Las Vegas, Nevada Church
Affiliated with the Intercontinental Church of God and the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association

  
 

Subject:  Be Not Weary in Well Doing–Action Steps

I received an e-mail yesterday (10 Feb 05) that contained this lament:                          MP3

"Sometimes I feel very discouraged in what we believe. It's not that I don't believe or question truth. I believe it whole heartily, but sometimes it pulls me down. I feel like I'm the only one who feels this way. And sometimes I've even felt like it would be easier to just close my eyes and walk away. While struggling with this issue I feel that I could be a better Christian.   I find myself like Peter, I do the things I don't want to do and I don't do the thing I want to do. Is this lack of faith on my part or is this normal."

Here is my reply...

I suspect that every firstfruit goes through this feeling or situation at one time or another.  The Bible calls it "weary in well-doing".  First I will give you the two definitive verses:
 
2 Thessalonians 3:13
But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
 
Galatians 6:9
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
 
Your stated situation is not unique, as we can see from the amount of verses on the subject.  Notice now as both the situation and the solution or action step is given in each of the following scripture passages:
 
Psalm 27:12-14
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Situation:  Trials and enemies get us down.
Action:  Keep your eye on God.  Be of good courage (fruit of the Spirit requiring you to invoke the power of that Spirit)
Promise:  God will strengthen you.
 
Isaiah 40:29
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Situation:  We will have times when we will faint.
Action:  Look to God
Promise:  He will increase our strength
 
Luke 18:1
And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
 
Situation:  God understands that we will faint.
Action:  Pray
Promise:   God will hear our prayers
 
2 Corinthians 4:1
Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
 
Situation:  We will faint
Action:  Look to the Work and to the good news of the Gospel.  This gospel message is a ministry by which we learn how the Holy Spirit works in us and makes possible the Salvation Process wherein we are justified.
Promise:  We receive mercy.
 
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
 
Situation:  This fainting can actually work to our good for it teaches us what is of real value.  Our body and emotions faint but the strength is in our hearts (mind).
Action:  We need to renew ourselves day-by-day through immersion in the Word, prayer, meditation and study.   We must not let the things we see get us down but keep our eye on the unseen things...the Kingdom and Salvation.
Promise: This process...the Salvation Process works to keep us from the destructive forces of the fainting.
 
Hebrews 12:5-8
5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

 
Situation:  All through the Salvation Process, which we are in from baptism to death, we are corrected and rebuked by God for our sins and errors.  The Word of God corrects us.  Sometimes this is hard on the mind and emotions.
Action:  Endure the correction and rebuke knowing that God loves us 
Promise:  God loves us and deals with us as His sons.

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
 
Situation:  Sometimes we will feel that our effort in the Salvation Process is in vain.
Action:  Remain stedfast, unmoved by all this and abounding--going the extra yards--above and beyond the call. 
Promise:  God loves us and encourages us.  He wants us to succeed.
 
Hebrews 12:2-4
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
 
Situation:  When we allow ourselves to neglect our duty...our calling, we will faint.
Action:  Look to Jesus who went through the same situation.  If ever there was a person who had excuse to faint, it was Jesus.  But He did not. 
Promise:  Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith (our Salvation Process) and as our brother will get us through that Process.
 
Hebrews 3:14
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
 
Situation:  All manner of elements in this world and life can lead to our being weary.
Action:  We must live the life Jesus did...overcoming the trials and the harshness of this life.  Keep the first love. 
Promise:  We will be forever with Christ.
 
Hebrews 10:35-39
35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
 
Situation:  God knows that we will have these times we want to throw it all in.
Action:  Invoke the power of the Holy Spirit in the fruit of patience.  Do the will of God.  Stay in the Salvation Process.  Stay immersed in the Word of God.  Know that God's Plan is to save us.
Promise:  We will receive the promise of eternal life, as the sons of God in His Kingdom.

And all this is just the beginning of what the Word of God has to say on the matter.  Every servant of God goes through this and you are one of His servants.  Remain steadfast in the Salvation Process.
 		 
 

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Las Vegas, Nevada Church of God - part of The Intercontinental Church of God and The Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association - Tyler, Texas