The Power Of Endurance

by Olga Hermans

 

Do you have any idea how many decisions you make each day? I read a survey the other day that said that the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions per day. That’s a lot, isn’t it? Some decisions are more like a choice of course. So, let’s first have a look at the difference between a choice and a decision:

Let’s say you would walk into an ice cream store. There are so many flavours in front of you, that it is not very easy to make a choice. So, you consider the flavour or you might know right away what you want.

When we choose, it’s like picking an item from a menu. If we come back the next time, we can make another choice. But a decision cuts off other options. By its very definition, a decision is a turning point.

Many people don’t get far in their process of decision making. You need the quality of endurance to reach your goal; that trait of “hanging in there until,” becomes fundamental to reaching your goal of the decison that you made.

There are times in our life that satan wants to isolate us, to get us off on our own, to “cut us out of the herd.” He will tell you things like “you are one of a kind” or “there is nobody else that has gone through a situation like yours.” He is such a liar, he always comes with the same old tricks.

Do not let him tell you that you are the only one that has walked this path, or that nobody understands what you are going through. He knows that if he can get you out there alone, all by yourself, you will eventually get into a pity party. As soon as you see it coming, just think of it as garbage, because that is exactly what it is. The devil is just trying to set you up for a big fall.

Determined to Win

 

 

 

This weekend the Canadians have been watching the hockey games, the Vancouver Canucks against the San Diego Sharks. The team has shown that it can carry on when players were injured during the season. They have to play so many games to be the winners. You can almost hear them saying to themselves, “If we can just hang on until the bell rings.” And that is exactly what you have to do. Keep giving your best, until you win.

Running the race with patience (Hebr.12:1) does not mean to run with some calm, serene look on our faces, not being concerned when another runner is trying to pass. It does not mean to sit around twiddling your thumbs. No! It means we are to run the race with determination, with perseverance, with endurance.

We are in the race to win! We have made a decision, and we are in it for the long haul. The race is not over until we are in the winner’s circle. This is the attitude you have to have.

Dust Off Your Dream

Has God ever given you a dream, a vision and a plan that has caused you to be so excited that you were not able to sleep? But then the devil started chatting with you about “reality.”

“Why, there is no way you will ever be able to get something like that done,” that demon of discouragement will say to you. “That is too expensive. That is too complicated. Someone else will have to do that project. Besides, no one appreciates your hard work anyway!”

That God-given dream of yours started sinking like it had concrete blocks tied to it. Admit it, you gave up on it. You began to question whether you had really heard from God in the first place!

The time has come for you to dig in with the force of endurance and resurrect that dream. Endure. Remain constant, stay with it, and hang in there, no matter what! Abraham did not have any hope, but he hoped any way. Get your eyes off your circumstances, quit considering what your senses are telling you (and what your relatives might be telling you, too) and start giving glory to God.

It is really true: God is able to perform that which He promises. And that is something to shout about!

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