(Part 2 – continued from same day)
Here are a couple of the confessions from our list we “just happened” to read Sunday night (3/9). I later realized they went along perfectly with the PATIENCE but NOT PASSIVITY word Rick gave Monday night (3/10) (and also go along with the verses the Lord’s been giving). I forgot to mention these confirmations in the last message!
“God is not unjust; He will not forget our work and the love we have shown Him as we have helped His people and continue to help them. We will not act as one who has lost their enthusiasm, excitement, zeal, and passion, and has sunk into a watered down state of sluggishness with lack of motivation and focus, insensitive to the things of the Spirit, and losing the edge we once possessed. We shift back into HIGH GEAR and go after God’s best with all our might. We view the loss of passion, momentum and desire as totally unacceptable. We eradicate every hint of spiritual neutrality and slothfulness. We RECLAIM RED HOT PASSION, LASER BEAM FOCUS, INTENSITY, ZEAL, DETERMINATION, TENACITY. WE SHOW THIS DILIGENCE TO THE VERY END, in order to make our hope (confident expectation of good) sure. WE WILL NOT BECOME LAZY, but we will imitate those who through FAITH AND PATIENCE INHERIT WHAT HAS BEEN PROMISED. (inspired from Hebrews 6:10-12 and Sparkling Gems on that passage)”
“We hold fast, unswervingly to our profession of faith, for He who promised is FAITHFUL. We stay in agreement with God, speaking what He says, tightly wrapping our arms around the promises we confess, embracing them with all our might – fixed, unbending, relentless, unmoving, stable, enduring. We dig in our heels, we drive down our stakes. We refuse to give up or back down. We’ve invested too much. We’ve come too far. We aggressively choose to believe that what God has promised, He will do. (inspired from Hebrews 10:23 and Sparkling Gems from May 16)”
THIS WAS PRECISELY WHAT RICK TALKED ABOUT IN MONDAY NIGHT’S HOME GROUP. They also went along with both of the Rick devos the Lord led me to read Tuesday!!! The one He gave us Monday, Mar 10th – Hang in There and Don’t Give Up (below) AND another He’d given us on the 8th (Gem from June 22) – Don’t Throw Away Your Confidence! Both of these go along perfectly and precisely with this theme and focus on some of the recurring verses He’s been giving. This Greek word hupomeno that’s discussed below has been a relentless mantra from the Lord for 3 years!!!!!! Help us Jesus!
Here’s a part of “Hang in There and Don’t Give Up” by Rick Renner (As always, though I don’t believe it needs to be stated for true Christians, the clarification must be made for those who do not understand Christianity or who are looking for reasons to falsely accuse – “fighting”, “warfare”, “battle,” and “soldier” terminology does not refer to fighting people, but to our battle against the spiritual forces of evil in the unseen realm spoken of in Ephesians 6 and elsewhere in Scripture.) :
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Hang In There And Don’t Give Up
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. — James 1:2-4
… no matter where you live or what you’re facing, remember that it’s essential to have the right attitude toward high-pressure situations! The Early Church called “patience” the “queen of all virtues.” They believed that if they possessed this one virtue, they could survive anything that ever came against them. It is this same virtue that is sustaining believers today who live in godless regions of the world — and this virtue is exactly what you need to victoriously outlast the pressures and ordeals you may be dealing with today.
James was writing to believers who were undergoing the kind of hardships described above (persecution, trials, etc.). He told them, “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” The word “patience” is the Greek word hupomeno — a compound of the words hupo and meno. The word hupo means under, as to be underneath something. The word meno means to stay or to abide. You could say that the word meno means to remain in one’s spot; to keep a position; to resolve to maintain some territory that has been gained. It is the state of mind that says, “This is my spot, and I’m not moving!”
The determination inherent within the word hupomeno is clearly seen when it was used in a military 
sense to picture soldiers who were ordered to maintain their positions even in the face of fierce combat. Their order was to stand their ground and defend what had been gained. To keep that ground, they had to be courageous to do whatever was required — no matter how hard or difficult the assignment. Their goal was to see that they survived every attack and held their position until they had outlived and outlasted the resistance. These soldiers had to indefinitely and defiantly stick it out until the enemy realized they couldn’t be beaten and decided to retreat and go elsewhere. Thus, the word hupomeno conveys the idea of being steadfast, consistent, unwavering, and unflinching. It is the attitude that declares, “I don’t care how heavy the load gets or how much pressure I’m under, I am not budging one inch! This is my spot, and I’m telling you right now that there isn’t enough pressure in the whole world to make me move and give it up!”
Although the King James Version translates this word “patience,” a more accurate rendering would be endurance. One scholar calls it staying power, whereas another contemporary translator calls it hang-in-there power. … This is an attitude that never gives up! It holds out, holds on, outlasts, and perseveres. … This word illustrates the patient endurance Jesus demonstrated during His trial, scourging, and crucifixion. Even though the assignment was the most difficult task ever given to anyone, Jesus stayed with it all the way to the end.
Keeping all this in mind, James 1:4 could be interpreted:
“But let patience have her perfect work — I’m talking about the kind of attitude that hangs in there, never giving up, refusing to surrender to obstacles and turning down every opportunity to quit….”
The Early Church called patience the “queen of all virtues” for good reason. They knew that as long as they had this character quality working in their lives, it wasn’t a question of if they would win their battles — it was only a question of when they would win their battles. Hupomeno — that is, endurance, staying power, hang-in-there power — is one of the major weapons you need to outlast any difficulty or time of stress and pressure that comes your way. So if you’re going through some rough circumstances at the moment, be encouraged! It’s a fleeting and temporary condition that will soon change! It’s time for you to get your eyes off your challenges and to stop fixating on your problems. Make up your mind that you’re going to stand your ground and hang in there. It won’t be long until the problems flee — and when they do, you’ll be so glad you didn’t give up! (Copyright © Rick Renner, Sparkling Gems from the Greek)
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entire devo at: Hang In There and Don’t Give Up!
Hope this encourages you today! Confession #7 still to come…
Blessings and Prayers! Laura
