Do you need a shot of spiritual adrenaline? Sometimes we all need something to enhance our endurance. I know I did the summer of 2007. I can remember being in debt up to our ears, heartbroken at the loss of my brother, and ready to give up. But, I can also remember the words of a friend that gave me the endurance I needed to carry on. After thirteen years of praying, my best friend came up to me after church with the biggest smile on her face. She said, “I’m so excited for you guys!” And, I looked at her like she’d lost her mind. I had no idea my husband had raised his hand when our pastor asked if there was ‘anyone who wanted to receive Jesus as their Savior’ that day in church. Like a good Southern Baptist girl, my eyes were closed, but my friend’s weren’t! We laugh about that day a lot.
It took my husband the entire rest of the day to build up his courage to tell me. Since I already knew, it was like waiting for Christmas morning as a child. I had prayed for this day. I had waited for this day. I had spent many lonely Sundays taking the kids to church by myself. Finally, when we put our little boys to bed that night, he told me. I was instantly filled with faith for all the other things I was believing for and praying for in our lives. It was like I got a shot of spiritual adrenaline in my veins that helped me to endure a little longer. It wasn’t easy, but the joy of seeing my husband come to know the Lord gave new life to my fledgling faith.
Endurance isn’t natural. It takes practice. It takes resolve. Our hearts must be set on eternity to endure the hard things that fill our times of waiting. Jesus set a beautiful example of endurance for us when he endured the weight of the Cross for our sins. There are so many others who showed us what endurance looks like in the Bible. If we need a jolt of endurance, we need to look no further than the courageous men and women of the Bible who endured. They didn’t know what the future held for them, but by faith, they endured. And, so can we.
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Hebrews 12:1-3 (MSG)
We never know if our breakthrough is coming today or tomorrow. We have to keep believing. We have to keep our eyes set on Jesus and our hearts set on Eternity. When needed, I believe God sends us a shot of spiritual adrenaline to help us keep believing. Pray that prayer again; believe that promise again; endure your pain for one more minute, one more hour, even, one more day, if necessary. Remember, He never leaves us or forsakes us and He has given us everything we need to have victory in this life.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV)
