How can I develop perseverance? - Perseverance - TouchPoints

Joshua 6:3-5“You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. . . . On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”

Perseverance is obeying even when God’s way doesn’t seem to make sense or produce immediate results. For believers, one of the healthiest spiritual exercises is to ask each day, “Am I following Christ?” Steady obedience develops perseverance.

Habakkuk 3:19The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.

Ephesians 6:13Put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Colossians 1:10-11Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.

2 Thessalonians 3:5May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

The fuel of endurance for life is the power of God working through us. The more obedient and in tune we are with God, the more God’s power will strengthen and ignite our ability to persevere—not just to endure, but persevere joyfully!

Philippians 1:6I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Perseverance is based on the promise of God’s persistent, faithful work in our lives. God never stops working for our good and for his glory in us, and that should motivate us to always be looking for what he will do next to help us grow and serve others.

Romans 5:3We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.

James 1:2-4When troubles of any kind 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.

Problems, trials, troubles, and the testing of our faith can strengthen our resolve or break us down. It all depends on our attitude. If we see our problems as steppingstones to something greater, then we can move ahead with anticipation for what we will become—a person of strong character who can handle any obstacle. If we see our problems as giant barriers, we will get discouraged, give up, and turn back, never allowing ourselves to become more than we are now. God promises that problems and troubles will help us grow. Will you let the growth happen?

2 Corinthians 8:10-11Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have.

Perseverance involves setting manageable goals that keep us on track to finish what we started. If we don’t set goals, we will never reach them. The best kind of perseverance does more than barely make it to the finish line; it pushes us to break the tape at full speed.

Hebrews 12:1-3Since 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.

Sin will always stunt our spiritual development like a disability or a self-imposed limitation can keep runners from doing their best. The less we practice sin, the easier it is to persevere through life’s problems and challenges. The faithfulness of God’s people across the ages and, above all, the example of Jesus give us models of how to reduce the sin in our lives and develop the necessary perseverance to help us become all God wants us to be.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.

1 Thessalonians 1:3As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The key to perseverance is having a clear view of heaven as our destination. When we clearly see where we are going, it is easier to endure the hardships along the road. God promises to help us. His persistent and faithful work in our lives gives us the supernatural power to keep going when we encounter difficulties. And it helps to enlist others to pray for us, even as we volunteer to pray for them.

Nehemiah 6:1-2Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies found out that I had finished rebuilding the wall and that no gaps remained—though we had not yet set up the doors in the gates. So Sanballat and Geshem sent a message asking me to meet them at one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But I realized they were plotting to harm me.

Our task and the perseverance to finish the task are rooted in God’s call. Consider carefully whether or not to respond to distractions. If the work we do is God’s work, we had better involve God in it. And if the work we do is God’s work, we can have faith that our perseverance will pay off.

Habakkuk 2:3This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.

Leaders develop realistic expectations in order to persevere. They describe the goal or objective clearly enough so that there is wide agreement when it has been met.

Revelation 14:12This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.

The key to perseverance is having a clear view of heaven and a willingness to recognize God’s sovereignty over our very lives. When we see clearly where we are going and who is going with us, we can endure the hardships along the road.

2 Corinthians 4:1Since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up.

We find strength in our call and the confidence that, no matter how things appear outwardly, God has given us work to do. The very fact that God has enlisted us to participate in his work is yet another example of his mercy.