What Keeps You Going?

Just last week while preaching for a congregation a young man came up to me and told me about something that keeps him going during difficult times. You know difficult times. You may be in the middle of one now. If we preach long enough all of us will encounter seasons and times of trouble in our lives.

The question isn’t, will difficult seasons come, the question is, how will we handle them. My pray for you dear brother is that you have developed a plan to help you through those seasons.

The plan should include:

Prayer - Above all else, when we face tough times the very best thing we can do is talk to our Father about it. When Jesus faced difficulty, He did not become angry or bitter. “While being abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” (1 Peter 1:23)

People - God does not require or expect us to face the troubles of this life alone. He has blessed us with people in our lives who will encourage, pray for, and strengthen us. Our beloved brother, John, told the early Christians that he was their “brother and fellow-partaker in the tribulation, in the Kingdom, and in endurance.” (1 John 1:9) We are not alone and we have numerous brethren and fellow partakers around the world who will walk with us.

Purpose - May we never forget, even when dealing with pain, problems, and pressures of this life that God has blessed us with a purpose that rises above everything else in this world. Our pre-eminent purpose in life is to live in such a way that we glorify God in everything we do and everything we say. Three times in Ephesians 1 Paul says that we are to live to the praise of His glory. When we approach life in this way, nothing will keep us from doing the Will of God.

My prayer is that when you are struggling, that God will bless you through prayer, through the people He has brought into your life, and through the purpose He has designed for you. What else keeps you going?