Proverbs 24:16 For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again.
“Perseverance” is persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
Persistence marks and distinguishes the righteous. The righteous are those who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus and are committed to walk in accordance to His Word. They fear God, follow His voice and serve Him fervently. However, even those who are morally upright, committed and devoted can fail, falter and have repeated setbacks. The strategy to defeat a weakness or a temptation is to fight back with the help of the Holy Spirit. Do not accept a weakness as your innate nature. Buffet your body and bring the mind under the subjection and rulership of the Holy Spirit. When you fall, don’t wallow in guilt and shame for a few days – get up immediately.
Samson, the judge of Israel, fell into sin and failed spiritually, morally and politically. He disobeyed the Law of God and the Nazirite vow. His uncontrolled lust led to moral failure. He let the nation of Israel down by his defiance and pride. Hence, he lost his anointing and calling. Blinded, bound and beaten Samson repented. Before he died Samson cried out to the Lord one last time to forgive him and give him back the strength that he lost. The Lord heard him and restored his strength (Judges 16:28). The life of Samson is a beautiful picture of God’s restoration plan for humanity.
Our failures, silly errors and repeated faults do not surprise God. This does not mean that we can live in sin and take the grace of God and His forgiveness for granted. Anyone having been born of God does not practice sin, because His seed abides in him (1 John 3:9). However, our failure is not the final nail on our coffin. When we repent and make a resolute decision never to go back, the Holy Spirit empowers us to be more than conquerors. Get back when you fall down.
Persevere and overcome:
- Buffet: Buffet your body. Fasting bridles the tummy, thoughts and tongue and disciplines the body and the mind.
- Bury: Bury the forgiven past.
- Boundary: Set safe boundaries with thoughts, conversations and people.
Don’t excuse your weaknesses – persevere to overcome.
Prayer: Dear Holy Spirit, I need your strength, wisdom and tenacity to persevere and annihilate the wrong desires, thoughts and cravings. Amen.
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