Character is the product of daily, hourly actions, and words and thoughts; daily forgivenesses, unselfishness, kindnesses, sympathies, charities, sacrifices for the good of others, struggles against temptation, submissiveness under trial. Oh, it is these, like the blending colors in a picture of the blending notes of music which constitute the man.
It becomes Christians to pray for peace and quiet, but not to abandon steadfast faith and truth, even at the peril of death.
Your times of training were not for nothing. God saw your sacrifice and obedience. He saw when you submitted to the times of healing and refining. He saw the times when you stood every though others expected you to sit. God hasn’t forgotten His word and promises over your life. Your quiet “yes” resounded very loudly in heaven.
There is no need for a breakthrough without walls of resistance.
It is not that God is slow to act, or that we are trying to persuade God (for prayer is laying hold of His highest willingness). Prayer requires persistence because it is also an act of warfare against ‘the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms’ (Eph. 6:12). Such prayer reverses the Fall, in which Adam asserted his independence. In it, we say, ‘Not my will, but yours be done.’ We fight with God to liberate enemy-occupied territory, knowing that while the victory is certain, the length of the battle is not.
The Bible teaches that true joy is formed in the midst of the difficult seasons of life.
Resistance is always fiercest on the borderline of a breakthrough.
Don’t give up on this year. Keep fighting for the good. Keep showing up. Keep loving. Keep giving back. Keep being kind. Keep being brave. Keep caring. Keep trying new things. Keep showing grace. Keep on. The world needs you to believe in the good.
The future goal is the thing which produces character in the present.
We would learn very little if everything in life fell into place without challenge or difficulty. In terms of faith, we would be spiritual weaklings. Just as athletes “test” their bodies over and over again in order to build endurance and, therefore, be able to perform at their best, our faith must be tested so we can become mature soldiers for Jesus who are able to endure and continue to persevere, with reckless devotion, in all He sets before us.