We all face problems in life. Some a painful but short lived such as a car wreck or the flu. Other are long lasting such as cancer, broken relationships, or financial strains. These problems are more difficult because they require greater resilience and endurance. God wants us to be men and women of great resilience and endurance. If we are able to remain strong under adversity then we will also be able to keep our joy in Christ.
Hebrews 10:36 NIV
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
Endurance is needed to remain faithful because trails and suffering are common in life.
1 Peter 4:12 NIV
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
God wants us to cultivate a longsuffering attitude in life. So that we will have the resilience and endurance to face all that life throws at us.
Hebrews 10:36 NIV
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
This verse from Hebrews reminds us that quitting is not an option for Christians. We have the gifts of the Spirit to help us deal with hardships in life. We are not here to escape life’s hardships but to become overcomers in all circumstances.
The Book of Hebrews was written to Christ followers who withstood persecution early in their conversion. They withstood the persecution in their newly developed faith. But they did not die for their beliefs. Overtime the hardships lessened and they were able to relax. Being a Christian was easier and more comfortable. After a time, the persecution began again. The Christians became afraid and some were tempted to turn back to their old ways of life.
Hebrews 10:32-34 NIV
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
Endurance is a life skill which can be developed. The author has seven Biblical steps to develop help you develop endurance.
We all face problems in life. Some a painful but short lived such as a car wreck or the flu. Other are long lasting such as cancer, broken relationships, or financial strains. These problems are more difficult because they require greater resilience and endurance. God wants us to be men and women of great resilience and endurance. If we are able to remain strong under adversity then we will also be able to keep our joy in Christ.
Hebrews 10:36 NIV
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
Endurance is needed to remain faithful because trails and suffering are common in life.
1 Peter 4:12 NIV
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
God wants us to cultivate a longsuffering attitude in life. So that we will have the resilience and endurance to face all that life throws at us.
Hebrews 10:36 NIV
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
This verse from Hebrews reminds us that quitting is not an option for Christians. We have the gifts of the Spirit to help us deal with hardships in life. We are not here to escape life’s hardships but to become overcomers in all circumstances.
The Book of Hebrews was written to Christ followers who withstood persecution early in their conversion. They withstood the persecution in their newly developed faith. But they did not die for their beliefs. Overtime the hardships lessened and they were able to relax. Being a Christian was easier and more comfortable. After a time, the persecution began again. The Christians became afraid and some were tempted to turn back to their old ways of life.
Hebrews 10:32-34 NIV
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in
a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
Endurance is a life skill which can be developed. The author has seven Biblical steps to develop help you develop endurance.
- Embrace Your Adversity
James 1:2-4 NIV
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Romans 5:3-4 NIV
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Struggling through adversity develops perseverance which creates people of character. Knowing that you can survive difficult times develops hope for the future. A person with perseverance, character, and hope is considered a person with Christian or spiritual maturity. Having spiritual maturity gives a person confidence, courage, and compassion. Confidence emanates from our hearts and allows us to face hardships knowing God will help us. Courage allows us to walk forward without knowing the outcome because we trust in God to work all things out for our good and His glory. Compassion allows us to help others heal as we struggle.
We can choose endurance as a response to adversity. We can learn from God how to have confidence, courage, and compassion. We can become disciples who are always striving to learn more from God who is our source of all knowledge.
- Surround Yourself with Champions
Hebrews 12 is a famous chapter in the Bible, where Paul recites the stories of many great people of faith. In chapter 12 we are encouraged to allow these people’s stories to lead us to deeper levels of endurance, persistence, and accomplishment.
Hebrews 12:1 NIV
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,
These champions of the faith are called witnesses. These are not seeing witnesses. Rather they are saying witnesses. Their stories testify to us of their faith, perseverance, and endurance. We can be encouraged by others who are Biblical heroes, historical figures, or people we know.
Not only are there great people of faith in the Bible, but there are many books about people of faith accomplishing amazing things against all types of obstacles. Florence Nightingale was led by God to become a nurse in the Crimean War. She created a good reputation for nursing and started the first nursing school in London. Because of her, nursing became a reputable career for women.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a Christian minister called out of the church to become an activist leading the Civil Rights movement. Due to his non-violent protest and marches the culture of racism was forever changed. There are many other faithful Christians working on poverty, world peace, drug abuse, human trafficking and other causes. These people can be examples to us embracing adversity and fighting the good fight.
- Find Your Passion and Pursue It
The author saw a street sign in Jerusalem named after Eliezer Ben Yehuda and read a book about the man. He was a fanatic who made enemies of his friends, who faced death daily because he lived with tuberculosis. His great passion was to recreate the Hebrew language in Israel. He spent over forty years developing a language which had not been spoken for two thousand years. Today the national language of Israel is Hebrew and Yehuda is considered a faithful fanatic.
