Staying Power!

Today I would like to talk with you about a very important subject. The subject of importance is endurance.


The word endurance defined:
• The ability or power to bear prolonged exertion, pain, or hardship.
• The survival or persistence of something despite the ravages of time.

Romans 5:3-4 (AMP)
Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.

It is so vital that we, as believers, practice spiritual endurance. We must develop in the staying power of the Word and the Spirit of God. We must give up on giving up. Retreating to dysfunctional traditions and destructive thought processes every time we experience a little heat from the kingdom of darkness should cease to be an option. The scripture above reveals to us that when we exercise endurance in our lives we develop maturity of character. Many times we forfeit spiritual growth because we run and try to hide from hardships. We excuse weaknesses instead of pursuing strength. We settle for thought processes that encourage and fortify destructive strongholds.
We permit thoughts of defeat to freely roam unchallenged through our minds, such as:
“I’m not like you; everybody doesn’t have that kind of willpower.” “I’ve tried to do that all my life but I just can’t do it, it's much too difficult.”
These kinds of thoughts pacify failure and promote stagnation of spiritual growth and development. Spiritual maturity is vital for the fulfillment of our God given destinies. A person who is spiritually immature is generally prohibited from the fullness of what God has for them. They are only able to manage kindergarten level responsibilities. They continue to stunt their spiritual grow by yielding to child like behaviors such as; murmuring and complaining, jealousy and strife, lack of integrity and commitment, etc.

Galatians 4:1-2 (AMP)
NOW WHAT I mean is that as long as the inheritor (heir) is a child and under age, he does not differ from a slave, although he is the master of all the estate; But he is under guardians and administrators or trustees until the date fixed by his father.

Acting like a child is okay when you are a child, however refusing to grow up can cost you more than you may be willing to pay.
To endure means to stay with it, even though it may seem hard, this develops character. Pressure is not always bad. Muscle becomes very flabby and soggy when no resistance is applied. We must understand that God the Father has equipped us to win in Christ. Everything in us that is of God is of far superior quality and strength than the pressures and weapons of darkness. When you go into a situation with that kind of mentality you now are exercising stay power. You are not so easily moved from your fight of faith and persistent press, when you know you can pass the test. Remember there is grace that makes the race endurable!
So keep running your race, cut the slack and keep up with the pace.
Don’t just sit idle and let the devil chase,
Rise up and put him in his place!
Pull out your weapon of supernatural mace, spray it in his face,
Keep on steppin with God and you’ll end up in the right place by His grace.