Have you ever wanted something a lot, and when you go to buy it, they are out of stock? Upsetting, right? There is nothing more unsettling than when things do not go our way. Sometimes, we have hopes and dreams but fail to fulfill them. What happens when we encounter failure? Do we quit, or do we keep on trying? What should we do next?
We should keep on trying; we should PERSEVERE. I know it is troubling and frustrating when things do not go the way we planned. I know how challenging it is to keep walking when everything you see is the opposite of what you want and when you only see failure. I know how unsettling it is to think you are finally looking at the end of the tunnel, and you find out there is one more obstacle to overcome. It is frustrating when you assume you are finally getting to resting pastures, but the unexpected happens, taking away your peace. Even though it is hard to keep going, we must do everything in our power to do so because if we quit, we are truly lost. Walking by faith and not by sight is what FAITH is all about.
No matter what your eyes are seeing and how many times you stumble, the key is to get up and continue walking with the confidence that the One who walks by your side is Greater than any circumstance. He has already defeated the devil, and He has already granted us the victory. The key is to let go of our burdens and worries and rest in Him, knowing He fulfills all His promises. It sounds easy to say, but it is not like that. Believing when everything is fine is a piece of cake, but when everything your eyes see is contrary to what you want, it becomes a challenge. It is blindly trusting and leaving everything in His hands, resting in Him.
I believe that 2 Corinthians 5:7- For we walk by faith, not by sight sums up what the life of a Christian is. A constant walk in FAITH. It is not easy and can be a process of pain, fatigue, and struggles, but it will never be in vain. In the middle of the trial, He reminds us how much He loves us and that we are blessed. He makes us surrender to his plans, and once again, we believe. Believing is something of every day; it is a daily decision. Trials teach us to depend on God and walk in faith. Walking in faith implies sacrifice. It means doing things that, in the eyes of others, seem crazy, but in the eyes of God, it is a vote of confidence and trust. It is telling God that we trust His will. It is a sign of complete surrender to Him.
To persevere, in Greek, is Proskartereo; it means to attend constantly, continue without deviations, and adhere firmly. Biblically, there are many men and women whose perseverance in Christ and His promises led them to receive great blessings and miracles even better than what they expected. One of these men was Naaman, who wanted an immediate cure for his leprosy, but God wanted to confront him, so He demanded an act of faith from him.
11 But, Naaman was wroth and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? So, he turned and went away in a rage.13 And his servants came near and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean?14 Then, went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God, and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 2 Kings 5:11-14.
God could have healed him instantly, just as he can answer our prayers in seconds, much more before we ask him, but sometimes He wants us to obey Him and take steps of faith. Sometimes, God demands action from us. Naaman could have given up, or on his second plunge, he could have gotten tired and not continued, but Naaman decided to believe and received complete healing from Him.
Another man in the Bible whose perseverance is admirable is Job, who, amid his horrendous circumstances, decided to see beyond and never stopped believing and trusting God. God rewarded Job's perseverance. Another example is the Canaanite woman, who, although Jesus did not answer her the first time, persevered and kept insisting until she received the miracle.
Walking through the valley of shadow and death brings us closer to the Light that is Christ in our lives. He makes us stronger. He is molding a character in us. When we feel weak, unable to do something, frustrated, or defeated, He improves things. And He told me: My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will rather gladly glory in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
Many times, we think, Lord, why did this happen? Then, later we realized that God warned us, but we ignored his warnings and turned a deaf ear to his cry, and that is when, due to our stubbornness, we crashed against the wall and made mistakes that caused us to fail. God does not want us to go through afflictions to reach Him, but He cannot force anyone; He lets us walk the path we choose. He gives us the freedom to be the ones who make the decisions, but He is always by our side, waiting for us to open the door and let him take control of our lives. Let us allow Him to give us peace. The peace that surpasses all understanding. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Isaiah 26:3
In the trial, God transforms us and cleanses us from all iniquity. He frees us from old wounds and helps us overcome any obstacle. He shows us His infinite love for us! Trust God, walk without fear of what they will say, and open your wings because the wind comes in your favor and will take you back to the right path; it will propel you toward your VICTORY. Cry out to God! He will answer you, so do not be dismayed or give up, PERSEVERE!
Ps: If you feel tired and troubled by so many problems. If what your eyes are seeing is not what you expected, you are tired of waiting, and you are about to quit, I invite you to comment on this post. We want to pray for you.
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