PROPHETIC SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 41:10
Isaiah is
the 23rd book of the bible. It
has 66 chapters, 1,292 verses, and 37,044 words. Isaiah was crying loud and
sparing not. This book portrays Christ as our Messiah (The Anointed One).
·
Vs
10: Fear thou
not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will
help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Fear not [there is nothing to fear],
for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am
your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help
you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with my [victorious] right
hand of rightness and justice.
Let me drop a WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT:
The LORD is declaring that you receive supernatural
strength to endure the pressures of this life. I’m prophesying, you are strong, resilient, and firm. I declare
and decree you are able to stand in the evil day (meaning the force in nature
that governs and gives rise to stress, frustrations, emotional imbalance, or
anything that defiles against God) without you buckling. I say that you rise up
in the power of God’s might so that you are able to wage war (meaning you carry
on) successfully against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and
spiritual wickedness in heavenly (high) places. I command all intense stress,
pressure, mayhem (state of rowdy disorder), and chaos to be alleviated in the
Name of Jesus! I declare and decree you will not faint or grow weary and that
anxiety has no hold over you. You shall not look around you in dismay and terror
or fear. I prophesy that the Spirit of the Lord will harden you to difficulty
and you shall see the Lord’s help upon and around you. I declare today that you
bounce back from every challenge and that you stand up strong! Just don’t GIVE
UP, DON’T GIVE UP, DON’T GIVE UP, or lose FAITH!!!
Look people,
One of the greatest attributes a
person can possess is resilience. To
be able to walk through something challenging or even painful and be able to
bounce back and turn that test into a testimony is a tremendous testament to
your character. However, we need the Spirit of God to impart His supernatural
resiliency within. Without Him we can do nothing, and we need Him to impart His
strength. Through His power He can harden us to the difficulty so that we
aren’t scarred by the storm. We may have faced the storm, but it carries no
lasting impact on our future.
However, we still need to decide
internally that we will press on until our challenge becomes a victory and our
test becomes a testimony.
Don’t underestimate yourself or
the resilience God has put within you
today!
Look at Scriptures: Romans 5:3-5
3 And
not only so, but we glory in tribulations
also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And
patience, experience; and experience, hope:
What I’m trying to say to you is to endure. Endurance is the ability
to hang on when it would have been easier to let go. Many people are blessed
with certain attributes, but endurance
jumps to the forefront for success in any endeavor. Endurance is the key that keeps us from giving up and
letting go.
Endurance is "the power of going on in spite of difficulties." Popular everyday
phrases describe it as: "Keep on
keeping on." "Hang in there." "Put up with it."
"Stick-to-itiveness”. "Don't quit." Its
synonyms are determination, perseverance,
tenacity/persistence, plodding/walk heavily over, stamina/power to endure, and
backbone. When endurance is used
in the Bible, it means "to abide
under," "to bear up courageously," and "to tarry or
wait."
Some might just say, “It is holding on for dear life.”
The Bible
considers endurance a priority. Paul
expressed its importance in character development, "And not only that, but we should also rejoice in our afflictions,
because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven
character, and proven character produces hope.” This hope does not disappoint, because
God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:3-5).
The writer of
Hebrews also knew that perseverance
was mandatory in the pursuit of character. (Hebrews 10:36)
Meaning "For
you need endurance, so that after you have done God's will, you may receive
what was promised."
Church there are
four practical secrets or nuggets you should know that will enable you to
develop perseverance.
I. Accept
the unchangeable
Accept those things
in life that cannot be changed. I read a commentary once that described endurance as "the courageous acceptance of everything life can do to us and the
transmitting of even the worst event into another step on the upward way. Let’s
face it, some events and circumstances are inevitable. Sometimes we may think life
is not fair. Injustices creep into every one's arena. Sometimes, in one way or
another, so it’s not only you, but no one is exempt from the curves or
crossroads life throws at you.
It helps to
remember “But God” is in charge of our lives. His desire is for us to
grow in the likeness of his Son. So, whatever enters our life, unfavorable
circumstances, tragic events, or irritating people – it’s for the development
of our character – whether it is good, bad, or indifferent, our response to
life's irritants helps form our character.
The oyster and its
pearl provide a beautiful picture of a positive response to life's irritants.
The pearl is a product of pain. An alien substance - a grain of sand - slips
inside the oyster's shell. On the entry of that foreign irritant, all the
resources within the tiny, sensitive oyster rush to the spot and begin to
release healing fluids that otherwise would have remained dormant. Eventually
the irritant is covered, and the wound healed by a pearl. No other gem has so
fascinating a history. It is simple, the symbol of stress. The precious, tiny
jewel is conceived through irritation, born of adversity. Had there been no
wounding, no irritating interruption, there could have been no pearl.
James, a servant of
God understood this quite well.
·
James 1:2-4:
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall
into divers temptations;
·
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith
worketh patience.
·
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be
perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
"When all kinds of trials crowd into your
lives, people of God, don't resent them as intruders, but welcome them as
friends! Realize that they have come to test your endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you
will find you have become
Sons of mature character.
II.
Adjust to the obstacles
Sometimes we must
adjust our way to fit the realities of life.
"A sensible person sees danger and takes cover, but the
inexperienced person, keeps going and are punished."
·
Proverbs 22: 3: A prudent man foresees the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass
on, and are punished.
Some circumstances
are unavoidable. Disappointments are certain. Obstacles are sure. Losses will
occur. The person with perseverance acknowledges
the roadblocks and makes adjustments. One
author wrote, "The block of granite
that was an obstacle in the pathway of the weak becomes a steppingstone in the
pathway of the strong."
