Hard trials are hardships. Period. Paul encouraged Timothy to endure. 2 Timothy 2:3-4 says, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” Paul not only encouraged him, but he gave him an example of how to endure. 

Our example is Jesus. As I thought about this, my mind went back to Isaiah 53:10. “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin…” Consider this: Jesus bore every sin of all mankind. Then the wrath of His Father fell on Him, with the penalty of our sin ~ death.

Jesus prayed the prayer of relinquishment in the garden. Matthew 26:39 says, “…O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Verse 42  says, “…O My Father; if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

Jesus faced inexpressible emotional pain, as well as tortuous physical pain. Yet, He yielded everything for us. 1 Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness–by whose stripes you were healed.”

This morning the Holy Spirit gave me profound insight. Endurance is not coping, it is thriving! Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy set before Him. He is always our excellent example. When we make Him our focus we will not shrink back. Hebrews 10:36 says, “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God…” Our trials are His divinely orchestrated will. The verse continues, “…you may receive the promise.” Verse 38 says, “Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

What pleased the Father? Jesus embraced the cross. We will thrive in our hardships when we keep His cross before us. James 3:17 says that one part of wisdom from above is the willingness to yield. Romans 6:11 says that we are dead to sin. James 1:21 says to lay aside the passions of our flesh.

Philippians 2:2 says, “Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” To walk in this verse means that we have to relinquish our will, our way, or our opinion. One accord means to have one purpose. Though this is talking about interpersonal relationships, think of it as your thoughts. To thrive in our endurance journey, we need to bring every thought captive. We also need to have one focus ~ the Lord. 

Psalm 63:8 Amplified says, “My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me.” Endurance is not drawing back into self-protective coping measures. Nor is it just getting by, existing, or gutting it out. We thrive in our hardship-trials when our gaze is upon the Lord. That is His way to help us relinquish all fleshly pressings. Hebrews 11:27 says of Moses, “…for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible.”

I love Romans 4:18 about Abraham, “Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations…” How did he do that? Verse 19 says that he did not consider (ponder, think about) the impossibility of his and Sarah’s inability to bear children because of their old age. Verse 21 says that he was fully convinced that God was able. 

Verse 20 in the Amplified says, “No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith AS he gave praise and glory to God.” He kept his hope strong through praising the Lord, and proclaiming God’s glory through his impossible situation.

Our hope is eternal. Our circumstances are temporary and ever changing. Titus 1:2 says, “In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.” Jeremiah was in an impossible circumstance. His nation was in abject distress. He personally was feeling the effects. Verse 1 says, “I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.” The first 20 verses recorded his downward spiral into depression.

Verse 21 was his turning point. He brought hope back into his thoughts. It says, “This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope.” He recalled God’s mercy and His compassions, how they will not fail, and they were new every morning. Then he said what we can also say. “The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I hope in Him!”

Psalm 42:5 says, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” Psalm 62:5 says, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.” Psalm 71:5 says, “For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth.”

I want to pick up Hebrews 11:3. It says that they died in hope. They saw the fulfillment of the promises afar off. Yet they did not waver. It says that they, “…were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” Their example is one of faith holding on through hope. 1 John 3:3 says that kind of hope purifies us.

Our hope is eternal and comes from the foundation of Jesus’ resurrection. 1 Peter 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Hebrews 6:19 says, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.”

Romans 8:23-25 says, “…eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope…But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” All promises will be fulfilled because they were given by the Lord who cannot lie. We persevere through faith in His word, praying through the hope that is set before us. His word (promise) will not return to Him void.

It is important to review that God always hears our prayers. It doesn’t matter when or where they come from. He is Ever Present. He knows our hearts. He knows our thoughts before we think them. Praying can be silent or out loud. He hears us either way. In Psalm 17:6 David wrote, “I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.”

Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” One way to pray through faith then is praying Scripture. I love how Paul prayed for others. We can imitate him in this practice. It is especially helpful when we don’t know how to pray for someone.

Ephesians 1:15-16 says that when he heard of their faith, “…do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.” Making mention seems an odd choice of words to me, because he doesn’t just say their name. He has a full on, purposeful, and hearty prayer for their spiritual growth and understanding.  

Verse 17 says, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” This is a great prayer. As I pray these words for myself or others, faith arises. It is a prayer that God answers. Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Verse 7 says that He stores up wisdom for the upright.

