Day 31: Unshakable Faith or Flimsy Faith?
All of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.
Hebrews 12:27b-28, NLT
We have made it to the end of our 31-day journey together! Our goal has been to move towards a faith that is unshakable so we can stand strong for God.
Do you have unshakable faith or flimsy faith? Most of us have both depending on the season or circumstance in which we find ourselves.
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#standstrong”]Do you have unshakable faith or flimsy faith? Find out here.[/tweetthis]For years, I have struggled with trying to live the life God has entrusted to me by relying on a flimsy faith. By shaking me to the foundations of myself and what I believe, God has been teaching me how to strengthen, reinforce, and fortify my faith so that I am less shaken by life’s storms. As I grow in my understanding and applications of these truths I have shared with you, my faith is moving closer to becoming unshakable. Here are some of the differences I have noticed in myself between my unshakable faith and my flimsy faith.
UNSHAKABLE FAITH |
FLIMSY FAITH |
| Faith in God and His power, knowledge and love | Faith in self, others, circumstances, finances, knowledge, ability, expertise, or even faith in faith itself |
| Built on solid Biblical foundation | Built on life experiences, feeling, and human understanding |
| Knows the truth | Believes the lies |
| Sticks with Jesus no matter what | Looking everywhere else BUT Jesus for answers, security, and significance |
| Protected from attack | Unaware there is even a battle |
| Set free by grace | Held captive by perfectionism |
| Resists the enemy (James 4:7) | Forfeits to the enemy |
| Unoffended surrender to God’s will and His ways | Easily hurt, discouraged, and disappointed when life doesn’t turn out as expected |
| Jesus is the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:6) | Jesus is a stumbling stone (1 Peter 2:7-8) |
| Relies on Holy Spirit’s power to accomplish God’s will | Relies on self to accomplish own desires |
| Assumes only the best intentions of God no matter how bad things appear | Misjudges and misunderstands God’s heart when bad things happen |
| Convinced that God loves me and has the power to rescue me | Thinks God is abusively out to get me or has forgotten, neglected, and abandoned me |
| Surrendered to mysteries of God | Bogged down in unanswerable questions |
| Steady; able to stand strong in any situation | Unstable; shaken by changing circumstances |
| Hope is an anchor | Doubts are a dead weight |
| I choose to believe anyway | Tossed to and fro by wind and waves |
| Rock-solid strong foundation (Mt 7:24-25) | Unreliable; easily slips out from under me like shifting sand (Mt 7:26-27) |
| Overcomes great obstacles | Overwhelmed by even small things |
| Victorious—even when life is tough, faith is hard, and days are long (Pr 24:16) | Defeated—even when things are smooth and life is going well (Pr 28:1) |
| Full of hope | Drained by despair |
| Bold and courageous (Pr 28:1) | Fearful |
| Peace | Anxiety |
| Seeks beauty in brokenness and purpose in pain | Can’t see beyond brokenness and pain |
| Worships | Worries |
| Remains faithful even when outcome is different than expected | Only trust in what I can see or what is reasonable to hope for |
| Watches and waits for resurrection | Gives up and quits at crucifixion |
| Willing to be still | Struggles against God |
| Transformed and renewed mind (Romans 12:2) | Conformed to pattern of this world (Romans 12:2) |
| Monitors and referees inner thoughts | Allow thoughts to run wild and crazy |
| Submits to God in surrender and obedience (James 4:7) | Resists God’s Lordship—I want to be in charge |
| Victor | Victim |
| Shines the light of God’s love | Contributes to the darkness and gloom |
So as you read through these two lists, do you notice any areas where your faith is a little flimsy?
Ask God to show you how to fortify your faith. Go back and reread the posts from 31 Days to Unshakable Faith that most apply to your life or any that you missed this month.
Thank you for joining me on this 31-day adventure toward unshakable faith. I really enjoyed preparing these posts for you and I hope you have been encouraged, refreshed, and inspired by reading them. I am humbled and honored that you have allowed me to speak into your life and heart over the past month.
God wants us all to have unshakable faith so we can stand strong in this life and in the life to come. He is eager to teach us how to fortify our faith. Let us go to Him boldly so we may receive mercy and find grace (Heb 4:16). And let’s share with others all that He is teaching us so together we may grow stronger and more mature in our faith as we build each other up in truth and love (1 Thess 5:11, Eph 4:15).
As we close out this month of considering ways to strengthen our faith, let’s circle back around to where our journey started in chapter 6 of Ephesians.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can fight against the devil’s evil tricks. For Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world. That is why you need to put on God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight—after you have accomplished everything, you will still be standing. So stand strong…To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all ·God’s people.
Ephesians 6:10-14a,18b, EXP
My hope and prayer for all of us is that we will, by God’s great power, stand strong. We must remember where our fight really is and stop bickering among each other. People are not the problem. Evil is the problem. We must know the One who loves, empowers, and protect us and stay connect to Him at all cost. We must be aware of our enemy’s schemes and resist them. We must be alert and persevere. We must choose to believe anyway, even when it doesn’t make sense. And we must always remember to pray for each other.
As you go out today, remember that God is giving you a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:27b-28, NLT ), so
STAND STRONG and NEVER GIVE UP!
[tweetthis]The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. Exodus 14:14[/tweetthis]
[tweetthis]He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. Psalm 62:6[/tweetthis]
Let this be our anthem: “We Won’t Be Shaken” by Building 429
As I mentioned at the beginning of the month, I have much more I’d like to share with you on this topic. I am currently writing a book entitled Stand Strong, Living Undefeated with Unshakable Faith. These 31 posts are just a sampling of what is to come. I’d love to hear your feedback on topics you’d like to see addressed in the book, and I’d really appreciate it if you would help me spread the word. Stay tuned to learn more about the book and about how you can get involved. Have an awesome unshakable day!
To read other posts in this series, click the image below.
Elizabeth is a military spouse, veteran, and mother of eight. Above and beyond caring for her family, her mission is to offer words that sustain weary moms and to empower and equip them to live and parent with purpose.
Great words in your series! Best of luck with the book!! Many blessings!
That is an amazing, honest and helpful list. It is concise and really points our where our faith should be.
Elizabeth, your graph with unshakeable vs flimsy faith is such a great visual! Excited for your book, you are one driven lady! Ephesians 6 is a passage I cling to in these uncertain days. Wonderful, sound truths you’ve presented.
I feel like I go from unshakeable to flimsy and back again all in the course of a morning, sometimes. (Usually depending on the fullness/hunger of my belly, I’m embarrassed to say.) I appreciate the challenge to think about this concretely. 🙂 Thank you.
I’m with you! I can flip flop back and forth several times in a very short period. At one point today I was so stressed and my husband rightly pointed out that I just needed to remember and do what I had written. It’s hard to remember sometimes in the heat of the moment.