Faith and Persistence Go Hand in Hand
By Rick Warren
“It was by faith that Moses left Egypt and was not afraid of the king’s anger. Moses continued strong as if he could see the God that no one can see.” Hebrews 11:27 (NCV)
There is a strong belief in our culture that if it feels good, do it. That influences every one of us, whether we want it to or not. But when you allow yourself to be manipulated by your moods, you are living your life according to your feelings.
But God wants you to live a different kind of life—a life of faith, not just a life of feeling. The truth is, I don’t always feel like doing the right thing. I’m sure you don’t either. But God can give you the kind of faith that persists above feelings.
If you look around, you’ll see that successful people do things they don’t feel like doing. They get tired of going through the motions and want to do things differently. They do the things that other people aren’t willing to do.
You can’t be an Olympic athlete unless you spend the extra hours training. You can’t be a master musician unless you spend many hours practicing.
The same principle is true for being a mature, godly Christian. If you want to deepen your relationship with God, you have to spend time with him, even when you don’t feel like it. Do you know people who really enjoy their time with God? That’s because they persisted in spending time with God, even when they didn’t feel like it.
Faith and persistence go hand in hand. Faith means you don’t give up even when you’re tired. Faith means you just won’t quit. When you’re living in faith, you’re persisting.
Moses was a great example of a life lived in faithful persistence. Hebrews 11:27 says, “It was by faith that Moses left Egypt and was not afraid of the king’s anger. Moses continued strong as if he could see the God that no one can see” (NCV).
Moses realized this important truth: You can only accomplish the impossible when you see the invisible.
God will give you strength to persevere. He’ll give you the power to keep working on the marriage that seems hopeless. He will give you the power to pick yourself up when you’ve fallen. He can give you the power to keep going when you’re on the edge of bankruptcy. He’ll give you the power to keep your convictions when all the pressure around you says to give in.
The key to faith is to be persistent. Keep your eyes on God, not on your problem.
God’s power to keep going is always there for you. You just need to ask him for it.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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