Persistence

One early morning, around 3:20 a.m., actor Chris Pratt was riding through Atlanta following eighty hours of exhaustive filming on a movie. Looking over the darkened streets, he felt burdened for the downtrodden.

Pratt, who professes Christ, wrote a note on Instagram. He recalled the many years when he had to ‘hustle hard and go hungry. I had to eat sardines and figure out how to get gas money,’ he said. ‘Don’t give up.’ 

Pratt credits his inspiration to an encounter outside a liquor store when he was 19. A stranger stopped him, told him about Christ, and gave him a message that changed his life.

When you’re eating sardines and seeing meager results, and when neither sun nor stars appear for many days, it’s easy to give up. In the story of the storm in Acts 27, even the seasoned sailors, even the writer, Luke!, gave up. But God had not given up, and He was stronger than the storm.

When discouragement begins to creep into your life, look to Christ and don’t give up. He will keep you from sinking.”

Are you fasting, preparing yourself as you look forward to what God has in store? Or have you made resolutions to keep? It is very easy for discouragement to step into your life and derail your plans to move forward with the Lord. It may seem as little things trying to get in your way. 

But what’s important is that you don’t give up. Go to the Lord in prayer. Draw your strength from his promises to you. Listen to what God is saying to you and be obedient.

Each and every day, count your blessings. Giving thanks and praise is an important part of our worship and communication with God. When you give to the Lord, spend a few minutes to bless your offering and tithes.

Malachi 3:8-10

“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me!

But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’

In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.

Let us Pray

Father, I thank You and praise You for translating me from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom that You have prepared for me. Thank You that it is a kingdom of mercy, a kingdom of joy, a kingdom of peace and a kingdom of abundance.

Heavenly Father, as I bring my tithes and offerings to you, as meager as they may be, I plant it in Your kingdom as a seed of blessing. Bless all those who would benefit from this offering in some way and who may receive your word as I did.

I thank You, Lord, that You’ve rebuked Satan for my sake, and I stand in agreement with Your Word that he’ll not destroy my land. He’ll not destroy my blessings, and he’ll not destroy my crop in the field. I am a citizen of Your kingdom. 

I have the rights and privileges of a citizen of that kingdom, and I stand upon them. Thank You, Jesus, that heaven’s unlimited resources are mine in Your Name! Amen.