Now let us consider the relationship between the testing of our faith and overcoming. God wants to test our faith in order to make sure that our faith is indeed faith. All genuine faith is long-lived. All short-lived faith is not faith at all. Genuine faith is always long-lived. It will believe after three days, a month, a year, ten years, or even fifty years. Genuine faith can withstand one obstacle, five obstacles, or ten obstacles. Genuine faith will believe after it is tested once, five times, or seven times. Any faith that is short- lived and that falls and evaporates with a slight shake is not faith at all. All faith is necessarily long-lived. In the Bible we see that overcoming is a matter of believing God’s Word. God says that His Son is our life, our Head, our victory, our sanctification, and our power. We know that He has borne our burden and is responsible for all of our affairs. We know that He supplies us with endurance and meekness, and we know that He is supplying us within with everything that we need. Thank and praise the Lord! We know, and we believe. But such faith has to pass through the test.

Bible verses are taken from the recovery Version of the Bible (RcV) and Words of Ministry from Watchman Nee, The Overcoming Life, pp. 130-131. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA.