Luk 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint
Men ought to PRAY always and NOT faint.
How easy is it to simply faint when life becomes too hard to deal with- and by faint I mean choose to believe in the power of the wicked one to overcome, rather than the power of God to sustain us. If we turn to God through prayer we are not fainting but rather fighting that good fight of faith.
2Co 4:16 For which cause we FAINT NOT; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, IF WE FAINT NOT.
Eph 3:13 Wherefore I desire that YE FAINT NOT at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and FAINT in your minds.
Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, NOR FAINT when thou art rebuked of him:
2Co 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, WE FAINT NOT;
2Co 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
Faint not. Lest we faint. This fainting isn't the sort where our vision grows dim and we black out physically, this is a spiritual fainting. To faint spiritually means having our spiritual light disappear, our spiritual sight is gone. It's that spiritual sight that allows us to have faith- remember this verse--
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith- hope- NOT seen.
Faith allows us to do this--
2Co 4:18 ...look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Our spiritual sight allows for this and if we faint and lose our spiritual sight we stop having hope, we look only to things which are temporal and not the things which are eternal.
To be told NOT to faint is very important, because we are being told that the opportunity to faint will exist. We cannot get so ahead of ourselves to believe that the possibility of fainting is not real. To be told, and more than once, NOT to faint is an important message. Putting it on a more physical level if you were told that you aren't to faint in a certain situation then what would you infer from that bit of knowledge? That FAINTING was a real possibility and NOT a good thing, not something to be desired. Say you were to go on an excursion into the wild jungle and your guide told you that the day's trek would be an arduous one and you are not to faint if you want to have hope of making it through to the end of the trek. What if the guide went further and told you that if you did faint the chances of your perishing would be very great. Wouldn't you do all you could NOT to faint? You'd hydrated yourself, you'd give yourself sustenance, you'd try to keep cool, or warm depending upon what the weather called for, you'd take rests- pacing yourself so you didn't over do it because you would know that if you fainted you could possibly die. Just having that warning at the beginning of your journey would heighten your senses, your awareness that fainting wasn't a very good idea at all and rather a very bad option.
We are not to faint spiritually because there is a danger in our spiritual fainting, a fainting of the mind, letting a darkness overcome us so that we are no longer able to see things eternal, no longer living in hope, no longer possessing the faith necessary to believe in our Savior and salvation in HIM.
Continuing on…
Luk 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint
PRAYING ALWAYS is the spiritual equivalent of all those things we would do physically to prevent ourselves from fainting. And praying always is recognizing always that our Savior is there for us NO MATTER what we are going through, even the worst of the worst of the worst. He is there for us beyond all things temporal and He is living in eternity. This doesn't mean we are to be on our knees 24/7. You can pray even if you are not bowing your head. To pray always means to have that connection to God the Father always there, always! It means not daring to live ONE moment outside of that connection, it means in all we do we have God with us, by CHOICE, not as some dictating chaperon, but as a LOVING God who is LOVE and knows the end from the beginning more so than we ever possibly could.
While we might look through eyes on the temporal world around us as we are allowed to live in this world we must do it KNOWING it is just the a temporary world- temporary and dangerous. This really could be the only world many people will ever know because they choose NOT to believe in GOD, but rather believe in their own imaginings. Praying always is the recognition of our God as a very REAL, LIVING entity who SUSTAINS us and has made the ultimate Sacrifice so that we may one day share eternity with Him. We cannot confine God to any one time of day- to a morning prayer, to an afternoon prayer, to an evening prayer, to a bedtime prayer- God must be realized always in our lives not someone we merely visit a few times a day. When we say the word 'amen' we are not shutting the door on God and leaving Him in some fancy, cloudy temple in heaven while we walk away and live here on earth. That door must be ever opened, never closed as we pray ALWAYS, and we don't faint under the trials and tribulations of life, of which there are many. This isn't to say we shouldn't take time to pray earnestly on our knees, with bowed heads, in groups, among family- but even after we say that prayer, we must live in a constant state of prayer - in open communication with our God throughout all our days and nights.
Just as if you live with someone- you aren't constantly talking with them non-stop but you know that line of communication is there always. We must live with God and God with us always, and that avenue of communication must forever be available, it must always be open.
Here is a parable that Jesus told and in part to reveal why a person should forever pray and not faint.
Luk 18:2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
Luk 18:3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
A godless, fearless judge and a widow with an adversary.
An authority figure and one subjected to that authority figure.
The widow left her home and went to the judge's place and upon being allowed to see him she told him that she needed to be avenged, that she had an adversary that needed to be dealt with, someone she could not deal with on her own.
The judge didn't care. Seriously, he simply did not care that this woman, this widow without a husband to defend her, was in need of help. He didn't jump up and order someone to help her, and he certainly didn't go to her aid himself. In fact, this man dismissed her cause instantly.
Did the widow give up and go away because the cold-hearted, godless judge didn't help her right away?
NO.
