Tag: hard

Relentless!

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Peter, one who walked with Jesus and walked on water, knew the value of the faith he believed and carried in his heart.  He had a deep concern that others would know this value too and refused to let anything stop him from passing it on.

He writes in 2 Peter 1:15, “Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance,” because for people like Peter, Paul, and the others that carried this holy message, facing death, suffering, and hardship due to the ministry was not a surprise.  It’s as if they knew it was part of the package of following Christ (see 2 Peter 2:14; compare 1 Peter 4:12, 13). 

Rather than let the thought of what they would face deter their faith or cause them to shrink back, they used it as a propelling place, putting even more fervency in the work of the ministry while they had time.

What about us?  For some, when things get hard, it pushes a stop button on any progress gained.  But what if we, with the same zeal and enthusiasm as they, refused to let the hard places stop our mission?  What would happen if we, like a woman in the process of a painful birthing experience, continued to push through it all to receive the reward at the end?

There is power in the push!  We are called to be relentless in our faith – not backing down, not easing up.  We have the goal of heaven before us, and as those working as “joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17) in this Kingdom work, we want to help and assist as many as possible to find their way to this faith.

That cannot happen if we stop or if we let the thought of what could happen hinder our progress.

We must adopt the mindset of the apostle Paul and say for ourselves, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 3:14).  This is a forward march that refuses to lessen the pace, instead the stride is intensified knowing the prize is ahead.  The work continues with valiant efforts for the benefit of others.

Continue the push.  Be relentless.  None of what we go through or do for Christ will be in vain.  “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord,” (1 Corinthians 15:58). 

Our faith is of premium value.  Nothing can compare to what we have in Christ.  Refuse to back down.  Refuse to step aside from the ministry God has laid on your life.  Others are depending on you to keep pushing forward – to be relentless.

“But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Hebrews 10:39

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Heal

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Scabs were a fascination for me in my youth. I had a bad habit where right when the healing would be almost complete, I would pick at the scab and pick at it again until it reopened, prohibiting it from properly healing in a timely fashion.

In life, we can find ourselves doing the same thing with the hurts of all nature. And as easy as it is to pick, we can choose to leave it alone and let God do what He does best.

Allow for healing. What bitterness is so precious that we fight to hold on to it? What hurt must we keep rehearsing in our mind that we won’t let go of it? Allowing these to take up precious space in our hearts will not make room for His healing to take place when we can let it go and trust God with the outcome. Continually nursing all the wrongs prohibits the growth of all that is good.

We choose what we strengthen: bitterness and hurt or good and healing. We have the choice to bring into greater focus the things that will help us overcome those tumultuous thoughts or keep us bound in them. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Where your mind and your thinking lead, the heart will follow. Follow those beautiful things that lead to healing. Why let that which is corrupt ruin your day, your week, your life?

No one can understand like you what your heart is feeling (Proverbs 14:10). No one can discredit the hurt one has experienced. At the same time, no one but you can refuse to sit in the pity party, celebrating the misery.

Allow for healing. Bring all the heaviness of heart, all those things that speak against wholeness and recovery, all the hurt to Jesus, who promises that in Him, we will find rest for our souls (Matthew 11:29; read Matthew 11:28-30).

Why suffer as one who has no help? Jesus is your help for healing, and He is waiting to lead you into complete restoration. He is the cure for whatever you are holding onto, and He is the cure for whatever you are going through.

Focus your heart on what is good, and don’t leave Jesus out of the healing process. There is not an infirmity He hasn’t faced and experienced (Hebrews 4:15).

He knows how much it hurts, but He also knows how to bring about wholeness. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Come, that you may be healed.

Letting go of bitterness and hurt – sometimes it is easier said than done. But when we do, we allow for God’s healing to come and saturate our souls.