IRONHEARTED

IRONHEARTED

Endure, Confidence, Steadfast, Persevere

 

 

 

Hebrews 10:36

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

James 1:12

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

2 Timothy 2:12

If we endure, we will also reign with him.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Hebrews 10:35-36

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised.
 

We clearly have been called to a life of enduring. A life of being steadfast and a life that is not only marked by love for others but a life marked by perseverance.

Do you persevere?

Are you confident?
Are you steadfast and what Paul called Immovable?

OR

Do you curl up in the fetal position when something happens or when pain occurs?

Does fear paralyze you?
Do you push “it” off to tomorrow?
Do you stop moving forward because things are just too hard?
Are you quick to quit?

The world is broken, fallen and incredibly complex. Challenges, obstacles, suffering and pain will come your way. Financial trouble, divorce, problems with raising your children, economic problems, health issues. This list goes on and on and on. Right now I have about 150 followers on our Facebook page. 150 people who are going through and having to deal with something that is challenging in their life or has proven to be an obstacle that seems too big to overcome. So, how do you continue to truly “live” through and deal with the experiences a troubled life?

Go back to the top and review those passages. Consider that not only do they command us to endure and persevere but they make promises that only God can keep.  You will receive what’s been promised by God, You are Blessed, you will receive the crown of life, you will reign with Christ,  your labor will not be in vain, you will reap what you sow by not growing weary.

God is paying attention to your situation. Actually, he’s in the midst of it with you. Your challenge is not being overlooked.

Consider the people of God: Moses with the stubborn people he refused to give up on; Elijah at Carmel going face to face with Baal; the embattled Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel brought into increasing conflict, with a hard-hearted people they were commissioned to serve. The same with the Apostles as they built the Church of Christ together. Trouble, pain, challenge and obstacles are all opportunities for Grace in Gods economy.

Some of the biggest stories in the word of God are of God’s people NOT fleeing conflict, but moving toward it in hope, believing God will be at work in the issue, problem, pain tension and the crappiness of life.

So what do we do? How do we practically day to day deal with the obstacles in our life?

Think About: 

1.      Go to the LORD in prayer daily and seek his guidance, engage daily in your faith no matter what the issue. BE with God.

2.       In all honesty you may have to just deal with it. You can’t yell or argue a problem out of your way. You need to accept it. You don’t have to allow it to keep you from getting to where you want to go but it might change how you get there.

3.       Think: Your issue could be worse. Lose some cash? You could be dead. Lost your job? What if you had lost your leg? Lost your house in the economic downturn? You could have lost it all.

4.      Face the issue, get to work but be humble enough at the end of the day to say “I’ve done all I can today.” It’s in the hands of God now. Ultimately he’s in control and sovereign over your life.

5.       Look for Joy, look for happiness: Thomas Edison lost an entire factory in a massive fire not long after he invented the light bulb. Did it stop him? Nope. He told reporters that he wasn’t too old to make a fresh start.

6.       You don’t get to choose what happens to you and somethings are just simply out of your control. You can’t control them but you can control how you react and behave towards them. You can choose to feel good about it and render a good account of yourself. There are opportunities and benefits lying in the adversity but you have to look for them.

7.       Don’t give up. Be ironhearted. Go around the problem, go behind it, go underneath it or even backward. Keep moving forward, keep going, keep advancing. Trust God no matter how many times you’re thrown back. Retain the power to decide to get up again and again.
 

8.       You might not win the war immediately but you can win some battles.

 

9.    Take a step back. Can you take yourself out of the equation for just a moment? Sometimes when we are stuck, when we are met with some obstacle that is out of our control and that we may not be able to change it helps to stop making it about you all the time. I'm not saying you have to be the martyr for everyone but c'mon...stop with the Why did this happen to me? What am I going to do about this? Me, me, me, me...If you can't solve this problem for yourself how could you at least try to make it better for someone else. How could you use this situation to be of some benefit to others even it's small. You might shock yourself how quickly the hopelessness disappears. You now have a mission. You're not just stuck in the mud. There might just be an opportunity for you to be heroic even.

I work full time in the world of Talent Acquisition otherwise known as "recruiting". I’ve been in corporate America for over 20 years and have been laid off to many times. When companies are losing or times get tough companies typically do not hire which means they don't need someone like me. The first time I was laid off It was 2008 right in the early stages of the economic downturn. Myself and 400 other people walked out of our corporate office together. It was scary. Not only was I losing my job I had also just gone through a divorce.

Those were really rough years especially as a single Father of two girls. It took a long time to find a job. The hole in my obstacle though was starting my own business. I've done that twice now. I did not become a millionaire but I was able to sustain myself until the next opportunity presented itself. I found a way through my problem and I had to trust my Father in heaven through the whole thing. In doing so I learned a lot and became better as a result. During one of those times because I sold an opportunity to the CEO of a small company they actually offered me a job. I took it. It wasn’t the best but I made the best out of it and it actually ended up leading to a better job.

I have been through other challenges as well. Things that were actually worse than losing a job and did not seem like they would ever end. Challenges that tempted me to walk away from my faith. That said; standing on the other side I am a better person because of the obstacles. If it weren't for some of the stuff I've been through I may never had started Insight360. God uses these things to mold us and shape us. We will progressively become more like Jesus because of them.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and his name is Jesus. Trust God, stay in the fight, endure, persevere, be steadfast and immovable. Be Ironhearted.

Have Faith, Live Free & Live Fearlessly

Gordon