The power of Persistence

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1 1 The power of Persistence Hebrews 12 :1-3 (The Message) 1-2 Do you see what this means all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed that exhilarating finish in and with God he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever... As we run this race of life, we must throw aside everything that might hinder or slow you down (including sin), we must understand that our race will take sustained effort ('perseverance-persistence-endurance') - the Christian life is more like a marathon than a 100 metre sprint and we are to keep our eyes not only on the goal or the finish line but on JESUS. He is the source of your faith and your strength. "Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You have got to set your self on fire for it." (Anonymous) 2 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV) 24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.25everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others; I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. Here Paul compares his own life to that of athletes who sacrifice normal pursuits for the sake of strict training and competitive edge. We are to run or live our life in such as way as to 'win' the race - not to drop out or be disqualified. This will take a great deal of self-discipline and passionate focus of the goal. 2 Timothy 2:5 (NIV) Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. The athlete strives lawfully or else he is disqualified from the contest. This is critical to know; it is the very point at which so many people fail. It is not enough to declare that one is entering the contest, nor is it enough to begin running the race. A person has to strive lawfully. Kenneth Wuest says: "The Greek athlete was required to spend ten months in preparatory training before the contest. During this time he had to engage in the prescribed exercises and live a strictly separated life in regard to the ordinary and lawful pursuits of life, and he was placed on a rigid diet. Should he break training rules, he would... be a castaway... disqualified, ' barred from engaging in the athletic contest. ' Do I finish what I start? Do I get easily discouraged? Do I have the power of persistence? Do I endure and

2 persevere? Notes Compiled by Bruno Picard 2 There is a price to pay to endure the race of life, but it is nothing in comparison to the cost of quitting! There is a huge cost in quitting. Quitting destroys our personal self-worth, our self-esteem! Quitting easily becomes a habit. Someone said: " Winning is a habit so is loosing". We can not just do things right once in a while to become a champion. Eating right once a month will not make us healthy. Speaking nicely to our spouse once a month will not give us a healthy marriage. Persistence is doing the right things on a continual basis. It is always easier to quit. But is always more costly, much more costly than maintaining a lifestyle of persistence. Definitions Persistence is a firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. Perseverance is steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Endurance is the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way. How's your race going? How well are vou running? 1. Going strong? There are times in our life, when we're running really well. We're focused and passionate about our future and we're moving forward with good progress. Life is good. We're enjoying the challenge of your race. This doesn't mean everything is easy or that everything is going just the way we want it to but there's a sense of progress and of peace inside. 2. Slowing down? There are other times when we begin to slow down for various reasons. We're not running with the same degree of focus and passion. Why does this happen? i) We're feeling tired or fatigued. ii) iii) We're coming to a 'cross-roads' - an intersection in your journey, We've just started out on a new road - in a new situation, Every 'ending' is also new 'beginning' and at first things are very unfamiliar and it takes a while to get used to our new surroundings and experiences. 3. Coasting? There are other times in our life when we have slowed down but we've begun to coast for an extended period of time. Our level of passion and excitement has diminished. We're still running the race but we're in more of a 'cruise' mode. There is no sense of urgency. This happens for a variety of reasons but one of the major ones is losing a clear sense of purpose. We've lost sight of what the race is all about. This usually results in complacency, lethargy or indifference. We're still doing life but we're kind of 'going through the motions' - we're existing but we're not really living to the full. The entire church at Laodecia experienced this (Rev.3:14-22) and Ephesus Church (Rev.2:17). 4. Stopped? Sometimes we slow down to the point where we actually stop. Things aren't going well at all. Why do we stop? i) Tragedy, hurt, pain, betrayal, divorce...

