Persevere in Faith - iBelieve Truth - July 24, 2023

Persevere in Faith
By Jessica Van Roekel

“But Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” Hebrews 3:6 ESV

I had an “If/Then Chart” when my kids were little to help them see the benefits and consequences of their choices. If they didn’t pick up their toy, then they didn’t get to play with it for a brief period. If they picked up their toy, they got a sticker for a fun activity. It was a simple matter of cause and effect. An action created a reaction, which became an action, which created another reaction, and so on.

We find evidence of these If/Then statements throughout God’s word. For example, Proverbs 2:1-5, Romans 10:9, Matthew 6:14-15, and John 15:10. The if part of these statements land in the circle of our responsibility. They are the things we can do and ought to do out of our love for God.

When I look back over my life, I can see God’s faithfulness woven throughout like a golden strand in a tapestry. It’s not always easy to look back at the hard times when I made decisions contrary to God’s word. I lived through those consequences but came out the other side with a greater depth of understanding of the importance of maintaining trust and hope in him no matter what I face.

When King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and Jerusalem, he took the best and brightest of the Israelites to his palace to teach them the ways of his people. The Babylonian society was a polytheistic society that lived their lives far removed from God’s ways. Four young men, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were among those captured and sent to the palace. They received new names designed to further separate them from their heritage.

It didn’t matter what they were called, they were determined to remain loyal to the one true God. By God’s standards, Babylon’s morality and spirituality were totally corrupt, and it is likely that what Daniel and his friends were taught contradicted God’s principles. Daniel resolved not to compromise God’s way, and God gave Daniel favor in the eyes of the chief eunuch in charge of him and his friends. At the end of their training, the king found that these four young men surpassed all his wise men.

Did this mean the king set them free? No. God honored their resolve to hold fast to their confidence in him within their captivity. It is tempting to judge God’s favor in our lives based on our circumstances. In fact, for these Hebrew young men, they faced life-threatening challenges. Daniel faced the lions’ den, and the others faced a fiery furnace. But they did not waver. They did not throw away their confidence or their hope.

Even during our darkest days, we can stay true to God. He desires our loyalty and commitment, and he enables us to walk with confidence and hope. The decision we make begins in our hearts. Do we incline our heart toward God or away? This is where we can get off track in following God if we are not aware of where our heart points. It’s like having a conversation with someone where it feels like they aren’t really paying attention, or it seems like they don’t want to be there. A glance at their feet will give the answer; if their feet point away from you, then they don’t want to chat. It’s like that with our hearts toward God. Is our heart pointing to God or away from him?

When we point our hearts toward God and resolve to hold onto our confidence and hope in him, he comes alongside us and helps us. He knows life is hard, and he does not abandon us in the middle of difficulties. When we keep our hearts pointed in his direction, he enables us to persevere in faith just like he did with Daniel and his friends.

Let’s pray:
Holy God,
You are my confidence and my deliverer. I know I won’t walk alone, and I know you won’t abandon me even when life gets hard. I can trust in you because you are trustworthy. I can hope in you because you are my hope. You fill me with strength when I want to crumble. You give me mercy when I miss the mark. You are my confidence and my hope, and I turn my heart to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Tom Merton

Jessica Van Roekel loves the upside-down life of following Jesus as she journeys to wholeness through brokenness. As an author, speaker, and worship leader, she uses her gifts and experiences to share God’s transformative power to rescue, restore, and renew. She longs for you to know that rejection doesn’t have to define or determine your future when placed in God’s healing hands. Find out more reframingrejectionbook.com You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.

Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith

Kerry Washington, Andrea Bocelli, Reba McEntire, Mark Wahlberg, Tony Dungy, and Matthew McConaughey—what do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their stories of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going. 

Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.