Freedom House Church and Healing Centre

PERSEVERANCE

This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying His commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus. (Rev 14:12 NLT)

 

It’s February 13 today. Sixteen more days and it’s March 1 and we are on the other side of winter!  I don’t know about you but I am not a huge fan of winter.  Over the years God has helped me to have a good attitude about winter, to be grateful and thankful for it, to look for the blessings in it and, above all else, to focus on Jesus.  In other words, to endure winter, patiently, one day at a time.  Although this is wonderful, it is not the patient endurance (perseverance) I want to write about in this blog.

First, let’s take a look at the biblical definition of perseverance.  According to Strong’s concordance, perseverance (hupomone) means a patient enduring, endurance, steadfastness, a patient waiting for.  Thayer’s Greek Lexicon (STRONGS NT) adds constancy which is the characteristic of a man who is unswerved (not changing or becoming weaker) from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety (reverence for God) by even the greatest trials and sufferings.  I encourage you to read that again. 

WOW!  I need more perseverance!  The church of Jesus Christ needs more perseverance! Remember my blog entitled ‘More Darkness-More Light’.  This is what the Lord said, to the true church of Jesus Christ, “Ask for more!” says the Lord.  “The more you ask and seek, the more you will find.  The more you use what I have given you, the more you will be given.” says the Lord.  “So that, as there is more darkness, there will be more light”, says the Lord.  “Church, ask for and seek more wisdom and revelation, more discernment, more perseverance and more faith.”

Now let’s look at a couple of scriptures that God led me to share in more detail.

1. Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword.  This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful. (Rev 13:10 NLT)

 

Rev 13:1-10 tells us that John saw a beast rise out of the sea.  The beast had a blasphemous name written on his seven heads and blasphemed against God.  Blasphemy is the act of showing contempt, insulting or expressing a lack of reverence for God.  It was granted to the beast to make war with the saints and to overcome them.  Verse 8 says that all who dwell on the earth will worship this beast, whose names have NOT been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  Jesus has a chosen remnant, redeemed by His blood, recorded in His book and sealed by His Spirit.  The chosen and faithful ones who will worship God to the end!  Although the devil and antichrist may kill the body, they cannot conquer the soul, nor prevail to cause true believers to forsake Jesus and join His enemies. 

 

1. This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying His commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus. (Rev 14:12 NLT)

 

In Rev 14:6-13 there are four proclamations that encourage the true church to be faithful to our King Jesus in times of trial:

 

1. Fear God and give glory to Him (vs 7)
2. Babylon (representing worship of satan-idolatry, the occult and immorality) is fallen (vs 8)
3. Anyone who worships the beast and his image and receives his mark will be judged and tormented (vs 9-11)
4. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. That they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them. (vs 13)

 

Notice the contrast of those who follow satan and those who die in the Lord as they have patiently endured persecution, remaining obedient and faithful to Jesus-judgement and torment vs blessed and rest.

 

Church!  Do we need perseverance (steadfastness, constancy, patient endurance)? YES!  There is a great reward waiting for those who are able to patiently endure trials, suffering and persecution, remaining steadfast in our faith-JESUS!

 

Can you agree with me and declare that, we, the redeemed, will not partner with the enemy or the world even in the face of trials, sufferings and persecution, even unto death.  We will persevere, remain steadfast, patiently enduring all that comes our way.  We will remain faithful to our King Jesus.  We will remain obedient to the commands of our King accomplishing the great commission given to the church by our King Jesus in Mt 28. 

 

Remember that God is for us!  We are victorious in Christ!  We are overcomers in Christ!

 

Scriptures to meditate on that are related to this Word:

 

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt 10:28 NLT)

 

Jesus came and told His disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20 NLT)

 

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? (Ro 8:31 NLT)

 

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Co 15:57 NKJV)

 

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Ro 8:37 NKJV)

 

Here are some more scriptures regarding perseverance (patient endurance): Lk 8:15; Ro 5:3; Ro 15:4; 2 Co 6:4; Col 1:11; 2 Thess 1:4; 1 Ti 6:11; Heb 10:36; Ja 1:3; 2 Peter 1:5-6; Rev 2:2, 19

 

Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. (2 Thess 3:5 NKJV)

 

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Rev 2:7 NKJV)