In Ephesians 1:18-19 we read how Paul prayed for the eyes of their understanding to be enlightened in order to grasp what God had called them to. Also that they would understand the incredible great power that resided in them. Then connected that power to be the same as God raising Jesus from the dead.

Colossians 1:9-11 recorded another of Paul’s prayers. In 1983 a friend asked me to pray for her and her husband. Then said that it is unmentionable. That threw me. I had no clue. Now when that happens I pray whatever Scripture the Holy Spirit brings to mind. The Lord knows and He answers His word.

I love to peer into Jeremiah 33:3. It says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” The Lord loves to reveal the inner depth of His word to us. There are hidden meanings that He wants us to mine out. It isn’t just printed words on a page. He wants to illuminate our heart with truths that will set us free. He wants to deep dive with us into the marvelous wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of what He has called us to.

God’s word is His heart in written form. We know from Isaiah 55:8-11 that His thoughts and ways are far higher than ours. We know that His word will never return to Him void. Verse 11 says, “…it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Jeremiah 1:12 says that He is ready to perform His word. As we pray His word in faith, He stands ready to fulfill it.

I was captured by the way Habakkuk prayed. It is a great model for us. Habakkuk 3:1 Amplified says, “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, set to wild, enthusiastic, and triumphal music.” Verse 2 captures that prayer. It says, “O Lord, I have heard the report of You and was afraid. O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make (Yourself) known! In wrath (earnestly) remember love, pity, and mercy.”

Let’s stop right now and pray this verse for our nation. Mercy, according to Psalm 103:10, is not getting what we deserve. It says, “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.” The iniquities of this nation are piled high. The key to unlocking the stronghold is prayer.

Verse 13-14 says, “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” We believers need to heed this verse. The fear of the Lord is our pathway. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Habakkuk asked the Lord to make Himself known. John 14:21 can be applied to our hearts right now. It says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Manifest means to make known. 

1 Corinthians 2:7 says, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory.” Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law.”

The condition that the Lord reveals Himself though is obedience to His word. We need to ask the Lord: what part of Your word have I not obeyed? I think of 2 Chronicles 7:14. The condition is: humility in prayer as we seek His face, and then turn from our wicked ways. I am seeing this as when we humble our heart, then the Lord will reveal the hidden that is blocking His grace.

Joel 2:13 Amplified says, “Rend your hearts and not your garments and return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness; and He revokes His sentence of evil (when His conditions are met).” Ask: what conditions have I not met? When He reveals your hidden, repent. It is only hidden that it might be exposed. O Lord, revive Your work in our day! May our nation fulfill Your purpose and design, without further delay on the part of all Your children!

2 Peter 3 contains Peter’s last words to his readers. We can gain much instruction if we peer into his admonition. He highlighted God’s longsuffering. It is a part of His nature that He invites us to share with Him. Longsuffering is a fruit of the Spirit. We bear it when we  submit to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to control our lives.

2 Peter 3:15 says, “And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation–as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you.” God’s longsuffering takes on many characteristics. Here is one of them ~ salvation. Verse 14 started out with a word that causes us to go back to the previous verses.

It says, “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things…” What things? We need to go back and pick up what he was saying in verses 9-13. Verse 9 clearly highlights another aspect of God’s longsuffering. It says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

The words us, any, and all are all inclusive words. The Lord has no desire that anyone should perish. That is why Jesus died on the cross for ALL. All means that there is no exception. You think of the worst person in history. Jesus died for that one also. No one is excluded from God’s love. 

Verses 10-12 are chilling verses. They make us sit up and take notice. Verse 10 says that the heavens will pass away. The elements will melt with fervent heat: both the earth and all the works in it will be burned up. Everything will be cremated. Verse 11 says, “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.”

The foundation of the earth will remain but nothing else. Psalm 104:5 says, “You who laid the foundations of the earth, so that it should not be moved forever.” The Lord gave John a revelation. Revelation 21:1-2 says, “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Back to 2 Peter 3:14. The verse continued, “…be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.” The Amplified says, “…in serene confidence, free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts).” Diligence is an essential character quality needed for heart integrity. 

