Today we continue our new series entitled, “Press through it!”
For the past couple of weeks we looked at a passage in 2 Corinthians where we were learning to experience the death of Jesus in our own bodies. The text says that when we do so, the life of Jesus can be seen in our own bodies. I know people don’t like to think about “trouble on every side” type of situations, but if you are going to be the man/woman God called you to be, and if you are going to make the impact you were born to make, you will have to press through challenge and pain.
When I got up this morning, the Lord put this passage on my heart. We will take a look at it for a few days. This is something James said from a few translations.
(James 5:10,11 Message Bible)
Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end.
(James 5:10,11 Easy to Read Version)
Brothers and sisters, follow the example of the prophets who spoke for the Lord. They suffered many bad things, but they were patient. And we say that those who accepted their troubles with patience now have God’s blessing. You have heard about Job’s patience. You know that after all his troubles, the Lord helped him. This shows that the Lord is full of mercy and is kind.
One of the lines in this passage, from the J.B. Phillips translation, reads, “Remember that it is usually those who have patiently endured to whom we accord the word “blessed!””
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. If you want to be successful you must set your mind on God’s course and never allow anything to sway you from it.
a) James teaches us that life is literally “a gift” for those who “stay the course”. It’s not that you won’t find challenges on the course that is leading you to your destiny. But if you want to be successful during the ONE LIFE God has given you, you must develop the resolve and resiliency to STAY THE COURSE!
b) It’s not that successful people have had the benefit of living challenge-free lives. If they are successful it is because they developed the grit and determination to press through everything they had to press through on the road to their destiny.
c) I have been talking to you about the challenges the early New Testament church faced. The first-century believers were burned at the stake. Killing Christians was turned into entertainment. Believers were thrown into arenas, while lions and tigers were loosed on them, for the entertainment of cheering crowds. The Apostle James, who lived through those times, told us that the Old Testament Prophets had it no easier. He said they “put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God.” The message is simple: KEEP GOING! No matter what you are facing, you can never allow yourself to quit.
2. Life is hard.
a) I am telling you that “life is hard,” but not so you can turn coward and run away from it. I tell you this so you can stiffen up your back, brace for the challenges that will come your way, embrace the grace of God, and OVERCOME! There is nothing you cannot do. There is no challenge too hard for you. God is ON you, IN you, WITH you and FOR you! The only way you can lose is if you quit.
b) I am telling you that life is hard and that you will have to embrace the grace to overcome challenges, because I believe society has lied to many; especially our young people. We have a generation of young people in the United States who are being brought up in an environment that has gone out of its way to ensure they don’t feel bad or know what it is like to lose. Instead of having winners and losers, sports leagues claim that everyone is a winner and everyone gets a trophy. Since leaders don’t want children to feel bad, they change the rules of the game so everyone feels good with the results. But then these kids grow up and they have to deal with the real world. In the real world no one has time for you to be “in your feelings”. In the real world there are winners and losers. In the real world there will be times when you come up on the losing end of a situation and you must know how to deal with it. As a believer, filled with the Holy Spirit, covered by the Blood of Jesus, you are equipped to deal with everything that comes your way. Some situations are going to be hard. You are not always going to win. You will make mistakes. But you cannot quit. Life is a gift if you learn to STAY THE COURSE!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I take the Prophets of old as my mentors. I look at all they had to endure and how they never gave up. Job lost everything, but he kept going. In the end, everything was restored, and he received DOUBLE for his trouble. I develop that type of resilience by Your grace. Life is a gift for me, because I am chosen to STAY THE COURSE. I am on course to arrive at Your overall expected end for my life and I refuse to allow anything or anyone to derail me from it. No matter how hard it gets, I will never quit. You are IN ME and there is NO QUIT in You! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
