Persistence
in Pursuit - Part V
by Dr. John Tetsola
Previously we saw how shame is a dangerous emotion that causes you to see yourself from the perspective of your situation. When the pain of shame occurs in a believer’s life, it disrupts his or her ongoing behavior and causes confusion in their thoughts and ability to function properly. As a result their emotions are affected, which also affects their expectations of God. Now, let’s look at the role of persistence in protecting our ability to pursue the promises of God for our lives.
[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So [numberless] shall your descendants be.
He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or [when he considered] the barrenness of Sarah's [deadened] womb.
No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God,
Romans 4:18-20 AMPWhenever God gives you a promise, your natural circumstances will usually be in stark contrast and seem to oppose that promise. On top of that, the enemy will fight hard to kill the strength and assurance of your promise. But your job is to keep God’s Word and promise planted in your heart. This is where persistence in believing comes in. What is persistence? Persistence means to stand and be fixed without distraction to an original promise or goal. It means to continue steadily and firmly in pursuit of a course of action in spite of the obstacles. Abraham’s faith and trust in God’s ability was the fuel behind the foundation of his persistence in pursuit. And although believing for a son at the age of 100 was in and of itself a cause of hopelessness, Abraham was empowered to maintain the pursuit of his promise. Persistence plays a major role in enabling us to go after our promises in the midst of impossible odds.
All true pursuit is based on three foundations. Without these three foundations in the believer’s life, persistence in pursuit will not become a reality:
First, is the knowledge of the promise of pursuit. You have to become more knowledgeable of what God has spoken to your heart. This is where persistence begins. You have to mediate on what God has spoken to you, and speak it forth until it consumes you. Type it out and put it on the wall so that your eyes see it, your mouth speaks it, and your heart is strengthened by it.
Second, is the value for the promise of your pursuit. As your value for the promise weakens, the strength and passion to pursue is cast off. Learn to hold the promise of God over your life in high esteem, and refuse to allow it to be devalued in your sight.
Third, is the reward and blessing of the promise of pursuit. If you persist to the end you will receive the promised manifestation. Keep the end result in your heart as you persist in believing, and it will push you beyond every obstacle and difficulty thrown against you to quit.