In this age of instant gratification, we rarely talk about perseverance. But the Bible is full of stories about people who persevered, and the blessings that they received because of it.
So in today’s post, I am going to discuss 10 powerful Bible verses on perseverance and how they apply in your everyday life.
What does God say about overcoming obstacles?
Over and over again God urges us to overcome obstacles by doing good, persevering and leaning on him. For instance, in Psalm 9:9-10, we are reminded to take refuge in God during our time of need.
On the other hand, James 1:12 promises us that we will receive the crown of life if we endure temptation.
How does God want us to persevere?
God wants us to persevere by praying ceaselessly, studying the bible, and seeking fellowship with others. Throughout the Bible, God calls us to pray ceaselessly, especially during hard times. This helps us build intimacy with God and get the strength to persevere.
Even Jesus prayed in Gethsemane before his crucifixion – he prayed so hard he sweated blood. Even after he died on the cross and his disciples started being persecuted for his name’s sake, they still met up, prayed, and read scripture together.
Ultimately, it was during one of these gatherings that they received the holy spirit.
What is the key to perseverance?
As the Apostle Paul tells us again and again, the key to perseverance is self-control and discipline. In Corinthians 9:24-27, he reminds us how important it is to discipline and control our bodies if we want to win the race of life.
He likens this to what a runner needs to do to run a marathon.
In this way, Paul reminds us that we are in charge of how we handle the things that happen to us in life. And we can’t do this without being intentional and steadfast.
So in many ways, perseverance is a mental state as much as it is a spiritual one.
What does it mean to persevere spiritually?
To persevere spiritually means to endure and persist through all the various trials and tribulations that we face in the attainment of our spiritual goals.
So whether you are struggling to kick a vice or are undergoing the testing of your faith, perseverance is key. Beyond that, it is necessary for our purification and our attainment of God’s best.
In fact, Acts 14:22 reminds us of how trials of various kinds allow us to enter the Kingdom of God. On the other hand, James 1:3-4 talks of how perseverance works to make us perfect.
Who in the Bible showed perseverance?
God’s word is full of people who persevered – David, Jacob, Job, and Hannah are just a few. Even the author and perfecter of our faith, Christ Jesus, was the face of perseverance.
He had to endure the cross to get to the right hand of the throne of God.
After all, the symbol of Christianity is a cross – nothing symbolizes perseverance more accurately. So you see, perseverance is a huge tenant of our faith. It is the proverbial twin of suffering.
And since life is full of the latter, the former is the only way to only survive but also grow.
Bible verses about perseverance
The bible is full of verses that talk about perseverance in our hard work and even in our good fight of faith. These include:
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. – Galatians 6:9 ESV
In this verse, Paul reminds us of the importance of perseverance in our daily Christian lives. This verse is included in the variety of instructions that the apostle gives to the Galatian churches of God.
In the same chapter, he reminds them to correct each other with kindness, carry their burdens, and avoid comparing themselves to others.
However, it is what comes just before this verse that gives it weight. Here, Paul warns about sowing out of the flesh, citing that everyone reaps what they sow.
Therefore, the verse we are focusing on points to the importance of persistently doing good work.
Ultimately, this verse teaches us that it’s the will of God that we do good things to all people, no matter what is happening in our lives. Remember, Jesus once said that even pagans treat their loved ones well – it takes character to treat those who are different from us well too.
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus- Philippians 3:13-14 ESV
Few bible verses depict perseverance like this one. Written by Paul the apostle, this verse reminds us of the constant struggle that is required to reach spiritual and even physical goals.
Not only does it encourage us to always strive forward but it also reminds us not to focus on the past.
It also forces us to recognize that we are not yet perfect – nay, we are far from it. But our effort can move us a bit forward every day. While Paul was writing this to the Philippians, he could well be writing to us right here in the 21st century.
After all, how many times have we gotten distracted by our past or trapped by our complacency? Many times, I bet. So just like Jesus required Peter to focus on him to walk on water, we need to focus on higher things to persevere and remain persistent throughout the vicissitudes of life.
Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. – Proverbs 4:25-26 NIV
In this verse, King Solomon teaches us an important lesson about perseverance – that it requires extreme focus.
For you to persevere all that life will throw at you, you need to focus on your goal and be careful. Otherwise, you will easily be distracted, especially by evil and corruption.
This is particularly emphasized in the powerful bible verses before this one. In them, Solomon advises us to guard our hearts and not to stumble into wickedness and perversion.
Bible verses about perseverance through hard times
During hard times, we need to persevere even more than usual. Fortunately, countless bible verses talk about perseverance in such times. Some are:
Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him – Job 3:15 NIV
We just can’t talk about persevering through hard times without mentioning the steadfastness of Job. He lost everything – his family, his wealth, and even his health.
Yet he did not deny or curse God, even though some of his dear friends advised him otherwise. Even in his hour of trial, he trusted God’s love and had faith that he would vindicate and restore him.
