Victory to Those Who Exercise Perseverance

Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
–Hebrews 12:1

Thomas Edison is often credited with saying, “Most of life’s failures are people who didn’t realize how close they were to success before they gave up.”

Do you have a wall blocking you from experiencing God’s dream for your life? Know this: God grants victory to those who exercise perseverance.

What do I mean by perseverance? Perseverance is the courage to continue pursuing your dream in spite of unrelenting hard work, undeserved criticism, and unexpected obstacles.

Think about the perseverance of the Israelites as they marched around the fortified city of Jericho–the huge obstacle standing between them and their new beginning in the promised land. God commanded them to march around the city once a day for six days. Then, on the seventh day, they marched around the city seven times. How easy would it have been for the Israelites to give up on the third day, or the fourth day, or the fifth day? It was probably hot out there in the desert as they marched around and around. I imagine the people of Jericho were looking down from the top of the wall, taunting the Israelites. It must have been a difficult task. Think about this: What would have happened if the Israelites had said, “Joshua, we’re tired of this; we’ve had it!” after marching around the wall six times on the seventh day? If they had given up then, they would have missed God’s blessing.

Right now, whether you realize it or not, you may be standing on the edge of your new beginning, and God is calling you to persevere. You may be just one résumé away from that new job you want. You may be just one sales call away from that new account you want to land. You may be just one conversation away from restoring that broken relationship. You may be just one prayer away from seeing that friend or family member come back to God.

Don’t give up now! God grants victory to those who persevere.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “The God of the Impossible,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2013.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.