Holding On (Part III)

(Heb 10:35,36 AMP) Do not, therefore, fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward. For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised.

We have been looking at this passage for a few days now, with the overall emphasis on learning the importance of “Holding On.” Far too many believers in the Body of Christ give up while they are waiting on God; in the space between “I believe, Amen” and “There it is.”

In Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia he said, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (6:9). The enemy is a master at peppering us with thoughts of fear, doubt, and unbelief. He loves to put the pressure on us, especially while we are waiting on God. He believes – and rightly so, because many believers have succumb to his pressure – that if he turns the heat up that we will grow weary and release the grip on our faith, extinguish the fire in our hope, and just give up.

That’s why Paul tells us not to grow weary. There is a proper time for the harvest and if we don’t give up we will reach it. That’s where the “Warrior Spirit” comes in. We need a ‘bulldog tenacity’ when it comes to our faith, because things are not always going to be easy and they will not always come overnight. But if we simply refuse to quit we will hang in there for the long haul. This takes us back to our passage. Let’s continue to walk through it:

For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God:

This is very important. The Greek word used for patience boils down to consistency. You and I need ‘the force of consistency’ operating in our lives. The writer of Hebrews does not say that this is simply a good idea. No, he says that we “have need of steadfast patience and endurance.” If the Bible says we need something, then we need it. So why do we need it? It writer continues: “So that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God.” It should be clear by now that you need faith to live a life that is pleasing to God, but here we learn that we also need patience to fully accomplish the will of God in our lives.

Earlier in this letter the Hebrew writer said:

“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised” (6:12).

Faith and Patience and I call them “The Power Twins.” We clearly need both. We need the faith that believes that God will do what He said He will do and the patience (consistency) to remain steadfast, unmovable, and unshakable in our hope until He does.

And thus receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised: Don’t you want to see the manifestation of the things that God has dealt with you about for your own life? I believe we all do. When we break through the bondage of religion (empty ritual and routine) and we get into a true and intimate relationship with the Father, through His Son Jesus the Christ, we are able to commune with Him daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is through this relationship that He speaks to us, revels Himself to us, and leads us in the way that we should go. But even this blissful intimacy does not exonerate us from challenges. Even when we are fully persuaded that God said He would do a certain thing for, in, and through us, the enemy will do all he can to get us to fling away our confidence (faith). If the enemy is successful then we will not be. If we fling away our confidence we will not experience God’s best and it will not be God’s fault. Therefore we must remain patient, consistent, and incessantly confident if we are going to “receive and carry away” the promises of God!

Father, I declare, with my own lips, that I have a Warrior Spirit and that it enables me to operate in fearless confidence for the long haul. Faith and patience are both at work in my life. I refuse to quit, to lose heart, to grow weary, or to lose the hold I have on my faith. I am with You Father from now until the day You call me home to glory. Every day I live here in the earth will be a faith-filled day. I stay the course and I remain steady, no matter what opposition the enemy brings my way. My consistency enables me to receive and carry away Your promises. In Jesus’ name. Amen!