New Believers Bible - Flipbook - Page 104
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CORNERSTONES
5. If You Fall, Ask God to Forgive You and Purify Your Heart and
Desires. Only God can forgive you, restore your joy, and fill you with the right
desires (see Psalm 51:7-15, page 488).
6. Keep an Eternal Perspective. Don’t waste your time chasing after earthly
pleasures (see 2 Peter 3:10-11, page 1140).
7. Live to Please God. Surrendering your life to the leading of the Holy
Spirit is the only way to live a life that is pleasing to God (see Romans 8:5-8,
page 1010).
There will be times in your Christian walk when you will feel emotionally
“down.” You may think that God has forgotten about you. Or you might become
discouraged as you see others who have professed faith in Jesus Christ lose
interest in spiritual things and fall away. You may begin to wonder whether you
are next on the devil’s “hit list.” But God will not allow you to be hit with more
than you can handle spiritually. In fact, it is during times of trouble that you will
actually be strengthened, not weakened.
As you read your Bible, you will come across words like endurance and
perseverance. These words are often used when the Bible compares the
Christian life to a race. The race referred to is a marathon, not a fifty-yard dash.
Because the Christian life is a long-distance run, you need to pace yourself, to
persevere, and most of all, to finish the race. Look up the following passages
that describe how and why you need to persevere through the inevitable
struggles of life.
1. Perseverance Produces Results. As you steadily grow in your
understanding of God’s Word and apply it to your life, you will win others to
the Lord (see Luke 8:15, page 910).
2. Life’s Trials Will Make You Stronger. You shouldn’t view difficulties as
obstacles to your faith but as opportunities for spiritual growth (see James
1:2-4, page 1126).
3. Christ Endured Great Pain for Us. Jesus modeled the ultimate in
endurance so that we would be encouraged to keep our faith strong in the
race of life (see Hebrews 12:1-3, page 1120).
4. God Honors Those Who Persevere. A wholehearted commitment to
God will enable you to “finish well” with your faith intact (see Joshua 14:6-14,
page 198).
