HOW FAITH OVERCOMES ITS ENCOUNTERS

1 John 5:4 NIV"For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."We often think that if we have faith we should have less battles to fight. But the scripture teaches us otherwise. Faith does not exempt us from encounter; it gives us victory in the midst of encounters. Abraham had faith but encountered barrenness. Joseph had faith but encountered slavery and prison. David had faith but confronted Goliath. Do we need to speak about Daniel, Moses, the three Hebrews and what they contended with? Faith is not a barricade against negative encounters and that is why Jesus counseled that we should “embrace it” (Mathew 16:24 MSG). The presence of an encounter does not mean God is absent. Every encounter is the very environment in which your faith becomes visible. So, faith is not simply a doctrine we believe but a life we live because “the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).