Paul wrote to Timothy about the need to endure hardships for Christ.
2 Timothy 2:3 NIV
Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
In 2 Corinthians Paul tells of what he suffered to carry out his passion to spread the story of Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:23-27 NIV
Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
The author suggest that we should find our passion. What do we want to do in this world? What problems are we most interested in working to solve? Consider the things that stir your soul and ask God to show you how to become involved.
- Get Rid of What is Holding You Back.
Hebrews 12:1 NIV
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,
Before we begin pursuing our passion, we may need to evaluate our lives. What is holding us back? Do we have hobbies which take too much time? Are friends not supporting our godly intentions? Are we easily sucked into couch-potato TV binging?
In Hebrews 10-12 the Christians were slipping into unbelief and considering reverting back to their old ways. They had forgotten the power and promises of Jesus and were searching for ways to avoid persecution. But the writer of Hebrews reminded them that Jesus was better than anything else and he would never forsake them. Today we have the Bible to remind us of the love, power, and promises of God.
Self-pity is a form of unbelief. We become focused on ourselves and how we feel rather than focused on Jesus and how much he loves us. Self-pity can be a difficult cycle to break. We become so obsessed with the difficulties in our life that we fail to realize that struggles are common to humankind.
Sometime our relationships with other people can prevent us from moving forward with our passions. We convince ourselves we are helping the difficult people in our lives. But the reality is that they are pulling us backwards. We need to search out the truth of how our relationships are helping us live a robust Christian life or are preventing us from doing so. We need to pray to God to help us know which people and activities to keep in our lives and which to let go.
- Don’t Even Think About Quitting
One component of endurance is a strong determination to not quit. When things are the most difficult it is the time to hold on tightly to our resolve and continue moving forward. It is true that God helps us in all we do. But we have a part to play in accomplishing things in life. We are called to be overcomers not quitters. With God at our side quitting is not an option.
Matthew 19:26 NIV
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
The author speaks of the book Grit by Angela Duckworth. She tells of her story growing up with scientist parents who thought she was not a genius. She spent many years trying to prove herself. In the end she realized it was not intelligence which caused people to succeed, rather it was grit. In the book she writes that grit is the ability to fall down seven times and get up the eighth time. She tells of the stories of other people who became successful through grit.
Will Smith, the movie star, talks about his fame and describes how he got there. He says that he is willing to die in the fight. Others may be better than him in several ways but if you and he are on treadmills together, he will die before he lets you finish last. He is willing to continue until you get off even if it means he dies in the process. This is grit.
The Bible states that we must run the race with perseverance. We are capable of all things with Christ who strengthens us. We are to persevere and overcome obstacles as we pursue our passions. Obstacles are nothing to God.
Philippians 4:13 NIV
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
- Never Stop Achieving
Some people spend their life working towards retirement. Hoping for a time of world travels and family gatherings. Then things turn out differently. Either disability, financial loss, or death changes the plan. People work so long for something that never happens. We all have experienced set-backs and turns in the road of life. Somethings are lost forever. But this is not a reason to quit achieving.
With God are hope is always before us. With God all things are possible. No matter what is lost or taken away, God always has a good plan for our lives. We can continue to achieve amazing things with God at our side.
When Moses fled Egypt and became a shepherd far from home, God still had a plan for his life. After forty years of being a common man among the sheep, he became one of the great heroes of our faith. He confronted Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the land. He led probably a million people out of Egypt, through the desert, and to the edge of the promised land.
The author read a book about Erik Weihenmayer who climbed to the top of Mt. Everest even though he is blind. After his dissent from Mt. Everest, his guide told him “Don’t let Everest be the greatest thing you ever do.” Erik went on to kayak 277 miles through the rapids of the Grand Canyon. He spent six years practicing for the trip.
Weihenmayer’s greatest accomplishment was founding No Barriers. A charity committed to helping disabled people achieve impossible things. After twelve years the charity has helped over 5,000 people achieve their dreams. These include paraplegics, stroke victims, mental challenged, injured warriors, blind, and many others. No Barriers is a success story of people becoming overcomers.
- Stay Focused on the Goal
Endurance requires anticipation of the prize awaiting us. We endure because Christ endured. We keep our eyes on him to continue the task set before us.
Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV
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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Jesus is always watching. He wants us to continue and be successful. He knows what we need, and he knows when we need it. He is always there to lead and guide us in times of struggle. He is there to celebrate with us in time of victory.
1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:11 NIV
being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,
