Day 15: No Going Back

Welcome to Day 15 of 21 Days to Strengthen Your Faith! Today, we are talking about standing fast in the liberty of Jesus with NO going back! Once you decide to believe God, you’ve got nowhere to go but forward if you want to stay right with Him. 🙂

As a reminder:

In this series, we will examine one short Scripture passage each day.

Then, we will pray through it with a brief series of bullet-point prayers. Each day, our goal is to strengthen our faith by gaining greater revelation about the importance of faith in our lives, and how faith WORKS.

As you strengthen your faith each day, your confidence in God will grow–and you will also begin feeling more brave and willing to go on the great adventures God has for you!

Click here for the series table of contents, in which you can find all the articles in 21 Days to Strengthen Your Faith.

We have also recorded a short video devotional to go with each day’s Scripture verse. Please be sure to watch these videos for extra encouragement and inspiration in your faith journey!

Here is today’s short video word of encouragement:

Our key Scripture passage today is Galatians 5:1-2:

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing” (Galatians 5:1-2 NKJV).

In the passage above, the apostle Paul is telling the Galatians that they can’t embrace faith in Christ and also try to be approved by God through works also. He mentions the literal act of circumcision, which was a procedure the Jewish people did under the Law to obey God. But, in Christ, circumcision was no longer needed as an act of righteousness. (Christ fulfilled the Law.)

So, the new converts who were trying to believe in Christ plus get circumcised were only doing so because they didn’t quite believe that faith in Christ was good enough. And Paul rebuked them for it. Paul is telling them in this passage that they have to stand firm in the liberty of faith, and not go backwards to try to walk in the Law too.

The same applies to us today.

Friend, once you’ve decided to believe God, you’ve got nowhere to go but up.

Once you take up the life of faith, making Jesus your Lord, Boss, and Master, you’ve got to STAY in the life of faith. You can’t go backward and try mixing in some works of the flesh, hoping that will get you more sanctified (more right with God).

No, faith in Christ is the only way. You have to go forward. And you have to stand in faith for absolutely everything in life.

Going back to doubt, unbelief, and the works of the flesh is not an option.

You can’t afford to let it be an option. You have to decide, and decide now–today!–that you are not going backward, no matter what. YOU are going to climb the mountain of God the rest of your life, standing fast in the liberty of faith.

Standing fast in faith, with no going back, is the only thing you can do if you want to stay right with God.

Why do I say that? Because look at what God Himself says in Hebrews 10:35-39:

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:

‘For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.’

But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:35-39 NKJV).

If we draw back from our faith-filled stance, God’s soul has no pleasure in us.

I don’t want that to happen; do you? I want to be pleasing to God in all things. I want Him to delight in me all the days of my life, and I desire to walk worthy before Him in a white robe of righteousness.

Do you?

If you do, then you can’t turn back from your faith-filled stance. You can’t ever let doubt or unbelief creep in. You have to hold to the promises of God on your life and never, ever, EVER let go.

You’re going to need endurance.

You’re going to need to hold fast to your confidence in God and in His promises. But your confidence in Him will have great reward. And even though He does make you wait a little while, as He makes all of us wait while He grows us and disciples us …

You will receive the promise.

He will come, and will not tarry.

So don’t draw back. There’s nothing for you in the land of doubt and unbelief–nothing except perdition (eternal damnation) itself. You LEFT that land when you gave your life to Jesus Christ and made Him the Lord, Savior, Boss, and Master of your life.

NOW you walk in the land of the free.

You walk in the freedom of FAITH. And you have to keep on believing all the way until Jesus returns to take us home to live in Heaven with Him.

So let’s pray together as follows:

• Confess to our Heavenly Father that you come to Him in Jesus’ name, through the way made for you by Jesus’ blood.
• Thank Him that He is the Fount of every blessing, and that He will give you grace for every need.
• Praise Him for His help in the time of storm!
• No matter what you are going through today, ask the Father to help you stand fast in the liberty by which Christ made you free.
• Pray that you would not become entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
• Pray that God would help you not to cast away your confidence.
• Pray earnestly that you would receive the reward of your confidence and faith in God! Ask Him to reward you TODAY!
• Pray that the Lord would give you endurance.
• Ask Him to help you persevere, no matter what!
• Pray that He would help you to do His will, day in and day out.
• Pray that you would only say what He says and do what He does, and that you would obey Him in all things at every moment.
• Ask Him to keep you from sinning against Him!
• Ask Him to help you receive all His promises.
• Pray that He would come swiftly in your life, and would not tarry!
• Ask Him to help you keep your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith.
• Pray that you would never draw back, but that you would BELIEVE to the saving of your soul.
• Pray that you would be ready when Jesus returns.
• Ask Him to mold and shape your life so much that you hear Him say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” … and that you would enter into the joy of your Lord!
• Thank Him for hearing and answering your prayer.
• Thank and praise Him for guiding you and teaching you, for He is your Shepherd.
• Give Him all the glory!

Beloved, God will give you endurance today if you ask Him to do so.

In Christ, there is no going back. We are completely dependent on Him, but He will see us through. As Jesus taught us Himself:

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NKJV).

And also:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).

So hang in there! Abide in that patient endurance, in which there is no going back. And you WILL receive a reward, for Jesus is coming. He is coming back to take us to Heaven, and He is also riding right now into your life with the answers to prayer you have been asking Him to bring.

In patience you possess your soul!

Does this word about how there is no going back strengthen your faith and heart today? If so, leave a comment below!