TOPIC: PERSEVER
MEMORISE:
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7
READ: Proverbs 4:25-26
25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
MESSAGE
One thing that everyone who is born again must learn is that the Christian walk is not a sprint but a marathon. I have been born again since 1973, and I am still on the journey until now. We were told back then, "Jesus is coming soon.” ‘Soon' has run into more than 51 years now, and we are still awaiting His arrival. This tells you that without perseverance, you cannot win in the Christian race. It is good that you resisted temptation yesterday and did not fall, but that is not enough to ensure that you will remain standing until the end. You must also resist the temptation that is coming tomorrow. If a believer relaxes because of the things, he or she has overcome in the past, it is likely that the fellow will be brought down by future temptations.
It is in perseverance that many Christians fail. The devil knows that if he brings temptation to you once, you might not fall. However, he knows that if he keeps bringing the temptation over and over again in different forms and intensities, one day, when you are relaxed spiritually, you will likely fall. This is why having oil for today is good, but you must always have extra oil for tomorrow. The ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 were all virgins, meaning that they were all pure. They all had oil which signifies the Holy Spirit, but while they were waiting for the arrival of the Groom, they all slept because the Groom tarried. However, only the ones with extra oil were able to meet with the Groom. Proverbs 24:10 says:
If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
You must be prepared for the day of adversity. Believe me, without extra strength, you will not be able to persevere until the end. Therefore, read your Bible beyond what you need for today, pray longer hours than you need for today, and serve God more fervently than is necessary for today. Doing these will build in you the strength that you need to persevere. Many people have yielded to fraud in their offices because the oil finished, and they didn't have extra to keep them on fire. Some yielded to fornication and adultery because their strength failed. Don't make this mistake; get extra oil always.
KEY POINT
Your fire needs to last until rapture or when you are called home.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 31-32
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 31: YIELD NOT TO TEMPTATION
1. Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
Each vict’ry will help you some other to win;
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue;
Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.
o Refrain:
Ask the Savior to help you,
Comfort, strengthen, and keep you;
He is willing to aid you,
He will carry you through.
2. Shun evil companions, bad language disdain,
God’s name hold in rev’rence, nor take it in vain;
Be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true;
Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.
3. To him that o’ercometh, God giveth a crown,
Through faith we will conquer, though often cast down;
He who is our Savior, our strength will renew;
Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.
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