So, when the
obstacles of life are stacked before us we can adjust by going around, climbing
over, or tunneling under as some may.
Or are you going to
do what Mark 11:23 says; speak to the
mountain.
People of God stop
allowing intrusions to distort and disfigure your life? Stop allowing
circumstances or people in your life that you are trying to change. Stop it!!!
Just transform these obstacles into growth
blocks by learning to adjust. God spoke to us a week ago and told us, “We must first master the inner me!” The one Peter speaks of in relation to this,
is to not be carried away or become bound with the “outward adorning”:
·
1 Peter 3:4: But
let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible,
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of
great price.
When we adjust to
the detours of life God reveals some of His marvelous handiwork off the beaten
trail. Don't think of adjustment as failure, think of it as an education.
Just hang on, and see what God
has in store for you around the next bend in the road.
III.
Abide with patience
Someone once said, "You can do anything if you have
patience. You can carry water in a sieve (a sieve is used for straining
liquids). But you have to wait until it freezes to carry” (chuckle 😊).
Unfortunately, most
of us aren't that patient. When we need it, we usually pray, "Lord, give
me patience . . . and I want it now." Or, said more eloquently, "I am extraordinarily
patient, provided I get my own way in the end."
But one can't learn patience by listening to a sermon. Nor
can they learn patience by reading a book. The only way one can learn patience
is by facing every life’s situation and taking the time to process what
you go through and determine what it takes to overcome obstacles. Just taking life as it comes. It is holding on, gritting your
teeth, clinching your jaw, riding out the storm.
I know it may not
be easy, “but God is Able!!!"
In the Greek, the
term for patience is often translated "long-suffering." It's a compound word. The first part
means "long or far." The second part means "hot, anger, or wrath." Putting it together we literally have "long-anger." We have an English expression "short-tempered." We would not miss the meaning very far if
we called patience "long-tempered."
Patience is that ability that
keeps us from blowing up when events don't go our way or losing our cool when
others upset us.
Believers are
exhorted to display patience. James
wrote,
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and
is patient
with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient.
Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord's coming is near. I’m
not talking about the end of time, or coming out in the sky on a cloud, but the
end (or fulfilling) of that situation
is sooner than it looks.
James
shows how the farmer demonstrates patience. A farmer cannot make it rain or
give growth. He must rely on God to act in the most wise and merciful way.
The secret of patience
is abiding.
We must learn to rest and endure
under the load of pain and suffering. We abide under the load of pain and
suffering by abiding with a God who is faithful. We
must not only learn to abide in Christ, but also abide with Christ under the
struggles and the pressures in life.
Last,
IV.
Affirm the Presence
As we progress
toward a life that resembles Jesus Christ, we must always remember that God is
with us. Sometimes God is like a teacher instructing us with the construction.
Sometimes God is a fellow worker challenging us to excellence. Sometimes God is
a spectator encouraging us to keep on keeping on. Whatever situation we find
ourselves, God is always with us. If I make my bed in hell, He’s there!
As we run this race
toward a distinctive life of character, getting started possesses no problem.
We get bogged down as the race continues. A time comes when our personal
resources are exhausted. Yet as we endure, God seems to give us a spiritual
second wind.
Isaiah described
this miracle miraculously: Isaiah 40:28-31
·
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
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30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall
utterly fall:
God is saying: "Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows
faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding. He gives strength to
the weary and strengthens the powerless. Youths may faint and grow weary, and
young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the LORD will renew their
strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow
weary; they will walk and not faint."
The secret is found
in affirming God's presence. The world says give up, drop out, run away.
God says to just trust me, lean on me, and fall into my arms. God is with you
to support and sustain you. To give you hope, courage, and strength to
continue. He has promised, “My presence will go [with you], and I will give you rest" (Exodus 33:14)."
In our quest for
character, unpolished and incomplete though we may be, it is The Spirit of God
who surrounds us and dwells within us that whispers in our ear, time and again,
"Don't quit - keep playing."
And as we do, he enhances and supplements until a work of amazing beauty is
created within. What we can accomplish on our own is nothing.
·
Acts 17:28: In him we live, and move, and have
our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also his
offspring.
But with the hand
of God, our character can truly be awesome. Our responsibility is to not quit, keep
on playing; His part is to fashion a masterpiece.
·
Genesis 1:26: And God said, “Let us make man in
our image, after our likeness”:
·
Vs 27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them.
·
Vs 28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, “Be fruitful,
and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon
the earth.”
Remember God
doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called. And, he'll always be there to
love and to guide you through all things.
Are you close to
quitting? Please don't do it.
Are you tired of
the curve’s life throws at you? Hang in there.
Do you feel like
giving up on the Christian life? Roll up your sleeves and get back in there.
Do you feel that
sorrow and disappointment greet your every morning? Hold on. Help is just around the corner.
Endurance prevails:
·
James 1:12: “Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation: for when he is tried, he
shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love
him.”
Remember you are not a failure until you give
up. You
are not a flop until you let go.
So, don't quit.
Never give up. Keep going. Hold on. Our
God is a right NOW God and His rewards are for those that will reach out by
faith and take it NOW!
·
Hebrews 11:6: Without faith it is impossible to
please him: for he that come to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him.
We don't know how
many steps it will take to reach the prize, but
endurance maintains the stamina needed to see the end and
embrace the prize.
·
Philippians 3:13: Brethren, I count not myself to
have apprehended: but this one thing I
do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those
things which are before,
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Vs 14: I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus.
So, fight another
round, rise another time, and, above all, God is saying, “DON’T LET GO, BE STRONG AND RESILIENT!!!
Clap Your Hands and
Give God The Praise!!!
Evangelist Jackie
Burton