“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” Hebrews 10:23, NLT
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Hold Tightly! | Words to Live By
Tag: keep going
Guard | Protecting the Significant
Guarding is strong. Guarding is powerful. Guarding is beautiful because it says what I have in me is valuable space. Trivial things and those who tarnish or bring unbeneficial substances are not welcome here.
The sacred is alive in you (1 John 4:4) and it must be cherished and protected at all costs. The Bible encourages us to, “Be sober, be vigilant…” (1 Peter 5:8). Being vigilant means I must take a proactive approach to the value in me and be very attentive to the things that seek to drain and damage it.
Many distractions come in life with its very definition meaning to steal your focus and direction from what is truly important. These distractions stand against the foundation of what one considers significant.
But to truly treasure what’s in you is to truly treat it like the jewel that it is and stand guard against all who would try to misappropriate her value. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” Jesus warned His followers (John 10:10a). So, the responsibility lies within each of us to be aware and never stop protecting the beauty He offers – “abundant life” (John 10:10b).
Would it be profitable to move one’s feet from the position on the watchtower even for just a moment while an enemy creeps in unawares?
No. It would not only be unprofitable, but it could be dangerous. A foe is a foe and nothing else. His purpose is to stop your advancement while Christ is accelerating you up to go forward. But if you are slowed and your progress hindered due to a personal refusal to stand watch, then what of the treasure within? Will it be used to its maximum usefulness, or will it, through neglect and lack of vigilance, dwindle and waste away?
The beauty within… the value within calls us to stand guard and to treasure and protect the significant.
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Relentless!
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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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He Knows Your Walking!
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“He knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.” Deuteronomy 2:7
He knows your walking. Every step you take has His attention. The wilderness comes with many perils. The wilderness can be a place of lack, yet God reminds His people, “thou hast lacked nothing,” Deut. 2:7.
What wilderness are you in right now? Our God knows. Does your desert place bring tears? Is companionship missing in your world? Nothing is hidden from the eyes of our Father. The steps you take in this weary land are marked with His supreme knowledge.
When Moses rehearsed their traveling through this land, he reminded them of the good times and the bad – and yet, through it all, God saw their walking. As His beloved, He knew where they were and what they were dealing with.
The same can be said for each of us. God sees the paths we take. He sees the trudging through the murky times. He sees the hard roads traveled. He recognizes that every trip is not a time of prancing through the peaceful meadows, but there are hills to climb, some slippery, some steep. He recognizes the sweat and the effort it takes to keep going. He sees every choice, every footfall.
My friends, some days when we walk it seems we are walking through a river of tears, walking in waters too deep with currents that are too strong. But the encouragement for our souls is it is not lost on our God and no step we take is wasted. Every step in the right direction, regardless of how hard it may be, will lead to our place of promise.
Some days it may seem that we are walking in circles – not sure what we are doing or where we are going. But while we are walking, we can walk with hope. We can walk in faith (yes, even if you can’t feel it, we can still step out in faith by just moving forward). We can walk in the confidence in the victory that lay ahead for us.
In the unsure moments, the disappointing moments, and the hurting moments, He sees it all.
Knowing that God sees me walking through this great wilderness brings a special measure of comfort to my soul. The wilderness may take its toll on you, and it may even make us question some things along the way – but, even then, and even there, our steps are known. Our hearts can be filled with this great truth even in the wilderness.
My friends, we hold so much in us while we are walking through this wilderness. We experience so much in this dry place. Each of us has encountered a wilderness area we may be walking through, have walked through, or are about to walk through. It is in this season of life, that the struggle from day to day can be overwhelming. For some, you have walked so long and so far, that you may feel like you are lost in a desert. But, no matter what stage of your walking, God still sees you. His eyes have not left you and His heart is for you.
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