Persevering Through Life's Challenges
Bishop Leonard Chatham
Have you ever felt like life is passing you by so quickly that you're constantly searching for happiness, security, and everything else you could want? The challenges can be so great that they take us out of our game or away from the promises we've made to God. But what if I told you that these challenges are actually part of God's plan for your life?
In Galatians 6:9, we're reminded, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." This verse holds three crucial truths for our search for tomorrow.
1. Expect Challenges
Life isn't meant to be easy. As I often say, "A kite can only fly when it has resistance." Think about it - when you fly a kite, you have to run against the wind. The Bible tells us to "run with the vision" (Habakkuk 2:2). It doesn't say you won't get tired, but that resistance is necessary for you to soar.
"Your life is now full of tension, but that means that you're flying. The devil wouldn't mess with you if you wasn't going nowhere. Life wouldn't be hard if you wasn't going anywhere."
2. Hold onto the Promise
After the challenge comes the promise. Paul tells us in Galatians that "in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." This is a corporate promise - we're not blessed to be by ourselves. There's a due season for your life, and it's important to believe that your season is now.
"God is expecting us to walk in our challenges and the things in life go through whatever we got to go through. But know this, that when you go through it, it becomes due season. That's a promise."
3. Don't Faint
The warning in this verse is clear - we will be blessed if we don't faint. Fainting here doesn't just mean physical collapse, but giving up on the process God has for us.
"If you abort the process of the challenge, you will never receive the promise. If you don't go ahead and go through what you got to go through, you'll lose the promise."
Seeking Jesus with Haste
In our search for tomorrow, we must seek Jesus with urgency. Luke 2:15 tells us how the shepherds, after hearing from the angels, said, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us."
"You don't have time to be fooling with everybody and letting everybody jack with your life... You're so busy letting people jack up your life until you're losing the time that God is ready to use you."
We must also approach God with humility. Remember, "Jesus is not JC" - we can't approach God like we're on His level. Even the Apostle Paul, with all his spiritual authority, was honored to be mentioned in the same breath as Jesus in spiritual warfare (Acts 19:15).
Being a Prophet Without Honor
As we seek God's will for our lives, we may find ourselves in the position of being a "prophet without honor" in our own hometown, just like Jesus (Matthew 13:57). But remember:
"When you know whose you are and when you know who you are, what they say don't matter... As long as I know that God is pleased with me, it does not matter what you think."
The Bitter Cup
Finally, we must understand that following God's will often involves drinking a bitter cup, just as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42). This cup represents the challenges and sacrifices we must make to fulfill God's purpose for our lives.
"It's not easy doing what God wants you to do when everybody around you don't believe... You have to make the sacrifice in order for them to move forward in life."
Putting It Into Practice:
Identify your current challenges. How might God be using these to help you "fly"?
Reflect on God's promises in your life. What "due season" are you waiting for?
Commit to persevering through difficulties, knowing that giving up means losing the promise.
Seek Jesus urgently, not letting others distract you from God's purpose for your life.
Approach God with humility, recognizing His sovereignty in your life.
Stand firm in your identity in Christ, regardless of others' opinions.
Embrace the "bitter cup" of sacrifice, knowing it's part of fulfilling God's will.
Remember, in your search for tomorrow, "God is for me. God will bring me through. God will help me out. I have to look to the hill from whence cometh my help. My help comes from the Lord" (Psalm 121:1-2). Stay strong, keep the faith, and don't give up on the journey God has set before you.
Would you like to hear the sermon this post is based on?
