The apostle Paul made it abundantly clear that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6-7). Yet we all lack faith from time to time. The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. outlines at least four major enemies of faith that we need to avoid.
Anxious thought or worry is one. Often worries are over physical things like what we will eat, drink and wear (Matthew 6:25). Avoid getting bogged down with problems by focusing on our ultimate goal—the Kingdom of God (verses 33-34).
Some studies indicate that only about 8 percent of our worries will ever affect our lives. That means a full 92 percent of our worries are a waste of time. They can sap our energy and destroy our faith. A friend of mine turns her problems over to God by imagining she is serving a volleyball up to God and leaving it there for Him to handle.
Fear is a second enemy of faith. Christ directly connected fear to losing faith. When a storm struck the boat carrying Him and His disciples, He rebuked them for being overly concerned for their safety: "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 8:24-26, emphasis added throughout).
The apostle John explained, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18). Love and fear are mutually exclusive. If we have perfect love we will not fear. But if we have fear we do not have perfect love.
Doubt is another enemy of faith. When Peter was walking on water to meet Christ he began to sink. Christ pointed to the cause of the problem: "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31-32).
Human reasoning is one of the biggest enemies of faith. James maps out how this process works: "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering . For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed" (James 1:6, King James Version).
The Greek word translated "wavering" is diakrino. It means "thorough judgment." It is like going back and forth in our minds trying to judge within ourselves. We are told not to lean to our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).
Using too much human reasoning can limit our trust in God. Barnes' Notes explains: "In regard to the matter under consideration, there is to be no hesitancy, no doubting, no vacillation of the mind. We are to come to God with the utmost confidence and assurance." UN
