Have you ever heard the saying, “ try, try, again,” or “if they’d only tried?”  I heard that when I was young; maybe you did too – especially when learning to skate, ride a bicycle, or swim. If we don’t learn to walk, run, skip, ride a bike, or swim, we never find out what joy we are missing. This is why our parents, teachers, friends, and siblings keep encouraging us to keep trying and not give up. Another saying I heard when growing up was, “practice makes perfect” which just means the more we practice something – such as sports, or a musical instrument – the more we improve.

Sometimes as Christians we fail to do or say things correctly, and really get down on ourselves. But God doesn’t want us to stay in a disposition of discouragement or disappointment. He wants us to apply the power of First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” He wants us to received His forgiveness; forgive ourselves, and endeavor to walk in the cleansing from all unrighteousness. He wants us to get up and “try again” and to “keep trying” until we are walking maturely in the image of His Son.

We need to see ourselves as the conqueror He has made us (Romans 8:37). I believe that one of the meanings to “fight the good fight of faith” mentioned in First Timothy 6:12 is that of “getting up, and brushing ourselves off” (as the saying goes) and continue walking in faith. When we study and learn the Word of God, we are building our faith; our faith is getting stronger and we are preparing ourselves to “stand in the evil day” (Ephesians 6:13) and that gives us more victories over the attacks of the enemy.

Even if our walk of faith is hard, we must not quit or give up; we must stay true to the course, being committed to complete the plan and purpose God has for our lives. Galatians 6:9 promises that if we do not grow weary while doing good, that in due season we will reap if we do not lose heart.

Please understand that if a person waivers by believing God’s Word one minute and doubting the next minute, then according to James 1:6-8, that person will never receive what they are believing for because they are double-minded and unstable in all their ways. So, make up your mind to NOT waver or be double-minded; make the decision to walk in the truths of the Bible in the good times and in times of trouble.

We must guard against the idea or mentality of just “trying faith” to see if God is faithful; for God is faithful to His Word. We must live a life-style of obedience to His Word because of our love for Him. God is faithful to His Word and He expects us to be faithful to His Word. Faith is the evidence of those things not (yet) seen, so don’t quit just because something is hard or you don’t see immediate results (Romans 4:17). In due time you will have a good reward for your efforts and obedience.

God wants us to have courage, faith, and obedience because of our love for Him. Faith to believe God’s Word is our decision. So no matter what trial or temptation you are facing, just keep standing in faith until you have the victory (Ephesians 6:13).