Stand Steadfast in Faith

 

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
— James 1:6

The devil will try to undermine your faith when you face a challenging situation. However, in this critical moment when the enemy is most intimidating, you have a choice to make. You can either give up or stand your ground. You can refuse to relinquish your position of faith. 

Don’t feel condemned when you fail to maintain your faith in challenging  situations. Let James’ message from the Lord encourage you, not condemn you. To overcome a challenging situation or a persistent obstacle, you must take a courageous stand in faith and remain unwavering.

Even though what you pray aligns with God’s will, that doesn’t guarantee a quick or easy answer. There’s a devil who comes against it. But not only that. You struggle with your own flesh, which desires comfort and hates challenges. Your faith requires greater growth because God wishes you to reach a higher level.

Faith isn’t being undecided or unsure. Faith believes. It stands steadfast, never moving or wavering. In James 1:6, James describes the unwavering attitude a believer must maintain when he asks God for something: “But let him ask in faith, with no doubt. For he that doubts is like a wave of the sea driven driven and tossed by the wind.”

In James 1:6 is we learn that we must “ask.” The Greek word used for “ask” indicates that we are to be firm and resolute in requesting assistance to meet our needs. We need to be so confident in what we request that we boldly pray with the assurance that we wil receive it.

James says that we must ask “in faith.” The Greek language places emphasis on the word “in.”  The phrase “in faith” designates a position you are locked into. In other words, this person who is “in faith” is praying from a firm and immovable position. He is praying from an unwavering belief. He knows God’s promise, and he isn’t going to change. He is utterly determined and refuses to settle for anything less than what he believes. Nothing is going to shake or move him.

James 1:6 also states that we must ask in faith and not “doubt.” The Greek word for “doubt” reveals a person who disagrees with himself.  You may be saying all the right words, but your heart may not really agree. You may be confessing all the right things without truly believing them. Until your heart and mouth line up, you’re not truly asking in faith. We must ask with hearts that agree with the words we speak.

This verse teaches that if we aren’t asking “in faith”—if we aren’t praying from a position of unwavering faith—we are like a wave of the sea. Waves are spectacular, but they always recede. Similarly, a person who lacks unwavering faith may appear or sound confident when they pray. However, just like a wave of the sea, if their prayers and desires are constantly changing, they aren’t in a position to receive God’s blessings.

James 1:7 instructs,:“Let not that man suppose that he shall receive anything from the Lord.” God wants to bless us, but if we don’t stay “in faith” long enough, we won’t receive the answer to our prayer. When we don’t stand firmly in a position of faith, we find ourselves vacillating constantly, just like the waves, changing from one prayer request to another prayer request over the same issue. When a small amount of pressure comes, we doubt, and change again. This is not what God wants for us. Faith knows. It stands, believing, no matter what Satan or the flesh or the world declares is true. 

What have you experienced? Perhaps this is one reason your prayer hasn’t been answered. Do you often change your mind or waver in doubt? Perhaps you haven’t fully committed yourself to steadfastly stand in faith for that particular need. Sometimes, it takes years to see the result of your prayers. If you’re moving around and wavering in your faith all the time, you make it difficult for God to bless you. This is why it’s imperiative to focus and be firmly committed.

What is in your heart? Do you believe? Can you truthfully confess, “I’m believing God for this answer to manifest,  and I’m not moving from my stand of faith?” If you can, you position yourself as someone God can bless.

Don’t be tossed around by the enemy, your challenges, or the opinions of others. Be steadfast, asking in faith without wavering. Never vacillate. Let patience have its perfect work. Remain confident that you will see your answer come to pass because your faith is based upon God’s Word, and His Word is His will. Profess the hope of your answer today and everyday until the will of God is manifested in your life (Hebrews 10:23).

God is faithful. Through patience and faith, you inherit His promise. (Hebrews 6:12).