In the whole world, few are like Job and would display the kind of faith shown in the above-mentioned verse. However, God still loves us and encourages us to aim toward that.
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. – Romans 5:3-5 NIV
Here Paul talks about the importance of suffering and how it produces perseverance that then helps us develop other Godly qualities.
This verse points to the fact that suffering has meaning in the Christian faith – it’s just not a waste of pain and tears. Instead, it helps mold us into more Christ-like people.
Even James 1: 2-3 alludes to the same thing, citing that the testing of your faith is what produces perseverance. If you think about it, the challenges in your life are what have allowed you to get to the bottom of what you believe and flesh out your values.
For instance, you can only know for sure that you’re honest once you have been put in difficult circumstances where lying would be more convenient or less painful for you.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. – Hebrews 12:2-3 NIV
This bible verse reminds us of all that Jesus had to persevere for us and what he got for it so that we can encourage ourselves when we get tired of fighting the good fight.
By painting a picture of how severe Jesus’ situation was, the writer of Hebrews attempts to encourage even those in difficult circumstances.
Moreover, he reminds us to always follow Jesus’ example, even when it comes to perseverance. This means that even when we are opposed by sinful men and scorned by others, we should not give up.
And if we persist, he reminds us that the great reward is beyond what men can give us – the crown of life.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:37-38 NIV
No bible chapter explores God’s love for us quite like Romans 8. In the above verse, the apostle Paul particularly reminds us that the love of God remains with us throughout trials of various kinds, and even unto death.
This should not only give us peace but also help us persevere – because we know we are not alone. Remember that Psalm 23:4 tells us that God will comfort us even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
And he has done it for his people before – He was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were thrown into the fire for their belief in the power of God.
So don’t give up – even in your anguish, God is there with you.
Bible verse about patience and perseverance
It’s one thing to persevere, but to be patient while doing it? That is a whole other level of faith. Fortunately, countless bible verses talk about this and encourage you in your journey. A few are:
This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus. – Revelations 14:12 NIV
In this verse, John talks about the patience and perseverance believers will need to have in the end times. This is because the antichrist will seek to corrupt many during that time and will want to brandish them with the mark of the beast.
Those who reject it and stay firm in their knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ will eventually receive a great reward – eternal glory.
On the other hand, those that choose the beast will have no rest – they will know God’s fury. Ultimately, this verse and undeniably the whole chapter encourages us to persist in our faith, even in the face of persecution.
After all, it is our eternal souls that we fight for and our desire to dwell with God forever.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer – Romans 12:12 NIV
If there’s one thing that this bible verse teaches us, it’s that we should always be prayerful and hopeful, even when persevering through great affliction.
This is our lot in this life as believers. And as the powerful bible verses before and after this one say, part of being a Christian is serving others through the highs and lows of life.
This involves being there for those who are hurting and even being kind to our persecutors. This is all part of the good work that God put us on earth to do.
Through it, we learn to be more Christ-like and deny our flesh what it wants.
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. – Lamentations 3:25-26 NIV
Written by the Prophet Jeremiah, this bible verse aims to encourage us to submit to the will of God, even when we don’t understand it quite well.
Jeremiah writes this after talking about the afflictions he has gone through and how he has repeatedly felt that God has turned away from him and left him to suffer.
But even now, Jeremiah still has hope that God will save him and bless him.
Even though he doesn’t know when this will happen, he is sure of it. Ultimately, this verse and the whole of this chapter teach us that patient endurance is integral to living within the will of God.
After all, even 1 Peter:5 reminds us that God will save and restore us after we have suffered for a while.
Examples of perseverance in the bible
Paul’s example of perseverance
One of the best examples of perseverance in God’s word is the story of the Apostle Paul. He was constantly persecuted for spreading the news of the grace of God.
He was flogged, shipwrecked, and even pelted by stones severally, because of his steadfast love of the Lord. He was even imprisoned at some point.
But he chose to fear none of these things and remained faithful, persisting in his good work and preaching the love of God up to his death.
Even when he was in trouble like in the prison cell with Silas, he didn’t sulk and give up, he sang, prayed, and listened to the holy spirit. Ultimately, he is a reminder that we should be ready to suffer for the crown of life that God promises us.
Hannah’s example of perseverance
Another example of perseverance in God’s word is the story of Hannah. While her co-wife was giving birth to several children, she had to patiently wait for her due season.
This was painful for Hannah, especially since she wanted a son so badly.
But she never gave up – instead, she prayed ceaselessly, even promising to dedicate her son to God. Her due season did eventually come, and she welcomed a son named Samuel.
Ultimately, such bible stories remind you that the challenges you face in life are just the testing of your faith.
Conclusion
If there’s one thing you quickly realize when you study the bible, it’s that life is full of challenges. But there’s some good news – Jesus is at the right hand of the throne of God, interceding for us and giving us strength. So don’t be afraid – you are never alone.
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