3 ii) Failure, We've tripped up for some reason. We've taken a tumble and we've fallen down. This can be soul-destroying, embarrassing and humiliating. King David made some very unwise choices and ended up committing murder and adultery. He had so rationalised and justified his actions that he lived in a state of deception until the prophet Nathan came and confronted him out of his spiritual blindness (2 Sam.12:1-14). David stopped making excuses admitted his sin and cried out to God in genuine repentance. God graciously forgave him for his sin - although David had to live with some difficult consequences of his actions. However, he got up and kept running his race. Although he fell and even failed seriously, he still finished his race well (see Acts 13:36). Peter, one of Jesus' disciples, made some bold declarations about his personal courage and how he would never deny Jesus Christ. Yet, in the pressure of the moment, he failed. He denied Jesus three successive times. When he realised his failure, the Bible tells us that he 'wept bitterly' (Mt.26:75). He was heart-broken. He had not lived up to his good intentions. However, Jesus came to forgive and restore him and Peter went on to be used more greatly by God alter his failure than before (Acts 2). iii) Discouragement. Life has gotten just too hard. For example. Elijah 'hit the wall' alters his major encounter with the prophets of Baal and some intimidation from Queen Jezebel (1 Kings 19). He was so tired he slept for hours on end only waking up to eat and then off to sleep again. 5. Detoured? Sometimes, we make a wrong turn in our life journey? Ask the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) - he took the Wide Road and it sure was fun, at least for a while, But he found that it did not lead to 'life', It had lied to him. Have we made a wrong turn? Are we heading in the wrong direction - down a detour? Maybe it's time for a U-Turn! 3 Sometimes we tend to justify our pace by a whole lot of excuses and justifications. Some of them are true and understandable. But we forget to fix our eyes upon Jesus-Christ, that we have the power of the Holy Spirit. We forget that we can tap into the power of PERSISTENCE. We have to!!! Those who have finished the race are those who have refused to throw the towel. There comes times when the problem seems insurmountable, when the giant seems unbeatable, when the mountains seem unmovable and when retreat seems to be the only logical answer. A time when we loose sight of what god has for us. But it is always too soon to give up! Persistence is learning to enjoy the distance between the promises of God and the Provisions of God. There will always be a problem to obtain the provision, in the race; there will always be some way up on hill, when things get really tough... Many of us never reach the provision because we quit IN the problem. The problem is never the END but only a stepping stone for higher ground for those who persevere. Persistence is going back to your place of failure and trying again. Think about Moses. The quality of persistence is demonstrated in Moses' return to Egypt after 40 year in exile. He is a fugitive, his picture is in every walls if the country: WANTED. But God calls him to try again at his point of failure.

4 Persistence is building an ark while they mock and putting his wife and children in the ark while the sky is blue and rain has never fallen yet. Think about Noah. He worked on 1 project for 120 years with all of humanity laughing at him. His generation has never seen rain... He is building a ship on a front yard: 140 meters long. It was not a canoe...but his ark saved not only his family but also the whole world. 4 Persistence does not need people recognition. Persistence says nothing is impossible. Persistence does not let the past stop its race. Persistence does not believe in the lie: I need everybody's approval to succeed. Persistence does not look back on my failure of yesterday and does not say that I will be affected in my performance today. Persistence refuses to play the blame game: It is anybody's fault but mine. Persistence quotes Romans 8: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And quotes 2 Corinthians 4 : And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I believed and therefore I spoke, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Light afflictions??? 2 Corinthians 11: Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,

5 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 5 Persistence does not quit or abandon hope. Do we have our prize? Without persistence or endurance, your dreams will remain mere illusions. If all of my life is series of big beginnings, but I never achieve my destiny: I am loosing my time and energy. It is worthless; it does not count until it is finished. Persistence is seen in the Jacob wrestling with the Angel of God until day break. it shows the power of persistence in producing spiritual success. While wrestling with the angel of God, Jacob says : " I will not let you go until you bless me" And they wrestle all night, and he touched the socket of Jacob s hip so that his hip was wrenched.. And God changed his name from Jacob, the cheater and supplanter to Israel, one who is a prince with God. The difference between being a common drifter and a prince with God is persistence. I will not let you go. God is looking for persistence. Persistence is the proof of your passion. Persistence is Jesus on the cross shouting: "it is finished" Condemnation, power of sins and demons over us, sickness are destroyed... People don't succeed because they are destined to; they succeed because they are determined to. Rick Godwin We can do anything we want as long as we stick to it long enough. Helen Keller