Homework assignment. Several years ago, I had fallen asleep on a hot July afternoon with all the shades pulled. I was awakened by a heavy pounding on my front door. My back field was on fire. A passerby had seen it. He told me to go warn my neighbors. After all was said and done, I sat down and wrote a letter to my friend. They were my last words should I have died. I encourage you to do the same. Write to those in your life that you want to impart essential truths to, that you have gained from your own journey.

The glory of the Lord is hard to put into human terms. There are multiple definitions, but in this post I want to define it through Scripture. Do you remember what the Lord told Moses when he asked to see His glory? Exodus 33:19 says, “…I will make all My goodness pass before you…” Verse 21 said, “…You cannot see My face…” Verse 21-22 says, “…Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.”

Here is  what the Lord did. In verse 23 it says, “Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.” Can you picture this scene in your mind? One day, in our glorified bodies, we will see Him face to face.

Revelation 21:23 says, “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” Revelation 22:-4-5 says, “They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign there forever.”

Here is a verse I love to peer into. Habakkuk 3:4 says, “His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, and there His power was hidden.” Place the words of this verse on your body the next time you need healing. Luke 8:43-48 is a great narrative of a woman healed because she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. Watch what happened. Verse 44 says that she, “Came from behind and touched the border of His garment, and immediately…” She was healed! In Verse 46 Jesus said, “…Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”

His glory is light. Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” Malachi 4:2 says, “But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.” Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation…”

God’s glory is like a cloud. 1 Kings 8:10-11 says, “..the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 says, “…the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could not enter…When the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground…and worshiped and praised the Lord…”

Our body is His temple. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” The whole chapter is about sin. Verse 18 says, “…Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.” 

Let’s Son bathe. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord…” Unveiled is open-heart and unashamed because we have nothing to hide. The verse continues, “…are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” As we bathe in His glory, we become a reflection of His glory to others.

I was thinking about hidden sin. An oxymoron is contradictory. We know from Hebrews 4:13 that God sees all things. The Amplified says, “And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked  and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.”

Truth: sin is not hidden. How then can we live in it as though it is? There are several ways. We choose to believe that we won’t get caught. We have seared our conscience so that it is not in the forefront of our mind. We have convinced ourselves that it is alright. Any believer who remains in hidden sin is miserable deep down. The Holy Spirit is our Convictor. He does not ignore what we choose to ignore.

Sampson is a classic example for us. I think some of the saddest words in the Bible are about him. He finally told Delilah where his strength came from. Judges 16:20 says, “…So he awoke from his sleep, and said, I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free! But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.”

Truth: Hebrews 13:5 says that the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us. He was right there when you were sinning. Psalm 46:1 says that He is ever present. However, for the believer the fellowship is broken. We are the ones who depart. Hidden sin is a life of cover up or deception.

Numbers 32:23 is a good verse to remember. I have the reference written in the front of my Bible. It says, “But you did not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” Think back to examples in the Bible where their sin was found out.

Here is one. Acts 5:1-11 is the narrative of Ananias and Sapphira, his wife who lied. Verse 4 says, “…Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” Do these verses make you nervous? That is the severity of hiding our sin. Sin always comes first in the form of a temptation to that sin. We have full control. No one makes us sin. If we take satan’s bait, we will be strung on his fishing line, and controlled by the lies he feeds us.

A lingering wrong attitude can become a hidden sin. Attitudes come from our heart belief that was set through our past experiences. Ungodly attitudes become habitual if we don’t course correct. Progressive sanctification is God’s way of bringing that correction. It is when we ignore the Holy Spirit’s conviction that we enter into sin. 

Another part of hidden sin is defilement. Achan’s sin affected all the children of Israel. It made them not be able to stand before their enemies. You can read about it in Joshua 7. Verse 11 says, “Israel has sinned, and they have transgressed My covenant…” 1 John 2:8 says, “Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.” Before salvation we lived in sin. After salvation sin is a choice. We choose to walk in the darkness of sin, rather than His Light.

Psalm 119:130 Amplified says, “The entrance and unfolding of Your words give light; their unfolding gives understanding (discernment and comprehension) to the simple.” Every time we read God’s word, and observe to do it, something happens inside. Our spirit thrives, and our flesh is starved. 

Our spirit love His Light, but our flesh hates it. John 3:20-21 says,  “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” Romans 13:12 says, “…Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”

Ephesians 1:18 Amplified says, “By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones).”

