Pressing On in the Battle
Guest Post at the Bread and Life
In the final post, our collaborating leader, Dan, asked us, “What has God taught you about endurance?” Since that time, I’ve considered several things I could’ve added. But I trust in God’s providential provision for every reader who opens this article. The Lord is sovereign in such things. Actually, the Lord is sovereign in all things.
All things like the timing for this article to be read or shared. Or re-read.
All things like the hardship you may be facing right now.
All things like the testing of your faith, you wake up to every morning.
All things like the victory that may still be in the future.
But He’s in control when the battle rages around you. You can trust in His control of things.
For this final post in the series, take a look at the following snippets. Be sure to check out the full article (click below), and don't forget to like, share, and comment on it. Your engagement matters!
From Cole Nielsen, who writes at Cole Nielsen’s Substack :
He revealed to me that these words are the very embodiment of, not only the first commandment "Have no other God's before me" (Exodus 20:3), but the greatest commandment to "love the Lord with all ( my ) heart, soul, and mind" (Matthew 22:37). Any action done outside of sanctifying the Lord in my heart is meaningless because it is idolatry—putting something other than God atop the throne in my heart.
From Steven Galatioto, who writes at Faithful Habits:
Even when life “spills the popcorn” unexpectedly—a minor mess or setback that seems to derail your day—remember that these moments are part of the journey. They remind us that perfection isn’t the goal; perseverance is. Just as a small mishap in an amusement park doesn’t ruin the day, our trials are just fleeting moments that build our character and strengthen our faith.
From Boma, who writes at The April Journal :
We might not understand everything He calls us to but it will always be in our best interest to follow Him.
He knows the plan and He knows how to bring it to pass.
He has called us to endure hardness—
To not refuse His pruning.
To not resist the refiner's fire.
From Janet Abadir, who writes at Janet’s Substack:
Learn how to seek God's glory, then you will no longer be seeking man's glory.
When my job as a surgeon went away, I realized that I missed the glory I was receiving from people when they would acknowledge me as their surgeon. I didn't realize it was so important to me until it was gone. John 5:44 became my life verse: "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?" Now I seek God's glory and I do not receive glory from people (John 5:41), as I ask for God's help in this every day.
From Eric Mattie:
“The greatest difficulty in conversion is to win the heart to God; and the greatest difficulty after conversion is to keep the heart with God.” - John Flavel
To keep your heart with God is a Christian believer's great spiritual task. Attending to our heart's rebirth in Christ, is a persevering practice, to remember the Gospel (2 Tim. 2:8), fix our eyes in Jesus (Heb. 12:2), place our hope in God (Ps 42:11), stand fast in truth (1 Cor. 16:13), and live in a loving manner towards God and others (Mt. 22:37-40). Such a practice never come easy in the environments of tough times, hardship, trials or suffering.
Yet it is the very times God calls our attention to
“Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.”
