THOUGHTS ON THR LORD’S DAY
“Faith on fire versus faith under fire.”
Fire requires three things. It’s called the “Fire Triangle.” First, it requires heat. Second, it requires fuel. Third, it requires oxygen or air. Take away any one of these critical elements and the fire goes out. Never in my lifetime has my faith, our faith and the “faith of our fathers” been under fire and such vicious attack than it is today.
Our relationships with God and our friends provide the heat for our faith to be alive and burning hot. God’s word, logos and rhema, provides the fuel for our faith to be renewed and vibrant. The Holy Spirit is the air that we breathe, it keeps our faith fresh and burning brightly. The Bible says, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up the standard.” I learned in the military; the counterattack must be greater than the attack in order to defeat the enemy.
There is no such thing as a battle-less victory. The Bible is very clear. God does not cause or “send” trouble to us. Believe me, the devil doesn’t need any help with that! However, the idea that study and teaching from God’s Word is all we need for our faith to grow strong is unscriptural.
On the contrary, along with study and teaching from the Word, every believer also needs regular communion with the Holy Spirit to be equipped for the battles and tests that are sure to come. Without all three, your “fire” goes out and your faith will never grow as strong as God intended.
Something had to come before you could overcome–meaning, without a test, you will never have a testimony. There is never a personal victory without engaging in some real combat. It’s during the battle that our faith is tested and grows.
Faith comes by hearing the Word. But only “tested-faith” produces growth and gets results. Why? Because only tested faith has the strength and added ingredients necessary to outlast the spiritual attacks of the enemy. It’s in the battle, in the good fight of faith, where these ingredients are added and developed.
The Bible gives this example: “These are the nations that the Lord left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle” (Judges 3:1-2, NLT).
Notice that God intentionally left Israel’s enemy nations in the land of Promise. Why? Because there were still tribes of Israel which “had not experienced the wars of Canaan.” Apparently, God thinks it’s necessary that we face opposition, pressures, and battles in order to grow, mature and win.
“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith–life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So, don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work, so you become mature and well–developed, not deficient in any way” (James 1:2-4, MSG).
God will no doubt get you out of all your troubles. But instead of seeking the fast way out, trust God to work in you what you need and take out of you what you don’t. This way, as James puts it, your patience will have a chance to grow. You will be ready for anything and you will not be deficient in any way.
Remember this: “Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So, let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete” (James 1:2-4, TLB).
In other words, don’t quit when your faith is under fire! Stay in the Word and continue in fellowship with your Heavenly Father, fellow believers and with the Holy Spirit. Only then will your tested faith over come in the day of battle! If your Faith is under fire, God has considered you worthy of the test. God will never bring a test that He has not equipped you to win!