Faith is Contagious
I want to show you how running alongside a positive role model can change people’s lives. In spite of his trouble with Bath-Sheba, David ran his race well and is called a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). We all know the story of David and the giant, Goliath’s, but David was not the only giant killer in the Bible. There was a man from Bethlehem named Elhanan who killed Goliath’s brother (II Samuel 21:19). This was no coincidence because David was also from Bethlehem, and he had been a positive role model for Elhanan. If Elhanan had set his eyes upon the giant—or upon all those losers in Saul’s army—then he would have paced himself with poor runners. However, Elhanan chose David as his role model; and he allowed David’s giant faith in God to witness to him. The results were that Elhanan’s faith soared; and like David, Elhanan became a giant killer too!
There were four more giants killed in addition to Goliath because of David’s faith and courage (II Samuel 21:15-22). Elhanan, Abishai, Sibbechai, and Jonathan (David’s nephew) chose to pace themselves with David, so they all ran well and finished the race that God had set before them! Why? Because they ran along beside one of God’s winners!
What about you? Are you weighted down because you have been hanging out with whiners—Christians who focus on their problems rather than on the problem-solver? If so, then you need to change your pace and start running along with running Christians! Complainers never run well; and if you pace yourself with them, pretty soon, you will not be running well either! Find winning believers who are confessing the Word into their situations and who are walking in giant-killing faith. Run with winners—not with the whiners!
What You Hear Affects Your Faith
The second area in which we believers need to “shape up” spiritually concerns what we hear. Friends, we need to guard what comes into our spirits through our ears. Second John 10 says, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him…” When people knock at your door with false doctrine, don’t invite them in!
A pastor told me that his son was born again, but at age 16 he got in with a group of high school students who were involved in Satanism. This pastor allowed his son to entertain his friends in their home—thinking they could win his son’s friends to the Lord. Wrong thinking! They didn’t win anyone; instead they lost their son to drugs for three years before Jesus began to deliver him! You need to be very conscious of the things you hear and the things you allow your children to hear because wrong teaching causes you to take your eyes off Jesus! Then, rather than running the race that God has set before you, you may find yourself on an entirely different course—on which leads to destruction!
Romans 16:17 says, “…note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.” We might as well face it; there will be people in the Body of Christ who are divisive—until Jesus comes! They will talk against the leaders, and they’ll talk against other Christians. And if you’re hanging around them, when you turn your back—they will talk against you!
The Bible says that you should “mark” or “be aware” of these people; and instead of running with them, you should run the other way! Why? Because they are going to slow you down! The power of life and death is in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21); so if you allow divisive words to seep into your spirit, then you are receiving death. If you want to run well and finish your course, then find positive Christians to run with; and get away from gossips and critics fast!
Failure Is Not Final
Do you remember the story of the Samaritan woman at the well? One day she “heard” the Word, she was born again, and immediately she began to run her race (John 4). The Samaritan woman went back to the city and told everyone about Jesus. As a result, those who heard her and went unto Jesus were saved! Now those Samaritan men could have continued to align themselves with the evil custom of that day which prohibited dealings between Jews and Samaritans—even Jesus’ disciples were surprised when they saw Him talking with the Samaritan woman (John 4:27). The Samaritan men also could have aligned themselves with the tradition which did not allow women to speak in public and silenced her. If that wasn’t enough, they could have used her reputation as a reason to discount her as God’s “witness.”
But, thank God, they chose to receive God’s Word through that woman; and they paced themselves with God’s positive role model. All those people began to run the race that God had set before them—simply because of one woman’s encounter with Jesus!
Acts 2 records that after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the 120 “witnesses” spoke in other tongues. They addressed the crowd in several different languages, witnessing to the wonderful works of God. Peter preached the first Pentecostal message, and 3,000 people gladly received his words and were saved. Wow! That must have been some preaching!
Some of the people in that first altar call undoubtedly remembered that when Jesus hung on the Cross, all the disciples except John, ran out on Him—Peter even denied knowing Jesus altogether! These people could have easily held on to this negative view of the disciples and mixed it with the Pharisee’s vain doctrines of legalism and tradition. Instead, the 3,000 converts believed the positive Word they “heard” from Peter and began the race by pacing themselves with the witnesses God provided—and they ran well!
Take some time—right now—to examine what sort of witnesses your eyes are seeing—and what kind of confessions your ears are hearing. Don’t allow yourself to be weighted down by negative people or circumstances. Behold Jesus, Who is the Author and Finisher of your faith, so you can run your race well and finish your course. Keep in mind that Jesus is a WINNER, and through Him you can win too!