Wow! :D Just happened to read this newsletter on perseverance... it's very timely - really spoke very clearly to my present situation of weariness... God's love is so direct and exact... haha I think He is encouraging me thru three different things:
1. the Bible
2. prophetic encouragements the past few days.
3. this newsletter
Praise God! Hope you feel encouraged too after reading this passage.
Every Christian has a short-term and a long-term function in life. We tend to develop a strong short-term function in order to handle whatever our issues might be for that day or week, but have trouble with our long-term function. When a difficult situation drags on for days, weeks, months, or even years, we try to find a way out, to find a different track to run. Job is a perfect example of this. In the short run he did just fine; but as his health continued to deteriorate, his attitude began to change. The duration of his illness began to wear him down. We too have a tendency to wear down over the long-term trial.
We would do well to keep in mind the teaching of Ephesians 6:11 where Paul states that Satan employs a methodical attack on the believer. And, in order to do well, we must follow his command to "Put on the whole armor of God, to be able to stand against the methods of the devil." The word translated "methods" is the plural of the Greek word meqodei/a (Strong's #3180), which means a system or method. Its use here reveals that Satan plans a series of attacks in an attempt to wear a believer down. Additional information on the enemy's tactics is revealed from the Greek word translated "persecution" throughout the Bible. It is diw/kw (Strong's #1377) and means, "to chase or pursue." Satan chases believers in an attempt to make us weary and discouraged, so that we will decide to quit running the race.
For this reason, Paul says in Galatians 6:9, "… we should not be weary while doing good, for in its own time we will reap, by not fainting." Furthermore, the writer of Hebrews, in teaching the importance of long-term faith, says in 12:9-11 "… we have had fathers as correctors of our flesh, and we respected them; shall we not much more be submitted to the father of spirits, and we shall live? For they indeed disciplined us for a few days according to that which seemed good to them; but He disciplines us based upon that which is beneficial, for us to partake of His holiness. And all discipline indeed does not seem to be of joy for the present, but of grief; but afterward it gives back the peaceable fruit of righteousness to the ones having been exercised through it. On account of which, straighten up the hands hanging down and the knees which have become enfeebled; and make straight tracks for your feet, in order that the lame should not be turned out of the way, but rather healed." The writer of Hebrews encourages believers to not buckle under when they are going through the disciplinary process, but to "lift up the hands hanging down and the knees that have become enfeebled, and make straight tracks for your feet." He states that the purpose for this admonition is that "the lame should not be turned out of the way," that is – out of the way of the course, but rather they should be healed through the discipline process.
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