Faith That Overcomes Challenges

In the Bible, the women often stand out as examples, while the men seem ungrateful. The disciples were not the best bunch. They often pushed people away from Jesus. They wanted to keep their special bond with Him.

When parents brought their little children to Jesus for blessings, the disciples tried to send them away. When the Samaritans refused Jesus a smooth journey to Jerusalem, the sons of Zebedee asked Jesus to call down fire from heaven to destroy them.

One disciple, Judas, betrayed Jesus. Another, Peter, denied Him. All of them ran off when He was arrested. They did not believe when they heard that He had risen from the dead.

True to form, they told Jesus to send the Canaanite woman away. They urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”

But Jesus did something unexpected. He told the woman, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Go away! “My ministry is not for you. It is only for Israelites.”

Yet, this woman did not give up. She changed her approach. She understood she was not entitled because she was Canaanite and not Jewish. But her faith in Jesus gave her a right to ask.

Faith can open closed doors. Faith can create a path where there seems to be none. Faith makes a way in tough situations.

Faith does not back down. Faith does not accept “No” for an answer. Faith keeps pushing forward.

Joshua did not lower his hand, with which he stretched out the spear, until he had completely destroyed all the people of Ai.

Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back to destruction, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

So, instead of backing down, this Canaanite woman pressed on. Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

If she was not entitled due to her ethnic background, she was entitled because of her faith. She found the door of faith and addressed Jesus as “Lord.”

What! Is Jesus the Lord of a Canaanite woman? Yes!

Jesus says, “With men, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.”

“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Where does that leave men? Are we stuck in the mud of impossibility? No!

Without faith, it is impossible. But Jesus says the impossible can be possible:

“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

He says, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

If faith exists, it will find a way even where there seems to be no way. Jesus says, “According to your faith, let it be to you.”

Paul says, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.”

Jesus adds to this: “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”

Jesus decided to test this woman’s faith in a big way. He told her, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

This was too much. “I was just asking for healing for my daughter.” “If you don’t want to help, just say so.” “That is no reason to call me a little dog.” “I am not a little dog.” “You are the big dog.” “Take your healing. I am no longer interested.”

That is what she was expected to say. But she did not say that.

“You can call me whatever you like, but nothing will stop me from getting healing for my daughter today.”

Instead, she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

As a new believer, I asked the Lord why He called the woman a dog. His answer surprised me. He said, “Femi, I wanted to see if this woman was a Jew.”

“But she was not a Jew,” I argued. “The woman was of Greek origin, a Syro-Phoenician by birth.”

The Lord would not change His mind and insisted, “I wanted to see if she was a Jew.”

It took me time to understand this, and then it hit me. The Lord does not define a Jew by nationality but by the heart:

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

This means, in God’s eyes, this Canaanite woman was a Jew. She was a spiritual Jew. She belonged to the Israel of God. Paul says:

They are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

This means, according to God, who alone knows the hearts and minds, an unbeliever can be a believer inside. Roman Cornelius was a spiritual Jew. That is why Peter was sent to him. The Samaritan woman by Jacob’s was a Jew. The Roman centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant was a Jew.

What about you? Are you a spiritual Jew? When Jesus returns, will He find faith in you?

It also means that a Christian can be an unbeliever inside. Only God knows, and His final decision on Judgment Day might surprise us.

The Lord knows those who are His.

So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up;

But on the last day:

Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

When Jesus returns, will He find faith in you? Will you grow tired of waiting?

Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.