Steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
We have a course of action we have been called to by Almighty God Himself. We have a purpose and despite the difficulties, obstacles and discouragement the enemy sends our way, we still must stand up under it. We must persist. 1Peter teaches us:
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 1Peter 1: 5-9
Perseverance is added to self control because discouragement is a choice. The world will always try to sell us on the victim mentality, that we have no control over how we feel. The truth is that no one can make you feel anyway that you do not allow them. Discouragement is not a reactionary feeling. It is a long term feeling. It is something that is chosen. Joseph spent 11 years in prison for a crime he did not commit after he had been sold into slavery by his brothers. I am sure he had to deal with discouragement during the testing of his faith. But God had given Joseph a vision and he held onto it. He chose to not be discouraged. Note also from these verses from 1Peter that if we possess these qualities in increasing measure that they will keep us from being ineffective and unproductive which is the scheme of the enemy! You cannot be discouraged when you have an increasing faith and goodness. The enemy cannot get a foothold in your thinking if you have an increasing knowledge, self control and perseverance. He has no weapon to overcome an increasing brotherly kindness and love.
And how do we cultivate these qualities in our lives as we face the attacks designed to discourage us? Hebrews has the answer:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12: 1-3
There is a race marked out for us. Yours is different from mine. God has a race for all of us to run but we must run it with the perseverance we have been discussing today. The secret revealed here is to keep our eyes on Jesus. Sounds simple enough but when those attacks come against us we can easily find our eyes on our own situations instead of the author and perfecter of our faith. Look, it is hard. The Bible would not use words like perseverance if it were easy. We can work very hard and diligently in our ministry only to be betrayed or accused, or be unappreciated. These things grate against us as human beings. They are unfair. But these verses from Hebrews remind us what our Lord had to endure. The shame of the cross and opposition from sinful men. No matter how unfair we might feel we are being treated, it pales in comparison to what Christ had to suffer and according to these verses He suffered it so we would not grow weary or lose heart. God KNEW you would be going through these times of testing. He knew that the human leaning would be to become discouraged and He is saying today to remember the cross. Remember what Jesus endured so that our endurance could be easier.
The remainder of the key verse reminds us that perseverance
is in the process of finishing a work in us. It is maturing us. It is
completing us. God's plan was to use Joseph to deliver the nation of
