3 P’s that You Will Definitely Need on the Christian Walk
Sometimes I feel a little aimless as I walk with God (I know you feel the same at times) – a feeling where I am just rushing through life without paying careful thought to building my faith. This feeling comes along when I am busy, stressed, or just plain tired! The question is, is there anything to learn during this aimless season. Yes, there is, and I share what I have learnt below, summarized as the 3 P’s!
1) Patience
“How long are you going to keep me waiting, Lord?” – This is one of the most common questions that Christians ask! In fact, if you have never asked that question, you must be a very patient Christian! Patience is one of the lessons that every Christian must learn, because God does not do his stuff based on our timing, but his. God knows when the right time for you to finish school, get married, have a child, get a good job, or get into ministry is. His timing is always spot on; not a minute early, and not a minute late!
Check out the verse below…
Micah 7:7 “As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.” (NLT)
What are the rewards of being patient? We get to see the beauty of what God can do if we give him time and space – the beauty of his perfect plans for each of us!
Ecclesiastes 3:11a “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.” (NLT)
2) Perseverance
When a journey becomes long and tiring, as the Christian life sometimes turns out to be, many give up. What, then, is the secret of persevering in the faith? Simple – focusing on what lies ahead, i.e. the end game.
James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (NIV)
The end game of remaining steadfast and preserving to the end is spiritual maturity. Every time you go through a trial and overcome (with God’s help), you increase your spiritual muscle. Think about the first trial you overcame – doesn’t it seem to be child’s play right now?
I remember there was a time in college when I had problems concentrating in class. It didn’t matter how interesting the lecturer or the topic was; I would write my notes diligently but I would not understand a thing that was said. Now, for a student who is expected to get good grades, that is a real test, isn’t it? Mercifully, God helped me to overcome that challenge. When I look back at this trial, it seems so elementary compared to what I am dealing with right now. The thing is, however, if I had not overcome that trial that was the biggest challenge in my life at the time, I would not be the Christian I am today!
3) Persistence
Are you aggressive in your Christian walk? Did you know that it is possible to be patient and to persevere, but not to persist? The common Kenyan phrase for this state is “mark-timing”, i.e. staying in the same safe and comfortable spot!
Though God is pleased with the fact that you are walking with him and remaining faithful, he requires that you choose to grow in the faith. Now, growing in the faith is not easy when everyone around you is walking in a different direction, is it? The trick to remaining persistent and purposefully in your Christian walk is simple –focus on God.
Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (NLT)
To remain focused on God, you must throw off everything that stands in the way of your relationship with him – everything including family, friends, work, relationships, physical items, habits, etc. In short, anything that causes you to sin, and diverts you away from your goal of maintaining a good relationship with God must go!
Getting rid of all these things is the true mark of persistence. For example, how do you let go of that relationship – that person you care for so much who is drawing you away from God? Thankfully, God gives us the strength we need to keep moving forward in our relationship with him, as he fills our hearts with the expectation of spending eternity with him. He desires that we persist in the faith to the very end when we will receive the prize he has promised us.
Philippians 3:14 “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (NLT)
Dear friends, patience, perseverance, and persistence are crucial components of our Christian walk. Let us do our best to remain patient as we grow in the faith, to persevere through trials, and to persist to the very end!
Hi, everyone! As always, I would love to hear from you. Let me know what stood out for you in this article, and what comments you may have. If you loved the article, please like it, share it with your friends and subscribe! See you next week! Alison