“Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him. But the just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4, NKJV)

There are some verses in the Bible that are fundamental. They are worth building our lives upon. Habakkuk 2:4 is one of them. It is so important that it is quoted three times in the New Testament (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38). This verse transformed the life of Martin Luther and led to the Protestant Reformation. What makes it so special?

You see, God revealed to Habakkuk that the Babylonians would soon invade and destroy Jerusalem for all her atrocities. But then God would turn around and judge the Babylonians. The LORD told Habakkuk to write down this vision on tablets, for it would surely happen in its appointed time.

Then He said that the proud person does not have an upright soul. In other words, his heart is perverse. This primarily referred to the Babylonians, but it also applies to anyone who is proud in heart. This, of course, was the original sin by which Satan fell from heaven. Pride comes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18), so whenever we see someone exalted in pride or full of conceit, then we know it is only a matter of time…

But the just shall live by his faith. It is only by faith that we will be justified and put right before God. It is only by faith that we can turn from sin and self-reliance and live a holy life for God. It is our works of faith that God blesses and makes fruitful. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Therefore, whenever we lack faith, we should pick up our Bibles and read or listen to Scripture being read on our Bible App. Faith leads to abundant and eternal life and to every good and perfect gift from God!

So what is your next step of faith?