Day 11

“Faith to Stick it Out”

“Since you have kept My command to endure patiently . . .” (Revelation 3:10 NIV)

To “stick it out” means more than endurance—more than simply holding on until the end.

A BORN AGAIN BELIEVER is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the believer cannot see, but our Lord continues to stretch and strain, and every once in a while, the believer says, “I can’t take any more.” Yet God pays no attention, He goes on stretching until His purpose is in sight, and then He lets the arrow fly. Give responsibility for yourself to God’s hands. Is there something in your life for which you need “to stick it out” right now? Focus your attention on your intimate relationship with Jesus while your faith to “stick it out” develops. Proclaim as Job did, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him” (Job 13:15 NIV). Faith is not some weak and tear-jerky emotion but is strong and vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is perfect love. And even though we cannot see Him right now and cannot understand what He is doing, we know Him. Disaster occurs in our lives when we lack the mental composure that comes from establishing ourselves on the eternal truth that God is perfect love. Faith is the highest endeavor of our lives—surrendering ourselves with complete confidence to the leading of the Holy Spirit. God put His all in Christ saving us, and now He is inviting us to go “all in” with complete confidence in Him. There are areas in our lives where this kind of faith has not worked in us as of yet—places in us that are still untouched by the life of God. There were none of those places in the life of Christ, and there are to be none in ours. Jesus prayed, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You” (John 17:3 NKJV). The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. When we take this view, life becomes one great romance—an excellent opportunity to witness wonderful things all the time. The Holy Spirit remains diligent in teaching us to step into this central place of power.