Nov 4, 20235 min read

“Keep On” Believing: The Importance of Continuing in Faith

Updated: Nov 9, 2023

Podcast Version: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dawn-dyson/episodes/Keep-On-Believing-The-Importance-of-Continuing-in-Faith-e2bna5b/a-aajbqtd

Life takes a while. Life is a promise—a long, sweeping and oft dramatic love letter written in you and through you by the hand of God. The battle of good and evil is epic in your case. It is quite a story for God to unfold and we are to watch it all the way through (read Mark 13:29-37, AMPC).

The promises of God, and service to God, take time—designed to endure for a lifetime. We are to see them in their fullest forms. Therefore, prayers often take longer for God to answer than we initially think. Don’t be in a rush or impatient with the faith. It is the highest quality work and God is Eternal—He will not run out of time to bless you.

Hebrews 6:12 tells us it is through faith and patience that we inherit what God has promised! These go together—a match made in Heaven.

Conversely, faith mixed with impatience causes us to become internally conflicted, externally confounded, and despondent or void of hope. This spiritual friction will wear out a person faster than any external opposition.

There is a simple fix: keep on believing! Belief is not meant to be brief—something tried once and then disposed of. Rather, belief comes from God, and so it is designed to be everlasting and to far override our brief time on earth. It will always fit us no matter how much we grow. Our ongoing belief is one of the most powerful tools we have to use here. When we grab it up as essential and reactivate it, it, in turn, reenergizes us and causes us to endure the problematic issue for as long as it takes to defeat it.

Success will not be realized

in any true measure or manner

if belief is not a primary force

employed in achieving it.

Oxford Dictionary defines belief as: “Accept[ing] (something) as true; [to] feel sure of the truth of; [to] feel sure that someone is capable of doing something; [to] hold…” In other words, “To have and to hold,” assuredly and forever. Christ makes us feel secure in who we are—God’s elect, and sure in what we are doing—God’s will.

Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary of the American English Language defines the verb “believe” as: “[The] assent of the mind, a yielding of the will and affections, accompanied with a humble reliance on Christ for salvation”; and cites David, the Psalmist, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13). Belief is an actual act with actual results. It is important from an individual level to saving nations. You see, David was king, often faced with negative reports, rumors of war, and grave difficulty and discouragement—his life was always sought. Yet, his belief in God made him strong and enabled him to feel hopeful, clearing the way for him to get up every day and lead God’s people effectively.

Our feelings must align with our mind for us to be strong and effective. We are to be whole beings with a strong, active, determined will—not splintered, fragmented, frazzled and frayed. Therefore, if we want positive feelings, we must have a sound and positive mind—only achievable by believing in God’s goodness and power over and above all the power the enemy possesses (see Luke 10:19; 2 Timothy 1:7).

The enemy wants to unravel you;

Christ came to make you whole.

(See Isaiah 61:1-3; Luke 4:17-19; John 10:10.)

Proverbs 22:18 (AMPC) reminds us that belief—assenting (agreeing; expressing approval) to God’s plan and keeping God’s promises at the front of our mind—and, speaking and confessing these aloud, makes our life pleasant…like a honeycomb! Faith-filled words part waters and make life sweet!

For our Example, Jesus, in overhearing and ignoring negative reports, instead chose to say, “Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear; only keep on believing” (Mark 5:36, AMPC).

Jesus DID NOT put His mind or speech into a negative mode;

He NEVER agreed with the Devil.

He took His stand, and He kept His holy convictions strong

all His life through.

Christ is our Savior, a Name that doesn’t change. The power of His Blood does not change. If the church of Christ weakens, it is only because we have changed. So, I strongly encourage you today to keep on believing, keep on positively confessing God’s Word. When we do, you and I will see the glory of God manifest in our lives through Christ Jesus our Lord because He is no quitter. He is faithful, strong, loyal, true, and He is coming soon. Let Him find us strong in the Christian faith.

May God bless you and grant you the measure of faith and patience you need to see His answers come to pass in your life. Keep on believing!

[What, what would have become of me] had I not believed that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13, AMPC)!

SCRIPTURE-BASED CONFESSIONS:

God protects me like an impenetrable shield. He is My glory. He is the lifter of my head. He is my good and all-powerful Father. He cares deeply about me, and I believe in Him with every fiber of my being (from Psalm 3:3).

I am the head and not the tail; above and not beneath. God causes me to keep His commands. I lend to many nations and I never have to borrow. I am His child; a joint heir in Christ (from Deuteronomy 28:13, 15:6; Psalm 27:10; Ephesians 3:6; 1 Peter 3:7).

I lean on the Lord and He shows me the way to go. I think according to the Word of God; I turn away from evil. This manner of consistent and dedicated living is health to my mind and my body (from Proverbs 3:6-8).

I love God with all my heart, all my soul/life, all my mind and all my strength. He causes me to love other people as my own self (from Mark 12:30-31).

I do the work that God commissions and enables me to do during my lifetime. I continue to believe in Jesus Christ, Whom God sent. I keep having faith in God’s Messenger, Jesus Christ, and the Good News of the Gospel of Him. I tell it to others because I love God and I love all God’s people (from John 6:29).

I hear the voice of the Son of God and I truly and authentically live (from John 5:25).

I don’t need to worry about anything. I can rest assured because I am God’s child through Christ, and God is all-powerful and He watches over me continuously. In my Father’s House, there are many rooms, and Jesus is preparing my place with Him in Heaven, and interceding to the Father on my behalf, right now. My biggest problems have already been prayed for, and God’s good plan for me will come to pass. I can rest and watch and see how God fixes all things and works them out for good. I love Him (from John 14:1-3; Romans 8:28, 34; Jeremiah 29:11).

God has not given me the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (from 2 Timothy 1:7).

I use my life, my mouth, my mind, and my endeavors to learn, hold to and fulfill the purposes of Christ Jesus. God has given me the mind of Christ and the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, and I walk, think, speak and choose in direct line with these holy qualities; I do not deviate from them. When I make a mistake, I quickly run to God and repent of it. He is faithful to restore me and set me on the right path again. He sees that no lasting harm ever comes to me (from 1 Corinthians 2:16; Galatians 5:22-25; Psalm 23; 56:4, 11; 118:6; Hebrews 13:6).

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TRANSLATIONS and REFERENCES:

King James Version (KJV), Public domain.

Noah Webster. “Believe.” Retrieved November 4, 2023 from: https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/believe

Oxford Languages. “Believing.” Retrieved November 4, 2023 from Google search: https://www.google.com/search?

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