Endurance

For the past few years, I have had a focus word for the year. Generally, I have that word in November or December and allow that to give me focus as I start the new year. This year I didn’t have a word as the new year started, I was thinking that season had passed.

Monday January 3rd, I started back to work after the long holiday weekend. Nothing was working like it should. The computer system wasn’t working right. Policies weren’t updated to reflect new insurance policies. Clients had stressors of new deductibles to meet. I had a lot on my plate from the short weeks the two weeks before. Then my coworker was out unexpectedly with COVID. I was feeling less than excited. I reminded myself that I still had a job to do, I took a deep breath in and the word ENDURANCE came to mind.

Other than waiting on things with work, I am not really dealing with anything that would cause me to think endurance is something I am going to need. Still I get it pretty clear in my spirit.

I looked up the word Endurance in Strong’s concordance, the word in the Greek is Strong’s G5281 – hypomonē other words that were used included steadfastness, constancy, patience, sustaining and perseverance.

Dictionary.com says endurance is a noun meaning
the fact or power of enduring or bearing pain, hardships, etc.
the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina:
lasting quality; duration
something endured, as a hardship; trial.

I don’t know what to make of the word, even two weeks later. I know regardless that God is with me and regardless of what I might need to face in the year ahead, He will be with me. One of the things I immediately do is look for what God says about the word I have for the year. Regardless, I know I will need endurance physically, emotionally, mentally and most of all spiritually.

Here is some of what God has shared in His word and spoken to me in my studies.

Endure in prayer
“with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints”. Ephesians 6:18

There are times I really want microwave prayers, but a review of scriptures show that sometimes decades can pass for an answer to prayers. We have to continue to seek Him. We have to keep asking with persistency. We have to pray through. As Mark Batterson says “praying hard is not the path of least resistance; it’s usually the path of most resistance because we engage in spiritual warfare. Very rarely are prayers answered as quickly or as easily as we’d like. But it is the prayer to pray when you feel like you want to quit praying that can bring the greatest breakthroughs”.

“For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy;”. Colossians 1:9-11

This was not only a prayer by Paul for the Colossians. He was planting seeds of prayer yes, but in sharing his prayer for them he was giving instruction.

Endure through temptation
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
James 1:2-4

It is when I endure through temptation that my faith grows. When I give I to sin, my faith is weakened. I can’t stop temptation from coming, but I always have a choice to walk in the spirit and endure the temptation and increase my faith. Or to give I to my flesh and strengthen its hold on my life. I have to choose which to endure, because in my experience when I give into the temptation, the enemy will continue to remind me of that failure. If I endure through the temptation, eventually it’s hold on me will lessen until it is no longer a temptation, and will be able to overcome that area of sin in my life.

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, produces death.” James 1:12-15

This scripture does indicate that it is not the enemy or God that brings temptation, it is our flesh. That is why what is an area of temptation for one is not a temptation to another person. We have to choose to crucify our flesh, and not give in to areas of temptation when they come.

Endurance through Hardships
“He said, “Watch out that you don’t get led astray, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is at hand.’ Therefore don’t follow them. When you hear of wars and disturbances, don’t be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end won’t come immediately.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places. There will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name’s sake. It will turn out as a testimony for you. Settle it therefore in your hearts not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to withstand or to contradict. You will be handed over even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. They will cause some of you to be put to death. You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake. And not a hair of your head will perish. “By your endurance you will win your lives.” Luke 21:8-19

Prior to Luke 21:19 Jesus was telling his disciples what would be coming – encouraging them not to be led astray. He told them many would claim to be Him, there would be war and disturbances, kingdoms and nations would rise against each other, there would be earthquakes, famines, plagues, terrors signs from Heaven, persecution, imprisonment, families turning against each other , even to death, others would hate them, but if they endured through these things they would be saved. We know it wasn’t saved from death, but saved for eternity. We have that same promise if we endure.

