Perseverance

It's Going to Take More Than Faith – PERSEVERANCE

Main Text: 2 Peter 1:5-7 (AMP) & Luke 18:1-8 (AMP)

LET'S REVIEW:

1. FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD

JAMES 2:17 (AMP) So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective].

2. EXERCISE YOUR FAITH

2 PETER 1:5 (AMP) For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises], make every effort in [exercising] your faith to, develop moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding),

3. LOVE ACTIVATES FAITH

GALATIANS 5:6 (AMP) For [if we are] in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but only faith activated and expressed and working through love.

New Material

2 PETER 1:5-6 (AMP) For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in [exercising] your faith to, develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding), and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, steadfastness, and in your steadfastness/perseverance

Chinese Bamboo Tree-Video

Steadfast means to be fixed or firm in a direction or purpose – unwavering

• Developing steadfastness, or perseverance, is essential for living a faithful and resilient Christian life. The Bible provides guidance on how to cultivate this important virtue. Here are steps to develop steadfastness based on biblical principles:

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Luke 18:1-8 (AMP) Now Jesus was telling the disciples a parable to make the point that at all times they ought to pray and not give up and lose heart, saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and had no respect for man. There was a [desperate] widow in that city and she kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice and legal protection from my adversary.' For a time he would not; but later he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will give her justice and legal protection; otherwise by continually coming she [will be an intolerable annoyance and she] will wear me out.'" Then the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says! And will not [our just] God defend and avenge His elect [His chosen ones] who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay [in providing justice] on their behalf? I tell you that He will defend and avenge them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [this kind of persistent] faith on the earth?"

5 KEYS TO DEVELOPING PERSISTENT FAITH

#1 We Must Be Planted

Psalm 92:13 (NKJV) Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God

Psalm 1:1-3 (AMP) Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example], Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers). But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].

#2 Embrace Trials as Growth Opportunities

James 1:2-4 (AMP) Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.

Romans 5:3-4 (AMP) And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance; and endurance, proven character (spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confident assurance [of eternal salvation].

#3 Rely on God's Strength, Not Your Own

Isaiah 40:31 (AMP) But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.

#4 Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

Hebrews 12:1-2 (AMP) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God's absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work].

#5 Remember the Reward for Perseverance

James 1:12 (AMP) Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor's] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Galatians 6:9-10 (MSG) So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit

Closing Story: Pushing the Rock

I found a story called "Pushing the Rock" told by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. It is the story of a weak, sickly man, who could not afford to go to the doctor and his condition seemed to grow worse.

The man lived in the deep back woods in an old log cabin. Out in front of his cabin was a huge boulder. One night in a vision, God told him to go out there and push the huge rock all day long, day after day.

The man got up early in the morning and with great excitement pushed the rock until lunch, then he rested a while and pushed the rock until supper time. Pushing against the rock gave him a sense of meaning.

Day after day he pushed. Day rolled into week, and week into months, he faithfully pushed against the rock. After 8 months of pushing the rock, the weak sickly man was getting tired of pushing the rock. In his tiredness he started to doubt his dream.

One day he began measuring from his porch to the rock to see how much he had moved the rock. After weeks of pushing and measuring, he realized he had not moved the boulder. As a matter of fact, the boulder was in the same place as when he started.

The man was so disappointed that after 9 months he felt his work had accomplished nothing. He was tired and his dream seemed dashed upon the rock.

The man sat on his porch and cried. He had invested hundreds of hours for nothing. Nothing, it was all nothing! As the sun was setting in the west, Jesus came and sat down next to the man as he cried.

Jesus said, "Son, why are you crying?"

The man replied, "Lord, You know how sick and weak I am, and then this dumb dream gave me a false hope and I have pushed with all that was within me for over 9 months, and that dumb old rock is right where it was when I started."

Jesus was kind and said to him, "I never told you to move the rock, I told you to push against the rock."

The man replied, "Yes, Sir, that was the dream."

Jesus told the man to step in front of the mirror and look at himself. The man stepped in front of the mirror and saw himself.

He was amazed at what he saw in: a strong muscular man. He remembered that he had not been coughing at night. He started thinking of how well he felt and the strength that he had built by pushing on the rock.

Then the man realized that the plan of God was not for the rock, but for the man.

The storms, the trials, the heartaches, the disappointments, are all but part of the process. Don't start measuring your success, trust the God that will take the process and build you up. God is stretching you, God is growing you!

Discussion Questions

1. The persistent widow kept coming to the unjust judge until she received justice. What situation in your life requires this kind of persistent prayer and faith?
2. Jesus asks, "When the Son of Man comes, will He find this kind of persistent faith on the earth?" If Jesus returned today, would He find persistent faith in you?
3. Psalm 1:3 describes a planted tree that "yields its fruit in its season." Are you planted in God's house, or are you still wandering from place to place?
4. James 1:2-4 instructs us to "consider it nothing but joy" when we face trials. What trial are you currently facing that you need to reframe as a growth opportunity?
5. Romans 5:3-4 teaches that hardship produces endurance, which produces character, which produces hope. Where are you in this progression right now?
6. Isaiah 40:31 promises renewed strength to "those who wait for the Lord." What does waiting on the Lord look like practically when you're exhausted and want to give up?
7. Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us to strip off "every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily entangles us." What weight or sin do you need to strip off to run your race with endurance?
8. The passage emphasizes "fixing your eyes on Jesus." What distractions are pulling your focus away from Jesus right now?
9. Galatians 6:9 warns against getting "fatigued doing good." In what area of ministry or service are you feeling fatigued and tempted to quit?
10. The "Pushing the Rock" story reveals that God's plan was to strengthen the man, not move the rock. What if God's purpose in your current struggle is to change you, not your circumstances?

Stay Connected

Submit a prayer request

Join us online

View our devotionals