Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:4 NIV
Today I wanted to give you a Word of Encouragement to lift your soul. You have been on my heart and mind. I feel this is a Word from the Throne Room of God! As I look around me, I see so many people who have been suffering like never before, especially during the pandemic. My husband, Cary, has preached more funerals the past year and half than he’s done in 5 years! I have seen him suffer emotionally over the losses he experienced from death from covid, death of dear friends, loss of people congregating, stress over finances of the church, the racial tension in the church, the political tension and so much more. There has been so much suffering.
As I was praying today, I asked the Lord, “why so much suffering Lord?” And He answered me in His Word and I want to share it with you.
Please don’t stop reading! I know this is for you!
Maybe you have experienced some of the things that we have, such as: loss, death, sickness, divorce, abuse, or just plain LACK! Well, in the book of James it says to let “perseverance” finish its work in you. This indicates that we have a choice to “let” perseverance do what it’s supposed to do or not. But it usually comes through the suffering of our faith!
Take a look at this scripture:
Romans 5:1-5
So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
2 For because of our faith, he has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be.
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. We know that suffering produces perseverance……
Perseverance in Greek is: hypomonē (under, endure”) –remaining under, endurance; steadfastness, especially of God enabling believers to “remain (endure) under” the challenges He allots for you.
For the believer, 5281 (hypomonē) is “Christ-empowered endurance” which enables you to get from “God’s point A” to “God’s point B.”
Perseverance: Hypomonē is associated with bravery!
It takes bravery to persevere, push past the way you feel, push past what you see, push past what your circumstances are saying and still trust God by faith that He will come through for you!
Verse 4 says:
And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.
Suffering produces perseverance
Perseverance produces character
Character produces hope
Hope is not something you pull out of the sky! It is PRODUCED! When you suffer, it is actually producing something in your life. I want you to know that God is at work in the middle of your suffering and you are not alone!
So, the Bible says to let “perseverance” finish its work in you. Perseverance cannot start or finish anything unless there is suffering. Remember, as suffering produces these things in you, it may look like you’re going down, or losing grip, but not so, God gets the last word!
1 Peter 5:10-11 The Message
God Gets the Last Word!
8-11 Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.
Listen to the prophetic word on today’s podcast!
Link to charisma media podcast
