Persevere In The Faith

Just recently, I opened my email to an article written by Dr. Cindy Trimm. The title caption of the article came in the form of a question as this, “How Will You Be Remembered?” The truth be told, I read the entire article but never took the time out to do the self-introspection to come up with the answer as to how I personally would like to be remembered, at least, not until now that I am writing this article.

Simply because, as time goes by, I am realizing more and more that oppressive forces are becoming increasingly more prevalent and intertwined in the fabric of our society whose main aim is to bombard us and cause our faith to waiver as Christians. They set up road blocks for us that unless challenged and fought against fiercely by the word of God, which is our weapon of warfare, they can leave us feeling helpless and defeated. But along with being clothed in the whole armour of God, perseverance must be put on and worn at all times as the badge of a true saint. God’s ways and His thoughts are not just for us at the outset, but must be consistent and continued for as long as we live. The same way with the great Napoleon who said, “Conquest has made me what I am, and conquest must maintain me,” so it must be with each one of us as true believers.

I do not know your thoughts on this but I personally may never receive a badge of honour as the many men and women who time and time again risk their own lives in service to defend their country, state and their friends and loved ones. They are heroes and by all means, they must be given the recognition and the honour that they are so deserving of. But as a follower of Christ, you and I must be willing to rise each day to the occasion of giving our lives for the sake of others through prayer and by all other means and to defend those that are too weak to fight the cause. Not only should we seek to do good according to God’s word but we must be ready to seek justice, rebuke the oppressors, defend the fatherless, and plead for the widow’s wherever and whenever there is need to do so. (Isaiah 1:17)

I may never enter the hall of fame as the rich and famous do, but I most definitely would want to be remembered for my unwavering  faith in God and be spoken of for generations to come as one who made it into the hall of faith through perseverance.  I am not naive to think that there would not be challenges in life as ever so often there is, but as Abraham Lincoln quite rightly said, “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.”  The determination and the will to succeed must be from within yourself.

It is the job of Satan and his cohorts to try to insinuate that you are not doing good. One by one he will try to pluck the leaves of your blessing and cause it to look like autumn when it is really your season of spring time and harvest. He will constantly plague your mind and try to convince you to give up. The light that is shining brightly within you, and the rays of beauty that extends far into the borders of the north, south, east and west, he will try to tell you it is not making any sense so why not hide it under the bushel. But by all means, clothe yourself and be armed with the word of God. Don’t give up! Never grow weary in what you are doing, you will reap if you faint not. Continue in the faith! Though it may be the mark of all of Satan’s arrows, exercise it, grow in it, and persevere in it!