"By faith Noah,
being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark
for the saving of his household, by which
he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according
to faith." Hebrews 11:7
They are beginning work on the Washington Monument to repair damage done by the 2011 earthquake that was centered some 70 miles south of DC. Measuring 5.8 on the Richter Scale, the quake happened deep below the surface of the earth where some tectonic plates collided along a fault line.
No one could see the cause of the quake but it was felt by millions and the effects where obvious above the surface of the ground.
So it is with soul shifts. They happen deep inside in the soul of a believer where no one can see but the outward changes are obvious.
While there are several great examples in the Bible of people who underwent the soul shift of Seen to Unseen. No one demonstrates it any better than Noah.
He had three Define the Reality moments that are necessary to make the Seen to Unseen soul shift.
I want to highlight those for you because I think they are key to anyone who will make this soul shift.
First - He Committed To Expectations Beyond His Experience - "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen"
Noah was a humble farmer just trying to scratch out a living from the land. God chose him to save the human race and most of the species of animals.
God spoke to Noah and warned him He would destroy the earth by sending torrential rains that would create a flood. That alone would be enough to stretch his faith but when you consider Noah had never seen rain nor a flood, it became a major reality test for Noah.
Would Noah base his decision on what he had seen in his life or would He believe God about something he had never seen?
Noah chose to let God define his reality for him.
How about you? Can you believe God for something you've never seen or live in the world of the familiar?
Second - He Committed To God's Call Beyond His Comfort Zone - "moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household"
Noah probably had never seen a boat but now he was going to have to build one. A very big one! To build it he would have to cut down the trees for the forest, drag them back to the building site, trim them and saw them into boards and planks and timbers, then plane them and nail them all together. All that would need to be done in his spare time because he still had to work and provide for his family!
Again, Noah chose to let God define his reality for him. He had never seen rain, nor a flood, nor had he built a boat. But yet he answered God's call to do just that!
Are you willing to be uncomfortable in order to please God? Will you allow God to redefine reality for you?
Third - He Continued To Serve God Even When It Didn't Make Sense - "by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith"
So Noah had now committed a century of his life to build something he had never built to prepare for something he had never seen when he wasn't sure when it would happen.
Every day for 100 years Noah cut trees and sawed timbers and hammered nails. I am sure he got thousands of splinters and hit his thumb with the hammer hundreds of times. No doubt he got faint from the hot sun and stiff in the cold winds. Progress seemed slow and the work tedious I am sure. And all the while he was completing this task, neighbors were mocking and cursing and ridiculing him.
Are you only obedient to God when it makes sense to you?
Do you only serve him when you see how it benefits you?
Noah saved his family and preserved the human race because he believed what God said more than he believed what he saw. He didn't allow his life to be shaped by the reality he understood but was defined by a great reality - one that is eternal!
What is most real to you? Is it what you see or is it what He says?
Have you made the shift from Seen to Unseen?
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