Sunday Praise & Worship Message - Don’t Abandon Your Faith

With all of the things going on in the world today, it is very easy for individuals to become disillusioned and give up on their faith. Look at what we are facing, global strife, a pandemic, raging forest fires, and so many more things. If that weren’t enough, we have to deal with rising costs of gasoline, food, shelter and other basic things that we need daily just to survive. Add all of those things up and you have a daily headache. With all those things going on, there are times when it is just better to stay in bed and pull the covers over our heads and hope and pray that it all goes away. 

Since the beginning of recorded time, human beings have faced all sorts of problems. Disease, famine, war, pestilence and a host of other things have plagued us. In chapter six of the Book of Revelation, John tells us about the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. These horsemen unleash untold misery upon the world and its inhabitants. 

With all of that going on, it is very easy for a person to just give up on their faith. With an uncertain future and problems piling up daily, many have just given up on their Christian faith. Some have moved on to other religions in hopes of finding something that will ease their minds while others have given up completely on faith. Those individuals have chosen to become atheists. 

But, we, as Christians, need to understand one thing. Being a Christian does not mean that our lives will be “full of rainbows and unicorns”. We still have to live in this fallen world and deal with all of its issues and the problems we face daily. But, we should draw upon the comfort of our faith and God’s love for us. 

God’s love manifested itself through His son, Christ Jesus. Jesus came to save us from our sin and give us eternal life in accordance with God’s plan of salvation. It is through that free gift, given by God to us, that we have a future of eternal life with the Father.

If we concentrate on the things of this world, our faith begins to wax and wane. We begin to question God and even wonder about His existence. When this happens, it is very easy for Satan to whisper even more things into our ears. He is a deceiver and liar. He will do and say anything to convince you that your faith is worthless.

When Satan gets your attention and you start to listen, you begin to question God even more. Instead of seeking God, you are moving away from Him. You feel that He isn’t listening or even there for you. You may even think that God has forsaken you. It is so very easy to fall into this trap and to stray away from your faith. 

That faith is like a lifeline that has been thrown to you. Jesus has thrown out that lifeline to you and your faith helps you grab onto it and hold fast. However, when you start to listen to Satan and focus on the things of this world, then your grip weakens and you slip back into the tempest. 

Jesus, while speaking with his disciples in chapter sixteen of the Gospel of John about the trials that they will face, says, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Jesus was able to overcome the world through his unwavering faith in his Father. We need to pattern our faith after Jesus’. We must be strong and hold fast to it daily. When we remain steadfast in our faith, we grow stronger and stronger. Our relationship with the Lord also grows strong.

In chapter fourteen of the Book of Acts, we are told that Paul and Barnabas preached the Good News to all and encouraged believers “to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.”

We all go through hardships daily. Some are small while others really put our faith to the test. But, like Jesus, we must learn to overcome and remain strong and courageous. We must be bold and always remember that we have a direct line to God the Father through His son, Christ Jesus. 

By being vigilant and remaining grounded in our faith, we truly can overcome the things of this sinful world. God gives us the strength daily to do so. Use that strength to remain close to Him. Walk the path of righteousness laid out before you and never deviate from it. When you feel the hand of Satan upon your shoulder or hear him whispering in your ear, use your faith to beat him back. By faith, you have power over Satan.

James, in chapter two of his book, writes, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.”

Satan and the demons in Hell recognize the power of God and tremble in fear of Him. God gives us this power to overcome not only Satan and his minions but also the troubles of this world. Use that faith daily. Grow stronger in it. When you do that, you can most assuredly stand firm in His grace. 

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.