Charles Capps - Can your faith fail?

CAN YOUR FAITH FAIL?

FAITH IS A LAW

Faith is of God. God is a faith God. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. Faith is a law (Romans 3:28; 8:7). God's laws work. They were designed to worknot fail. Whether others believe or don't believe will not stop God's laws from working.

"... what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged" (Romans 3:3 ,4 ).

FAITH COMES FROM A SUPERNATURAL SEED

THE FAITH OF GOD DOES NOT FAIL. Faith comes by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

The Word of God is incorruptible seed. A natural seed will sometimes fail: God's Word never fails. Many times people fail to apply the Word of God.

You can cause faith to fail to produce. Let's say it this way: True faith is a supernatural seed;

it won't fail, but you can cause a failure in spite of the seed. Your action or reaction can stop the productivity of the seed. The seed (faith) does not always determine the outcome.

"And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say to this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it shall obey you" (Luke 17:6).

"We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak" (2 Corinthians 4:13).

"SATAN HATH DEMANDED TO HAVE YOU...."

Although you have faith, evidently it is possible for it to fail to produce the desired results. We see this possibility of failure in Luke 22:31 ,32 :

"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold satan hath desired to have-you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.... "

Notice, it does NOT say, "God hath desired to sift you," but " satan hath desired to sift you." The Greek word translated desired means demanded. Satan had demanded to have Peter that he might sift him as wheat. So often people think God is doing the testing and trying, so they just bow down to it, try to be humble, and bear the trial. They suffer whatever comes their way because they believe it is God perfecting them. Many will quote a verse of Scripture out of context to prove it is God doing it.

For example, people say, "You know the Bible says, 'All things work together for good.'"

Yes, Paul did say that in Romans 8:28, but let us keep it in the context of what Paul was teaching.

"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit , because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:26-28).

Paul said after you have prayed in the spirit, then you know that all things you prayed about by interceding in the spirit will work together for good.

THE GREATEST ENEMY OF FAITH

The greatest enemy of faith, the most subtle and the most devastating, is the lack of knowledge of the Word of God. To believe the devil's lie that, "It is God that is putting you through trials and tests:" will neutralize your faith. Through religious tradition satan has blinded the minds of Christians to what the Word says. Jesus said, "SATAN HATH DESIRED TO ... SIFT YOU."

James 1:2 says, "... count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." Notice, he said, "when you fall into temptations," not when you walk into them with your eyes open. Some folks have walked into them with their eyes wide open! This verse is often misquoted as, "The trying of your faith perfects it." But the Word says, "The trying of your faith works patience."

Patience is a spiritual force that will support your faith like a pier under a bridge. Satan tries that which you call "faith" to see if it is true faith, or if it is mental assent. The force of patience will undergird your faith and cause you to be constant holding the same confession through the trial satan brought.

SATAN IS OUT TO DESTROY YOUR FAITH

Peter said, "... think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings ...." (1 Peter 4:12 ,13 )

No, it's not strange that these things happen. Satan is not out to perfect your faith. If the trying of your faith perfected it, we would all have it made. Our faith would be perfect. I don't know anyone who hasn't had plenty of trials or tests!

I'll admit that if you win out with your faith, you will be stronger. If you'll put your faith into action through the Word, you will come out with a determination to not let satan win another battle. But that is not what satan designed it to do. He designed the trial to put you under, not over.

Trials are a design of satan . If you believe that God sends trials, that is a devastating blow to your faith. If God is doing it, certainly you don't want to resist God. For instance, in the area of sickness, if it's God's will for you to be sick, why go to a doctor and try to get out of God's will?

It is God's will that you be well.

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth ." (3 John 2)

God wants you healed, and He will go any way you choose: through doctors, through the Word, or both. But, if you fall for satan's lie, your faith is in neutral. You cannot use your faith to get rid of something you believe God gave you.

Satan is not the finisher of your faith, and if trials and tests perfected faith, satan would be the finisher of it. Hebrews 12:2 declares that Jesus is the author and finisher of your faith.

GOD IS NOT THE TEMPTER

Let me call your attention to something Jesus said when He was teaching His disciples principles of prayer.

"After this manner therefore pray ye :

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:9 ,10 )

Just stop and ask yourself this question: Is it God's will that we be tested and tried in heaven? The answer is obvious. There will be no tests or trials there. Then, that must be God's will for the earth.

In Matthew 26:41, Jesus said to His disciples, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation ...." Evidently you can avoid temptations, tests, and trials by watching and praying. Most of the time we get into trials and temptations by not doing what Jesus said to do to avoid them.

The word temptation in James 1:2, "... count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations," and in verse 13, "Let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God .... " is the same word translated trial and test in other parts of the New Testament. Let's paraphrase it: "Let no man say that it is God doing the tempting and trying: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man."

"Do not err, my beloved brethren." Or as we would say, do not be misled. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:16 ,17 ).

The word shadow here speaks of less light or darkness. There is never any gradual turning from that which is good and perfect. God is not guilty of using evil or darkness to perfect you.

TWO FORCES AT WORK

The Father is the giver of all good. In John 10:10, Jesus said,

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life..."