PERSISTENCE IS HIS WAY

You can have all the talent in the world but if you don’t have persistence, you’ll never bring it out. Without persistence, you’ll never see all that God has in store for you. Galatians 6 puts it this way: “Do not grow weary in well doing for in due season you will reap a harvest.” That’s persistence. It means there is some effort involved, but God will reward your effort with success! When I think of persistence, I think of my husband. Joel Osteen is one of the most diligent and persistent people on the planet! Years ago, he didn’t know he would be a preacher. He didn’t know he would a best-selling author. He didn’t know all that God had deposited within him. But he stayed faithful with what he had in his hand. He was persistent, and that persistence paid off. Imagine if Joel would have given up. Imagine if he would have listened to the critics. Think of all the hundreds of thousands of people who would not have heard the good news! Now, think of all the people that God has in your future—the people God wants you to reach. Those people need your persistence. They need you to forge ahead. The thing is that God is not asking you to bring your own victory. He’s not asking you to bring your own progress. He’s simply asking you to not give up! He’s simply asking you to stay in the game. He’s simply saying, “Don’t quit! Don’t faint! Don’t lose ground!” Anytime you feel tempted to quit because you don’t think you are getting anywhere, remember that oftentimes, we grow in the unseen realm before we grow in the seen realm. We grow spiritually, we grow emotionally, we increase in wisdom and maturity before those doors of opportunity open before us. Don’t ever get tired of learning the lessons. Sometimes we have to learn the same ones over and over, but when it sticks, that’s when we are equipped to grow to another level. Remember, you can’t fail if you don’t quit! Stay in the process because your due season of harvest is on the way. Don’t underestimate the power of persistence! “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9, NIV)