When you run the race of your God-given identity and destiny, you will encounter resistance. Make no mistake about it, the enemy of your soul does not want you advancing the Kingdom by fully living as who God created you to be and doing what God created you to do. For me this past week has been full of intense spiritual warfare as my soon to be published, A Guided Journal to Soaring With God comes ever closer to its publishing date. I admit I have felt weary from the battle. I have taken solace in verses in the book of Hebrews that remind me I am in good company.
Hebrews 12:2-3 says this,
“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
We often use the phrase, “eyes on the prize.” What is the prize? It is NOT the project you are working on, or the job at hand that feels like the sourse of the resistance. The prize supercedes what you do. The prize is Jesus Himself.
Not only is He the author and perfector (some translations say author and finisher) of your faith. I would suggest He is also the author and perfector/finisher of whatever the Lord has asked you to do. For Christ, that was His Crucifixion and Resurrection. Jesus endured the shame of the cross and the hostility of sinners.
You and I might endure technical frustrations, accusations, delays, illness, or other tribulations. When faced with such hindrances and the battle seems to rage on, consider Jesus. Know you are in good company. Through His death and Resurrection you share in the victory over sin, death, and the power of the devil.
So, as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, I encourage you to not lose heart and to keep moving forward in fulfilling your purpose.
“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” (Galatians 6:9–10)
Your harvest is coming. Put one foot in front of the other and keep walking while you have opportunity.
Every step forward is a victory to be celebrated. I have learned to look at the little victories in the midst of the battle. Ask the Lord to show you the victories you experience every day and you will discover you have much to celebrate and be thankful for.
Equipped with knowledge that your Savior endured so much for you, and a heart of gratitude for all that God does for you each and every day, you can keep your eyes on Him and trust that He will bring to completion what He has begun in and through you (Philippians 1:6).
That’s Good News!
Keep Walking, Dear Ones!