Do Not Faint!

Heb_12:3 …lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Faint in our minds. That means it is possible for us to faint in our Christian walk, our spiritual selves can faint in our minds, we can grow weary in the lives we are living for Christ, this possibility exists.

Let's talk about fainting for a moment.

Fainting- the dictionary meaning-

Not bright, but dim. Done feebly without conviction. Dizzy or weak, about to be unconscious. Remote, slight. Weakened, losing courage.

Being faint of heart most certainly eludes to being weak, losing courage, losing conviction. If we are fainting in our Christian walk, that means we are not growing stronger in Christ, we are giving into Satan because the hardships of the walk we are called to endure becomes too much for us. We are in essence, relying upon ourselves for strength. We are allowing Satan to interfere.

Luk_18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint

Pray - Don't Faint.

Prayer is one safeguard we need to use in our striving not to lose courage as we fight our spiritual war.  Just as a soldier in physical combat is given armor and weapons, we too are given spiritual armor and spiritual weapons.  After we are given - in great detail- our armor and weapon, we are told to PRAY ALWAYS. (Ephesians 6:11-18)  Prayer is reaching out by faith to God, it's putting our lives in His hands, for His will to be done. Prayer is powerful and able to keep us from fainting, from giving in. Prayer reinforces our comprehension that we are creatures and our Creator reigns over us. We look to our Creator knowing so much of life is totally out of our control, but it is all in His control.

Pray even if it is a singular cry to our God.

Rom_8:26  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.

Pray, don't faint.

2Co_4:1  Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not.

Faint not.

2Co_4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Faint not.

Our outward man perish… we live in perishing flesh bodies subject to all sorts of flesh ailments. Paul prayed to God three times asking God to rid him of a flesh ailment, and God chose not to do so. Paul who went about healing others constantly, was not healed of the infirmity he possessed in his flesh and why not-

2Co 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 

2Co 12:8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

A thorn in the flesh- a messenger of Satan buffeting him… and this thing was NOT healed, not removed from Paul. God's strength was being revealed in Paul's weakness. Even though Paul had to contend with this weakness which was bad enough for him to seek God, asking Him to remove it more than once, He persevered in spite of its continued existence. He didn’t take God's choice not to remove the infirmity from him as a sign that God had forsaken him. That's something we like to do. We like to assume God has decided not to act in our favor when things go horribly wrong in our lives, with us, and with people we love. Nothing could be further from the truth. God's choice to allow all the chastening, all the infirmities, all the buffeting we receive by Satan is for us to grow ever closer to the source of all love, all life. God wants us to partake of His holiness and He is trying to hone our comprehension of what it means to have complete and utter faith in Him.  Paul prayed, God answered, Paul accepted. Paul did not faint.

Gal_6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Faint not.

We can grow weary in well doing. Satan wants us to grow weary. Satan will set up scenarios designed to test us to our spiritual limits wanting us to despise our doing good to the seemingly undeserving, to the ungrateful, to those who turn right around and ridicule and malign us, and go on expecting us to keep doing well for them. And WE MUST continue in well doing, to give in and refuse to do well because we are buffeted relentlessly by Satan, is to faint under the pressure of our spiritual attacker who is using all he can to cause us to faint and give in to him and the limits he's placed upon love, something that is limitless in God. Yes, Satan places limits on love telling us our love is too precious to give to the undeserving, the unappreciative, the abusers of that love. Yet, how we have abused the love of God is incalculable, and He still loves us. You can love with God's love, without compromising the truth of another's hatred and abuse. Your love will not negate their wrongs, it simply allows you to let God's love work in them. They will either come to know the love of God and seek true forgiveness, or they'll dig themselves deeper into Satan's hold and be dealt with accordingly when all fates are decided.  We love, we continue in well doing, and allow them to continue in their path of choice, never letting their choice affect our choice. When we allow the bad choices of others to affect our choice to do well- Satan gains a victory.

Eph_3:13  Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Faint not.

Tribulations. Yes, life is filled with tribulations tailor made to fit every single life- rich, poor, sick, healthy… you name it, each life no matter how seemingly tribulation free- will have its tribulations.  We cling to the hope beyond the tribulations, all by the grace of God.

Heb_12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Faint in your minds.

Jesus paid the ultimate price in tribulations, in facing the mocking. He taught the ultimate well doing in spite of Satan's many attempts to make Him grow weary in His well doing. Jesus, we must look to Jesus, if we look elsewhere- especially to ourselves for our own strength to endure- we will grow faint in our convictions.

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:

Don't faint.

We will be taught many lessons. We will be chastened severely. The Lord will allow all this tribulation and we must use it all to overcome through HIM. We will be tempted to despise the chastening, the constant tribulation and to allow ourselves to give up our choice of trusting in spite of it all, in spite of being rebuked by the Lord. We must not give in to the temptation to give in, to faint, to grow weary! We are told it exists! We know it exists! We must NOT give in! Please, Lord, help us NOT give in!