6 Keys to Perseverance: A Series Summary
When the going gets tough, perseverance is God’s gift for bringing us through.
Here we are, closing out quite a series on Persverance. Being slick like I am, I have snuck in an opportunity to apply perseverance, all the while we are grappling with a difficult subject. Why else would I write a series with so many installments? We’ve had to persevere…in a GOOD way…to get to the bottom of it! That said, we’ve barely scratched the surface of this difficult blessing we call perseverance. In reality, perseverance, developing the grit to stick things out, is a life-time thing. When we can persevere, faith hangs in there and we can keep an attitude of worship through the trials.
Because I like to wrap things up nice and tidy, here are the highlights from the perseverance series. Each summary is linked to the original post. Download a free printable of the summary, 6 Keys to Perseverance Printable. Print this list and use it for your quiet times. It will be time well spent!
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6 Keys to Perseverance
Keep On: The Perseverance of Faithfulness
“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much… Luke 16:10
▪ Stay faithful to persevere in the daily challenges.
▪ When you struggle to have hope, cling to Him anyway.
▪ When your plan isn’t working, trust Him anyway.
▪ When you are weary, rest in Him anyway.
Pray On: The Perseverance of Prayer
“… she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ ”—Luke 18:3
▪ Persistent faith keeps asking, keeps coming, despite prolonged difficulty.
▪ Persistent faith does not give in or give up.
▪ Keep on praying, believing that God will answer.
▪ Persistence is a choice.
Hold On: The Perseverance of Process
“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary…”Galatians 6:9
▪ Discouragement can distort our vision and derail our purpose.
▪ The cost of discouragement is more than we can afford.
▪ God is in control of the results.
▪ He also provides set, appointed opportunities for us to accomplish His work.
▪ Don’t confuse not now with not ever.
Press On: What to do When You’re not There Yet
“ I press on toward the goal…”—Philippians 3:14a
▪ Have a realistic view of self—someone who is in process.
▪ Pray for a THIS ONE THING I DO attitude. Effort is required.
▪ Don’t get sidetracked or even road blocked by things that should be left behind.
▪ Past failure is past. No longer relevant.
▪ Don’t run backwards. Focus on forward motion.
▪ Things in the past need to take a backseat to the challenges ahead.
▪ Keep going. Refuse to give up!
Run On: 4 Keys to Staying on Track
“and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” —Hebrews 12:1b
▪ Throw off hindrances and sin—an active and decisive action.
▪ Hindrances slow us down, make running more difficult.
▪ Are we running the course, the path that God has marked out for us?
▪ Focus on Christ rather than on the situation.
▪ When we focus on the problem, it is easy to veer off course.
▪ Unfocused faith erodes hope.
▪ Discouragement takes root when we become fixated on our problems.
Count On: The Joy of Perseverance
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…”—James 1:2a
▪ Counting joy in the hard things of life releases strength and faith.
▪ Look beyond the trial.
▪ Embrace the wholeness that settles in with after-effects of endurance.
▪ Lacking in nothing–this is the joy of perseverance.
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Count On: The Joy of Perseverance
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.–James 1:2-4 ESV
Count it all joy…really?
To be honest with you, these verses that kick off the book of James don’t sit easy with me. How about you?
When my-take-the-easy-route way of thinking dominates, the last thing I want to do is be happy about some kind of teeth-gritting test of faith. There is an uneasy tension between understanding the value of perseverance and the reality of pushing it into practice.
Counting joy is much more fun when we tally up blessings.
It is a sheer challenge of faith to count up joy when difficulties are all we can see. However, I don’t think James is minimizing or trivializing the staggering weight of challenges. Not at all.
Counting joy in the hard things of life releases strength and faith.
God and I have had many conversations on perseverance during my quiet times over the years. He prods us deeper into the heart of God with these words. Look beyond the trial and embrace the wholeness that settles in with the after-effects of endurance.
Perfect (whole) and complete, lacking in nothing–this is the joy of perseverance.
The difficulty isn’t the joy, but what God produces in us through tests creates the cumulative joy of wholeness over time.
None of us can be complete or whole in faith, character, skill, or experience without the challenge of trials. So often, I catch myself resenting trials, dwelling on what I think God is taking away. My worshipful spirit defaults to worry and complaint. In reality, somehow God is adding, completing, strengthening through the trials that call for perseverance. This kind of math is much harder than Calculus any day.
In testing our faith, God give us opportunities to keep on, pray on, hold on, run on, press on, and count on…and He produces something magical in the process. Something powerful. Something worshipful.
Perseverance.
Endurance.
Patience.
