There's a flood a-comin'

Insight is a valuable trait, enjoyed by only a few, but available to all. A person with insight sees what others cannot see. He peers behind the obvious and discerns the realities of the situation. This gift allows him to anticipate what is developing in his world. He then wisely take steps to change course or to prepare for what's ahead. Sometimes insight comes from long experience with a certain subject. A physician gains insight into the nature of our maladies by learning how to put together symptoms to form conclusions. A counselor learns to see motives, hidden agendas, unspoken expectations in those she guides.

The Spirit-filled Christian gains insight from a gift God gives: faith! Faith gives an ability to see past 'the obvious' and to align ourselves with God's plans. This allows us to bring great blessings to those around us. The Bible says that by faith Noah saw the coming judgment of God, a flood unlike anything ever seen on earth, and his insight allowed him to prepare a means of conveying his family to safety. "By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn't see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God. " (Hebrews 11:7, The Message)

Did you note the interplay between the provision of God and the responsibility of Noah? God showed him what was to come, but the choice of obedience belonged to Noah. When he acted, 'in holy fear,' (NIV- the Greek word of the NT included the meanings of being cautious, or acting out of awe or reverence) he brought God's grace to his family and they were saved! The story in Genesis tells us that Noah worked on the project that most everyone regarded as folly for years and years, sustained by the insight that faith gave to him. He saw the coming judgment, walked with the Spirit, and led his family to salvation.

Are you wisely seeking the insight that comes from the Word and intimacy with the Spirit?

Are you willing to say a resounding yes of obedience to God's leading, even when the reward is hidden far from present situations?

Or, are you playing the fool, living for the moment, blinded by pleasure?

Pray for faith to increase. Here's the word from the Word. May insight increase and the reward be our salvation.

" Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1, NIV) "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6, NIV)

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." (Hebrews 11:8, NIV) "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Hebrews 11:10, NIV)

"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth." (Hebrews 11:13, NIV) "God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." (Hebrews 11:40, NIV)

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