It is not whether you survive the circumstances in your life, but whether your FAITH survives the circumstances.
This statement has been repeated in my mind repeatedly. I think I heard it at a conference, but in the last year or so, it has been given fresh meaning to me. This is because I have been in a battle to not surrender my faith – it has been a vicious spiritual battle, and I understand Paul’s admonishment to Timothy…
“Fight the good fight for the true faith.” (1 Timothy 6:12)
It is no light-hearted struggle in the heart of the believer. For Paul keeping faith till the end of his life was a victory, he writes to Timothy from prison at the end…
“ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
The battle against unbelief is a fight that starts at the moment of our salvation. Our faith is initially a “gift from God” (Eph 2:8) and it is enough to bring us into salvation, to believe and receive Jesus Christ as Lord. This faith-gift carries with it victory over the world and is all that is needed to “overcome the world.” ( 1 John 5:1-5) It is a measure of faith that God gives us as believers and everybody receives it in their Spirit upon salvation.
- It is like a seed of belief deposited in your spirit that then needs to be developed and used in your daily life. We need to grow in our ability to “live by faith” as Hebrews 10:38 says: “Now the just shall live by faith.”
- We grow our faith from the Word of God, (Romans 10:17 says, “… Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word.” In other words, our faith flourishes when we spend time in God’s Word.
- God our Father deposits this faith in us and grows and develops it in us (Hebrews 12:2) because He is the “author and the finisher of our faith.”
Our enemy does not want us operating in faith.
Or living by faith, growing in faith, trusting in faith, believing in the character and nature of God? He does not want us victorious or strong in the Lord. Or watch us taking hold of all the promises of God which are “yes and amen, in Christ Jesus.” (2 Cor 1:20) He wants us to live in unbelief.
Hebrews 3:12(AMP) warns us… “Take care, brothers and sisters, that there not be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to trust and rely on the Lord, a heart] that turns away from the living God.”
Take care (in other words be vigilant) to guard against unbelief. Notice the passage makes it clear what the consequence of an unbelieving heart is and what will happen if the battle is not taking seriously.
How many believers do you know who have fallen away from the body of Christ because of unbelief? This is a real danger.
Earlier in the same passage in verse 7, Paul warns “ Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” A hardening of heart is being unwilling to repent of unbelief and the result is that it cuts us off from the grace of God. It is clear that Paul considered it a serious fight.
Do you? When hard circumstances hit, when you land up in situations you cannot control, when things do not go your way, is your faith the first to go?
Just because we are believers, does not mean our faith will not be tested in circumstances.
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance (steadfastness).” (James 1:3 AMP)
God values faith that has been tested by difficult circumstances.
“Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed.” (1 Peter 1:7)
How do you view the quality of your faith? Will your faith survive your circumstances?
Lord, help me to take the fight of faith seriously. I have an enemy that will undermine my faith every chance he gets, especially when I face difficult circumstances. He will cause me to question the truth I have received before and question Your character and Person. Please help me to be aware of doubts growing in my heart. Please help me to spend time in your Word on a regular basis to strengthen and establish my faith. Help me not to harden my heart when I encounter You speaking truth to my heart, but help me to weed out anything in my heart that chooses not to believe.
Your timing is always perfect when you share your heart with us! Thank you so much! Stay strong!