Steadfast Faith

 “For the fruit of the Spirit is . . . faith. . .” (Galatians 5:22)

Do you believe God is who He says He is? According to Hebrews 11:6, we cannot please God without faith, the seventh characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit. To go to God, you must believe that He is real—that He exists and rewards believers who diligently search for Him. It is imperative to trust God honors His word to serve Him faithfully.

Faith believes in and trusts God, walking with Him even though what lies ahead is unseen and He is invisible. God proves His children’s faith, whether weak or unwavering, putting us to the test. And, sometimes, the enemy of our soul stands ready to instigate trials that frustrate our faith, attacking from all sides. He sees how we respond to people and situations. Always on the prowl, he knows what deceives and aggravates us, what causes us to lose heart or temper, how we react under pressure, those strengths we boast of having. We must always be prepared, geared up, with faith to ward off his tactics to serve our God faithfully.

Paul writes in Ephesians 6:16 that faith is a crucial part of God’s armor that shields us from the enemies’ fiery darts he throws to wound and destroy. When faith is strong, your shield is big, guarding you. But when confidence in God wanes, trust shrinks, and you are vulnerable to self-deceit, and the enemy’s accusations, lies, and pitfalls. Authentic Christ-followers firmly stand when others try to discredit their character knowing, God knows the truth of their faithfulness.

Do others think of you as trustworthy, someone in whom one can confide? Or, by your inconsistent and mistrustful life-walk, do they steer clear of you? Christians with steadfast faith are faithful in word and deed to God, family, friends, and others; all else is vain deceit and the mark of ingenuine Christianity.