Are you experiencing anxiety from your sin? Fear is the problem. Faith is the solution. God accepts faith in Him as righteousness and rejects fear as unrighteousness: “By faith he [Abel] was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings” (Hebrews 11:4b). God confronted Cain’s negative countenance from his substandard sacrifice by connecting his heart with his behavior: “Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it'” (Genesis 4:6-7).

God revealed the conflict that takes place in each one of us when we decide whether we will trust in the gifts or the Giver. Abraham chose to believe in the Giver, and God credited it to him as righteousness (see Genesis 15:6). We all operate in faith. However, the object of our faith reveals our true heart. When we exercise faith in Christ, we surrender the eternal consequences of our sin to The One who makes us new again: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus paid the price for each one of us choosing life apart from Him.

Does God speak well of your offerings to Him? Take a personal inventory. How much of your time do you spend advancing the cause of Christ? How frequently do you utilize your God-given talent to draw those you encounter to Him? What percentage of your income and wealth do you offer to His Kingdom? If you have been fearfully holding back anything from God, surrender it to Him today. By grace through faith, take a new risk with your Designer and discover His acceptance of your offering.

Episode 447: Faithfully Fitted with Jay Chapman from mitchkrusetv on Vimeo.