Perseverance:
The Name of the Game
by Christy Snell ~ October 2006 ~ I Peter 2:20
It’s the fifth set, they’ve been playing for 5 hours. Andre Agassi has every reason to throw it in. I mean he’s had a good career - it’s time to quit. Somehow out of the depths of being down and out, it is not his physical strength or tenure that pulls him from behind to victory, but rather a matter of will. It’s the difference between those who would live mediocre lives of fence straddling, and champions. The much needed tenacity in the game of “life & following Christ” to endure to the end. Winning - it’s not just for tennis player’s you know!
“But I don’t want to go” I said in frustration to the Lord. “I don’t want to go on, it’s just too hard”. “We can cancel this, I’ll give this to him and she can have this back and then I can just quit”. I thought negotiations were going quite well. I had found a way out of just about everything that was difficult in ministry at that moment. The overwhelming feeling that things were not going to get any better choked the life out of any motivation I had previously possessed.
Have you ever been so frustrated with all the hindrances, attacks, & general onslaught of the enemy that you were ready to “throw in the towel”? Well, that is exactly where I found myself. I don’t think I have experienced such despairing discouragement in my life. For months I was being bombarded with one thing after the other in a particular area of ministry. I had just had enough!
Now what’s incredible to me, and probably the most discouraging to all of us, is that a lot of our opposition comes from inside the walls of the church. You wouldn’t think so. I mean aren’t we all on the same team. We’re just trying to build the kingdom, right?
The real encouragement to you in this article is to remember that the roadblocks to the will of God can be used as directional signals. Meaning this, we are headed in the right direction. Why else would we have to face such attacks unless what we were doing, planning to do, or attempting for God was not going to be effectual? How else are we going to make a difference, leave a legacy and build the kingdom of God for the next generation if we don’t “endure hardships as faithful soldiers of Jesus Christ”? So for the next few moments let me encourage you out of the encouragement I received from the Lord.
Remain Faithful
Faithfulness is so vital to commitment. We have got to just continue to “press on towards the mark”. Pressing on has the implication that there must be resistance. Otherwise, there is not a need for me to press. I found myself in the gym the next day. Still seeking to get the courage to go forward, knowing this was the will of God for me. I was on the cross trainer and usually I can go only do this for about 10 minutes. I know what you’re thinking, she’s a wimp, and you’re right. This time things were different at the gym. I kept going and going even past those points of pain in my body I encountered. After each pressure point, it became easier and easier. I knew what God was showing me. Endurance through those rough spots will enable me to go further than I had thought would be possible. I won’t tell you, o.k, I stopped after 20 minutes. Hey, that was still an accomplishment! To be honest, I could have kept going even then.
Lesson #1:
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
Practice Extreme Faith
This particular night of discouragement, the Lord took me to a passage of Scripture found in the gospel of Luke chapter 5. At the beginning, we see the disciples are discouraged. I mean they had been fishing all night and had not caught one fish! Jesus speaks to them and says “Launch your boats out into the deep, cast your nets and you will catch so much your nets may overflow.” They followed the Lord’s command and indeed there boat was filled to overflowing. The boat was so full it almost sank! The lesson is one of faith.
Lesson #2:
“Have faith and don’t quit.”
Bow the Knee
The problem in choosing to struggle with the Lord was I was being self-willed. I wasn’t immediately giving into the will of God. I was challenging the God of the Universe about His plan. Crazy, huh; however, I do believe He appreciates such honesty. I think sometimes we just need to “get real with Jesus”. Just like Jacob wrestled with the Lord, and Job had questions for the Almighty, Jesus himself conferred with the Father in the Garden; we need to know God doesn’t expect us to not question or get discouraged. He just doesn’t want us to camp out in those places of indecision. Once we know we are in the will of the Father, move forward.
Lesson #3:
“Surrender is rarely easy, but always essential.”
The Lord is so good! As we resist the devil, and draw near to God we will have the grace, strength and joy to continue in the plans God has for us to fulfill. When we move our hearts towards a place of surrender and bow the knee the Lord of our lives, we will in essence be moving into the nearness of the Father. Our God is a mighty fortress and a shelter in the time of storm. Stop praying for the storms to cease, and begin leaning closer to the protection found in “the shadow of His wings”.
Lesson #4:
“There is no safer place than the ultimate and perfect will of God for my life.”
No one ever said it would be easy
In this life we will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, Jesus has overcome the world. Through Him, we are more than conquerors. Fight the good fight of faith, don’t ever give up, and know the rewards will be well worth it when we see Christ face to face.
Lesson #5:
“Live for eternity, my life is not my own.”
Scriptures sited:
II Timothy 2:3; Philippians 3:13-14; Luke 5; James 4:7; Psalm 18:2; Psalm 36:7; John 16:33; Romans 8:31-32, 37
I Peter 2:20b: … if you suffer for doing good and endure it, this is commendable before God.
|