She continued to present herself to the judge even knowing that he had already declined to help her in any way. How long this went on we don't know, but it was for a while. Then this man announced that even though he didn't fear God, and could careless about others- he would help her. Why the change of heart? It wasn't a change of heart at all, not really, but a selfish desire to rid himself of the widow's constant presence, her constant supplication. He was troubled by her and growing weary of her unceasing pestering for help.
This man who had no heart love for anyone- not God, nor others- helped the widow because she didn't give up communicating her need to him.
Luk 18:4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
Luk 18:5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
Luk 18:6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
Luk 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
If an unjust judge could avenge a widow- a LOVING God, THE LOVING GOD WILL avenge those who are crying unto Him ceaselessly. He's not growing weary with their supplications. His elect LONG to be avenged, they LONG to become God's fully and have their adversary the Devil destroyed and to this end they pray. They know that ALL evil they suffer stems from Satan, all of it! They realize the pain and agony they are enduring, that others are enduring all has its roots in SATAN and NOT GOD! They understand while God allows, it is Satan who takes advantage of that and destroys all he can in anyway he can. The door may be opened, but it's NOT God who steps through and bring devastation to the lives of so many people. It is Satan who runs through that door and wrecks all the havoc he can in anyway he possibly can and he does it all the while shouting it's God's fault, blame God. He wants us to blame God for all the evil, for leaving that door opened, but it's that same open door that gives us a power of CHOICE, to believe or not believe in God, to trust that no matter what horrors are unfolding, or have unfolded, or will unfold in our life times that God is in control and ultimately for our SALVATION, for our ETERNITY in LOVE with HIM who is LOVE.
God hears our CRIES to be avenged, and He bears LONG with us. He doesn't grow weary of us and cut us off, He allows us to keep crying unto Him our ONLY source of avenging.
Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
In the grand scheme of things and THIS is how our LORD must think- His avenging is speedily. He isn't making a single one of His people wait needlessly with a cold-hearted disregard for our petitions. He hears us, He hears our cries and wants us to pray always to NEVER stop praying to Him. It will be SO incredibly hard the closer and closer it comes to our Lord's return that many are going to faint. Many are going to allow their spiritual light to grow dim, to go out, as their faith in God slips away. This is the truth and we are warned, we are told it will happen. The ONLY way we can not be among those who faint is to place all our trust in God, all our faith, all our hope and give all we are, surrender all of ourselves to our Savior, clinging to HIS righteousness and not ours, clinging to the hope found only in HIM to overcome, not any hope in ourselves. He prevails where we succumb and fail. We must pray always to HIM, clinging to HIM through EVERYTHING! He is our HOPE. By the grace of God He will find us with FAITH in HIM, by HIM, through His righteousness, His love, His mercy, His grace!
Men ought to PRAY always and NOT faint.
How easy is it to simply faint when life becomes too hard to deal with- and by faint I mean choose to believe in the power of the wicked one to overcome, rather than the power of God to sustain us. If we turn to God through prayer we are not fainting but rather fighting that good fight of faith.
2Co 4:16 For which cause we FAINT NOT; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, IF WE FAINT NOT.
Eph 3:13 Wherefore I desire that YE FAINT NOT at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and FAINT in your minds.
Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, NOR FAINT when thou art rebuked of him:
2Co 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, WE FAINT NOT;
2Co 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
Faint not. Lest we faint. This fainting isn't the sort where our vision grows dim and we black out physically, this is a spiritual fainting. To faint spiritually means having our spiritual light disappear, our spiritual sight is gone. It's that spiritual sight that allows us to have faith- remember this verse--
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith- hope- NOT seen.
Faith allows us to do this--
2Co 4:18 ...look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Our spiritual sight allows for this and if we faint and lose our spiritual sight we stop having hope, we look only to things which are temporal and not the things which are eternal.
To be told NOT to faint is very important, because we are being told that the opportunity to faint will exist. We cannot get so ahead of ourselves to believe that the possibility of fainting is not real. To be told, and more than once, NOT to faint is an important message. Putting it on a more physical level if you were told that you aren't to faint in a certain situation then what would you infer from that bit of knowledge? That FAINTING was a real possibility and NOT a good thing, not something to be desired. Say you were to go on an excursion into the wild jungle and your guide told you that the day's trek would be an arduous one and you are not to faint if you want to have hope of making it through to the end of the trek. What if the guide went further and told you that if you did faint the chances of your perishing would be very great. Wouldn't you do all you could NOT to faint? You'd hydrated yourself, you'd give yourself sustenance, you'd try to keep cool, or warm depending upon what the weather called for, you'd take rests- pacing yourself so you didn't over do it because you would know that if you fainted you could possibly die. Just having that warning at the beginning of your journey would heighten your senses, your awareness that fainting wasn't a very good idea at all and rather a very bad option.
We are not to faint spiritually because there is a danger in our spiritual fainting, a fainting of the mind, letting a darkness overcome us so that we are no longer able to see things eternal, no longer living in hope, no longer possessing the faith necessary to believe in our Savior and salvation in HIM.
