Paul was worried that the Corinthian people were weak and would compromise their behavior and beliefs to make their lives easier and fit in with the current culture. Paul suggested that “Believers” should be immovable, steadfast, and faithful to the Lord and His teachings. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:13-14, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from (idolatry/sin).”
Steadfast is defined by Oxford Languages as being resolute, dutifully firm, and unwavering. The Britannica Dictionary carries the definition a little further, describing being steadfast as being loyal, devoted, believing, and having a cause. In the Bible, the meaning starts to narrow and becomes concerned with faith, firm belief, and determination. The Bible’s meaning includes being firmly fixed, loyal, and not subject to change. A steadfast person will always stay the course and never resign. The steadfast person will be dependable, reliable, and unwavering. Steadfastness is being able to know sureness and continuous dependability.
Psalm 108:1 states, “My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.”
“A steadfast heart is secure in Christ, and not even the devil can drive it from its devotion to the Lord. Indeed, you can be steadfast because your Savior is steadfast. Markets may crumble, and economies erupt in uncertainty, but a steadfast heart stays fixed on the faithfulness of its heavenly Father. A steadfast heart understands its sufficiency is in Christ, so it goes there first by faith. Sometimes you climb to praise God by the ladder of prayer—and at other times you bless the Lord for the past, so in prayer you have faith to plead with Him in the present. The Holy Spirit seizes your steadfast heart so you can pray your way up to praise, or so you can patiently praise the Lord until you are ready for prayer.
You know your heart is steadfast when sin’s allure loses its luster. You do not want to go to the playground of pride, because you know it will bully you into bad behavior. A steadfast heart sees the awful consequences of disobeying God and does not go there. Because you are anchored in the fear of God, He stabilizes you in the face of fear. You remain fixed on trusting the Lord with your finances, your family, and your future. (Hunter, 2015)
Paul reaffirms this message in I Corinthians 15:58 and again warns the people of Corinth not to be moved from their faith. He tells them that their work will never be in vain if they stay with God. The whole world may change, things may get worse, and a person may fear the future, but a steadfast person will be able to survive. A steadfast person will be able to maintain their integrity and self-esteem and know that their faith will be rewarded.
Like many things we read about and strive to accomplish in the Bible, being steadfast will be easier said than done. We know that there was only one person to be an excellent illustration of a steadfast person. Jesus was and is steadfast, immovable, true to his word, always the same, and perfect in all ways. Our wants, desires, and prayers are often not answered in the time we want. But we have to admit all prayers are answered in God’s time. Naomi lived a hard life. She was many times bitter and about to give up. But Naomi stayed with her faith and believed that God would eventually provide for her. Another person that showed steadfastness was Priscilla. Priscilla and her husband Aquila were tent makers during the Roman occupation. They knew helping the Christians would put them in danger, but they followed their beliefs. They were martyred together in their attempt to save Paul. In Genesis, Abram, later known as Abraham, showed complete and total faith and steadfastness in God by following orders to sacrifice his son. And we can all agree that the twelve disciples were steadfast in following the Great Commission. All twelve had weak moments, times of lost faith, and showed every failing of being human. Still, they did finally develop the steadfastness to follow the directions given to them by Jesus.
We are told in 2 Peter 1:6 that “knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness. This verse means that if we try to work hard and do good for God, this goodness will show us the foundation we need to succeed. This steadfastness is the main ingredient to having strong self-esteem, self-respect and becoming fulfilled as a human. “Self-actualization represents the pursuit of reaching one’s full potential. Self-actualization occurs when the more basic needs are met or in the process of being met, and it becomes possible to strive to add meaning and personal and social fulfillment to existence—through creativity, intellectual growth, and social progress. As Maslow himself stated, What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization.” (Staff, n.d.) This creativity, intellectual growth, and social progress are all gifts from God and depend on our faith, belief, and understanding. Faith, belief, and understanding allow us to separate the Spirit of the mind and the loathsome thoughts of the mind. Romans 8: 5 states, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. …”
Hunter, W. (2015, 6 5). Wisdom Hunter. Retrieved from Steadfast Heart: https://www.wisdomhunters.com/steadfast-heart-2/
Staff. (n.d.). Psychology Today. Retrieved from Sel-Esteem: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/self-esteem