Dennis Edwards
The Bible speaks of the faint-hearted in multiple places, including Isaiah 35:4, which says to "Say to the faint-hearted: Take courage, and fear not." Other passages include Deuteronomy 20:8, where fearful soldiers are sent home, and 1 Thessalonians 5:14, which instructs believers to "comfort the faint-hearted" and help the weak. Let's look at some of the passages about how not to faint.
Isaiah 35:3-4: The verses directly command that a message of courage be given to the faint-hearted: "Strengthen the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; because, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come and save you... (verse 10:) And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away,"
Jesus has paid our ransom on the cross and will eventually come and save us, during our present life, or in the life to come, and we shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. We need to keep the heavenly vision.
Revelation 21:4
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
We are reminded of other passages in Revelation that also speak of being faithful and of overcoming by keeping our eyes on the goal.
Revelation 2:10-11
"Fear none of those things which you shall suffer...be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life. ... He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death,"
Revelation 2:17
"To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving he that receives it."
Revelation 2:26
"And he that overcomes and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations."
We will rule and reign with Christ a thousand years.
Revelation 20:6
“Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”
Revelation 3:2-5
"Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found your works perfect before God. remember therefore how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore you shall not watch, I will come on you as a thief, and you shall not know what hour I will come upon you....He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels."
In Matthew 10:32-33, Jesus has also told us the importance of confessing our faith before others.
"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven."
In Mark 8:38, we find it written a bit differently.
"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
If we are ashamed of standing up for Jesus, we are standing on shaking ground. However, if we confess Him before others, He will confess us before His heavenly Father. "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine." “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,” Matthew 5:16.
Revelation 3:10-12
"Because you have kept the word of My patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which you have, that no man takes your crown. Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him My new name."
In other words, those that overcome become part of new Jerusalem, the heavenly bride of Christ found in Revelation 21-22.
Revelation 3:21
"To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne."
We see therefore that for those that overcome, eternity lies ahead with great blessings that we can hardly understand. Apostle Paul wrote, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him," 1 Corinthians 2:9.
If we faint, it is because we lose the vision for why we are sacrificing, for why we are dying to ourselves. We lose the vision of the recompense, or reward that God gives to them who faithfully follow Him all the days of their lives. In Hebrews we find the same admonition,
Hebrews 12:1b-3
"Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest you be weary and faint in your minds."
If we keep our eyes on Jesus who endured so much more then we will ever have to endure, He will give us the strength to do likewise. The following verses in the same chapter continue to give advice telling us not to faint when we are going through a difficult period, or what we may consider a "chastening of the Lord,"
Hebrews 12:11-13
"Now no chastening (or difficult situation we are going through) for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which us lame (or weakened or faint-heartened) be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed (or strengthened)."
Whatever we are going through, we are told not to faint, but to lift up our hands in praise. Praise and thanksgiving will cause us to be strengthened spiritually and physically. The verse tells us to get back to following God diligently throughout the day, walking closely with Him. If we do that, if we walk down the narrow path towards the straight gate, following Jesus hour by hour, minute by minute, then we will be healed or strengthened.
If we compare our own suffering to what Jesus went through, if we keep looking unto Him during our battles and difficulties, we won't grow weary and faint-hearted. But if and when we do get faint-hearted, we need to get out our weapon of praise and thanksgiving. We need to get out our weapon of renewed obedience. We need to praise and obey our way back into victory.
In Galatians 6:9: Paul encourages believers not to "grow weary and faint-hearted" in doing good, because they will eventually reap a reward. Let's read the context to get a better picture.
Galatians 6:7-10
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith."
If we don't want to faint, we need to be sowing to the Spirit, by spending adequate time in God's word and in prayer and in praise. We need to continue in well-doing, because God promises blessing, if we faint not. Paul finishes up admonishing us to "do good to all men, especially to those of the household of faith," in other words we should be generous with our brethren in need.
Isaiah 40:28-31
"Have you not known? Have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is He weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
The simple formular for victor over fainting is to "wait on the Lord." Spend time with the Lord in prayer, in praise, in thanksgiving, in feeding on His word, and the dying embers of your faith will be reignited. I am reminded of the poems by Annie Johnson Flint (1866-1932).
What God Has Promised
God hath not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives through;
God hath not promised
Sun without rain
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.
But God hath promised
Strength for the day,
Rest for the labour,
Light for the way,
Grace for the trials,
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy,
Undying love.
To go to part 2 click here,
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