Power of Prayer - Perseverance Jan 21, 2023 Lars Muller
P - Praise
R - Repentance
A - Ask
Y - Yield - Patience, Perseverance
One sentence of scripture is of more value than 10,000 of man's ideas or arguments. (Testimonies Vol 7 Pg 71)
Psalms 34:1
Matthew 3:2
2 Peter 1:4
Jeremiah 33:3
Psalm 27:14
Perseverance - persistence
Persistence - continuing forward despite an annoyance
Perseverance - continuing forward despite hardship
Matthew 10:22
Acts 4:12
Cling to Jesus on your journey.
Two thieves on crosses mocking Jesus. One realizes something special about Jesus and accepts him as the Messiah, experiencing a rebirth. Received mockery for his change in position. He did not focus on the mockery, but on the experience of forgiveness and love.
Perseverance can come in many forms, one is a mockery of your faith
Salvation comes not because of what we do but because of who we have a relationship with. We will never be righteous in our own eyes, but can be in Jesus' eyes because of His love for us. Our job is to accept it .
Perseverance comes sometimes with support from others. Sometimes alone, when everyone else mocks.
Revelation 14:12
Example: Job
1 Kings 17 Widow of Zarephat: Time of drought, God instructed Elisha to go to the brook of Cherith, which eventually dries up. Have you had a brook in your life that dried up? Blessing you felt God had given you that disappear?
Why do blessings sometimes end? Is it time to grow in our faith?
The widow asks for food. When Elisha asks for food, she does not complain, even though she knows she has no extra to share. She was asked to give to Elisha first and God would provide for her. She did not fixate on the problem. She focused on the goal - to help Elisha with a hope to live beyond one meal.
Do you fixate on a problem? Or on what God wants you to do.
Vs 16 Put God first even in a time of drought.
Short perseverance - doubts, fears. Small things / short periods of time
Long perseverance - long time. Friendship, relationships, spiritual, etc
Life long perseverance - a life time.
Hebrews 12:1
1 Kings 18: 1, 2 , 16
Ahab calls Elisha to the tabernacle. Ahab focused on the problem. You can persevere in any direction, with or without God.
Fire came from heaven instantly when called upon.
Rain took 7 days to come, it was not instant. 7 days Elidha repeated every day - "check again".
Perseverance helps us to grow.
1 Kings 18:44. Perseverance is not learned y reading about it, but through suffering.
Jesus gives us strength to persevere.
- Jesus tells us what to expect. Job 15: 8-25; 16:1,33
- Suffering produces perseverance. Romans 5:3
- We are rewarded when we persevere. James 1:12