“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised” – Hebrews 10:23 (KJV).
There are many things that could cause one’s faith to waver. When a person’s faith begins to waver, it becomes unstable. Such a person begins to stagger, not being able to hold fast or strongly to what he once believed. At such times, doubt sets in and conviction becomes weak and hope begins to fade. This is an attack on the mind of the believer from the devil using prevailing situation and circumstances of life that seem to negate God’s promises.
Examples abound in the bible of people whose faith wavered along the way. A good example in the Old Testament is Elijah, after killing the prophets of baal. He had such a great victory when God answered by fire to consume the sacrifice at the altar which the prophets of Baal failed to achieve and so were killed. Surprisingly, shortly after such this great fit, Prophet Elijah’s faith began to waver when he heard of the threats of Jezebel. Such sudden fluctuation of faith is shocking, knowing the victory of the contest with the prophets of Baal. His confession became negative; fear suddenly gripped his heart and he requested that God take his life. Couldn’t the God that answered by fire have delivered him from the threats of a woman – Jezebel? This is the danger of wavering faith. It puts one in darkness making him not to see clearly the integrity of the word and the power of God to deliver. It makes one to doubt in the dark what one believed in the light. It weakens convictions making room for doubt and fear. It creates double mindedness and the resulting instability.
Another practical example can be seen in the New Testament in the case of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ. John declared to the world that Jesus was the Messiah, the son of God. He spoke with such boldness and confidence that many Jews including his disciples left him and followed Jesus. When John was asked if he was the Christ, he confessed that he was not the Christ but his messenger. He introduced Christ with such clarity and confidence as one mightier that he. Faced with persecution and trial which led to his imprisonment by Herod, John’s faith began to waver and his conviction became weaker and weaker each day. He looked out for deliverance but failed to get it. As a result of this wavering faith, John sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was really the Messiah.
Resorting to the word for a reassurance and deeper conviction and staying in the place of unbroken fellowship is a powerful antidote to a wavering faith. We need constant dose of the word and constant communion in prayer to keep our faith strong and stable so we can be like Abraham, who did not stagger at the promises of God but was strong in faith, giving glory to God (Romans 4:20).
PRAYER: Dear Lord, make my faith strong and stable.
Rev. Vincent Diolu