Is It Made By Faith?
Is It Made By Faith?
“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:24–26, ESV)
Check Your Motivations
One of the biggest things we need to keep in mind when making a decision is our motivations. We need to make sure we are asking the WHY question: Why am I making this decision? What is motivating me to make this decision? Why would I decide in this particular way? Motivations bring decisions down to the “heart” of the matter—what is going on deep down in our heart.
Moses’ Difficult Decision
Moses faced a difficult decision. He had been saved from death and raised in the home of Pharoah’s daughter. They had treated him well, educated him, and given him whatever he wanted. He was treated like a prince…because he was a prince.
Yet, he wasn’t an Egyptian. He was an Israelite—one of God’s people. To leave the royal family meant that he would lose everything he had and would find himself being mocked and scorned. He would go from being at the top of the societal hierarchy to the bottom. There was a lot at stake in Moses’ decision.
Yet, he chose to lose everything so he could be with God’s people. This decision goes down in the annuls of history as being a Godly decision. What was the WHY behind Moses’ decision?
The WHY Behind Moses’ Decision
This passage in Hebrews says that faith motivated Moses’ decision. It was the massive WHY behind choosing to leave the royal family to be mistreated with the slaves. He made the decision “By faith…” (Hebrews 11:24).
Yet, the fact that he made the decision by faith is contrasted with something else—the pleasures of sin. So, by faith, Moses choose not to indulge in the pleasures of sin, but to join with God’s people and faithful to His God. That was the WHY of faith behind Moses’ decision.
Made By Faith or Pleasures of Sin?
So, this leads us to the question we need to consider when making a Godly decision. We need to ask ourselves, “Am I making this decision by faith OR by the fleeting pleasures of sin?” Here are some other ways this question can work itself out:
Am I trusting God in this decision or trusting something else: myself, money, power, prestige, etc.?
Am I seeking my own glory or God’s glory?
Am I willing to “lose everything” in this decision if it’s God’s will?
God-Pleasing Decisions
As we seek to make a decision that pleases God, it’s important to remember this verse: “And without faith it is impossible to please him…” (Hebrews 11:6, ESV). So, if we desire to make a decision that pleases God, we MUST make that decision by faith. It is impossible to make a God-pleasing decision apart from faith.
This is why it’s so important to stop and ask these questions. It’s important to answer these questions honestly. It does us no good to lie to ourselves, trying to convince ourselves that we’re making a decision in faith when we’re not. Be honest with yourself and with God. Then, as you make your decision, make sure you are making your decision BY FAITH.