Hold Fast!

                                                               

                     Hebrews 10:23 reads, “Let us hold fast the profession of faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised)”

Sometimes, as Christians, we need to ‘hold fast’ to our confession of faith and we often need to remind ourselves of the faithfulness of God. It seems like such an easy thing to do and yet, when we are reaching deep our roots of faith, digging in to hold onto that promise given, gripping on for dear life to battle the elements around us, it is much easier said than done. When you are hanging on with all you’ve got, it helps to know Who God is and this scripture here gives us a very important glimpse into His Character. He is Faithful that promised. We always talk about whether or not we ourselves are faithful, but isn’t it good to know that He really is! He doesn’t make a promise that He doesn’t intend to keep. You can bank on His every word, because He really means what He says. The whole reason why we can hold fast the profession of our faith is because we are not holding fast our profession of the thing that is promised- we are holding fast our profession of our faith, which is in the One Who has promised! Do you see the difference? Our faith is not in ‘what’ but ‘WHO‘. We confess JESUS, the Faithful One! If He has promised you something, you can be sure that He will do as He has said. The only position you need to take is faith in Him, for, ‘He is faithful that promised‘ Hallelujah!

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines the word Promise as: 6. In scripture, the promise of God is the declaration or assurance which God has given in His Word of bestowing blessings on His people. Such assurance resting on the perfect justice, power, benevolence and immutable veracity of God, CANNOT FAIL of performance.

Now this definition is accurate because the assurance of a promise coming to pass rests solely on the character of God, not on our performance. God, who is perfect in justice, power and benevolence, will absolutely do as He says! What does ” immutable veracity ” of God mean? Immutable means “unchanging” and veracity means “unwilling to lie”. Because God does not change and because He is unwilling to lie, His Promise cannot fail of performance!

Our foremost obligation according to this scripture is to ‘hold fast‘. Have you ever stubbornly held on to a position in an argument? I know I have! No matter what the other person said you were going to hold your ground no matter what. Of course, stubbornness is not a good thing in cases like that, but the conviction of holding your ground can serve you well concerning your trust in the Lord and His Word. Dig your heels in and ‘HOLD FAST” your profession of faith!

Sometimes, ‘holding fast’ is easier said than done. What do you do when it hurts to hold fast, when it is exhausting holding fast, when it is downright HARD to hold fast? Here are a few key things that every Christian should learn to do in order to hang in there during the tough times:

• First, learn to recognize and practice the act of thanksgiving and praise- You have prayed, made sure that there is nothing hindering your prayers and you are standing on the word of God concerning your promise. Now it is time to thank Him and to praise Him for the answer.

“In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” — Phl 4:6&7

When we choose to thank God and praise Him, we take our eyes off of the promise, the thing we are hoping for, and we focus on the One Who holds the power to bring it to pass. This is so important for the believer, because we walk by faith and not by sight. And we know also from the scriptures that without faith it is impossible to please Him. (Hebrews 11:6) When we thank and praise Him, we are showing our confidence in Him to bring the promise to pass.

• Second, refuse to worry about the what ifs.

 There is nothing more damaging to a person’s faith than to entertain doubt in the mind. Do not allow yourself to go there. If you sincerely believe that you may have misunderstood what the Lord has promised you, then go to Him, asking for confirmation and or explanation. But do not doubt Him. Remind yourself of what He spoke regularly, ask Him to give you a scripture to stand on, if you do not already have one. There are many voices that can move and shake you, but nothing can ever shake you if you are standing on His Word.

• Lastly, Be Patient.

Hebrews 6: 12 says, “that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

This is where I believe most people lose heart… and their promise. We must recognize that the Lord’s timing is not ours and that He can be completely trusted, even in that timing. We do not like to wait for what we want. The very society we live in has the “Why Wait?” mentality. One thing I have noticed with the Lord, is that when He does something, while it might not have been as early as I would have liked, it is always worth the wait. We do not give in to our children’s every whim on demand because we know it is not good for their character, many times we have insight to how that child might value the thing they want more if they have to wait a little longer for it.  I love when my husband buys me flowers, but I usually have to wait a few days for the flowers to really put their show on for me. It’s a beautiful thing when those buds begin to open and you see the full beauty of the gift you’ve been given. I like to think of a promise like that, it’s growing and budding in my heart long before I ever see the fullness of it… what a display when it finally unfolds! You can be sure that when God gives a good gift, He wants His children to fully enjoy it, so be patient, He is not slack concerning His promise beloved. (2 Peter 3:9)

 So, will you hold fast? Will you trust Him, who is faithful that promised? Make the commitment to hang in there with Him, He has such good things in store for you, if only you will HOLD FAST!