2020 held the element of surprise. By God’s grace we continue navigating through—having endured this year, we can better prepare for the unknowns of 2021.
Over and over, this verse comes to my mind:
“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? ”
The “righteous” are those whose righteousness is found in Christ alone—those who believe that God and His Word is the only true foundation for a free and just society.
When confronted with what we see happening in America—we ask the question, what can we do?
The very next verse gives this counsel:
“The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. ”
We are pointed away from our own lack of power—to God’s Absolute Power!
Our God is on His Throne—seeing, testing, working in, and refining hearts.
We CAN trust Him!
2020 has been filled with trials and deceptions, much like those spoken of in the Bible:
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
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We can begin preparing for 2021 now. The fact that you are here and reading these words means you have endured this year.
What if we take our strength and endurance to the next level for 2021, and become Spiritually tenacious?
The 1828 Noah Webster’s Dictionary defines tenacity as ‘adhesiveness, holding fast, inclined to retain what is in possession, unwilling to quit.’
This idea of holding fast reminded me of the single beech tree in the patch of woods behind our house:
A good example of tenacity is the way the beech tree doesn’t shed its leaves, while the other trees around it shed theirs.
I found more inspiration about tenacity when I read these words by Oswald Chambers:
“Tenacity is more than endurance; it is endurance which has at its heart the absolute certainty that what we look for is going to transpire.
Spiritual tenacity is the supreme effort of the Spirit of God in a man refusing to believe that his “Hero” is going to be conquered. The greatest fear a man has is not that he will be damned, but that Jesus Christ will be worsted; that the things He stood for—love and justice, forgiveness and kindness among men, won’t win out in the end.
Then comes the call to Spiritual tenacity, not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately and tenaciously with the certainty that God is not going to be worsted.
If your hopes are being disappointed just now it means that they are being purified.
Remain Spiritually tenacious.” – Excerpt from The Complete Works of Oswald Chambers.
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) ”
As we look beyond 2020 to 2021, are you ready to take endurance to the next level?
While 2020 gave a clear vision of spiritual warfare—my prayer is for Spiritual tenacity to walk out our faith in all the victory Christ won for us on the Cross of Calvary!
“Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. ”
