Faith Perseveres

January 14

There is a key word in the appropriation of any promise from God and that word is ‘persevere.’ God is under no obligation to fulfill His promises within a certain time frame. The journey from the moment of receiving the assurance to the moment of attaining the desired goal can be a long one.

In Hebrews 6:12 the believer is cautioned against spiritual laziness because the Lord who fashioned us knows our proclivity to grow weary and to abandon our resolve to pray through in important matters. If we lose our determination, we can rob ourselves of the very thing we desire to attain.

Here, Paul tells the Hebrews, “Do not become slothful but be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.” The great apostle was aware of the human tendency to give up. He had observed man’s fallen nature and knew his weaknesses. The pull away from steadfastness is a human proclivity.

In the case of people of faith, the natural man still holds sufficient power over the believer that the inclination is toward doing what human nature finds to be easy—that being to accept the status quo. To be spiritually resolute requires perseverance based on faith--and with faith comes the promise!