NOVEMBER 26, 2006

We pray in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance. Colossians 1:10-11

I. God wants us to think of the opportunity behind every situation.

You know that the testing of your faith produces endurance (James 1:3) .

Receiving from God the grace of endurance is a choice of faith we ourselves make.

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

and endurance produces character , and character produces hope ( Rom. 5:3-4, RSV).

II. Nourish your spiritual roots.

Some people don't have any roots and they don't last very long. As soon as life gets hard

or living by the message gets them in trouble , they give up (Mark 4:17, CEV).

The seeds that land on the good soil are those with good hearts who seize God's Word , hold onto it no matter what and by endurance – sticking with it, until there's a harvest (Luke 8:15, Msg ).

Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance

and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope (Romans 15:4).

III. Great endurance comes when you truly rely on God.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith,

who for the joy set before Him endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2).

Don't quit in hard times. But pray all the harder (Romans 12),

This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God…. He has delivered us from

such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope

that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers (2 Corinthians 1:9-11)

Pray that God will give you the strength to endure (2 Cor . 1:6, TLB).

You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what He has promised (He 10:36).

I know that everything God does will endure forever (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

IV. Enduring and growing through the hard times comes a desire you have to live for Jesus .

Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2: 3).

In everything we do we show that we are God's servants by patiently enduring troubles,

hardships , and difficulties ( 2 Corinthians 6:4, TEV)

Endurance is not just the ability to patiently bear with stressful things in your life; it is also the power to turn them into a personal victory .

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