Stay in the Race: Perseverence!!!

The other night in my Bible Study, we studied Colossians 4:2 where Paul is encouraging the Colossian church to persevere in  prayer and be thankful in it.

I looked up the word persevere and the definition said:
Continue in a course of action in the face of difficulty and with little or no prospect of success.

This was right on my street

Continuing on

I'm on this sacred journey and it is a process . As I said in my last blog post:  Giving up would be the easy way out.  It would be much easier to go back to gloom and doom boulevard, being negative, trying to make and force things to happen (unsuccessfully), getting frustrated, and ultimately ending back up on doom and gloom boulevard.

I am sick and tired of going around that mountain.  It is time for a new song.

I'm continuing on in this process of perspective change, letting go, and now staying in the race.  I'm done trying to make things happen, trying to reason and figure things out, and jumping to conclusions.

In a Course of Action

What is my course of action right now?  Shutting up, keeping still, and letting it happen the way it's supposed to happen.

In the past my course of action has been to make up my mind, jump to conclusions, and then forge full steam ahead.  It has been unproductive and frustrating so I've decided that it's time to go about things differently.

I have asked God to irrevocably close doors that shouldn't be opened.  I asked him and now it is time for me to shut up and let him open the door he wants me to walk through.  It will not happen in my own motivation and strength. This has been a hard reality for me to accept, but I want God to have his way.  That's the only way to be successful for what God has called me to do.  Me trying to help move things along just leads to disaster

In the face of difficulty

Waiting is difficult.   Not seeing things happen is difficult.]

When you are a results oriented person like me shutting up, keeping still, and letting things happen is difficult.  My flesh wants to get out there and make things happen!  My flesh also wants a change in circumstances, but my spirit is telling me that all will happen at the appointed time.

With Little or NO prospect of success

I'm going to be frank here:  This is what bothers me the most.  NO PROSPECTS OF SUCCESS.  I have all of this vision and I'm writing it on the tablet every day.  I've got this faith and this  deep belief that something great is going to happen, but I have zero prospects.  ZERO!!!!

My flesh says:  "Maybe you're just delusional and this is all wishful thinking. You've made it all up.  Nothing is happening and nothing looks like it is going to happen so you may as well just give up and  forget it."

My spirit says:  Hang tight...you can't give up now.  You've come too far and you have no clue what God is doing, but he is doing a mighty work right now.    You've just got to believe and God will show you his glory.

*Sigh*  That's the part that just won't let me drop out of the race.  I just continue on following the plan.  This is all similar to my training for my fitness competition.  The more I think about the competition, start overanalyzing, and reasoning...the easier it is to talk myself into giving up.  If I follow the plan and process each day, it doesn't seem so scary.  I just have to continue on in the process and we arrive at our destination at the appointed time.

As a side note, I saw Mr Excitement this week.  I figured that was God's way of sending me some encouragement to hold on!

Persevering in Prayer with a thankful heart

I'm going to continue on in my course of action in the face of difficulty with little or no prospect of success and how am I going to do it?  

Prayer.  Lots of Prayer.  

The only way I can continue on is to keep praying and feeding my spirit.  If I start focusing on circumstances and start using my intellect and reasoning skills, then it's a wrap.  I will drop out of the race, give up, and quit.

I will lose. 

I will lose all of the vision, all of the impact, all of the purpose, and all of what God has called me to do because I took the easy way out, gave up, and dropped out of the race.

A Thankful Heart

I've also tried to focus on being more thankful.  I'm thankful that God has closed doors that don't need to be opened and I'm thankful he's given me this vision to hold on to.  I have hope for the future.  Many people don't have any hope and go through life hopeless and drifting.  I've got something to hold on to and to push towards.

I'm thankful for this process because I know I am becoming the woman God needs me to be and not who others think I should be or what the world says I should be.

I am running this race with  perseverence!  Can't Stop won't Stop!  Stay in the race!

To God be the Glory