Unshakable: Living Faithfully Through the Tough Seasons of LifeSample

Unshakable // Faith In Action

What is faith?

We could describe faith as living in alignment with the unseen realities of God. It’s the things we believe
and put into action. In simple terms, trust is being confident that we have a new identity in Christ. Knowing that God is our Heavenly Father, His heart is for us, and our future is secure in His promises.

Practically faith changes us. It transforms our choices, reframes our relationships, and embraces the priorities and values of the Kingdom - and that shapes where we invest our time, money, and energy. Faith pursues the things of God because they are of ultimate worth - a treasure that exposes the riches of this world as empty and fleeting.

The Thessalonians accepted the good news of Jesus with whole-hearted enthusiasm. They experienced a radical reorientation of their lives. They had willingly put aside their worldly lifestyles to become disciples of Jesus. Because that’s what faith does, it draws us into following Jesus and loving what he loves. In fact, faith is the ultimate act of spiritual warfare because it stands against the powers and authorities of this age, refusing to be seduced by the wealth and comforts on offer in this world. Faith resists the temptations of our flesh and seeks first the Kingdom of God.

Faith is profoundly spiritual. That’s almost ridiculously obvious, but it’s still worth saying. Because our faith is the thing that Satan detests, it’s what he focuses all his attacks on. He will try and use every situation and circumstance to damage and weaken our faith - to sow seeds of doubt, distract us, or wear down our trust.

In one of his parables, Jesus talked about the range of things that can choke and even destroy our faith. He described faith as a seed planted and growing to produce a crop. Some people don't survive because they get ridiculed for their faith. For others, their faith ends up weak and ineffective because they get distracted by “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things”(Mark 4.19). Jesus labels all the big faith killers, dealing with the hurt of relational rejection, being anxious about the things we can’t control, becoming obsessed with wealth creation, and wanting more stuff. You’d think the challenges might be different in a ‘modern’ world, but we haven’t really changed at all.

Paul was very aware of these strategies that ‘the tempter’ uses to try and kill faith. Because Paul couldn’t visit the Thessalonians and help them, he was concerned that their faith may not have survived. Even though he had warned them about the kinds of challenges that they would face, he wasn’t sure how unshakable they would be. That’s why he’s so encouraged by Timothy’s report. Of all the letters we have from Paul, these verses are about as passionate and emotional as his writing ever gets. He is delighted to hear about their faithfulness. He’s thrilled to hear about how steadfast and strong they are in the Lord.

It’s so good to be reminded of how important meeting together is because faith is the healthiest in community. Paul’s deep desire was to be physically present with the Thessalonian believers, so he could encourage them. It’s clear that he would have traveled to see them at the first opportunity if it was possible. We see it throughout this passage and especially in the prayer that finishes this section of his letter (v.11-13). There’s nothing that inspires and revives our faith more than doing life with others who trust Jesus and live out an unshakable faith in action.

1. What tempts me most - pleasing people, life’s anxieties, financial security, wanting stuff?
2. Who are the most encouraging people for my faith - am I around them enough?