Perseverance Archives - Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel

We Are Victorious! and Sitting Among Friends Blog Party #36

Jaime Wiebel — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 07:49:00 +0000

I had asked my oldest son to take a bike ride with me. He was eager to go until we began the trek and he realized that the route we were taking required him to go up a hill to get home.

Where we live, no matter what route we take, we have to go uphill to get back home. It is a three to four block steep climb.

Immediately, he tried to make an alternate plan. Riding just a short distance or down the street and back. The fact that he had gone this way before didn’t help at all. He had felt defeated before we even began.

I told him he could go home and go a different time. His heart was telling him to go, but the road ahead was hard and exhausting.

I understand. I have been in his position many times in my life.

I know with my Christian walk and ministry I have faced the same issues. As a Christian, I am sure you know this journey all too well.

There have been times, I thought following Jesus was supposed to be easy. As long as I was doing what I thought Christ had called me to do, there should have been a free pass or an express lane.

The exact opposite of that has been true. In the past, every time I would begin a new bible study, it seemed my house would fall apart.

I would wonder, am I not doing what God has called me to do? I am going out and ministering to women and here I am, I can’t keep my own life together. I am a mess. And the doubt of getting up the hill began to settle in.

Friends, that is a lie that the enemy wants you to believe. You do not have to be perfect to serve Christ. Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6 For I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Our perfection is being made through Christ. It is being made through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The battles of the road ahead and the steep inclines can cause us to waiver and retreat if we are not careful. If we try to take the safe road and not the route that is going to make us stronger, we will not learn to persevere and see the victories we have in Christ.

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus–the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. Acts 20:24

Our task it to tell others the Good News of the Gospel. So on that day that we meet Him face to face, we can rejoice in the race we have finished because of the wonderful grace God has granted us.

I am often reminded when I hear someone, including myself, grumble about the difficulties of the Christian walk of this verse from Matthew.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24

Christ understood that denying of ourselves or turning from our selfish ways had to be the hardest thing we could do because that is exactly what He has called us to do to follow Him.

Being a Christian was never intended to be easy. It was an uphill climb. It was to be a trek to the finish that made us work harder and become stronger.

Feeling stuck at the bottom of the hill?

Don’t lose heart! Now is the time to rejoice! Matthew also tells us: But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:13

Climb that hill. Take those steps. Do the tasks you have been called to do until that day…

Victory, my friends, is Ours!

Who we are in Christ, is Victorious!

We can know where the road leads. We can know that in Christ Jesus we are being made complete. Someday, in all of our fullness, this road will be the one that leads us home!

Hallelujah!

I am so glad you are here today.

If you are not sure about your salvation in Christ, please contact me. I would love to have this chat with you. Don’t wait another day. I want you to know the victory and hope that you can have in Jesus!

Please encourage a friend today by sharing this page with them!

You can also join me on one of my social media sites where we can connect throughout the week. Facebook

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*New To Sitting Among Friends Blog Party*
I am glad to call you, friend! Here is a badge you are welcome to post on your site!

I am going to be sharing a Featured Friend, weekly! I love that so many of you come and share with us every week and I would love to highlight your work! The friend that I have chosen this week is…

(Oh My Goodness, I just realized I left this blank, that’s what I get for working until 3 am.) Without further ado…My friend this week is Michelle from Grammie Time. I love visiting Michelle’s space because she shares with us her authentic heart. Each week she hosts Party and My Place and I am glad to introduce her to you here. Michelle, I am glad you are here and look forward to your visits every week!

While you’re here, sit down with some of my friends.

WOW! I know Summer is busy so I thank you all for coming here and for the 83 Amazing posts. This party has been wonderful and it is thanks to you, friends, who link-up with us and those who stop by and read and SHARE! Thank you!

You all are amazing writers who share DIY’s, Recipes, Photos, Giveaways, Homeschool and Family and Faith. Many of you have amazing journeys of faith and I praise the Lord we are able to connect here!

Friends are here to encourage and challenge us in our walk of life, so enjoy!

