What Happens When We Stumble in Our Walk of Faith?

Have you felt as if you were living on the edge of God's patience with you? That you were at two strikes, and felt another one on the way? So many of us have stumbled in our Faith Walk that we feel like God must truly be so tired of us that he's ready to walk away and be done with us...but that is just not true.

"The primary truth you need to know about God in order for your faith to remain strong is that His love and acceptance is unconditional. When your walk of faith is strong, God loves you. When your walk of faith is weak, God loves you. When you're strong one moment and weak the next, God loves you. God's love for us is the great eternal constant in the midst of all the inconsistencies of our daily walk."

1 John 2:1-2
1. My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2. and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for [those of] the whole world.

We can think of this scripture as in a courtroom setting. We are the defendant. Thing is, we are guilty as charged. Jesus is our advocate, like an attorney pleading our case before "the Judge". He is in constant intercession for us before the throne of God. Now, I used to feel uncomfortable with this scenario; like Jesus was always having to talk God into forgiveness. But it's more like Jesus is our constant "defense". Because He is there, we are made right before our Heavenly Father when we sin. So for me it is pretty constant. I would be before the bench a lot.


Hebrews 7:25
Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.


We know that God desires that we strive to do the right thing; to not be in a place of constant sin. He helps us, leads and directs us, but He also knows that we are human and that we fail. I cannot count the times daily that I would re-do a decision or action or word out of my mouth. Some of us do a better job than others, but we all stumble. And maybe it's not the little things everyday, maybe it's some big hurdles we fall over.

I've had some big hurdles where I just fell flat on my face. I would be going along just fine and then before I knew it my life was a mess and I was feeling like God had abandoned me. My life may have been a mess, but God in no way abandoned me. Our adversary, the devil, does what he can to get us out of the will and fellowship of God. He takes advantage of our weaknesses and plays upon them. Then when he gets us in the place of sin, he bombards us with the notion that God is done with us...over...finito.


Romans 8:26-27,34
26. And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for [us] with groanings too deep for words;
27. and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to [the will of] God.
34. who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

Jesus is our "intercessor". He's always there guiding, helping, watching out for our interests.


Romans 5:8
 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

"While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us", so if He knew and loved us before we knew and loved Him, would He not still love us, no matter if we stumble? The important thing to remember, is if we stumble (when we stumble), don't lay down and call it quits. Get back up and keep moving forward.

Jesus always tells us to move forward. Don't give in to looking at the past. Don't wallow in regrets and past mistakes. We all have them. We can find ourselves in a place of paralysis if we aren't careful; frozen, fearful and unable to get up and get moving. If you are struggling with past mistakes and sin, ask God to show you how to receive forgiveness and then let it go. He wants us to not repeat our mistakes over and over, Jesus wants to walk you through the admission of our sins, but then He asks us to let them go. He says he forgets and removes them from His "memory". He expects us to let them go also.


Psalm 103:11-13
11. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. 12. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13. Just as a father has compassion on [his] children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
 No condemnation, only love and acceptance. Jesus  still loves us and calls us back to His fellowship and open loving arms.

Love, In Jesus,

Debra

quotes and concepts taken from

Victory Over the Darkness

by Neil Anderson