1 John 1:6-7 tells us what happens when we walk in His light or choose to walk in darkness. It says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

We need to remember that our darkness is light to the Lord. Psalm 139:12 says, “Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.” Sin is deceptive and dark. It blocks His light within from shining out. It opaques our witness. John 1:7 says of John the Baptist, “This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.”

Our eyes are the widow of our soul. Downcast eyes usually discloses hidden shame. I remember back in 1989 when I spoke at a ladies’ retreat. This gal came and asked me to pray for her. Her eyes were downcast the whole time she described her situation. She had been molested repeatedly by her father and brother. When the Lord set her free, she looked me straight in the eyes. She said: my shame is gone. I can hardly wait to go home and look my husband in his eyes to tell him that I love him. 

I love Psalm 34:5 which says, “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.” Isaiah 54:4 says, “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth…” What shame holds you in bondage?

Jesus bore all our sins, and the sins done against us on the cross. That means that He bore our shame. It is not ours anymore! If you are bound in shame because of what has been done to you, you are controlled by a lie. It is time to renounce it. 2 Corinthians 4:2 says, “But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”

Jeremiah 6:16 is relative instruction for us. The Lord does not change His message. It says, “Thus says the Lord: Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it.”

There was another time when the Lord spoke to the children of Israel. Their response was the same. Isaiah 30:15 says, “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. But you would not.”

Why does our heart rebel? 1 Samuel 15:23 says, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord…” These words were spoken to king Saul by Samuel. Witchcraft is a spirit that opposes God and His ways.

Jesus is our example of One who followed His Father’s commands. Isaiah 50:6 says, “I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” Isaiah 53:10 says, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin…”

Hebrews 5:8 says, “Though He were a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things that He suffered.” Progressive sanctification is God’s way to train us in His way. 1 Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.”

Balaam’s way did not please the Lord. He stood as an adversary against Him. We can be assured that when our way is not pleasing the Lord, He will bring course correction. That is blessed intervention. I love Psalm 18. There are so many rich truths. Verse 28 says, “For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.” 

Luke 11:34 says, “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is full of darkness.” When others look in your eyes, what do they see? Habakkuk 1:13 says of the Lord, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and You cannot look upon wickedness…”

What we look at affects our heart. Psalm 12:6 says, “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” Psalm 19:8 says, “The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” Psalm 119:71 should be our perspective in our suffering. It says, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.”

This is from the folks I write devotionals for once a month. This goes with my post so I wanted to encourage you with it ~

YOU SAYOCTOBER 11 2021, WRITTEN BY DORIS BECK

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared for us to do.EPHESIANS 2:10

‘I am so ugly!’ ‘No one loves me because I am so unloveable.’ ‘I am so fat.’ ‘Why am I so stupid?’It’s easy to be overwhelmed with words like these, telling ourselves lies that are destructive and tear down our self esteem. But this verse in Ephesians 2 tells something different. We are actually God’s handiwork, his piece of art, his creation.Not only that, in other places in the Bible we are told that we are precious and honored in God’s sight and loved by him (Isaiah 43:4). In fact, he delights over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17)! One of the things that helps me to remember what is true about me is to listen to worship music or old hymns. Instead of becoming overwhelmed with the lies, God uses the words of the songs to speak truth to my heart and mind.One such song is ‘You Say’ by Lauren Daigle. In it she contrasts what God says about me with what I say about myself. The chorus of the song reminds me: ‘You say I am loved, when I can’t feel a thing You say I am strong when I think I am weak And you say I am held when I am falling short And when I don’t belong, oh you say I am yours’ Are you mired in the lies that you tell yourself? Are you overwhelmed with those thoughts that pull you down? Have you forgotten what God says about you? He wants you to believe the truth that he tells you about yourself so that you can know that not only are you are loved by him, but you belong to him. You are his work of art! Dear Lord Jesus, Thank you that what you say about me is the truest thing about myself. Thank you that I am loved by you and that you give me strength even when I am weak. Help me not to believe the lies that I too often believe, but instead remember what you say about me. Fill my mind with those thoughts today. Amen. Throughout This Day: Listen to this song, You Say, by Lauren Daigle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIaT8Jl2zpI and listen to the words as she sings. Take time to thank God today for the things that he says are true about you – you are loved, you are strong, you belong to him, you are his handiwork, created and loved by him.