 15.” – Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 86.1, Ellen G. White.

Elijah

2 Kings 2:11 (KJV) – “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”

Elijah was another person in the Bible who did not face death. A chariot of fire took him to heaven. The event caught him by surprise when he was talking to Elisha. He lived a life of faithfulness to God, and like Enoch, God gave him the privilege of going directly to heaven without seeing death.

The question is, how did Elijah live?

Elijah predicted a drought in Israel as a punishment for Baal’s worship (1 Kings 17:1). Faith is the opposite of fear. The spirit of fear is not a spirit of faith, and it is not a spirit of love. God punished the Israelites with drought so they could return to Him and access His blessings. He did not punish them because He is a cruel God who loves to see people suffer.

God chose Elijah to give the Israelites this hard message. It takes a lot of courage for one man to stand against an entire nation and tell them the truth. Many preachers in these modern times cannot preach the truth because they fear people will stop listening to their sermons. Others fear attacks from congregants or people on social media. Elijah notified the Israelites of the drought that was coming, and he did not refrain from telling them that it came as a punishment for worshipping Baal.

“Those ministers who are men pleasers, who cry, Peace, peace, when God has not spoken peace, might well humble their hearts before God, asking pardon for their insincerity and their lack of moral courage. It is not from love for their neighbor that they smooth down the message entrusted to them, but because they are self-indulgent and ease-loving. True love seeks first the honor of God and the salvation of souls. Those who have this love will not evade the truth to save themselves from the unpleasant results of plain speaking. When souls are in peril, God’s ministers will not consider self, but will speak the word given them to speak, refusing to excuse or palliate evil.” – Prophets and Kings, Page 141.3, Ellen G. White

“Would that every minister might realize the sacredness of his office and the holiness of his work, and show the courage that Elijah showed! As divinely appointed messengers, ministers are in a position of awful responsibility. They are to “reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering.” 2 Timothy 4:2. In Christ’s stead they are to labor as stewards of the mysteries of heaven, encouraging the obedient and warning the disobedient. With them worldly policy is to have no weight. Never are they to swerve from the path in which Jesus has bidden them walk. They are to go forward in faith, remembering that they are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. They are not to speak their own words, but words which One greater than the potentates of earth has bidden them speak. Their message is to be, “Thus saith the Lord.” God calls for men like Elijah, Nathan, and John the Baptist—men who will bear His message with faithfulness, regardless of the consequences; men who will speak the truth bravely, though it call for the sacrifice of all they have.” – Prophets and Kings, Page 142.1, Ellen G. White

Prophet Elijah was fed by ravens at the brook of Cherith (1 Kings 17:2-6). There was drought in the land. However, no matter how rough and tough the environment may be, God still cares for His people. If you completely surrender to God, faithfully observing His ten commandments, He will hold you not just as a treasure but as a peculiar treasure (Exodus 19:5).

Precious metals like Gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphire, and onyx are not found on the surface of the earth. One has to dig deep in the ground to find them through mining. They are rare, and finding them in large quantities is almost impossible. Their scarceness and their highly valuable use makes them very expensive. That is why they are referred to as treasures or precious minerals.

Exodus 19:4-5 (KJV) – “⁴ Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. ⁵ Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine.”

The Bible uses the words peculiar and treasure to emphasize how valuable those who obey God’s voice are in His sight. God loves everybody (John 3:16), but He favors those who consciously choose to love Him back more than those who don’t. In the parable of the prodigal son, when the prodigal son did contrary to his father’s wishes, his father still loved him even though he allowed him to go away.

However, when the prodigal son came to his senses and returned to his father, his father loved him more than he did when he was gone, thus making a party. Those who obey God are highly precious in His sight, more than precious stones are in the eyes of those who partake in their trade. Therefore, the same way precious stones are hidden, and one has to dig deep to find them is the same way God hides us in His love so that nobody can harm us.

God’s protection of those who fear Him is greater than all the highly secured vaults used to protect gold reserves and other precious minerals. God shielded Elijah from hunger when the nation was facing hunger because he was a peculiar treasure to God above all people. He was a peculiar treasure to God because he lived a life of faith. God provided for him through various methods. After the brook dried up, God sent him to be fed by a widow in Zarephath. He ended up multiplying her oil and flour (1 Kings 17:7-16). Later, when the widow’s son fell sick and died, Elijah raised him from the dead through God’s power (1 Kings 17:17-24).

Elijah fearlessly confronted King Ahab and challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:1-19). He prayed for fire to consume his sacrifice, proving that Yahweh is the true God (1 Kings 18:20-39). Prophet Elijah did this miracle not to bring praises to himself as most false prophets do. He did it to glorify God. God will do mighty things through you if your highest aim is to glorify Him. Later, Elijah slaughtered the prophets of Baal at the Kishon Valley (1 Kings 18:40). Then prayed for rain to end the drought (1 Kings 18:41-46).

Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah, causing him to flee to Beersheba (1 Kings 19:1-3). He was comforted by an angel and given food and water (1 Kings 19:4-8). God never leaves His people. He follows them everywhere they go, providing for their every need. Elijah met God at Mount Horeb and received a new commission to anoint Hazael as king of Syria, Jehu as king of Israel, and Elisha to replace him as a prophet (1 Kings 19:9-18). Elijah anointed Elisha as his successor (1 Kings 19:19-21). He prophesied Ahab’s death for seizing Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:17-29). He prophesied Ahaziah’s death for consulting Baal-Zebub when Ahaziah was sick (2 Kings 1:1-18).

Elijah called fire from heaven to consume three captains and their men who came to arrest him (2 Kings 1:9-17). He parted the Jordan River with his cloak (2 Kings 2:8). He wrote a letter to King Jehoram of Judah, rebuking him for his sins and predicting his downfall (2 Chronicles 21:12-15). He left his cloak for Elisha, who inherited a double portion of his spirit (2 Kings 2:12-15). Elijah lived a life that was faithful to God. Sometimes he was afraid. For example, in 1 Kings 19:14, Elijah expresses fear that the children of Israel might kill him because of his dedication to God. However, he never allowed his fear to control his actions. His actions were always controlled by faith.

Jesus

Matthew 27:50-53 (KJV) – “⁵⁰ Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. ⁵¹ And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; ⁵² And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, ⁵³ And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”

When Jesus was resurrected, many saints who had died were resurrected and taken to heaven. Jesus did not wait for His second coming to take them. They were taken before Christ’s second coming. It was an unexpected blessing that God rewarded them for exercising faith while they were in this world. The Bible says in Hebrews 13:8 (KJV) – “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” He can do what He did to Enoch, Elijah, and those saints to us.

John 3:16 (KJV) – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” We shall all inherit eternal life if we believe in God. Christ has done all the hard labor for us. Our work is to believe.

Hebrews 11:39-40 (KJV) – “³⁹ And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: ⁴⁰ God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”

We may not be translated to heaven before Jesus’ second coming, like Elijah, Enoch, and those saints who were taken to heaven. There are many faithful men and women of God all through the generations who have died and are still buried in the graves and have not yet been taken to heaven, as we see in Hebrews 11:39-40. They have not yet received the promise of eternal life because God wants to save more people.

God wants to fill the mansions in heaven with as many souls as possible. Therefore, we need to spread the gospel widely to everybody (Matthew 28:19) so that more people can accept Jesus and receive the promise of eternal life. John 6:40 (KJV) – “And this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise Him up at the last day.” It is God’s will for us to inherit eternal life. That is why He is constantly calling on us to believe in Him because He wants none of us to be lost.

John 4:14 (KJV) – “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” The water which Christ has given us is His Word. It is one thing to see water in a dispenser or a container, and it is another thing to drink it. Not all people who have access to water drink it. Many Christian homes have shelves filled with more than ten Bible versions and numerous spiritual books. Unfortunately, nobody in the entire household takes their time to read them. Often we behave like Esau, who despised his birthright. We despise the precious treasures that we have easy access to.

1 Timothy 6:12 (KJV) – “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” In this sinful world and born with our sinful nature, living a life of faith can sometimes be a struggle. That is why we are told to fight the good fight of faith. If we don’t give up on it, we shall be victorious in the end, and we shall inherit eternal life.

Revelation 22:14 (KJV) – “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Obeying God’s commandments is faith in action. It is not enough to profess that we are Christians. Our actions need to declare that we truly believe in God. We need to have God as our one and only God and observe His seventh day Sabbath. We need to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Observing God’s commandments cannot save you. We are saved by grace. We do not obey so that we get saved. We get saved first. After we accept Jesus us our Lord and savior, the Holy Spirit works in our hearts enabling us to obey all the commandments of God. John 5:24 (KJV) – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

GOD BLESS YOU!

Activity

1. Using your talents, skills, and resources, list some things you can do to ensure more people get God’s message.
2. Take a short walk with friends or family, discussing how faith impacts your lives. Share personal stories of overcoming challenges through faith. Conclude with a brief prayer of gratitude for the gift of faith.

Prayer
Dear God, We’re grateful for the gift of faith guiding our journey. Help us walk confidently, shunning sin and fear. Like Enoch, Elijah, and other heroes of faith, may we believe in You and embrace blessings through faith. Strengthen us to live obediently, laying hold of eternal life. May our lives be a testimony to your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Author: Mark Alex   

BUY MY EBOOK: A FAITH FUELED LIFE: I RUN ON FAITH AND I’M NEVER RUNNING LOW

A FAITH FUELED LIFE: I RUN ON FAITH AND I’M NEVER RUNNING LOW (Amazon): https://amzn.to/4atSjuO

A FAITH FUELED LIFE: I RUN ON FAITH AND I’M NEVER RUNNING LOW (Google Play): https://bit.ly/4i9fXQp

Email: gettruthgetlife@gmail.com 

Phone Number: +254710633247   

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-alex-0b87a9109/

PayPal: gettruthgetlife@gmail.com  

Revolut: revolut.me/markalex92