Stick-to-it-tiveness!

Hi ladies!
Wow, I cannot even believe that our time together is coming to a close! I sincerely hope that you have stuck with this life-changing study and allowed God to work in your life in a profound way!

This week is all about perseverance, or, as I like to call it, stick-to-it-tiveness! Tricky to spell, but fun to say ~ just try it! :) My blog post is Scripture-heavy because it is oh so important for this topic!

Hebrews 10: 32-39 NLT
32 Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. 33 Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. 34 You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. 35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
37 “For in just a little while,
the Coming One will come and not delay.
38 And my righteous ones will live by faith.
But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”
39 But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.

I am sure that few, if any of us, can say that we have been beaten for the cause of Christ but in our own daily struggles it can feel that way. Because of that we may be tempted to give up but the writer of Hebrews encourages us to "hang on" to our confidence in the Lord and to not displease the Lord by turning away.

This quote from John MacArthur is very pointed but clear ~ persevering is a sort of "the ball is in OUR court" type of thing: “God’s grace insures our persevering`but this does not make it any less our persevering.” Believers cannot acquire “the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” unless they “press on toward the goal” (Phil 3:14). But as they “work out [their] salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12), they find that “it is God who is at work in [them], both to will and work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

Colossians 1:9-14 NIV
9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

This Scripture from Colossians is something that I know I have prayed for those of you doing this study. I also encourage you to use it in your prayer time for yourself and those whom you know that are fighting the good fight of faith. But what is exciting is that Jesus Himself prayed for us that we might persevere!

John 17:9-21 NASB
9"(A)I ask on their behalf; (B)I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom (C)You have given Me; for (D)they are Yours;

10and (E)all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.

11"I am no longer in the world; and yet (F)they themselves are in the world, and (G)I come to You (H)Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name (I)which You have given Me, that (J)they may be one even as We are.

12"While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name (K)which You have given Me; and I guarded them and (L)not one of them perished but (M)the son of perdition, so that the (N)Scripture would be fulfilled.
The Disciples in the World
13"But now (O)I come to You; and (P)these things I speak in the world so that they may have My (Q)joy made full in themselves.

14"I have given them Your word; and (R)the world has hated them, because (S)they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15"I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from (T)the evil one.

16"(U)They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

17"(V)Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

18"As (W)You sent Me into the world, (X)I also have sent them into the world.

19"For their sakes I (Y)sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be (Z)sanctified (AA)in truth.

20"I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;

21that they may all be one; (AB)even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, (AC)so that the world may believe that (AD)You sent Me.

Isn't that amazing? I don't know about you but it means something to me that Jesus foreknew the struggles we would have and the temptation to give up on God that would come as a result of those struggles and He has and does intercede on our behalf before the Father. I cherish the prayers of my sisters in Christ but am absolutely bowled over at the thought of my Saviour praying for me!


So, how do you persevere? How do you "stick-to-it"? Consider the following in pressing on with God:

1. Pray for determined purpose/tenacity by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit ~ Jesus is your lifeline to the Father and the Holy Spirit is your strength to hold on through the tough times, the dry times, the not-so-fun times. During some of my rough times of struggling with trusting God, I wanted to let go but knew that I had nothing to go back to. God was all I could ever have again that was worthwhile.

2. Dedicate yourself to time in the Word ~ become a student
Romans 15:4 NIV
4For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Psalm 119:1-8 NLT
1 Joyful are people of integrity,
who follow the instructions of the LORD.
2 Joyful are those who obey his laws
and search for him with all their hearts.
3 They do not compromise with evil,
and they walk only in his paths.
4 You have charged us
to keep your commandments carefully.
5 Oh, that my actions would consistently
reflect your decrees!
6 Then I will not be ashamed
when I compare my life with your commands.
7 As I learn your righteous regulations,
I will thank you by living as I should!
8 I will obey your decrees.
Please don’t give up on me!

3. Cultivate your personal relationship with Jesus as your Lord and Saviour
a. DAILY ~ this will result in an actual relationship, not simply an acquaintance
b. Communication ~ both ways!!
c. discipline/correction/repentance ~ difficult but necessary and He disciplines those He loves
d. submission ~ When we have truly repented (sorrow and brokenness over our sin against God), then we will find that submission and obedience are desires of our hearts, not something that is loathsome to do.
e. obedience

4. Look up ~ Psalm 3:1-5 AMP
A Psalm of David. When he fled from Absalom his son.
1LORD, HOW they are increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.
2Many are saying of me, There is no help for him in God. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
3But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4With my voice I cry to the Lord, and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
5I lay down and slept; I wakened again, for the Lord sustains me.

Praise God for that!

OK ladies! Here comes the time that I want to take a minute and discuss something. Kelly and I never want to assume that all of you have come to know Christ as your Saviour and Lord. It would be easy to assume that but it also would be wrong. The Bible even says that many will worship Him with their lips only but that their hearts would be far from Him (Matthew 15:8). This is not what we pray for you! We want you to examine yourself and see if you are truly a child of God. So how can you know? It is all about the heart: Is there a change in you? Do you hate all sin or is it secretly no big deal if you say a white lie or commit some other sin? Is your heart's desire to please God with your life or are you hoping that you are good enough to make it in to heaven? Do you compare yourself with someone else and secretly rate yourself as "not as bad as they are so I should be fine"? Does your heart twist inside you when you recognize that you've committed a sin or can you brush it off? The answers to these questions can give you a glimpse as to the condition of your heart. Salvation is much more than saying a prayer and then "you are in". Saying a prayer is part of it but is your heart in the prayer or are you saying it because you don't want to go to hell? Knowing ABOUT Jesus, His miracles, death and resurrection is not enough either. So what is true salvation? Instead of adding to the length of this post, I am providing a couple of good links that lays out what the Bible (the only true authority) says:
What is your response to God?
What is repentance?

I pray that you don't just gloss over this or skip it. Examine your heart. Follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit. This is too important. If you want to talk further about this, please contact me at tara@ibloom.us.
Praying for you!
Love in Him,
Tara