Do Not Throw Away Your Confidence – Persevere In Faith
I firmly believe that it is the honorable character of righteous men that in times of their greatest affliction they can live by faith; and that they can live upon a settled persuasion they have of the truth of the promises of God.
It is also a great encouragement for to us seeing how they live in that faith, that we be passionate to have the same conviction in our hearts that no matter what we are faced with in life, that we shall have the things we dream of and the things that our hearts desire, based on the promise and the perfect will of God.
But sometimes that faith grows weak, don’t you think? And based on your life’s experiences, you lose the life, confidence and vigor that faith is really supposed to bring.
Occasionally too, the dangerous depths of the darkened valleys tend to cloud your judgement and trusting God and waiting on His timing, is easier said than done.
“But my righteous one shall live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” ~ Hebrews 10:38 (NIV)
Facts About Faith
Faith is mentioned in the bible quite a number of times, with the count varying from one translation to the next. For example, the King James version makes mention of it 336 times while in the New International version, it is mentioned 458 times.
The best scriptural definition of faith can be found in the book of Hebrews 11:1-2 (NIV) that says:
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”
Faith then is relevant to the way in which we live and it can be further defined as trust or confidence in the supreme being, a person or in something. It is having a firm belief or trust in doctrines of religion and ethics based on a strong spiritual conviction as opposed to having facts or evidence.
Finally, faith is being absolutely persuaded and clear-cut in your mind that what you hope for and believe in according to the promises of God in the scriptures is indeed going to come to pass.
The Reward Comes With Faith
2 Corinthians 5 verse 7 gives a reminder and exhortation that believers are to walk by faith and not by sight. That’s a clear distinction I believe of how a man’s ‘walk’ ought to be if he hopes to gain his reward.
‘Walk’ speaks of how we choose to live our lives, to conduct ourselves, the way we behave and how we choose to utilize the time and opportunities God has appointed for us.
On the other hand, when a man chooses to walk ‘by sight’ he is deemed to be treading on paths of danger because he lives his life based on how things appear naturally, his feelings and emotions of how things appear at first glance. Those who walk by sight tend to rely heavily upon fleshly impulses and momentary pleasures on which to base their decisions.
The concept of walking by faith and not by sight is still relevant to the times and seasons that we are living in. Walking by faith not only assures us of our reward, but it helps us to keep the momentum going and steers us away from falling into danger of failure after having victory.
Recommended reading: The Danger Of Failure After Victory by Jaco Alberts
The Apostle Paul further exhorts us to walk by faith and not to throw away our confidence in God. In Hebrews 10:32-36, he says:
“Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured a great affliction full of suffering. (v32) Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. (v33) You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. (v34) So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. (v35) You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (v36)
Have you ever thought about what a small size faith is capable of doing? Read how a Small Sized Faith Can Move Great Mountains and always remember Our Light Affliction Is For A Moment, so don’t lose heart.
Persevere In the Faith – You Will Prevail
Walking by faith isn’t just about suffering and sacrifice. It is about our service to God and that service can come in unexpected ways. Hebrews 11:33-34 sums up those examples best and tells us how saints of old were able to accomplish great victories because they walked by faith.
As we go through life, let us begin to see ourselves as having no less value or power through Christ than they did, for as He said, those who believe, “greater works than these shall he do..” (John 14:12) Only by faith can we expect to accomplish spiritual victories.
What can you do to make the process easier?
