Perseverance and Preparation.
December 13, 2010For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6
What is confidence? It’s a firm belief and trust. It’s reliance on the fact that God is going to see you through!
Perseverance. We are those who “through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12). The battles and challenges Winston Churchill faced early in his life readied him to defy the greatest evil of his time and inspire others to persevere. “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, . . . never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy . . . I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.” Winston Churchill*
Preparation. Those battles you’ve fought are qualifying you for the next steps. The challenges you’ve dealt with up to this point have prepared you to defy and conquer the enemy. And, just as Winston Churchill motivated an entire nation to face off with evil, you are called to help those in your sphere of influence to continue.
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12,14
God will see you through to the end. Read Hebrews 11. Read through the Book of Acts. When you hear the testimony of someone from church, grab hold of it and say, “That God is my God!” The same God who did all those miracles in the Bible, the same God who came through for someone else, will come through for you! He never changes. You serve the God who heals (Malachi 4:2), who redeems your life from the pit (Psalm 103:4), and who makes the crooked path straight (Isaiah 42:16). Never, never, never give in!
Press on!
Pastor Jeff Perry
Copyright © 2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. *From speech delivered October 29, 1941, at Harrow School.