(by Dr. Larry Ollison)

One of our anchor scriptures in Christianity is 2 Corinthians 5:7: "For we walk by faith, not sight." But let's analyze this. What does it mean?

Walking by faith means that we base everything we do in life upon what God says because we believe Him. In fact, we believe Him so deeply that everything we say, everywhere we go, every action we take, and every thought in our mind aligns itself with what God says. 

A few months ago, I was talking with a lady in my church that was being abused by her boyfriend. She was being abused slightly physically, but she was being severely abused verbally and mentally. The thing that amazed me the most was that even though her boyfriend was abusing her and lying to her regularly, she still continued to believe him and defend him. I remember thinking, why is it that people will submit themselves to an evil person, but the same person will resist believing a God who has never lied and who always tells the truth?

We serve such a God. Walking by faith should be easy. However, it is a struggle for many. From early age, we are trained to believe what we see. In fact, a familiar phrase used by many is this: "I will believe it when I see it." But for the Christian walking by faith, it's actually quite the opposite. For us, we'll see it when we believe it.

A truth we find threaded through God's Word is that everything a Christian receives, he or she must believe for it first. Before we receive salvation, we must believe for salvation. God searches over the earth looking for those who will believe Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). And when He finds someone who believes Him, then He rewards them because God is a rewarder of those who believe that He is and diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

So here's the key to 2 Corinthians 5:7. We must live our lives based on the truth of God's Word instead of the facts that are found in the world. We act on the promise instead of the problem. We walk in the truth instead of deception and we walk in the light instead of darkness.

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: (Hebrews 6:18)

This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began. (Titus 1:1-2, NLT)