Don't Give Up

Matthew 24:13 But he that shall ENDURE unto the end, the same shall be SAVED.

The word endure in Greek is (hupomeno), which means “to abide under”, “to bear up courageously under suffering”, and “to take patiently”. Additionally, it means “to tarry”, and “to wait for”. Our text this morning is saying, that WHATEVER we’re facing in this life is pale in comparison with SALVATION! Our blessings come at the expense of being patient. The GOAL is greater than the daily grind we face.

In order for us to endure, we must value the Goal more than we do the GRIND. Painted across the canvas of our minds must be a clear picture of the intended goal. We must SEE IT before we SAY IT. We must HAVE IT before we POSSES IT. Vision enables us to be there even though we’re on our way. God is telling us today, that the reality of salvation can be ours, if we simply see our trials and tribulations as stepping stones to our destiny. In life itself, one step won’t take you from the living room to the kitchen. Many steps leads to our ultimate goal and destination.

On the road of life, we’re going to face road blocks and detours, but that doesn’t mean you can’t maneuver “work” that’s leading to progress! The Lord wants us to see the BIG PICTURE, the desired goal and dream He’s birthed in us. The fact that Daniel was locked up for praying three times a day didn’t stop him from praying to his God. His relationship with the Lord and seeing God answer his prayers meant MORE than the threat of the lion’s den. Faith in God and His power to saved and deliver must be greater than the circumstances I’m facing, which is there for a brief season and a brief reason.

The key word is ENDURE. God is asking us to stay focused on Him. Isaiah 26:3 says, if we keep our minds STAYED on Him, He will keep us in perfect peace. His WORD must permeate and saturate our hearts, minds, and soul. The WORD of God in us and the Holy Spirit KEEPS us motivated to press our way through those difficult and dark moments in life. God uses what’s CHALLENGING us to CHANGE us! He’s redirecting our visions and goals to that which is greater than what we presently have. He uses what looks like setbacks as opportunities to develop in us deeper passions to achieve greatness in His name.

So many times we’re afraid to walk on water even when Jesus is the one who called us out of our boats or comfort zones. All Peter had to do was STAY FOCUSED on Him, not the circumstances of the waves and billows. When you know the voice of Jesus, you can trust Him even in a storm. Even though Peter took his eyes off Jesus, what lesson can we glean from this? One valuable lesson is that FAILURE is not FINAL! Failure is an opportunity to see things from another perspective! It helps us to re-evaluate and look at things differently. Remember, winners never quit and quitters never win!