A CALL TO PERSISTENCE

MONDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2022

It's one thing to know the hope of our calling in Christ; its another thing to live like it experientially. You can understand a lot about something but never exercise faith in practicing it. For instance, you can have the knowledge of God's will about a situation and yet lack the experience of the reality because you wane in putting that truth into effect due to lack of persistence. Confession is just one side of it, meaning that its not complete. We must put what we believe in into effect and stand firm on the knowledge come what may, in order to have a personal encounter with God's faithfulness as functional Christians.

Reference: Hebrews 10:23 New King James Version (NKJV). "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."

To hold fast is to continue to believe in or adhere to maybe, an idea, promise or principle. In the context of today's topic, it is to establish a firmness of tenacity, with determination, diligence, endurance and commitment to what God has assured us in His Word. In the above Scripture, the confession of our hope is not limited to our earthly gains and expectations, it is also the expectation of sharing in the glory of Christ, when He appears. By simplifying my insight into the in-depth knowledge of the verse, I can summarize it as follows:

LET US - Refers to many, which means, this is addressed to the sanctified body of Christ in general (see Hebrews 10:14 NKJV).

HOLD FAST - Is to continue to agree with God by remaining steadfast and devoted to the Word.

THE CONFESSION - What we believe and speak in line with the Word.

OF OUR HOPE - All our expectations and God's calling which are in line with the Word.

WITHOUT WAVERING - Our firm attitude towards receiving our expectation.

FOR HE WHO PROMISED - The Calibre of Personality.

IS FAITHFUL - The character of His Personality is assured; He is immutable.

Now that we understand the nature of God's character and can perceive the unfathomable level of His ability, we can have confidence to persist in our faith profession.

Beloved, you can confess and hope for something and still diminish in your faith in relation to witnessing it. So the author of the book of Hebrews is encouraging you to put your confession into practice by means of staying power, persistence and dedication. This is a significant instruction based on the knowledge of God's faithfulness to deliver according to His integrity. In other words, the only way we can experience His faithfulness is by holding on to His Word. That's why the Biblical knowledge of God's will and our confession in line with it, must go together because in the Scriptures God has revealed to us His will and through our bold confessions, we align ourselves and words with His Word in order for Him to carry it out.

Beloved, our confessions must be uttered in total dependence on God's faithfulness. Although the Christian practice of Biblical meditation and confession is important, we must display an attitude of earnestness, total concentration, submission and reverence to the faithful God whose words do not fail. The hope of our confession is rooted in God's resources because He grants us the dictates of His promises in Christ according to the riches of His glory. God's riches are limitless and that's the resources that we draw on - as we confess the Word and profess our faith with perseverance.

Don't be unwavering in your confession rather be bold and conscious in declaring God's will, trusting in His glorious riches. Perhaps you lack commitment because you waver; thus you don't trust the Word enough or have faith in divine resources to come through for you. Maybe you're more focused on what is happening around you and any unfavourable circumstances than you are on His promises. Don't function that way. Instead learn to live as the heir of God's fulfilled promises and unfathomable riches already made available and accessible in Christ, through your unwavering, positive confessions.

By consciously feeding on the Word, we strengthen our conviction on what the Word says concerning us and by the wisdom of the Spirit's inward assurance and reinforcement, we lay hold on our expectations from God and all that belongs to us. Here's the process: We obtain our possessions and inheritance by yielding ourselves to be built up by the Word, in order to be well-rooted and grounded; firmly established in Christ. Acts 20:32 (ERV) says, "And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified."

Holding fast the confession of our hope in Christ is a call to "persistence" that gives stability and guarantee of divine results. And God is not just a faithful God, there are no limits to what He can do as the unlimited, sovereign and super-abundant Deity (see Ephesians 3:20-21). Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Hebrews 4:14; Hebrews 6:18; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Hebrews 3:1-6; Revelation 3:11.

Exuberant Declaration: I'm grateful to God because the Scripture is very clear, precise and outright in revealing my possessions and inheritance in Christ. By holding fast my confession without wavering, the hope of God's calling empowers me to function in the present moment with joy and to look forward to the future with worthy expectations in line with the Word. Therefore, by believing in the Word, acting on the dictates and anticipating good things to come, I establish my peace, health, success, prosperity, victory and wealth according to God's will and faithfulness. Blessed be God!