Steadfastness.
Will we LET steadfastness have its full effect? That may be the biggest challenge of all.
What has God built in you through the power of perseverance?
Run On: 4 Keys to Staying on Track
What is wrong with this picture?
Some things are just too heavy to carry.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith….Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”–Hebrews 12:1-3
My husband is a Marine. (Actually, he just retired, but that is another story.) In the early days of his training, there was a lot of running and marching. In the wee hours of the morning, with a long course ahead, they would set out. The pace was fast and the gear was heavy. For the young Marines, running in full gear built strength and sweat-filled grit.
For the rest of us…running for the finish line goes much easier when we aren’t carrying excess weight. When I am running, last thing I want on my back is a heavy weight slowing me down.
And yet, how many times in life do I allow unnecessary hindrances to make life more difficult? How often do I let my burdens keep me from worshipping God?
4 Keys to Staying on Track:
1. Look for mentors and encouragers.
Pay attention to those who are strong in faith that have gone before you. In this passage, Paul refers to biblical heroes, but the concept can also be applied to faithful people in your life that inspire you to keep running the race, to keep building in your life. Who are the people who cheer you to keep on, pray on, hold on, press on, and run on?
2. Decide to get rid of hindrances.
Sometimes I have allowed things that hinder to hang on. What’s holding you back? The trouble with hindrances and sin is they slow you down, make running more difficult, and sometimes can trip you up. On a personal note, I am amazed at how long I will hang onto things that hold me back. It can be a challenge to lighten our load, especially on the emotional front.
3. Run the right course.
Run with perseverance… any place you choose? It doesn’t say that does it? Where we run is important. Are we running the course, the path that God has marked out for us? Are we flying by the seat of our pants, making decisions and choices based on convenience, reaction, or exhaustion? Here again, being a student of the hard way of doing things, I have covered some fruitless terrain in my running days.
4. Focus on the right goal.
What are you focused on? What are you looking at? Runners are focused on the goal line, visualizing it long before they reach it. According to this passage, the best goal of all is Christ. Focus on Christ, the Initiator and Completer of our faith. It’s breathtakingly easy be overly consumed with our situation, problems, or challenges. When our focus is our problems or on other distractions, we can veer off course. Before we know it, we are running in places God never intended for us to run—and sometimes fighting battles God never intended us to fight.
A couple of questions to ponder:
Are there things in your life that are hindering your ability to persevere?
Are you running the course that God has marked out for you?
Is your attention focused on Christ?
Press On: What to do When You’re Not There Yet
Sometimes we poke our head out of the crazy rush of life and realize this: I’m not where I want to be.
We all have goals. Even the most unmotivated of folks have things they want to accomplish. Most of us–the imperfect types–have a list of areas ripe for growth and improvement. In essence, we don’t want to stay where we are…like we are.
Today, I am starting with a goal of refocusing on healthy habits and losing weight. To be honest, I am sick of where I am with clothes that have become too tight. So today, I am beginning (again) the process of recalibrating habits gone lazy. This is a trip that is going to call for perseverance. I am sure of it.
I have worked on losing weight many times. Ever since I had my crazy thyroid knocked out (10 years ago) with a radiation cocktail, weight gain is easy; weight loss has seemed impossible.
Too often, I sabotage my run for the goal:
I wallow in my failures, circling an endless cycle of shame, fear, and guilt. Stay in this danger zone too long and I give up, defeated before I am even half way.
I reach a level of contentment or complacency, thinking, “This is good enough….” This is no good either. Going partway is a default way of giving in. End result? I still don’t reach the goal.
What do you do when you’re not there yet?
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. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.–Philippians 3:12-14
Practical Steps for Pressing On
Perfect words of perseverance for today. Although this passage is talking about being fully with Jesus, spiritual growth process complete and journey finished, we can discover some practical tips for persevering. Here’s my list of tips for myself:
Have a realistic view of myself—someone who is in process. I am on my way, but not there yet.
Pray for a THIS ONE THING I DO—attitude. Effort is required. Be willing to work at it.
Stay on the course. Don’t get sidetracked or even road blocked by things that should be left behind. Past failure is past. No longer relevant.
Don’t run backwards. Focus on forward motion. Ever tried to run forward while looking backwards?
Good or bad, things in the past need to take a backseat to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
Keep going. Refuse to give up.
This is what it looks like to PRESS ON.
I need lists like this. Maybe you do too. Let’s encourage one another to press on.
What are you reaching for? How can I pray for you as you persevere? Leave a comment or hit the share on Facebook button (right below) and we can all cheer each other on!