Continuing on…
Luk 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint
PRAYING ALWAYS is the spiritual equivalent of all those things we would do physically to prevent ourselves from fainting. And praying always is recognizing always that our Savior is there for us NO MATTER what we are going through, even the worst of the worst of the worst. He is there for us beyond all things temporal and He is living in eternity. This doesn't mean we are to be on our knees 24/7. You can pray even if you are not bowing your head. To pray always means to have that connection to God the Father always there, always! It means not daring to live ONE moment outside of that connection, it means in all we do we have God with us, by CHOICE, not as some dictating chaperon, but as a LOVING God who is LOVE and knows the end from the beginning more so than we ever possibly could.
While we might look through eyes on the temporal world around us as we are allowed to live in this world we must do it KNOWING it is just the a temporary world- temporary and dangerous. This really could be the only world many people will ever know because they choose NOT to believe in GOD, but rather believe in their own imaginings. Praying always is the recognition of our God as a very REAL, LIVING entity who SUSTAINS us and has made the ultimate Sacrifice so that we may one day share eternity with Him. We cannot confine God to any one time of day- to a morning prayer, to an afternoon prayer, to an evening prayer, to a bedtime prayer- God must be realized always in our lives not someone we merely visit a few times a day. When we say the word 'amen' we are not shutting the door on God and leaving Him in some fancy, cloudy temple in heaven while we walk away and live here on earth. That door must be ever opened, never closed as we pray ALWAYS, and we don't faint under the trials and tribulations of life, of which there are many. This isn't to say we shouldn't take time to pray earnestly on our knees, with bowed heads, in groups, among family- but even after we say that prayer, we must live in a constant state of prayer - in open communication with our God throughout all our days and nights.
Just as if you live with someone- you aren't constantly talking with them non-stop but you know that line of communication is there always. We must live with God and God with us always, and that avenue of communication must forever be available, it must always be open.
Here is a parable that Jesus told and in part to reveal why a person should forever pray and not faint.
Luk 18:2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
Luk 18:3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
A godless, fearless judge and a widow with an adversary.
An authority figure and one subjected to that authority figure.
The widow left her home and went to the judge's place and upon being allowed to see him she told him that she needed to be avenged, that she had an adversary that needed to be dealt with, someone she could not deal with on her own.
The judge didn't care. Seriously, he simply did not care that this woman, this widow without a husband to defend her, was in need of help. He didn't jump up and order someone to help her, and he certainly didn't go to her aid himself. In fact, this man dismissed her cause instantly.
Did the widow give up and go away because the cold-hearted, godless judge didn't help her right away?
NO.
She continued to present herself to the judge even knowing that he had already declined to help her in any way. How long this went on we don't know, but it was for a while. Then this man announced that even though he didn't fear God, and could careless about others- he would help her. Why the change of heart? It wasn't a change of heart at all, not really, but a selfish desire to rid himself of the widow's constant presence, her constant supplication. He was troubled by her and growing weary of her unceasing pestering for help.
This man who had no heart love for anyone- not God, nor others- helped the widow because she didn't give up communicating her need to him.
Luk 18:4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
Luk 18:5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
Luk 18:6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
Luk 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
If an unjust judge could avenge a widow- a LOVING God, THE LOVING GOD WILL avenge those who are crying unto Him ceaselessly. He's not growing weary with their supplications. His elect LONG to be avenged, they LONG to become God's fully and have their adversary the Devil destroyed and to this end they pray. They know that ALL evil they suffer stems from Satan, all of it! They realize the pain and agony they are enduring, that others are enduring all has its roots in SATAN and NOT GOD! They understand while God allows, it is Satan who takes advantage of that and destroys all he can in anyway he can. The door may be opened, but it's NOT God who steps through and bring devastation to the lives of so many people. It is Satan who runs through that door and wrecks all the havoc he can in anyway he possibly can and he does it all the while shouting it's God's fault, blame God. He wants us to blame God for all the evil, for leaving that door opened, but it's that same open door that gives us a power of CHOICE, to believe or not believe in God, to trust that no matter what horrors are unfolding, or have unfolded, or will unfold in our life times that God is in control and ultimately for our SALVATION, for our ETERNITY in LOVE with HIM who is LOVE.
God hears our CRIES to be avenged, and He bears LONG with us. He doesn't grow weary of us and cut us off, He allows us to keep crying unto Him our ONLY source of avenging.
Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
In the grand scheme of things and THIS is how our LORD must think- His avenging is speedily. He isn't making a single one of His people wait needlessly with a cold-hearted disregard for our petitions. He hears us, He hears our cries and wants us to pray always to NEVER stop praying to Him. It will be SO incredibly hard the closer and closer it comes to our Lord's return that many are going to faint. Many are going to allow their spiritual light to grow dim, to go out, as their faith in God slips away. This is the truth and we are warned, we are told it will happen. The ONLY way we can not be among those who faint is to place all our trust in God, all our faith, all our hope and give all we are, surrender all of ourselves to our Savior, clinging to HIS righteousness and not ours, clinging to the hope found only in HIM to overcome, not any hope in ourselves. He prevails where we succumb and fail. We must pray always to HIM, clinging to HIM through EVERYTHING! He is our HOPE. By the grace of God He will find us with FAITH in HIM, by HIM, through His righteousness, His love, His mercy, His grace!
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