Faithfulness – The High Art of Persistance Part 2 of 6

Introduction

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, FAITHFULNESS, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5: 22-23)

If I may be so bold, let me correct the KJV version of the Bible. It uses the word Faith rather than Faithfulness. The RV as well as others do make this correction.

• Faith (Greek pistis) in of itself is passive. It is used in identifying something. Trust is another translation for the Greek Pistis

• Faithfulness however, is active. It is used when you do something.

• In this passage we are called to faithfulness, not just to recognize it.

• Explain further.

PART 2. FAITHFULNESS – THE HIGH ART OF PERSISTENCE

The High Art of Persistence Defined

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.

“There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” (Luke 18:1-8)

When we first learned how to Pray we may have learned that prayer consists of four (4) parts:

• • • Adoration
    • Contrition
    • Thanksgiving
    • Supplication

God may have added Persistence to this acrostic (ACT). Persistence states that we are serious about the work of prayer.

Faithfulness is hunger for God that will not rest until we have an answer. It is not extra verbiage or a more flowery language. It is inspired by desperation to hear from God. It is referred to here as an Art Form. When done humbly as supplication, relentless before the Lord, it will produce results. In times past I was asked “I love your prayers. How do you pray that way?” You must Learn how to do it by lots of Practice.

Everybody has faith in something. Our problem is that our faith is not always in God. It is in ourselves or maybe something else. For example we have faith in gravity. Why? Well, because it always works.  We must practice our Faith in God to the point that we find that it always works. This is called Faithfulness. It is also called Persistence. Love should never quit until it conquers. The same should be true with Faith. Do not quit until it sees.

The High Art of Persistence as it relates to The Purpose of God in My Life 

Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done, but unlike him he did not enter the temple of the Lord. The people, however, continued their corrupt practices. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord and did extensive work on the wall at the hill of Ophel. He built towns in the hill country of Judah and forts and towers in the wooded areas. Jotham waged war against the king of the Ammonites and conquered them. That year the Ammonites paid him a hundred talents of silver, ten thousand cors of wheat and ten thousand cors of barley. The Ammonites brought him the same amount also in the second and third years. Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God. (2 Chronicles 27:1-6)

King Jotham became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God. It also appears that Jotham was persistent in his walk with God even though many other Kings were not.

1. 1. Israel and Judah had 39 Kings in total.
   2. Israel had 19 Kings and they were all evil
   3. Judah had 20 Kings and 12 were considered “Evil”.
   4. Only 8 Kings of Judah were considered “Good”.

Somewhere King Jotham learned the lesson of brokenness which is based on trust. This broken pride is a beautiful gift that we can lay on the highest level of God’s alters.

Gene Edwards wrote this so beautifully in his book A Tail of Three Kings.

“God has a university. It’s a small school. Few enroll, even fewer graduate – very few indeed. God has this school because he does not have broken men, Instead he has several other types of men. He has men who claim to be God’s authority..and aren’t, men who claim to be broken and aren’t…. He has, regretfully, a spectroscopic mixture of everything in between. All of these he has in abundance, but broken men, hardly at all”

When we grow mature enough to embrace the heavy yoke of brokenness, we find our purpose in life.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” (Psalm 34:18)

And again the Word Speaks

“Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man??” (Proverbs 20:6)

 It helps to remember that we are broken because of the anointing. It is the anointing that breaks the yoke of despair.

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” (Isaiah 10:27)

The High Art of Persistence as it relates to My Relationship with Christ

“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.” (Job 13:15)

Job was very faithful to the point of being dogmatic. Could it be that our faithfulness is an inevitable response to God’s faithfulness? Remember what Jeremiah said in Lamentations

The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him! (Lamentations 3:19-24)

The High Art of Persistence as it relates to My Service to Others

And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. (Luke 11:5-8)

This Parable Illustrates Persistence

• • • The Requisition – I need something
    • The Groggy Neighbor – Good Grief, What!
    • The Requisition – Pretty please?
    • The Groggy Neighbor – No! Be reasonable!
    • The Requisition – I’m going to keep knocking. Help me.
    • The Groggy Neighbor – OK, here! Now we can both get some sleep.

The the boldness of the neighbor. Jesus commended him. Boldness is the key to faithful petitioning along with persistence.

God spoke to me once and said, “Without you my son there is nothing.” I did not understand until I realized that:

• • • Without God we cannot.
    • Without us, God will not.
    • There is no faithfulness without trust

Why would God trust us? Does He? He trusted Abraham and God called him Righteous.

The High Art of Persistence as it relates to My Personal Worship

Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts. (Psalm 15:1-4)

Belief without faithfulness amounts to nothing. Faithfulness does not quit until it sees. (God does not quit until He Conquers.)

Faithfulness is hungry for the answer and will not give up until it gets it. True Christianity hungers, not for the blessings of God, but for the presence of God.

The High Art of Persistence / A Character Study in Elijah

A must read; 1 Kings18:16-39, Elijah’s Mount Carmel Victory (It is too long to print here.)

This was a faith crisis in Israel’s history. Evil was about to win. Elijah challenges 450 prophets of Baal and 400 profits of Asherah saying “you have abandoned the Lord’s commands.” He also said, “if the Lord is God follow Him and if Baal is God follow Him. The god who answers by Fire. He is God.” Elijah did not care who saw him. He stood faithful to God and His word. This represents the High Art of Persistence in his faith.

Enough Said for Part 2. Now go on to Part 3 THE HABIT OF SPIRITUAL DEPENDENCY

Thy Words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16)