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ENDURE (Persevere) Proverbs 3:5-6

We all will endure something difficult during our lifetime. Grace, patience, perseverance, and self-control are all part of the journey. We will be tested, we will be challenged, and we will all mature and be better.

ENDURE – to undergo (as a hardship) without giving in. To treat each day as a gift from God. The difficult part of endurance is that you must tolerate conditions or situations that have a cost. You know that you have to take a stand for something you believe in and there may be a price to be paid for your decisions. Sometimes you must endure discipline or punishment because of a wrong you have done. Other times you may have to endure the back lash of standing firm for ethical or Scriptural reasons. If you are sold out to God and His Word, you will always want to be obedient in following His instructions and commands for the believer. Sometimes there are Christians and non-Christians who challenge your commitment to God. There could be persecution; bullying or harassment (and belittling) that you must endure for Christ, (Psalm 136:1)

ENDURE – Never surrender, except to God. Never give up – don’t quit just because Satan is on your back. Endurance takes patience with a positive attitude, with lots of self-control, (2 Peter 1:5-9).

ENDURE – Don’t let your situation get the best of you. Maintain your spiritual focus Are you able to walk the “straight and narrow” when disruptions and diversions compete for your attention? You can move forward, rather than sideways, in your calling—but it requires thoughtful planning and perseverance, and it begins with spiritual self-examination and taking spiritual inventory of yourself. These are vital to maintaining Christian growth (James 4:7-10).

SPIRITUAL INVENTORY FOCUS

Do you know for sure where you are going when you pass from this earth? (John 3:16-17).

Am I obedient to God? (1 John 5:3).

Am I serving God right where I am? (2 Timothy 2:15).

Do I honor God in all I do? (1 Sam. 2:30; Prov. 3:9; 1 Cor. 6:20).

Do I produce spiritual fruit? (Matthew 7:16).

Do I put God first in my life? (Matthew 6:33).

Do I study God’s Word? (2 Timothy 2:15).

Do I have a daily prayer life? (Philippians 4:6).

Whenever you begin to drift from God’s way, and find yourself swirling in the turbulent currents of this world’s way, you must realize the need to steer back to God.

ENDURE – Understand God’s purpose

Do you still feel lost and cannot seem to find what your purpose in life is supposed to be? Do you find yourself questioning God repeatedly and He does not answer? As your frustration mounts, do you demand for God to talk to you to give you clear directions so you will not have to keep on guessing?

Here is a biblical answer that may surprise you. The Bible says; “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

First, trusting God with your whole heart is a powerful order when you know your heart is full of sin, evil pasts and much history of disappointing God. This is something that you are going to learn how to overcome. But it’s you who has to take the first step to accept the redemption process. You have to reach out of your ordinary daily box, and claim what is already yours.

The second part of Proverbs 3:5, instructs you to not lean on your own understanding. You may not make sense of why it is taking so long for God’s favor to come your way. But God is at work moving people and situations in your favor. You may not always be privileged to know how, why, or what God is doing, but He is working things in your favor for your purpose in life to become a reality.

Now that you know that it takes “trust,” you need to start praying—heavily emphasizing your need for God to strengthen your trust and sharpen your focus on finding your purpose in life. It can be a simple prayer as long as you include the understanding of Proverbs 3:5-6. Soon you will be “found” and blessed beyond your wildest dreams.

So, what then is God’s will for your life?

God does have great plans for your life! You were created by God, in His image, for a purpose (Jeremiah 29:11)

God’s will, first and foremost, is that we have a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

God wants us to be Christ’s disciples. This means Christians must be committed to following God’s will daily, whatever the cost (Luke 9:23).

The Bible will help us to know God’s will (Psalm 119:105).

God promises to give us wisdom if we just ask Him in prayer, believing that He will give it (James 1:5).

God has given us the Holy Spirit for guidance (John 16:13a).

We should listen to the advice of godly men and women that God has placed in our lives (Proverbs 12:15).

ENDURE – Remain as positive as possible. Have you ever noticed how refreshingly fun it is to be around positive-thinking people who seem to naturally maintain a positive attitude? (Ephesians 4:22-23). No matter how bad the circumstances, negativity never even enters their minds, let alone crosses their lips to form negative, faithless words! But let’s be honest, encountering a positive person is a rare occurrence these days. Now there we go … that sure was a negative thought!

Positive Thinking Tips for a Positive Attitude – Permanently.

Focus on what you’re thinking about. Our negative actions and words are coming from our negative thoughts. Our body, including the mouth, has no choice but to follow wherever our mind goes, (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Stop letting other people’s negative attitudes influence yours. This may mean we need to stop hanging around with people who do nothing but spout negative stuff. We can’t afford this when our goal is to become more positive. The negative people in our life aren’t going to like it when we stop participating in negativity, (Titus 3:10).

Make a list of all the areas in your life that you want to change. List all your negative attitudes too.

Take some time to write strong, life-giving, positive affirmative statements. Make a commitment to read those statements out loud every day. Enjoy how great they make you feel. Know in your heart that you are making progress, even if you cannot see it just yet. Just keep affirming the positive.

Take time to pray about this. You can’t change by yourself. But you can spend time with the One who is able to help. Do what you can, and let God do the rest. It really is that simple.

This process will change how we think and that’s the real key to changing how we act. Remember, the body will follow wherever the mind goes.

ENDURE – Exercise your mind, body and spirit, as guided by the Holy Spirit.

Exercising Your Mind

Challenge yourself with a good Bible study course.

Have a Christian friend submit lists of Bible questions to get you thinking and searching the Scriptures for accurate answers.

Start a Book of the Bible and study in an expository (verse by verse) manner, trying to study every word, sentence and phrase, to get every good thing that God has provided (James 1:22; Colossians 3:16).

Exercising Your Body

We all need to exercise frequently, such as walking, biking, going to a place to work out and other activities you can tolerate. This is done to get your blood flowing, give your heart a good workout and maybe even work up some perspiration. You will feel much better after each workout—letting out some of the steam in your system.

Exercising Your Spirit

Through prayer and talking with God, having a daily conversation with Him, will do wonders to your spirit. Talking to God and listening to Him will keep Satan out of your day. Satan hates Christians who pray. In fact, Satan hates prayer and anything to do with God (Philippians 4:6).

Sing or hum some of your favorite hymns or spiritual songs throughout the day (Ephesians 5:19).

Praise God constantly. During your quiet times, when you are alone, when you are worshiping Him—carve out time from every day (at various times) to praise and thank him for His goodness to you in every way (Psalm 92).

ENDURE

Never surrender, except to God

Don’t let your situation get the best of you

Understand God’s presence and purpose in your life

Remain as positive as possible

Exercise your mind, body, and Spirit as guided by the Holy Spirit

“I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

Look up and read all the Scriptures referenced and study them for the best effect on your spiritual life.

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