Being Steadfast

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. I Corinthians 15:57-58 (NKJV)

As believers, we are to be steadfast and immovable. Steadfast in the original language means to be immovable, settled, steady, firm. I like the word settled. When our faith is firmly placed in Jesus Christ, things are settled. There is no back and forth- it is settled for us that His Word is true and reliable. We are not double-minded, but our focus is on the Lord and His promises, and we cannot be shaken. Keep in mind, this is a process for each of us, and we are all at various stages, but the ultimate goal is to be totally unmoved from our faith in any situation.

I’d like to share something that happened to me at one point in my life- at a time in the past, but not the distant past. I was in a business establishment and was told of an amount of money that would need to be paid in order for a needed service to be performed. At the time, my bank account did not contain the funds to cover it. I should have recognized it for what it was: an attack of the enemy on my faith. However, I was not as steadfast as I would like to say I was. For a split second, I nearly bent over and collapsed onto the counter in front of the receptionist. I muttered, “That’s not going to happen!” Talk about a statement of unbelief! I immediately composed myself and told her I would get back with her about making payment and scheduling an appointment. And for the rest of the day, I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. I was not encouraging myself in the Lord. Rather, I was looking at how overwhelming the situation was.

I was so disappointed in myself for my less-than-stellar reaction. I repented to the Lord about how I had handled the situation. I had not been steadfast, immovable, and settled about God providing for my every need. Then I realized that I was simply speaking out of what was in my heart. I was relying on my paycheck and my bank account more than I was relying on God. Somewhere along the way I had taken my eyes off God and placed it on my own ability to pay for things. In order to rebuild faith in my heart regarding finances, I would have to get into His Word because faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word. And faith that is consistently activated always produces. Then I would be was able to believe God for the needed finances to come in.

We must have a steady diet of the Word of God to maintain our faith in each and every area of our lives. I had gotten busy and let my daily Word time slip- and it had showed when the heat was turned up. Plus, I had been facing a lot of stress on multiple fronts, so instead of letting my Word time go down, I should have already increased it to help me overcome the pressures I was facing. I hope that by sharing this trying experience and my failure to meet it with faith, you’ll be reminded once again of the importance of the Word in our daily lives. The Word is our anchor that helps us to remain steadfast in the face of any test or trial.