Sermon Notes

Practical Lessons for Understanding the Word of God

Wavering Faith
KEY PASSAGE: James 1:1-8 | SUPPORTING SCRIPTURE: Malachi 3:10 | Matthew 6:25 | Mark 11:22-26
Philippians 4:7, 19 | 1 John 1:9

our omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God is not

limited by the natural laws that guide our reason.

SUMMARY
Faith is key to everything in the life of a
believer.
Whatever we become and achieve in life is
determined by our ability to trust God. Every
person, even a non-believer, demonstrates a degree
of faith. It is only when we believe in Jesus Christ
and are confident that God will do as He promised
that our lives can be transformed.
This wholehearted reliance upon the Lord
becomes especially important as we walk through
difficulties and trials. When we are certain of the
Fathers presence, power, and provision, we can
face any situation with hope and assurance. As Paul
wrote in Philippians 4:7, The peace of God, which
surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We will waver in our faith when we allow our

feelings to rule us. We may think ourselves
unworthy of Gods favor and blessings. We may
also fear the consequences of doing as He says.
However, the Father expects us to obey Him and
trust His love regardless of our emotions.

When we fail to see God at work in our

circumstances, we may stagger in our faith.
The Lord does not always demonstrate how He is
working in our situations, but we must trust Him
even when we dont see His activity.

Negative counsel from others can often cause us

to doubt. No one knows what is best for you as the
Father does, and no one knows Gods will for your
life better than you do. So be careful when listening
to others advice.

When we focus on the circumstances rather

than God, our faith may waver. Concentrating
on our difficulties is a sure way to make them
more daunting than they actually are. Instead, we
must place our attention on the One who is always
infinitely bigger and more powerful than our
problems.

As long as we are ignorant of Gods ways, our

faith will continue to stagger. The Lord always
operates on the basis of principles. Therefore, the
more we understand how He works, the better we
will relate to Him.

Our feelings of guilt about past sins may also

impede us from fully trusting the Lord. Sin shortcircuits our faithdestroying our relationship with
the Father. We must accept His promise to forgive
us completely and realize our pardon is not based
on our worthiness, but Christs sacrifice on the cross.

SERMON POINTS
Why Our Faith Wavers
Sadly, there are many people who struggle with faith
throughout their lives. They wonder why God doesnt
do more in and through them. Yet when we examine
what governs them and how they relate to the Lord,
we see they are unstable in their faith. They do not
fully trust God in some area and are sometimes
inconsistent in pursuing a relationship with Him. For
us to avoid exhibiting a similar wavering faith, we
must consider the factors that can make us stumble.
n When trusting God is in conflict with human

reason, we will be tempted to doubt. At times, the

Father may instruct us to do something that seems
illogical. However, we must always remember that

SERMON NOTES | SN110904

Our faith will waver when we listen to the

enemys lies. The devil will try to separate us from
God, steal our peace, and trap us in sin. Dont listen
to himhe only leads people to destruction.

our lives. The Father knows you are seeking His

direction and assurance, so trust Him to speak to
your heart, answer your questions, clarify your path,
and comfort your soul.
n Third, we must recall times when God faithfully

The Consequences of Wavering Faith

answered our prayers. This is one of the reasons

it is always a good idea to write what the Father
is showing you in the margin of your Bibleit
becomes a biography of how He has worked in your
life. Then you can recall His absolute faithfulness
and trust Him to lead you when troubles arise.

Unfortunately, when we nurse our unbelief, we leave

ourselves open to terrible consequences. We are in
danger of:
n

Being double-minded.

Becoming unstable in our ways.

Missing the blessings of God.

Having our faith destroyed.

Misleading others about Gods character.

Losing our influence.

Weakening our testimonies.

Making wrong decisions.

Forfeiting our peace.

Committing costly mistakes.

Being discouraged in prayer.

n Fourth, courageously choose to obey God and

leave all the consequences to Him. There will

certainly be times when it takes a great deal of
faith to obey God. But when you are walking in an
intimate relationship with Him, He will give you the
confidence to take the leap. You will never regret
stepping out in faith with Him.

RESPONSE

Overcoming Wavering Faith

So how do we overcome our unbelief and steady our
faith?How do we conquer our doubts when they arise?
n First, we must stop and ask ourselves the

following questions:
1. Where are these doubts coming from?
2. Has God been faithful to me in the past?
3. Didnt the Lord promise to meet my needs?
4. Dont I have the help of the Holy Spirit?
5. Isnt the Father with me at all times?

When you live without faith in God, you are limited

by your own strength and must endure difficulties
without His awesome ability to help you. It is a
terrible way to live and is certainly not what the
Father wants for you.
The Lord desires to show you His grace, love, and
generosity, but your unbelief is hindering you from
experiencing it. Dont continue in your wavering
faith. Trust God with every detail of your life and
make your relationship with Him your first priority.
Be confident in His presence, power, and provision,
and His peace will fill your heart.
n

What event/situation/person has caused your faith

to waver? If you overcame that doubt, how did
you do it? If you are still struggling, whose godly,
biblical wisdom can you seek?

Do you believe what you read in 1 John 1:9?

What benefits can you envision to reading and
memorizing this Scripture?

6. Is anything too hard for God?

7. Is my focus on the Lord as it should be?
8. Could my unbelief in this situation cost me a
lifetime of regret?
n Second, we must meditate upon the Word of God.

The Lord speaks to us in many ways, but one of the

primary avenues is through His Word. Therefore,
we should study Scripture each day, deliberately
considering how He may be instructing us through
each passage and applying His principles to

To purchase this message on CD or DVD,

please visit store.intouch.org or call 800-789-1473.
To download this Sermon Note, visit intouch.org/sermonnotes

intouch.org
Copyright 2014 by In Touch Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. In Touch grants permission to print for personal use only.
SERMON NOTES | SN110904