So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17
Can we lose faith?
A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed,
some fell by the way side;
and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
And some fell upon a rock;
and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
And other fell on good ground, and sprang up,
and bare fruit an hundredfold.
And when He had said these things, He cried,
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Luke 8:5-8
To keep faith means to read and receive the word of God by the Holy Spirit,
and do what it says: Keep Jesus’ Commandments and learn of Him.
That sounds simple, but it may not be.
How important are the cares of this world to us?
That plays a part.
For everyone it is different. Jesus asks different things of us, howbeit,
they are the same, in that, they are not separate from the word of God.
Just as each person He met along the way while He walked on earth,
each one had obstacles on their journey toward fully walking with Him.
For some it was pride, some possessions, some prestige.
For others, it was deceit, for others it was bitterness.
We may do very well at following Jesus with many things.
But we still may be lacking something in our walk with Him.
The only One who can reveal what may be lacking is Jesus.
Consider the Rich, Young Ruler:
And when He was gone forth into the way, there came one running,
and kneeled to Him, and asked him, Good Master,
what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good?
there is none good but one, that is, God.
Thou knowest the commandments,
Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal,
Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
And he answered and said unto him,
Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him,
One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast,
and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.
And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved:
for he had great possessions. Mark 10:17-22
Can you imagine having an invitation from Jesus to follow Him,
but you choose your money and your possessions?
I’m sure it happens every day.
Jesus is still beckoning people to follow Him
and that means whole-heartedly, not partially.
Jesus wants our whole heart, our whole lives, everything we are about.
He wants to be our priority, in everything.
When He is our priority, His word is also our priority.
And His word is filled with Him, it is a full and complete answer
to all the things we have to deal with on earth
and the importance we place on it, reflects our dedication to Him.
Losing faith, or not having your faith develop as much as is possible,
is a tragedy. That would be a loss and could cost you more than you realize.
Keep Jesus front and center.
Keep His word in your heart
and His commandments as the model you commit to while following Him.
There really isn’t any one way to lose faith.
Do your best to keep it.
Keep him at the helm, reminding yourself who He is and who you are.
There are three warnings in Revelation that are quite fitting.
The first is:
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee,
because thou hast left thy first love.
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent,
and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly,
and will remove thy candlestick out of his place,
except thou repent. Chapter 2:5-6
The second is:
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot:
I would thou wert cold or hot.
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,
I will spue thee out of my mouth. Chapter 3:15-16
And, the third is:
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast,
that no man take thy crown. Chapter 3:11
If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny himself.
2 Timothy 2:13
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Romans 10:11