Here are some tips to help you to prevail as you press your way on:
- Now more than ever, you focus on God and not the problem – life will always have problems but the good news is that God is bigger than ALL your problems (Philippians 4:19)
- Continue to develop a relationship with God through His word (Matthew 6:33; 16:24)
- Take the limits off of God by changing your thoughts and perspective about Him – with God all things are possible (Isaiah 55:8)
- Do not conform to the patterns or the standards of this world – everything takes time and patience. Good things comes to those who wait. (Romans 12:2)
- Recall your past victories – the same God that brought you out then, is the same one who will give you victory once again (Leviticus 26:13; Hebrews 13:5)
- See yourself the way that God sees you – remember it is by His grace that you are saved and His strength is made perfect in your times of weaknesses and limitations. (Psalm 17:8; Matthew 10:31; 2 Corinthians 12:9)
- Always speak words that reflect faith in God and His promises – remember the power of life and death is in the tongue (Jeremiah 29:11; Proverbs 18:21)
Conclusion
My prayer for all of us is that we continue to run the race that is set before us and look to Jesus who is the Author (beginner) and finisher of our faith. He is a promise keeping God and one who keeps His covenants. We are not guaranteed our family and friends will always be there by our side, but we have that eternal hope and confidence that our Lord will never leave us nor forsake us.
Therefore, let us not throw away our confidence, but persevere in the faith.
Partner with us today!
If you like this post and think it will be valuable to your followers, then just hit on the Share buttons below. That will help your family, friends and followers find this content on social media.
Thank you for always showing your love and support. I truly appreciate you!
Kingdom Ambassadors Empowerment Network 
Hello Madam Yvonne,
Let me be sincere with you, my life has never being the same after I left everything in the hands of God. I smile in the face of adversity because I do know my God is in control.
Thanks for the sermon.
Hi Yvonne,
Firstly, thank you for the mention, I do appreciate that.
In my opinion you are discussing a life changing topic in this post. One that needs a lot of time and commitment to fully understand. Thank you for sharing those tips to help us on the way.
I personally think we need to spend much more time to meditate, discuss and get to understand the concept of “living by faith”. We often miss the point, by praying about something and then just expecting instant results. Then when nothing happens we think that we either do not have enough faith, or as I often hear people say, “this faith stuff doesn’t work”. Nothing could be further from the truth. The real problem is our lack of understanding.
I think we should start by finding out where faith comes from. Each one of us has received a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). We need to learn how to develop it. Firstly Romans 10:17 (NKJV) says “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”. So we need to feed ourselves on the Word on a daily basis to find out what the will of God is. By constantly hearing the Word of God, it will get settled in our hearts, and influence our thinking and what we believe. This will have an effect on our words (Luke 6;45) and actions (James 2:20). We need to take action to add substance to it.
What this means to me is that whenever we have a need to pray about something, we first need to find what the scriptures are saying about the promises of God regarding our situation. Once we know what the Word says, we can pray according to the scriptures in faith (Mark 11:22-24 and James 1:6). Then we should get our actions in line with the Word and act accordingly, taking a stand according to Ephesians 6:14, until our faith is manifested according to the Word. Our actions should demonstrate what we believe. This will eventually lead us to live by faith in the promises of God, and not by what we see in our circumstances.
I recently heard a good comparison which says, “the world says seeing is believing, but in God’s Kingdom believing is seeing”. In the world we first need to see it before we can believe, but by faith, we can can see it before it manifests.
Hi Jaco,
Always a pleasure having you here. I really appreciate your support and your encouragement. Your comment is powerful and once again it has demonstrated your wisdom on topics such as this. I agree with every point you have made and great illustration through the scriptures that you have referenced.
I will add that living by faith is a lifelong journey. Faith works well with patience, so indeed there is no quick results if in fact we are walking and living by faith. I too have heard that same statement ‘this faith thing doesn’t work.’ Not only is it the lack of understanding, I believe it is the way that the person was introduced initially to the faith concept and I would go on record to say some “misguided teachings, and distorted truths and perceptions” Nothing happens in an instant/overnight.
The measure of faith that each one of us received must be exercised in order for there to be an increase in it. And I believe this was what Jesus meant when on more than one occasion He gave His disciples this rebuke, “O ye of little faith.” (Mat 6:30; 8:26)
Thank you once again for engaging in this discussion and for bringing so much value. Indeed a teachable moment.
Have a great week. God bless you. 🙂