Blessed Diligence

February 12

Four steps to achievement: Plan purposefully. Prepare prayerfully. Proceed positively. Pursue persistently. William Arthur Ward

You have a very strong skill set that has equipped you for any task, any challenge that the Lord may set before you. Because He has set you apart for the specific mission He desires you to undertake in the behalf of His Kingdom, you will lend the touch of excellence to everything you set your mind and heart and will to do. The above-listed steps are part of your daily process.

You invest yourself diligently into the work you do and you bring an amazing level of professionalism amalgamated with grace to the labor you perform. Or you should, for the Bible tells us, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,” Ecclesiastes 9:10 and “Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,” Colossians 3:23-25.

You bathe your endeavors in prayer, knowing that the integrity of your relationship with the Lord will spill over and enrich the lives of those with whom you labor. You understand the reality that God works in an unseen realm to do His work and to affect His will—and you trust Him, even when you do not see an immediate outcome for good. You know that God is purposeful and persistent and you emulate Him in pursuing the good aspects of His work.

All the excellent investment of yourself into the good purposes of God in your life has drawn the attention of the evil one. Because he comes to “steal, kill, and destroy,” John 10:10 he is ever about the mischief of endeavoring to undo the beautiful things the Lord is facilitating in you. Your challenge each day then is to remain fully aligned with Jesus. Recognize that HE is helping you avoid the destructive intent of the enemy of your soul.

In spite of his mischief and the minions he employs toward his ends, the Lord will enable you to go on to victory over the evil one. You will see the success of purposeful, prayerful, positive persistence--bathed in the power of the Lord! You will see the overcoming of wickedness. You will know victory because Jesus has conquered death, hell, and the grave in your behalf as prophesied in Hosea 13:14.

Jesus has said for your encouragement, "In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world," John 16:33. Be strong. The Jesus who loves you is greater than all the enemy hurls against you. Plan, pray, proceed, persist. Your diligence will bless you because HE will bless your diligence!