Hope, Healing & Freedom Podcast: Episode 114
TRANSCRIPT
Perseverance. Perseverance means a steady persistence in a course of action especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. The Bible talks a lot about the need for perseverance in the Christian Life. In this podcast I am going to talk about what perseverance might look like in our lives.
I’m Lee Whitman with Restoring the Foundations and I welcome you into this Hope Healing and Freedom Podcast. I was at a men’s prayer breakfast and the speaker just happened to mention perseverance in his message and that word jumped out at me. It is probably because Cindi and I are walking through a season personally where we are needing to persevere in spite of difficulties, obstacles, and discouragement. As you may know Cindi had to have major back surgery in February to remove a crushed disc in her back and fuse two vertebrae together to repair a very painful issue in her back and leg. The surgery went well but it was major surgery, and the recovery has been long and difficult. Thank you Jesus, she is pain free and is getting her strength and stamina back. That is the good news. She now has to have surgery on her ankle. She has been dealing with a lot of pain in her ankle for the past two years, and it has progressed to the point where it is limiting her mobility. The doctor told us that the only way to fix the problem is through another surgery. This again is going to be major surgery where they will fuse a joint in her ankle and remove three bone spurs. We appreciate your prayers as the recovery time is 4 weeks without putting any weight on her ankle and then 8 weeks of wearing a boot to protect her ankle.
I will admit I don’t like to have perseverance because it means that things have become difficult or discouraging. I like things to go smoothly and be easy. But you can’t read the Bible without seeing that struggle and difficult things are part of the Christian life. I have never been much of a long-distance runner, but in my twenties I ran 4 to 5 miles on a regular basis to stay in shape. There is a point in every run where you get to a place where the run is just plain hard. Your body is getting seriously tired. Your brain is getting tired of the fight to keep going. Everything in you says to just give up and quit. You begin having thoughts like, “You’ve done enough for today. You don’t need to go any further today; you can make up for it tomorrow.” That is when you need perseverance. When you preserve past that point where you want to quit there is something that happens to the chemicals in your body and you receive the energy to finish the run. When those chemicals kick in, they make it much easier to keep going. By persevering and pushing past the pain and discouragement, the run actually becomes fun again.
The word perseverance is a reality in the lives of all believers. It is a necessity in being able to live the Christian life. Today’s verse is 2 Peter 1:5-7, “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.” The concept of perseverance found in this verse is also found many other places in the Bible. The idea of believers overcoming struggle is a major theme in the Christian life.
I want to take this verse and dissect it a bit because each concept builds on the one before it. It is often referred to as a stair step verse because each step builds on the previous step.
The first step is to supplement your faith with moral excellence. The word used for moral excellence means a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action, virtue or moral goodness. The verse is saying add to your faith moral excellence, goodness, righteousness. We do that in the way we think. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything, worthy of praise, think about these things.” When Paul was writing this verse, I believe it was much easier to do what he is saying because they did not have the almost constant bombarding we have today from social media. It takes some very intentional actions to guard our minds so that we fulfill Philippians 4:8. If you listen to our podcast on a regular basis, you will know that I am personally being challenged to turn off some of the stimulus found on TV and social media so I can allow my mind to focus on what Philippians 4:8 says. I am struggling to do this, but I am trying to persevere toward this goal.
The second step on this progression is to add knowledge to this moral excellence. The word knowledge refers to a deeper understanding of the things of God. If you are going to build on moral excellence, you need to know what God’s Word says in order to build upon it. I have seen videos of a pastor who goes on college campuses and challenges college students with the truth of what God says. He consistently challenges them to define what is right and what is wrong. Then He asks them to tell him why something is right and wrong. Many of the students will say things like “It is right because it is right.” He will then challenge them that the reason something is right or wrong has to have an objective foundation. He points out that the Bible is the only objective basis for judging if something is right or wrong. This verse points out that our moral excellence has to be founded on the truth found in God’s word. For us as believers, we need to add the knowledge of God’s word as the foundation for our beliefs. When our beliefs are founded on God’s word, they will be unshakable in times of great shaking.
The third step in this progression is to add self-control to our knowledge. The word used here means self-control, the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites. Self-control is also an important priority in the Christian life. It is so important that it is listed as one of the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians 5. It says in verse 22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Self-control is one of the characteristics formed by the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life. It is stressed as a characteristic of a believer in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” And in Proverbs 25:28 “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” I think most of us would agree that Self-control, being able to master your desires and passions, is an important quality of a follower of Jesus. However, it says in this stair step verse that perseverance must be added to our self-control. In other words, self-control is not enough. How is self-control formed? The answer to this question is not fun. It is formed by going through struggle and temptation. James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” I don’t know about you, but I rarely consider it all joy when I am going through a trial. Most of the time I am just praying that this trial will be over quickly. But this verse says that there is so much good that happens in the midst of a trial, that we can have joy in the midst of these trials. When we base our life on the truth found in the scriptures then we can see beyond our current circumstances and recognize that God is at work in our lives in the midst of these trials. Philippians 3:13-14 says “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it on my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Perseverance is built on pressing on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
I am afraid that much of our American theology has been built on the false premise that God has a contractual obligation to bless us. We have been taught that the Christian life is about God making everything smoother and better for us in this life. I don’t think the bible says that. I do believe that there are many blessings that come from our relationship with God. But I also believe the bible says that in this life we will have trials and suffering, but because of God’s grace God will use those events for our good. Romans 5:1-5 says “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
So Lee, this has not been a very uplifting podcast. I know, but really, I am not sorry. Perseverance is a necessary quality for you and I as believers. Because as we know, “You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.” 1 Peter 4:12 says “Do not be surprised at the fiery trial that comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you.” When I was a kid riding in the car with my family, I never had anxiety about where we were going or how we were going to get there. I trusted my Dad to know all of those details so I could just relax and trust him with the journey. The purpose of this podcast is to help you see that you can trust your heavenly Father in the midst of the trials and tribulation of life. What you are going through is not strange or due to your disobedience. It is just part of this life here on planet earth. As you go through the trials, recognize that your Father God is developing self-control and perseverance in you that will help you more than what you might learn during the smooth times of life.
This journey into perseverance will require you to deal with any lies that you might be believing. I know for me I had to deal with the lie that because Cindi and I are serving God to the best of our ability that God should protect us from difficulty. The verse we just looked at says don’t be surprised at the trials that come upon you. This lie caused me to be resentful and even angry at God for the struggles. It was keeping me from experiencing the grace and love of God found in the midst of trial. Ask God to show you any lies you are believing that are hindering you from experiencing all that God has for you.
Another place that can keep you from experiencing what God has for you in trial are wounded places in your heart. We did ministry with a young woman who was having a hard time connecting with Father God. When she asked the Holy Spirit to take her to the place where that struggle began, He immediately took her back to a memory of her earthly father overreacting when she did not perform well in school. He let her know by his words and actions that he was very disappointed in her as a daughter. When Jesus came into that memory, He told her that He was very proud of her as His daughter and He knew that these struggles would create in her a solid foundation to build upon. He told her that He believed in her. Hearing this from Jesus set her free from this painful hurt in her life and allowed her to no longer fear Father God.
Perseverance brings about proven character. That is worth the trial.
Prayer
Father God, open our eyes to see You are at work in our lives at those times when we just want to give up. Our desires are for You to bless us immediately, but Your desire is to form the character of Christ in us. Father, please use this podcast to encourage my brothers and sisters that perseverance is a wonderful characteristic of the Christian life, but it is not formed immediately. It is forged through walking through the trials and tribulations of life hand in hand with You.
