A Woman of Persevering Faith

We hear, quite often, that we are to persevere and/or endure in our lives. We hear it from Pastors, Bishops, family, members, friends and even those in influential positions in the government. However, do we really understand what it means to persevere and endure?

Let's breakdown the word persevere and perseverance:

• Persevere: to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counter-influences, opposition, or discouragement.
• Perseverance: continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition : the action or condition or an instance of persevering.
• Endure: to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding; to undergo especially without giving in.

These are the definitions that can be found in the the Merriam-Webster's dictionary. Now let's look at these word in a biblical way according to the Strong's Dictionary:

• Persevere: a patient enduring as God enables the believer to remain (endure) under the challenges He allots in life.
• Perseverance: describe Christians who faithfully endure and remain steadfast in the face of opposition, attack and discouragement.
• Endure: absolutely and emphatically, under misfortunes and trials, hold fast to one's faith in Christ; abide in Christ.

Perseverance involves patience and includes both persistence and permanence. We need to have the ability to endure without complaint and with a calmness that only comes from the Holy Spirit. James 1:2-4 tells us that much:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produced patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

We need to be patient as we suffer and go through whatever it is that's before us. It's not easy -- it never is. However, we have a perfect example and model of how to do it. Jesus Christ was patient, persistent and endured with a quiet spirit. He never let things, people or situations take Him off course that God laid before Him. When dealing with opposition or discouragement, do you find yourself patient or do you allow your emotions to rule?

As we persevere and endure in our lives we must be persistent in accomplishing our goals -- not the earthly goals, but those goals that God set for us and ones we set for ourselves to help us. Persistent to follow God, in prayer, in doing Bible study and in making sure that we align with the Father's Will at all times. Do you continually check if you're align with God and His Will? If so, how? If not, what can you do to do so?

I mentioned permanence and what I meant by that is that we are in this for a lifetime of commitment. This is not something we do for a short time. No one perseveres for a season. We do this daily, consistently and are firm in our decision to remain faithful and steadfast. Have you made the choice to persevere daily in your walk or is it just a one-time thing for you?

We as daughters of God are called to a life of commitment to Him and to others. We are required to add perseverance to faith, virtue and knowledge in our daily walk. In 2 Peter 1:5-7, Peter states the following:

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now that we talked it over, let's look at the four ways we are told to persevere in our lives as Christians consistently:
1) in prayer when need to be patient and continue when things get too hard for us. It's through prayer, our time of commune and conversation with God, that we can find the strength to endure life. Ephesian 6:18 talks all about it:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

2) in faith we should never give up, trust in God and endure any suffering. Jesus did it for us, so why can't we in turn do it for Him and the Father? If you look at Hebrews 12:1-2 you can see it for yourself:

Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, as let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3) in obedience to God's Word and Will we are to remain steadfast and faithful when we are uncomfortable, hurt or let down. Read Revelation 14:12:

Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

4) in service to God and others we are to push forward and do the work of God in sharing and spreading the gospel and showing love -- even unto our enemies. It tells us so in 1 Corinthians 15:58:

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Let's focus on persevering in our faith a bit deeper...

If we have faith in God and in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, no matter what disappointments, discouragements, let downs, trials and issues come about we will continue to push forward to feel His presence and stay in alignment with His Word.

Two weeks ago I did an a promising interview and was called in for the second interview which was an audition of sorts. At this interview I received high praises from the managers of the company and at the end was pretty much promised a job. Two days later I received a phone call excited for great news, but instead was told the opposite -- they gave the position to someone else. I was crushed! I cried my eyes out, wrote an angry (but respectful) prayer in my journal to God and wanted to do nothing but sulk. Now, without knowing my testimony, you may think I was being dramatic. The last time I had a job was 2012. I had my son in 2014 and wanted to at least start working in 2015 after he turned 1.

Since 2015 I've been applying to several jobs, but nothing ever went through. I was doing phone interviews, second interviews, in person interviews -- the whole nine, but companies always gave the position to someone else. I gave up on applying to jobs and then at the end of 2017 I got the opportunity to work on a hair stylists and she offered me a spot at her salon to do makeup -- that was a blessing, but the clientele wasn't up as I thought it should have. Recently, during the week of my 27th birthday I got a message from the company I spoke of earlier and knew that God had dropped another awesome opportunity on my lap.

Now that you get the backstory -- having been disappointed, I felt like God tricked me and wanted to give up on applying for jobs. Now during these past 5 years of no work God has provided for me in many ways, but I love to work so wanting a job is something I felt I needed. However, throughout that weekend of being upset God kept whispering WAIT.

Waiting is something I personally hate, but in waiting you have to be patient and endure what may come. Long story short -- I'm still waiting, but God revealed to me why I couldn't have that job. Though it hurts I'm still pushing forward in faith knowing that He will give me the perfect job when it's time. I just need to continue on the path He has set before me.

I will become a woman of persevering faith!

Let's take some time to look at a woman of persevering faith from the Bible:
Naomi was a woman of persevering faith. You can read all about her in the book of Ruth. She lived in Bethlehem, but moved with her husband and 2 sons when a famine hit. When they moved her son's intermarried and then she lost her husband and sons and was left with nothing but 2 daughter-in-laws. One daughter-in-law left and the other clung to her. Naomi is a woman of faith because despite her bitter disappointments she persevered in faith through her actions. She may have been hurt for a while, but she always responded in faith to God despite those difficult circumstances. She could have easily walked away from God remaining angry, but she knew the God she served and remained in His presence.

As I end this post, I want to leave you with some encouraging scriptures about perseverance:

"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappointment, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

- Romans 5:3-5

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."

- Galatians 6:9

"Blessed is the main who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."

- James 1:12

So today, I have a final questions: are you going to become a woman of persevering faith?

Blessings,