Do Not Faint
Good Morning,
Proverbs 24:10 “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.”
In this verse, we see that some who face adversity will faint. People who face trials will simply give out or give up, or in weariness, turn aside from the fight.
Job was accused of being able to talk about faith except when trouble hit him, and then he could not hold up. How wrong his accusers were! Job wrestled through terrible circumstances and won the battle, though the battle was fierce and terrible.
Job 4:5 “But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled."
Yes, we do get troubled. Yes, we face adversity beyond words. To quit serving God is not an option; quitting is an insult to the grace of God.
I wonder, does God give grace and help when we grow faint?
Isaiah 40:29 “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."
Do those who wait upon the Lord truly find renewed strength?
Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Notice God does not say we will not be faint, but that God will help us through the times when there is no strength to go on. Paul spoke often about being under extreme distress.
2 Corinthians 4:1 “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;"
We must keep our eyes and mind on the Saviour or we will surely be overcome and faint.
Hebrews 12:3 "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."
To the church at Ephesus John wrote, "And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted." (Revelation 2:3) The Ephesian people were laboring for Jesus’ sake, not for their own pleasure or pride but for Christ. Since the people were doing what they did for His blessed name, they kept on when they might have fainted in their own strength.
Ephesians 6 has a very practical outline that will help us stand in the battle:
(Armour of God)
1. Stand for truth. Do not chase lies or exaggerations. Do not falsely accuse. (vs.14)
2. Maintain a life of righteousness. (vs. 14)
3. Be sure to go soul winning and witness often. (vs. 15)
4. Keep trusting God and obeying His direction – that is our shield. (vs. 16)
5. Spend much more time in the Bible – it is our sword. (vs. 17)
6. Spend much more time in prayer. (vs. 18)
Pressures and hurt will cause us to curl up in a ball and hide from people, but God says if we are to stand, we will need much strength; practicing the outline above will allow us to stand in the evil day.
We must understand that this life of ours belongs to the Lord; we are His servants. With all the Lord's kindnesses, we sometimes think we are His servants as long as life is happy and peaceful. We must remember that we are at war, battling against the powers of darkness. We cannot fight a spiritual enemy in the power of the flesh. We need the armour of God mentioned above.
Fainting is not uncommon, but I do not want to be one who does it. Quitting is a regular occurrence for some, but I do not want to participate.
Ephesians 6:13-14 tells us, “…having done all to stand, stand therefore..."
May we continue to stand for God and right.
Pastor