The world and sin definitely detract from the ability to persevere. When we focus on our own selfish desires, we lose sight of what we already have.
How many of you love to paint? I’m not talking about beautiful works of art, but painting walls and trim in your home. I’m guessing not too many hands are raised out there. But I think most of us get very excited about transforming a room in our home with a fresh coat of paint, beginning the project with excitement and dreaming about the space’s new look.
Before we can even start painting, there is a lot of prep. The trim, ceiling, and floors have to be taped to ensure the new paint doesn’t go where it’s not supposed to. Next, plastic covers over the furniture and on the floors to protect those areas. My husband always says that prep is almost more work than painting! Without it, though, you can have quite a mess on your hands. Unless you are me who finds that the tape makes more of a mess!
How many of you have peeled up the tape only to have it take some of the drying new paint along with it. Ugh! Or found that the paint still made it under the tape and onto the trim or the wall. I have a little secret for you. I looked around on Pinterest and learned techniques for painting neatly without tape! And I can humbly brag that I’ve been quite successful without tape, lol! No matter the method, if you’re like me, within a half hour of painting, you're over it. It doesn’t matter my excitement for the new colors in the room or how it will look all redecorated; I don’t really care at this point and just want to give up…
I would imagine there are situations in life where you just want to give up. You are over it, and no matter what the motivation was in the beginning, you are done.
In my opinion, one of the most profound verses in the Bible is Hebrews 12:2: “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus persevered despite the most incredible pain a person could endure physically let alone the pain of feeling the separation from God as He carried all of our sins. Yet, He persevered for the “joy set before Him” of sitting down at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. His perseverance was fueled by knowing that He would be with God the Father after He endured the pain.
Clearly, my painting story, which I believe many of you can empathize with, did not show any desire to persevere for a temporal reward, but what if we reframe those situations in life that are hard and persevere for the joy of the eternal reward that will one day be ours in Heaven and the joy we can still experience on earth despite our difficulty?
Hebrews 12:1 outlines three ways we can persevere without feeling like giving up: “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
Let's look more closely at those three key ways:
1. Remembering God’s Past Faithfulness
When we read through the Hall of Faith found in Hebrews 11, we find the “great cloud of witnesses” was many of whom persevered under great testing. They saw the Lord work in amazing ways. The same God who provided for these will provide for you!
Whether you have been a Christian for a long time or just a short time, you have experienced God’s faithfulness. Certainly, the longer you have walked with the Lord, the more you have been tested, but even as a new believer, you can see who your God is by reading Hebrews 11.
Something I have done and encourage others to do is to record all the ways God has been faithful, whether making a mental note or actually journaling those testimonies. It is so important to never lose sight of how faithful God has been to you in the past.
A couple years ago, I experienced one health crisis after the other, yet I persevered… How did I persevere? By recalling times in the past where I was sick and the Lord delivered me from each of those illnesses. I held onto His faithfulness and believed that He would heal me again, and even if He didn’t, I carried such peace resting in who my faithful God was and how faithful He had been to me throughout my life. Praise God, I was delivered from each of those health crises from a couple years ago and have now added those to my personal “hall of faith."
When you feel like giving up, remember God’s past faithfulness whether it be through biblical accounts and/or in your own life and you will persevere and be blessed with God’s provision and peace.
"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4
2. Casting Off the World and Sin
Why is perseverance so hard in the face of adversity? I think a lot of us can admit our own desires trump the pain and suffering we may be enduring. Certainly nobody seeks after or finds happiness in trials. It is okay to want whatever hard or difficult situation we find ourselves in to end swiftly. But it’s not okay when sin or the world enters into our mindset concerning whatever it is we are going through.
I’m sure we can all admit a time when we got angry at God for our circumstances. Just this morning I was saying to God, “Really? Another annoying virus when I barely got over the other one! Really? An expensive car repair bill right around Christmas!” I’m not proud of these thoughts, but they certainly demonstrate the world and sin entering into my way of thinking and a lack of striving to persevere despite these circumstances. Instead, I am essentially throwing up my hands to God and giving up.
It’s all about perspective. Instead of being angry that I am sick again, I should be thankful that it is more of a nuisance and nothing serious. Instead of complaining about a car repair bill, I should be thankful I have a car to repair and that we have an honest mechanic. If I considered those things, I would be in a posture of gratefulness, and perseverance would be a natural byproduct of praising God for what I do have.
The world and sin definitely detract from the ability to persevere. When we focus on our own selfish desires, we lose sight of what we already have. When we focus on what we have in Christ Jesus, even in the midst of our hardship, we will reap the reward of persevering.
"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:36
3. Tenacity for Eternity
We were never promised an easy life. As believers, we will be tested as we continue to walk with the Lord. With each test, our faith muscles will be exercised as we become stronger. The only way to exercise our faith muscles is by persevering. Without it, our “muscles” will atrophy and we will find ourselves giving up with each test.
A tenacious person is defined as “someone who does whatever is required to accomplish a goal.” Giving up is not part of their DNA! They say a tenacious person can also be considered stubborn—ha!
Let’s talk about balancing checkbooks, shall we? Do people still balance checkbooks? I do! Not only do I balance my checkbook, but I have an internal accounting system when I do my bills as well that must match my checkbook. Oftentimes, those don’t align. I will literally sit there for two hours to figure out why this is so. I refuse to give up because I need to find the mistake! Most people would give up and just fudge the numbers, but I persevere until I find the mistake. If only I would adopt that same tenacity for eternity.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if as believers in Christ we lived out our daily lives with a tenacity for eternity. Jesus tells us that “each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34b). As a result, we need tenacity for whatever is required “to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).
When we become a tenacious people for Christ, we won’t feel like giving up. The Lord will give us the strength to persevere as we choose Him over and over again.
"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." James 1:12
With the new year around the corner, I want to give an extra measure of encouragement to those of you who might already want to give up before it even starts. I see you and I understand. I, too, find myself in several circumstances that are concerning leading into the new year and need to preach the above truths of this article to myself in order to master perseverance in the new year.
In fact, my life verse is Deuteronomy 31:8: "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." One thing we can know for sure is, in Jesus, we all can anticipate the new year and the promise it holds. Imagine starting the new year with a fresh revelation of Jesus, a new perspective on what it means to persevere in the face of adversity.
When faced with difficult situations, may you remember God’s past faithfulness, cast off the world and sin, and cultivate a tenacity for eternity. In doing so, you will no longer feel like giving up and will persevere for the glory of God.
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