Empowered to Persevere 3

When we fall into various temptations we vow to try harder next time, but next time we see ourselves in the same situation, vowing to try harder next time. However, it’s “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). We do not persevere by trying harder, we persevere by inviting God’s Spirit into our life. When faced with difficulties in life, we need to cling to God’s Spirit and the promise that He will never leave us. It is important to practice inviting God’s Spirit into our life during the calm seasons in our life because during the stormy seasons, we depend on our habits. 

What you do now shapes who you will become.

Perseverance isn’t something that shows up during difficult times; it’s something that is practiced during calm times that continues no matter what is going on in our life. So when our life is calm, we need to practice abiding in God’s Spirit a priority in our life. One of the best ways to abide in God’s Spirit is bhy memorizing Scripture. When we memorize scripture, we don’t have to stop what we are doing to look up what the Bible says, we know what it says. Knowing what the Bible says will help us to know what God would want us to do in hard times. It can shape how we react and form who we are. 

People don't see your emotions and internal processes of events, they only see your reaction.

Our emotions and reactions come from what we train ourselves to look for in the world. If we train ourselves to feel oppressed, things will happen to us that make us feel oppressed. If we train ourselves to look for opportunities, we will find opportunities to find light even in the midst of ashes. When bad things happen, we can assume life is unjust and cruel, or we can look for how we can find and glorify God. Our primary focus in life will determine what we see and get in life. If we focus on God, we will find Him; if we focus on injustice, we will find it.