Keeping the Faith

We are told to “keep the faith” - this is a practical mission. We are to endure watch and continue - not dwell on our circumstances. Faith is full of motion and energy; it keeps moving.

If you have passion for the end goal you will win. Think of rugby players. They get knocked about but they want to win that game.

Faith is not the work of a moment but of a lifetime - you need to get it deep down so Satan cannot touch it - you must surrender to it. We have to be motivated by faith - God first always (surrender), before anything we want.

We must never eat the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31v27 “She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness”. We have all heard the expression “the devil finds work for idle hands”. Proverbs 16v27 in the Living Bible translation says this “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece”. I love this version. When we are idle the devil will find work for us, he will mess with our thoughts and eventually it will lead to actions that do not always give glory to God. And it can lead us away from our destiny as we begin to only focus on the things that have not happened instead of having faith for what we cannot yet see.

We cannot be blessed if our priorities are not in order.

Hebrews 11v1 says “Now faith is….” - not tomorrow or the future but now. You get despairing when you put your faith in the future. Have faith for the day at hand. I often tell clients that anxiety is a future-based response - we have no control over it, and we don’t know what will happen. Our emotions get strained and that is what defeats you. Time will defeat you then because you make emotional decisions when you think things are not happening fast enough. Have faith and trust God for the rest. Desperate people make decisions that are often not the best. You will also flip-flop between responses. A flip-flop believer doesn’t inspire confidence or faith.

You have to expand the way you think about yourself through greater revelations in the Word and from God. Don’t get bogged down with small thoughts. Can you believe what Genesis 1v26 says? You are made in the image and likeness of God. That doesn’t sound small to me. Mental production is what you need and the reason you don’t understand is because you are not growing in the Lord.

You don’t mind saying bad things about yourself or that you look bad, why do you have a problem with saying good things about yourself or that you look good?

Your inward vision will tell you what to do. 1 Timothy 1v19 says, “Having faith and a good conscience, which some are having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck”. Don’t let your faith be shipwrecked. Don’t “try” something, keep the faith and focus on the goal. It’s hard to be distracted when you are focused on something.

Sometimes we are also too easily offended and then we look for someone to hurt. We get distracted. We don’t take responsibility for our lives. You want people to kiss your “wounds” when you should be mature enough by now to deal with it yourself. Paul said in Hebrews 5v12 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food”.

Never adapt your faith to circumstances. Be spiritually led and loyal to God.

James 2v21 -24 “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only”. We need to put action to our faith.

We have a great enemy but we have a greater Friend in Jesus.

1 John 5v13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God”. It says that “you may know”- this is a decision we make. We have been given discernment to have power over the enemy. The problem is solved if we keep up our faith in God. God will do what needs to be done. He only requires us to believe.

Food for thought:

• Often the way you are responding to the problem, is the problem.

• You look to the need instead of the Supplier of the need.

• You speak more about the problem than the Problem solver.

• You serve God to get your need met instead of serving God despite the need.

Bless you, all in the mighty name of Yeshua.