The Lord defines faith — and the opposite of faith — for Habakkuk:
Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him;
But the righteous will live by his faith.
This very succinct definition, given in Habakkuk 2:4, really lays out how to be righteous:
Live by faith.
Faith is knowing that God will keep His promise to you, if you will obey what He has told you to do.
Obedience is putting faith into action. It’s is how we show the Lord we love Him: “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Our obedience motivates the Lord to bless us (cf. Deuteronomy 11). And, it’s what God has always desired: “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22).
However, we must realize that we can’t make the promise come to pass. Only God can do it. It’s not about our works. Our obedience only demonstrates our faith to God. It doesn’t actually produce the results.
Faith says “I can’t do it, but I know that God will, as long as I obey.”
The proud one, however, says , “I can do it on my own, by myself. I can make it happen.” The proud one, instead of trusting God to keep His promise, tries to keep control of the situation. Pride is the opposite of faith. (As a side note, fear is a manifestation of pride. Fear is a form of control instead of trusting God to protect or provide.)
God has declared in His Word that He will build His Church (Matthew 16:18). As long as we obey His commands, seek His face, and follow His leading, He will be faithful to build His Church. We must always remember that we cannot do it. Only God can.
So why Habakkuk Ministries? To serve as a constant reminder that He will build His Church as we live by faith and are careful to obey.
Habakkuk Ministries 