What does God look for first and foremost in a person?
God looks first and foremost for faith. When faith is absent, He cannot do anything, and without faith a person cannot get close to pleasing God; it is impossible. Cain, Esau, and Israel all failed for lack of faith, not for lack of ability, morality, or visible evidence.
Les teaches that God looks for faith first and foremost. If He does not see faith, there is nothing He can do. Les points to Cain and Abel: Cain may have been a better guy, more noble, a harder worker, but his problem was no faith—he did not believe what God said, while Abel did. Esau and Jacob provide another example: Esau may have looked like the better man from a worldly view, but God could not use him because he had no faith and did not believe what God had said. Israel’s constant controversy with God was unbelief; they would not believe Him despite all He had done and His visible manifestation of power. That is why they did not enter His rest—because of unbelief. The world’s problem tonight is not lack of technology, education, intelligence, or ability to read; it is that people cannot believe what they read or hear. No faith means you cannot even get close to pleasing God; it is impossible.