“Faith that Stands”
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Faith That Stands
Faith That Stands
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
A Final word:
Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power.
Put on all of God’s armor.
No where does it say we are to take off God’s armor.
Today we want to look at what it means to stand in faith, and how do we get the kind of faith to stand.
First, what is faith?
1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
a. Sure – Realization
b. Certain – Confidence
Webster’s Dictionary put it this way.
1. Unquestioning belief the does not require proof or evidence. 2. Complete trust, confidence or reliance.
This is the kind of faith Paul, had. He needed no more proof, he had complete trust, and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ.
6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
Look at what Paul told Timothy.
12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.
What does it mean to stand in faith?
It means that when all things are going against you, you can still stand and say no matter what things look like, no matter how bad things maybe I will still trust God and His word.
Let’s take a look at some of words of encouragement.
16 The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death. 18 Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
12 That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.
How do we get this faith to stand?
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
In Matthew 4, when Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness by the devil he stood in faith, by using the word of God. Every time the devil said something Jesus would say, “It is written”.
It doesn’t matter what your feelings tell you, it doesn’t matter what your emotions tell you. At times they will tell you things that are not true.
17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
We have to know what the word of God says, and do the word if we are going to have faith to quench all the fiery dart of the enemy.
To have faith that stand you have to know the word of God and live out the word.
4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.
We walk a life of faith, not of sight!
7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.
Andrew Brunson is a pastor who was arrested in Turkey under false allegations of being connected to a terrorist organization. He spent two years in prison which was supposed to be a 35 year sentence. When asked about his experience he gave a really interesting response.
He described his two year sentence as the silence of God. He was used to the presence of God and having that intimacy but he could not find it there in prison.
The first year of prison broke Andrew repeatedly. He was the only Christian in the over crowded prison and was isolated. The only person he could talk to was his wife.
The only encouragement he has was knowing that people were praying for him, although he could not feel it.
By the end of that first year he knew that something bigger was going on and that God was using what He was going through to draw in prayer to Turkey in a big way.
During the second year of prison is when Andrew started to go through the rebuilding process with God. He finally got a place of saying to God, “whether I feel you or not I am going to follow you.” It was difficult but he began to practice disciplines regardless of what he felt. Every day he would practice dancing before the Lord for 5 minutes a day as an act of joy. It was painful for him to sing before the Lord because he would get choked up from the hurt he had in his heart towards God. But it brought him to a place of worshipping God in all circumstances.
As he prayed everyday he could fell God bringing him to an upward trajectory. He would pray for the character of Christ and strength to endure. His heart began to be refocused and through this process he knew God in a deeper and more intimate way. He had more confidence in his relationship with God.
He had a sincere love for God before prison but during his trial it was severely tested and proven. Coming out of this trial Andrew had a more strengthened and intimate relationship with God than ever before.
How are we going to respond if we don’t feel God in our circumstance? Are we going to stay faithful and continue to press in even if we don’t feel it??