How can I keep the faith?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Keeping the faith means persevering in our relationship with Christ by remembering God's past faithfulness, walking closely with Jesus, and relying on the Holy Spirit. Scripture emphasizes the value of looking back on God's goodness, staying rooted in biblical truth, and encouraging one another in community. Abiding in Christ and studying His Word help us grow stronger and avoid being led astray. Trials are guaranteed, but God uses them to produce endurance and maturity in us. Ultimately, we stay faithful by fixing our eyes on Jesus and pressing forward in hope, knowing we are in a long-term race.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• It can be exhausting to press on to the future while living in the present, so it is important to look back often and remember God's faithfulness in the past. The Israelites made a regular habit of this by setting up monuments and having feast days to commemorate God's miraculous intervention in their lives (Deuteronomy 4:9).
• We need to consciously choose to remember God and His faithfulness. Psalm 103:2–5 says: "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Having a close relationship with Jesus will strengthen our walk with Him, so abiding in Christ (John 15) is important to keeping the faith.
• We can keep the faith by intentionally pursuing growth in our relationship with Christ as we rely on the work of the Holy Spirit in our life (Philippians 2:12–13),
• Walking out our faith is a daily practice. We should be vigilant in studying the Bible so that we can keep the truth in mind and obey it on a daily basis (1 Timothy 4:16). This can help prevent us from being swayed by false teachings that present a distorted gospel (1 Timothy 4:1).
• Encouraging other believers through all of life's ups and downs is also something that can help us keep the faith: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:23–25).
• Just as Jesus looked to His eternal glory in heaven to help Him endure the cross, as we run our race in the present, what motivates us to press on is looking to the future we have: "let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1–2).
• Remembering the Lord's faithfulness helps our own faith to stay strong, because our thoughts are rooted in thankfulness for the faithfulness God has shown to us.We can have total confidence in God's ongoing faithfulness for He "is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
• We are guaranteed to face trials and tribulations, but with these difficulties comes the perseverance we need to continue in our faith: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2–4).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

A simple definition for keeping the faith would be: "persevering in our Christian walk." One of the goals of the apostle Paul was to encourage believers to keep the faith (Acts 14:22). Key mindsets we need to develop in order to keep the faith have to do with timing, which is staying focused in the present, looking to the future, and remembering God's faithfulness in the past. A key passage for this topic is Hebrews 12:1–2, which communicates that our Christian walk is an endurance race. If we keep in mind that we are in a long-term race, we will realize that there is no allotment given to us to be a stagnant or lazy Christian. We are to look to the future so we can endure and press forward in the present.

Yes, we are called to keep the faith, but the strength to do so never comes from us alone—God is the one who truly holds us fast. While we actively choose to trust Him, study His Word, and walk in obedience, it is His Spirit who empowers our endurance and guards our hearts from falling away. In moments of weakness, when our faith feels fragile, He remains steadfast and unchanging, reminding us that He who began a good work in us will carry it to completion. We keep the faith not by our own effort, but because God faithfully keeps us in His grace. As we abide in Christ, we find that His grip on us is far stronger than our grasp on Him.

UNDERSTAND

• We keep the faith by abiding in Christ and staying rooted in Scripture.
• We keep the faith by remembering God's past faithfulness and looking forward in hope.
• We keep the faith by relying on the Holy Spirit to grow and keep the faith.

REFLECT

• When your faith feels weak, how do you remind yourself that God is the one ultimately holding you fast?
• What daily habits help you abide in Christ and stay rooted in His Word?
• How has remembering God's past faithfulness helped you endure your present trials?

ENGAGE

• What are some practical ways we can help each other stay strong in our faith when life gets hard?
• How does fixing our eyes on Jesus, as Hebrews 12:1–2 says, change how we respond to suffering or discouragement?
• Why is community essential to keeping the faith, and how can we make encouragement a regular part of our relationships?