Not Weak in Faith
From Pastor Shemalya King
“And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb.” Romans 4:19
What does it mean to not be weak in faith? I'll explain as clearly as I possibly can. Abraham is a perfect example. He's such a perfect example that the Bible uses him as one in this specific area. Abraham was promised by God that his seed would be as the stars of heaven and as the sand of the sea while his wife was barren. Before it came to pass, he and Sarah, his wife, were too old to have children–they were past childbearing years. God reappeared to Abraham during those old years and reminded him of that promise. God had promised that Abraham would be the heir of the world (Romans 4:13). Receiving promises that seem contrary to possibility is hard enough, but it's even more difficult when things progressively get worse; but not for Abraham.
I want to highlight how grand of a promise God had made to Abraham. God said
“And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 26:4
“That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” Genesis 22:17
These promises meant that Abraham would be the heir of the world (Romans 4:13) and that he would become a father of many nations (Romans 4:18). Abraham never stopped believing, though his situation wasn't naturally encouraging–it was rapidly digressing. Many would cave in their faith and stop believing God at His word. But, it is written that Abraham never staggered at the promise of God through unbelief (Romans 4:20).
Being not weak in faith (strong in faith) is when your faith isn't shaken because things take a turn for the worse after God gives you a promise. Being weak in faith is the opposite of that–when you receive a word from God, things get worse, and you start doubting. Peter is an example of someone doubting after things take a turn for the worse: Jesus called Peter out of the boat to walk on water, and Peter immediately came out of the boat and began walking on water; he was LITERALLY walking by faith. Then strong winds came while Peter was supernaturally walking, and his faith caved and he began to fall into the sea (Matthew 14:28-31).
I encourage you, as I am encouraging myself at this very moment, not to consider the digression of your circumstance after you've received a promise from God. If you're walking by faith, let nothing stop you from continuing in your faith. Consider not, just like Abraham. God's promises are yes and amen. Amen means that it's firm, trustworthy, and that it will surely come to pass–it will be fulfilled.
