“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”
Our Lord promised us that without Him, nothing can be accomplished. Any work for God, any advancement of His plan, any attempt to glorify our God will fail without the power of the Holy Spirit guiding, sustaining, and accomplishing it. But the Spirit does not lead us blindly.
Our work for God takes VISION. Without a Biblically-founded goal, we lack the stability that is required to make a significant impact. While God in His wisdom and power has sometimes used a man without VISION, history shows us that we often do not reap the blessings God intends to pour out unless we have a VISION that gives a purpose to our lives.
To maintain such a vision in spite of obstacles and setbacks requires PERSEVERANCE. Sometimes people mistake apathy for PERSEVERANCE. They mistake passively waiting for actively working toward a result even when circumstances are unfavorable. PERSEVERANCE recognizes the need for diligent effort while patiently waiting on God to provide the results.
But there is no reason to wait patiently for God to work when we refuse to OBEY His clear commands. OBEDIENCE to God gives Him the freedom to work on our behalf. While there are examples of God in His mercy intervening to bring about a godly result from disobedience, we must also recognize that God desires to bless those who are OBEDIENT.
These four lead us to TRUST. The man who TRUSTS God understands his need for the Holy Spirit to work through a long term plan and perseveres in spite of setbacks to obey God. Such a man allows God to work at His own pace without becoming discouraged or apathetic. He believes that God will bless obedience even if he does not see that blessing in his lifetime.
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