Still More? You Gotta be Kidding!
Keep On: The Perseverance of Faithfulness
The Challenge of One Anothering
Pray On: The Perseverance of Prayer
Hold On: The Perseverance of Process
Days in Jerusalem: Pictures of the Wailing Wall and the Garden Tomb
If you are like me, you are busy getting ready for Easter. So in the interest of much to do, I am just going to post a few more pictures from my trip to Israel. Today our stops will be the Wailing Wall and the Garden Tomb. Prayers in the wall....
Pictures of Days in Jerusalem–a Recent Trip
View of the Eastern wall of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives
A few weeks ago, my husband and I had the privilege to travel to Israel with a group from our church. The trip was a gift and celebration of my man’s upcoming retirement from the Marine Corps. I can’t think of anything he would have enjoyed more. This trip marked the beginning of a major life transition from 24 years of active duty service to our nation.
As it is Easter weekend, I want to share a few photos from our trip that pertain to Holy Week. It was a joy to take pictures as an act of worship that I will enjoy sharing. Today we will take a quick visit to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane.
Mount of Olives
Road of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem
Church at Gethsemane, Mount of Olives
Mosaic in the church at Gethsemane
Gate into the garden
Gethsemane was a place that Jesus often visited with His disciples. It was here that He agonized in prayer the night He was betrayed by Judas.
In the Garden of Gethsemane
- Gethsemane means “olive press. This seemed to the the largest (oldest?) of the trees.
- At the gate.
Money to be made.
Rooftops in Jerusalem
Golgotha–the place of the skull
This location is thought to be the sight of the crucifixion, based on its high visibility to major highways and location near a private tomb.
Hold On: The Perseverance of Process
”Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” Galatians 6:9-10
There are days I feel like a poster child for a syndrome we often label discouragement.
I often wonder if I have unique DNA wiring that renders me overly susceptible to the discomfort of this emotion. In many ways, discouragement is a strength zapper to perseverance.
This verse from Galatians seems to be gift-wrapped with our name on it. God speaks encouragement to all who will read these words and embrace them. Many times I have felt the weight of discouragement bogging me down. Perceived failure and weariness can seep through my bones like the chill of a dreary, winter morning.
To lose heart, is that hopeless sense of weariness; it is work that seems fruitless, long, hard effort with no end or result in sight. Weariness is a word devoid of energy to keep going, to look on the bright side. Too discouraged to wait another day, we give into the temptation to declare that we have failed and God has let us down.
When discouragement presses down hard, success no longer seems worth the effort. In these moments, fears and condemnations circle with the tenacity of vultures diving for their prey.
Do we ever consider the cost of discouragement?
Recently the Lord branded this question in that sensitive spot right between my eyes. Weariness depletes our vitality to sustain work and attitude with the energy of faith. Discouragement tends to make our problems loom larger and our God shrink small.
Losing heart erodes faith and can provoke a downward spiral of emotion. We land in a heap of doubt, discontent, plagued by questions.
- What went wrong?
- What else could I have done?
- Where is God?
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#overcomediscouragement”]If we let it, discouragement can distort our vision and derail our purpose.[/tweetthis]
The cost of discouragement is more than we can afford.
Have you ever wondered what due time is? Like the birth of a long-awaited baby, due time is an appointed time. And just like the arrival of a baby, we are more than ready for the day labor begins and the baby is born. It is Kairos time, set by the sovereign hands of God.
Kairos time cannot be rushed.
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#waitingonGod”]There are no shortcuts to reach the destination of God’s appointed time.[/tweetthis]
I often find myself pushing against the constraints of waiting on God.
In due time we WILL reap…IF we do not grow weary. This conditional statement requires my effort. If I quit, I cannot reap, for reaping requires sowing.
The work must be done, the ground prepared, seeds planted and watered for plants to grow and bear fruit. Harvest is dependent on participation, and every harvest takes time. This is the perseverance of process.
The work that is dearest to my heart is often the most vulnerable to discouragement.
Is it that way for you?
So then, while we have opportunity… sometimes in our discouragement we don’t appreciate the opportunities God gives us. The word opportunity is also translated as Kairos.
God is in control not only of the results, but He also provides set, appointed opportunities for us to accomplish His work…if we do not give up. Hold on to the perseverance of process.
God’s Spirit whispers to our hearts,
“do not confuse not yet with not ever.”
Pray On: The Perseverance of Prayer
Welcome back to our series on perseverance. If you have missed any of the earlier posts, you can find them listed at the end of this post.
Keep on prayin’ on!
Some things don’t come easy.
