Hebrews 10:35-36 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that He has promised.
Keep on God's course for my life. Watch diligently for entanglements - sins, allowing Satan into that current situation. Encumbrances are habits or attitudes that slow us down.
How do we know the difference? Go immediately to God and ask Him to show you what the sin or entanglement is. Rely on Him to avoid it. Depend on Him, trust Him. Focus, keep your eyes on Jesus.
Psalm 119:129-136 Your laws are wonderful, no wonder I obey them ! The teaching of Your Word gives light, so even the simple can understand. I pant with expectation, longing for Your commands. Come and show me Your mercy, as You do for all who love Your name. Guide my steps by Your Word, so I will not be overcome by evil. Ransom me from the oppression of evil people; then I can obey Your commandments. Look on me with love' teach me Your decrees. Rivers of tear gush from my eyes because people disobey Your instructions.
Follow: God's direction, His instruction manual, the Bible.
Learn: To recognize whatever comes against you is of the enemy, Satan
To think before we speak
Ephesians 4:29 Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
Scripture is meant to give me protection, correction, and direction.
Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility He endured from sinful people, then you won't become weary and give up.
vs 1 - lay aside the weight, (anything that hinders, sin) which so easily traps me, run with endurance the race (God's plans for me).
vs 2 - look unto Jesus, who has endured the shame of the Cross for us....
vs 3 - look to Jesus - consider what He has done for us, so don't become weary or discouraged.
Remember - learn to be like Jesus. God's discipline is training me and correcting me to live for Him and in His kingdom.
From me:
Endurance. Patient endurance. The Christian life is hard. We live in a world of difficulties. Circumstances, people get to us. Living righteously, forgiving, being kind, keeping our words sweet...all seem impossible some days, and yet we are called to endure. Sometimes it seems to more "right" we live, the worse it gets, the more we get hammered with hardship. I think of my persecuted brothers and sisters, and how the have to endure great danger and affliction. Endurance seems to play such a big part in our walk with the Lord....but the rewards, the wonderful, awesome rewards....both here and in the yet to come place called Heaven. So often I forget, it's not really about this life here on earth! It's hard to focus on the intangible when the tangible is so in our face, but yet that is what I am called to do. And Jesus did it. He wasn't looking for His own comfort, His own life on earth, but on the bigger, the greater, the eternal picture....our salvation, our reconciliation and our restoration. As we are told in Hebrews, look to Him. That same Spirit that was in Jesus is in us. And so, YES we can endure!
It's almost like we need a new picture! What if I filtered everything about my day through an eternal/kingdom focused lens? How would that change my behavior? I think we tend to get lost in the temporal world we live in and forget that there is a whole other realm, a spiritual, forever realm that is our true home. Our sight is skewed. I guess that's where the renewing of our minds with Scripture comes in! LOL
Lord, help me to endure, to run this race with Your strength, and in Your image, for Your glory. Let not my flesh have its way, striking out, giving up....but let me emulate Jesus, my Savior, and the author and finisher of my faith. Thank You for being our example and our empowerment. Lord, You know its hard here on earth, You walked in our shoes. I pray to grow in this area each and every day. I don't know what the future will bring, but I think the troubles and trials of this day are nothing compared to what is to come for us as Christians. And so I thank You now for this training ground. I I know we will need to learn endurance and trust. Help us to learn quickly and thoroughly.
James 1:2-5 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
How can your change your focus today so it will help you learn endurance?
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