There are easy share buttons to your left or at the bottom of each post (mobile) and after you link-up. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! From all of us at #SittingAmongFriends
***As of last week, I am no longer pinning to Pinterest, but you are welcome to join me on Pinterest and Pin to Our Sitting Among Friends Blog Party Board where I will be happy to re-pin posts to my other boards. If you missed last weeks email with the details let me know and I can resend it to you. ***

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The post We Are Victorious! and Sitting Among Friends Blog Party #36 appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

Hope and Sitting Among Friends Blog Party #5

Jaime Wiebel — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 08:30:00 +0000

Hope. Seems as if we are searching for this thing. Hope.

We are personally ill or have a friend who is battling an illness. We hope for treatment. We hope for a cure. We hope for recovery. We hope for rest.

We have been searching for just the right job. We hope it fits the life of our family. We hope it will bring us satisfaction. We hope our co-workers are nice or at least tolerable.

We are seeking peace in our relationships. We hope they will understand. We hope they will meet us in the middle. We hope for some resolution. We hope the kids will be okay.

Hope. Daily. Seeking. Hope. In Something. In Someone.

This is one reason that I love the Christmas story. Whether you are a believer or not you could not have gone through the Christmas Season and not gazed upon the manger scene.

No matter where you were at, you could not have avoided it. Nearly every street on every block has the manger scene.

Maybe you hoped it had nothing to do with you. Maybe you hoped it had something to do with you. Maybe you hoped it had everything to do with you.

What I love about seeing baby Jesus in the manger is it reminds me of the hope that came.

Jesus Christ came as hope. Hope for the past. Hope for our present. Hope for our future.

Merriam-Webster defines hope as, to cherish a desire with anticipation or to desire with expectation of obtainment.

One of my favorite verses is Hebrews 11:1. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

It is one of my favorite verses because I feel like it defines me. I have a confident faith in what I hope for, the reality of Jesus Christ. Who came in the flesh to dwell among us, died, was resurrected, and now is seated at the right hand of God interceding on my behalf on a daily basis.

You might ask, how do you know that? How can you say that with confidence? Did you see Christ in the flesh and how can you believe these stories?

My answer is hope. My hope came for me. My hope is someday returning for me. My hope is in Jesus Christ. Hebrews reminds us we can have the assurance of this hope.

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. Romans 8:24-25

Many people may argue that Jesus Christ is not or was not real. Many argue His existence. After all, with my own two eyes, I have not seen Him. I will not argue that point today. Romans, however, tells us hope is not seeing because who hopes for something they have seen. (I do not hope for my neighbor to get better when I have already seen she is well.)

Hope is the anticipation, the eager perseverance of waiting for what we confidently know to be true.

How can I know and have confidence in this hope?

I have witnessed the hand of God in my life. I have witnessed the rescue of my heart. I have felt the peace that comes only from God and we are called to be of witness to that hope.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

1 Peter 3:15

Quick story. My five-year-old little guy was outside with me. A recycling truck came by my house and as the giant metal arms of the truck were picking up the recycling bin, my guy got scared, ran away from me right past the truck. As he did, the arms came up and the bin on it hit him square in the face. He flew back to the stone surround of the flowerbed with a near miss to the back of his head. There is really no reason why he came out of that accident with a few loose teeth and a scratch on the chin. Everything about that should have gone severely bad.

I saw every second of it. It plays over and over in my mind. Every time, it brings me to tears. Why? My guy was saved.

My God is good. In God, I have hope. Some days, in some situations, it is all I have. It is what makes me persevere when times are tough and I have nothing else to grab or hold onto.

Hope. Hope for my past. Hope in the present. Hope for my future.

What do you do with this hope? Do you grab a hold of this hope for yourself? Do you continue seeking hope in something or someone else? The choice is yours to make.

If you would like to know further how you find hope in Jesus Christ, send an email to youresewtrendy@gmail.com

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The post Hope and Sitting Among Friends Blog Party #5 appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.