Endurance is more than physical, it’s spiritual too!
Sometimes we get so busy, we go through something painful. We feel stuck in situations. We need God RIGHT THIS SECOND to move on our behalf and He does not move right then.
Sometimes we don’t understand why we are dealing with an unfair situation, or why God seems so far and silent. We pray continuously for answers, or we stand on the Word for sometimes what feels like decades. We may feel discouraged, or exhausted from the battle at hand.
Whatever it is that you are doing, facing, accomplishing – sometimes we feel forgotten, abandoned, and unimportant.
Can I encourage you friends! We can build and develop our spiritual endurance the same way we build our physical endurance.
No 2 of us are at the same place. But every single one of us is enduring something.
We don’t get better because we are Christian for 80 years. We don’t get better because we had a huge victory.
We get better in the ENDURING stage.
Your spiritual muscles are growing during the pain. During the wait. During the time when you don’t understand but choose to trust God anyway.
Friends – it sucks to endure. Total doggy poop in a stinky bag for 3 weeks kind-a sucks!
But – this little nugget in my notes says it perfectly!
“The fruit of what you have today, is a resemblance of what you prayed for in the past.”
Where do you want to be 6months from now, in 1 year, 2 years, 5 years from now?
PRAY! PRAISE! STAND! DECLARE IT!
And whatever you do – DO NOT LET GO! If you quit now, it would be like dropping the dumbbell after 2 reps and leaving before finishing your first set.
You’re growing. And that growth will be the most powerful thing you have when the next endurance challenge comes on.
Because life is full of promises to bring us new challenges. We get to be winners or quitters. And quitters won’t produce much fruit. But the one who endured to the end will be rewarded/saved! (Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13
I prayed for 2 years for this dog before I ever owned him. And the opportunity to own him came at the worst possible moment of my life. Or so it seemed at the time. But I took it with faith, and he wound up being the exact blessing I needed at that time. And now I get to force him to take pictures with me for international doggy’s day 🤣. Friends – Keep standing strong in faith!
Get up! Grab the Bible, find some scriptures, declare them, keep them in front of you, praise God for bringing you the victory even though it looks impossible, and keep going!
••••••••• ESV Supporting Scriptures •••••••••
By your endurance you will gain your lives.
~ Luke 21:19 ESV ~
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
~ Romans 5:1-5 ESV ~
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
~ Galatians 6:9 ESV ~
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
~ Isaiah 40:31 ESV ~
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance…
~ Romans 5:3 ESV ~
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
~ Hebrews 10:36 ESV ~
If we endure, we will also reign with him…
~ 2 Timothy 2:12 ESV ~
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 ~
Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast.…
~ James 5:11 ESV ~
If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure…
~ Exodus 18:23 ESV ~
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
~ Romans 12:12 ESV ~
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
~ Romans 8:28 ESV ~