So often we want the Christian walk to be easy. We decide if we are in the will of God based on the adversity we face. We feel like if we’re in His will things will go smoothly. Paul’s journey tells another story. He face a lot of troubles.

“Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I am more so; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths often. Five times from the Jews I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep. I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brothers; in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness. Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily, anxiety for all the assemblies.” 2 Corinthians 11:23-28

I really looked at this passage for what endurance should look like in our Christian walk. When every sign points to “you are going the wrong way” even though you know in your spirit you are doing what God says.

“We give no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our service may not be blamed, but in everything commending ourselves, as servants of God, in great endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; in pureness, in knowledge, in perseverance, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” 2 Corinthians 6:3-10

We know we will endure, but will we grumble and complain the entire time or face those trials in a way that honors God.

• Present yourself suitable for approval. Keep doing the right thing. Until God tells you to do something different, you keep doing the last thing He told you to do.
• Endure – one of the definitions is the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina:
• Pureness, uprightness of life – continue to be honorable and honest
• By knowledge – seek out knowledge through the Word and through godly counsel
• Perseverance- be patient, slow to avenge wrongs
• Kindness – be tolerant of others, even those who are wronging you
• By Holy Spirit – allow Holy Spirit to lead you, directing and guiding you, allow Him to comfort you
• With love – affection, good will, benevolence, allow God to love though you
• By the Word of God – seek out His direction from Scriptures
• By God’s power and strength- we are not meant to do it on our own but to rely on God’s strength and power in our weakness
• With the armor of righteousness – the breastplate of righteousness is keeping our thoughts, feelings and actions correct
• With spirit and shield in your right and left hand – the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit
• By honor- keep a good opinion concerning another, and as a result praise and glory
• Don’t look to man’s opinion for a good or bad report – We can have man’s praise and not be in Gods will, and have their opposition and be in her perfect will. We have to stay focused on what God has told us to do.
• Continue speaking the truth – we can’t back down from speaking the truth
• Remember that regardless of who knows what you are going through or what you are accomplishing for the kingdom, remember God knows.
• Remember the aim of your life is to be devoted to Christ, to thrive in Him.
• Remember God is using experiences to teach you, to help you learn the lessons you need for the next season of your life.
• Rejoice – we should not walk around in sorrow, defeat, or grumbling, find something to rejoice about, you can find that when you take you eyes off the circumstances you are in
• Keep your focus on the spiritual blessing and richness that you are gaining and that you are bringing to others
• Count your blessings, they are many.

It’s easy to know what to do, but it’s harder to do it. I believe we see Paul’s life in more detail than others is an example of how to endure through the difficult times. God is not going to let us face anything without being there with us. We will go through it. The question is we need to ask is how we will be as we go through it.

Endurance to the promise
“But remember the former days, in which, after you were enlightened, you endured a great struggle with sufferings; partly, being exposed to both reproaches and oppressions; and partly, becoming partakers with those who were treated so. For you both had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an enduring one in the heavens. Therefore don’t throw away your boldness, which has a great reward. For you need endurance so that, having done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”
Hebrews 10:32-36

So often we go through really tough times, but give up before we reach the promised blessing. Feeling overwhelmed and defeated we disengage, Paul is encouraging them not to give up. We can’t loose our boldness for God when tough things come, me must endure to the promise.

When we throw our hands up in defeat, we stop moving towards what God is trying to do. In my life, I have seen that same struggle come around again. In hindsight, I can see that God was trying to teach me something in that circumstance that I needed in the next season of my life. He had to bring it around again so that I would have the character to handle the next level He was taking me to.

I am two weeks into studying endurance, barely scratching the surface of what the Bible has to say about it. God has told us to endure in prayer, keep praying until we see the answer. Endure through temptation it builds our faith. Endure through hardships, knowing that others are watching how we go through trials. We will face them, it is up to us how we do it. And endurance through to the promise that God has for us at the end of the trial or temptation. What do you feel God is calling you to endure though this season.