Do you remember the parable that Jesus told about the poor widow, begging the unjust judge for legal protection from her opponent? The story is found in Luke 18:1-8.
Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge *said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
This poor woman kept coming to that nasty judge, bothering him, asking persistently. He finally gave in just to get her off of his back. Jesus makes the point that if an unjust judge will answer persistence, how much more will God bring justice to His children who cry out to him.
This widow was in a difficult and seemingly hopeless situation. She had two choices: she could give up or she could persevere and keep asking for justice. She shows a persistent faith that keeps coming, keeps asking even in the face of a difficult, discouraging, unjust, unfair situation. What can we learn from this widow?
What can we learn about prayer here?
To ask persistently demonstrates an intensity of need or desire, as well as faith to keep asking. Persistent faith keeps asking, keeps coming, despite prolonged difficulty. Persevering faith does not give in or give up, but keeps asking, believing that God will answer. Perseverance is a choice, and persistent prayer builds spiritual strength.
Persist until you come to that peaceful position of a resting trust that God will answer. Until that peace comes persist. God hears us the first time we pray, and according to Isaiah, He answers before we call. Everyone of us has things in our lives that call us to pray with perseverance. Sometimes there is a gap between the asking and the answer that God intentionally uses to strengthen our faith and challenge us to pray with grit.
“It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.”
Persistence brings greater faith as we act on faith to persevere and keep asking. Persistence in prayer and perseverance carry us forward and are necessary in difficult circumstances because it is easy to become discouraged, give up or turn back.
What would have happened if the widow had stopped asking after the 2nd or 3rd time?
Bottom Line: Pray On with Perseverance!
What are you praying for with perseverance?
Still More? You Gotta be Kidding!
Keep On: The Perseverance of Faithfulness
The Challenge of One Anothering
One Anothering…do you Ever Just Get Tired of it?
Do you know what One Anothering is? I bet you do. In fact, you are probably familiar with several verses in Scripture that mention One Anothering. Do you know which ones I’m talking about?
Here are a few challenges of One Anothering that can be a bit of a problem in those daily challenges of life:
“… live in complete harmony with one another.”–Romans 15:5
“…bearing with one another, forgiving each other…“–Colossians 3:13a
“…regard one another as more important than yourselves…“–Philippians 2:3
One Anothering…do you ever just get tired of it?
Some days I feel like I am one anothering myself to death—some days it feels like I am doing all the one anothering—What has everybody else been reading? Don’t they know these things?
Don’t think I haven’t told them….repeatedly.
Why does it feel like I am the only one in the family that is one anothering?
I tell you what, I am saving up all my one another passes, and I am going on vacation!
Do you ever feel like if you have to one another ONE MORE THING…
See the problem with one anothering? It is supposed to be reciprocal… It is one of those things that calls for faithfulness and perseverance for sure. Like it or not.
I have been married for over 20 years and have had children in my house for 19. Do you know how much one anothering that means? Do you know how much laundry that means? 10, 608 loads of One Another laundry. I have earned some frequent washer points on that one. Too bad nobody but me is keeping track.
18,900 meals in 20 years! If I got paid $10 a meal, I’d be a rich woman! Can you imagine?
How many times do you think I have cleaned the bathroom? At least 1,000, and that doesn’t include multiple bathrooms in the house. Thankfully, these days my kids take this chore, so one anothering does come back to you sometimes. But don’t think they would be doing this task voluntarily!
How about the Mom-Taxi service? It is about 800 rides to the kids a year, and that doesn’t include too and from school. If I made $6 a ride, I’d net 5,600 a year on the Mom Taxi alone. Yes one anothering is often mobile.
Let’s not even talk about how many times I have moved, packed and unpacked boxes, hung pictures, painted rooms, helped kids get settled…Let’s not even go there or we’ll all be so exhausted we’ll have to lay down and take a nap right here.
Do you ever just get tired of it? Still more… One Anothering…?
What do we need when this kind of thinking begins to get the better of us? Frustrated, exhausted, irritated, discouraged, and down-right ornery…what do we need?
Perseverance–along with a heaping portion of patience, love, and generosity. A little extra sanity doesn’t hurt either. Yes those Love One Another verses are truly important.
And no, perseverance is not a bad word, but it can be a challenging word, can’t it? Many things in our lives call for perseverance, and they are not always so humorous. In fact, most of the verses in the Bible that refer to perseverance do so in the context of difficulties and trials.
Join me as I continue to focus on perseverance in this current blog series.
If you have missed the first couple of posts:
Still More? You Gotta be Kidding!
Keep On: The Perseverance of Faithfulness
Also on Perseverance: