PERSISTENCE part three

God wants to know how much we want Him. He wants to know if we want Him at all. God is a living breathing, feeling being. Sometimes He will allow us to get into a place of spiritual desperation. Has this ever happened to you? It has happened to me several times. Each time, I have come closer to God.

Earlier this year, I was laying in the hospital with some serious kidney failure. The doctor said “surgery” among other things, and I stopped listening and started praying more intensely... In fact, this event in my life caused me to pray certain prayers that I never intended to pray at my age. I explained to the Lord that I was not ready to die because I really felt as if I could die from the sickness plaguing my body. God spoke to me about getting enough rest and balancing out my life. He also showed me some things that I still need to do for Him. It was not my time to die yet. But the entire experience took me much deeper in my relationship with God.

Today, I feel much better! It took several months to get fully well, but all glory and honor and praise goes to the Living God! God is my healer! Glory!

Persistence in God takes patience. Persistence in getting to know God can sometimes take patience. I found that all those times that I was waiting on God, He was waiting on me too! Doing God's will takes persistence and patience as well.

Patience is something that a lot of believers think they have already, but really do not have. A lot of people who do not have patience are quitters. Do you see the connection that I am making?

Think of an athlete training for the Olympics. This is not a task that you just sign up for the day before! It takes patience and persistence to train, to practice, to get your body in shape, to get your mind in the game, to be a team player...

The same with becoming a professional musician: it takes a lot of patient and technical practicing and persistence and consistence with the craft.

I encourage you to wait on God and do not give up! Be consistent in your pursuit of God. Be persistent in your relationship with God. Wait patiently on Him and He will meet you more than halfway. Jesus said:

“Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied!” (Matthew 5:6 amplified).

Thought

Are you going through something that does not make sense? This is your opportunity to take time out and ask God to show you what it is that He is trying to teach you during this season. Be persistent in your pursuit of the one true Living God!

Prayer

Lord, please help those who are reading this blog and feel like giving up on you. Lord God, inspire them, surround them with your love, open their eyes to who you really are and reveal to them their destiny in you! Strengthen your children, Lord, we need you today. Give us hope for the future and wisdom in accomplishing the everyday things in order that we might get there. Show us how to glorify you in everything that we do. Blessed be the name of the Lord! In Jesus' name, Amen.

Read

Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 5:6, Romans 2:7

Song In My Head

'The greatness of the Lord is inconceivable! The love that He shows is unconditional! The power of the Lord is unbeatable! Great is the God we serve! God is great! And greatly to be praised!' - Ricky Dillard

PERSISTENCE part two

In the amplified Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 reads: ' Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]...' Do you ever find this hard to do? Paul is writing to the church people in Thessalonians and telling them to pray ALL the time and never stop! 

How do you do that? 

 It takes persistence and perseverance and time.

Is there something that you have been praying about for a very, very, very long time? Do you feel like giving up? do you ever run out of stuff to say to God? Are you getting mad at God? One famous Pastor I know says that it's ok to be mad at God because HE can handle it. But you cannot stay mad at God. Work through it, now. God only has your best interest in mind.Don't give up on God since, He will not ever give up on you! He reaches out to  you lovingly and wants to lavish that love on you beyond your comprehension.

It is easy to fall into asking God questions unnecessary questions:

“God, why do I have to wait so long?”

“Do you hear me God?”

“God, are you there?”

“God, do I not deserve the answer?”

“God? Where are you?”

I had an epiphany last year about unanswered prayer: sometimes, it is not about me waiting on God, but God is waiting on me. Get ready and stay ready. Strength training goes deeper.

Are you ready for God to answer your prayer? Are you asking God for something that you are completely unprepared for?

For example: Let's say I am asking God for a car, but I do not have a place to park it. Or I do not have a job with income to pay for the insurance, gas, and upkeep. Or I do not have a license to drive. This proves me unprepared to own or even drive a car. Get ready for the answer to your own prayers.

It is true that God can do what HE can do, but He will not do what you can do. Have you ever heard the saying that God helps those who help themselves? To me, this means: you take one step towards God and He will take two or more steps towards you.

Paul said that he had to work out his salvation. (Philippians 2:12). I do not believe in the philosophy once saved always saved. The Bible is clear that this is a daily walk with God. Everyday, I am required to ask God to purify my heart, cleanse me from any sin that I have committed knowingly or unknowingly, and to make sure that the old me is still dead to sin and that my newly created self in the Lord is alive and thriving in His kingdom.

Relationships take work. My relationship with God takes work, time, and effort. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. He will strengthen your heart. (Psalm 27:14).

Seek first the kingdom of GOD and His righteousness then all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33). Are you asking God to do or be something that He is not? Is what you are asking God to do really pleasing to Him? Is it within His will and plan for your life? And remember that God's plans are never to harm us! (Jeremiah 29:11).

Or perhaps this is the case for you: not only does God enjoy your company, which He does, but He may be wanting you to go deeper in your prayer life with Him. Perhaps He is preparing you to be come an intercessor! Learn how to pray effectively. Jesus said:

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'” (Matthew 6:9-13).

I encourage you to pray this prayer and ask God to show you how to pray better. Remember, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled! (Matthew 5:6)

Thought: If you were to stop waiting on God will you regret it in the future?

Read: Matthew 5-7, Galatians 6:9-10, Ephesians 6:13-18

Prayer: Lord God, please give me the wisdom and the strength to continue standing in the gap and teach me how to pray. Teach me how to love You better and to serve You better. Breathe on me Holy Ghost! In Jesus' name, Amen.

Song in my Head: 'Devil, you can't have my mind! You can stop wastin' yo' time! Devil, you won't steal my peace, 'cause victory belongs to me! I'm back! Yes, I'm back wit' a smile on my face!' -Lonnie Hunter & Structure

Persistence

The parking garage where occasionally I park my car has many pipes running along the walls and ceiling. Every year in the Spring there are a couple of doves who insist on building their nest over an old hot water pipe. They carefully build their nest and balance it on the hot water pipe. The nest is poorly built and it leaves a huge mess over our cars. But it works for the doves. I call the pretty dove “Mama Dove” and the more masculine dove “Daddy Dove”. They are some tough birds and they don't take no mess.

I find twigs, feathers, lint, cotton and all sorts of creative things on the ground or on my car. This has been their prime spot for raising their baby doves for as long as I can remember. The spot is warm and cozy and it works for them.

One day earlier this year, a crow attacked the nest and destroyed it. The un-hatched baby doves died. I saw broken shells on the ground. It was really sad to see after watching all their hard work. I did not expect Mama Dove and Daddy Dove to return, but after about a month I saw them staking out the same spot again. Now, they have re-built their nest-- in the same location over the same hot water pipe. This really surprised me. I was astonished to see them sitting there as if nothing had happened.

"Bazinga!"
(If the doves could talk I think they would say that to the crow, LOL!)
Soon they will hatch young, healthy baby doves.

This is persistence. Perseverance. Endurance.

Sometimes, when it comes to waiting on God's promises we give up all too soon. We grow tired and weary in well-doing and sort of fall into a spiritual coma or nap time of sorts and end up missing out on great things that God has for us. This happens when we have not learned perseverance, endurance. I do believe that God has a lot of people in strength training right now. How strong are you in your faith? Is God toughening you up for something that He has called you to do?

When the enemy attacks you, do you fold up? Do you run or do you fight back? When territory is stolen from you by the enemy do you just let him take it?

We have weapons that are not carnal, but supernatural. (Ephesians 6).

Sometimes, it is too hard to fight back when the enemy attacks because we are so weighted down by things that do not matter. Weighted down by things that have nothing to do with our purpose. What is weighing you down today? (Hebrews 12:1).

I want to encourage you to focus and re-prioritize your life according to God's WORD. Be persistent in what He has called you to do. Persevere. Endure. Strength training is tough because you can feel your muscles hurting sometimes after a work out, but with time the pain will go away. You will be stronger. You will overcome. Lost territory will be returned. Keep sowing seeds in God's kingdom. Be persistent in the Lord!

Thought: Are you in God's strength training right now?

Read: Ephesians 6, Hebrews 12:1, 1 John 5:4

Prayer: Lord, help us to be persistent and consistent in doing your perfect and holy will each day. Strengthen us and help us to operate in and through Your love. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Song in my Head: 'Your latter will be greater. The best is yet to come!' -Israel Houghton and New Breed