Don’t Ever Give UP, Endure to the End!
Have you ever felt overwhelmed, so discouraged that you just can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel anymore? We all have. But often, it’s at that moment of utter despair and complete helplessness that God is calling to us in His still small voice “Keep going, just one step further and the battle will be not only over, but WON!”
Those are the moments that make or break us. God would have us dig deep, turn to, rely on, and trust in Him completely- it’s called Faith. However, our arch enemy, Satan, would have us, just at the cusp of victory, become overtaken by depression, anxiety, and fear, and give up. I’m here to tell anyone who’s ever been in those moments of make or break, if you are there now- DON’T EVER GIVE UP- RESIST TO THE END!
I’ve had times when I was able to fight through to a great victory and I’ve had times when I’ve gotten too discouraged, where I felt the pain was too unbearable, and I gave up. Today, I was encouraged at one such moment, I heard the Lord remind me:
Matthew 24:13 But he who endures to the end will be saved.
It’s not enough to fight the fight half way or ¾ or even 99%. We’ve got to make it to the end. The end is what decides who the victor is. You see, with our Lord, all we have to do is keep standing and we will win!
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Then, the Lord started to show me exactly how to endure, how to resist and stand my ground, how to have win ever time- and he spelled it out with Ephesians chapter 6- the armor of God- the Christian’s road map to victory!
Ephesians 6:13 Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].
The devil roams about like a lion-seeking who he may devour 1 Peter 5:8- his weapons are fear, depression, anything to get us upset and our minds off of the great God we serve, so dear Christians:
11 Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.
12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
#1 Put on that helmet of Salvation!!! Know that when you die, you will meet your Creator in Heaven. Remember how he brought you out of darkness into His marvelous light- he came and saved our minds, our wills, our emotions- this protects our heads from being bashed in!!!
#2 Breast plate of Righteousness- Keep yourselves pure, in thought and action- this will keep your vital organs from being damaged! Stay in right standing with God- flee immorality and all manner of wickedness and your heart will always be protected!
#3 Put up your Shield of Faith- “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17) Faith is the opposite of fear- when the thoughts come that say “I am not good enough, I am not strong enough, I am not pretty enough, I don’t have enough money, the world can never change”- we need to get out the Word of God and “extinguish those firey arrows of the enemy” (6:16) We say to those thoughts “I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:140 I am made in the image of God (Gen 1:27) I am Strong in the Lord and the Power of his might (Eph 6:10) All my needs are met and the Lord shall supply all I need. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus “ Phillipians 4:19 I have a covenant with my God to bless me coming in and going out (Deuteronomy 28) The Word of God, written on our hearts will help us, like Jesus in the desert when he was tempted of the devil. When you know God, he will give you those words you need in those times for when you received salvation, he wrote His ENTIRE WORD on your heart!!
#4 Put on the shoes of the Gospel of Peace!! 15 And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the [a]firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness [b]produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace. This means to have peace always surrounding you- it will steady you to preach the Word of God wherever you go! If your feet are not covered then you cannot share what the Lord has shown you- you cannot go anywhere with God- to travel with him you must have peace and that peace you will share will all around you as you tell them of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
#5 The Sword!!! Your offensive weapon is the Sword of the Spirit! The Holy Spirit fills us with power and strength. As we speak out the Word of God, we cut away at the lies of the enemy and we are filled with unexplainable strength and power and it feels AWESOME! And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Ephesians 5:18
#6 Tighten up that Belt of Truth!! The belt—known as the cingulum or balteus—played a crucial role in the effectiveness of a soldier's armor. It was the belt that held the scabbard, without which there would be no place to put a sword from the belt "hung strips of leather to protect the lower body, "girds on [secures] all the other pieces of our armor." Truth should cleave to us as a belt cleaves to our body.The truth not only holds up the rest of our armor but keeps our nakedness covered so we are not out there fighting ashamedly, unclothed. When we start to believe the lies the devil says about us or to us “So and so doesn’t love me”(when they really do), “I’ll never have what God has promised me” (God is not slack concerning his promises). “I am all alone” (Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you!)
Fight the Good Fight- 1 Timothy 6:12
let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us!!! Hebrews 12:1
Be ENCOURAGED today, my friends!! Your salvation is near at hand! It’s just around the bend! The next time the devil gets you down and tries to keep you down, say “NO!” Resist, endure, battle, fight, DON’T EVER GIVE UP! For, he who endures to the end will be saved!!! You will be provided for, you will be exalted, you will be blessed beyond measure, you will be healed, you will be loved, you will have everything God has promised you! Don’t listen to the lies of the enemy- resist the devil and HE WILL FLEE!!
Romans 8: 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen!
