TOPIC: INSIST BY FAITH
Bible Reading: Job 7–9; Acts 7:44–60
“I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” — Luke 18:8 (KJV)
Faith is not passive; it is persistent. It lays hold of God’s promises and refuses to let go until they become reality. Hebrews 11 records the victories of men and women who prevailed through faith, declaring that “women received their dead raised to life again” Hebrews 11:35. This reveals a fundamental truth about biblical faith: it is anchored in the resurrection power of God. For the believer, death is never the final word because our faith rests in the God who raises the dead and brings life where there appears to be no hope.
Many people speak about positive thinking, positive confession, and maintaining a positive outlook on life. While these principles may have some value, they are not the same as Christian faith. Biblical faith is founded upon the person and power of God. It is the faith that conquered death through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, it possesses authority over every manifestation of death, sickness, lack, defeat, fear, or hopelessness. Christian faith does not merely deny circumstances; it triumphs over them through confidence in God’s resurrection power.
Apostle Paul expressed this confidence when he wrote, “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken” 2 Corinthians 4:13 (KJV). He went on to declare his assurance that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, would also raise His people. Faith believes before it speaks, but once it believes, it speaks boldly because it is convinced of God’s power to reverse every situation that appears lifeless or impossible.
Abraham is a remarkable example of such faith. Romans 4:19 tells us that he “considered not his own body now dead” nor “the deadness of Sara’s womb.” Instead of focusing on natural limitations, he focused on God’s promise. His faith was fixed on the God who “quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were” Romans 4:17 (KJV). By refusing to accept the verdict of impossibility, Abraham and Sarah received the promised son. Their faith insisted on life where death seemed to reign.
Jesus illustrated this same persistence in the parable of the widow and the unjust judge in Luke 18:1–8. The widow refused to give up because she knew her case was just. The same way believers must stand firmly on what God has promised in His Word. Faith is not a passive waiting for something to happen someday. Rather, it is steadfast confidence that continually acts upon God’s Word, speaks in agreement with His promises, and refuses to surrender to contrary circumstances.
Determine to insist by faith. Hold fast to every promise God has given you. Refuse to accept defeat where God has spoken victory, or death where He has promised life. As you remain steadfast in faith, you will discover that God’s promises are not mere words; they are realities waiting to be manifested in your life.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the gift of faith and the power of Your Word. Help me to persist in faith until every promise is manifested in my life, in Jesus’ name.
Pastor Alfred Samuel