Written by Paul J Bucknell on June, 30, 2023

2 Peter 1:6b Practice Perseverance

PURSUING HIS EXCELLENCE #8

“⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,” (2 Peter 1:5-6, NASB).

Peter outlines the process of Christian growth in verses 5-8, a path that we have embarked on and by His grace will persist in following. We speak about the importance of perseverance: the resolve to stick to it through tough times.

Did you notice that when you begin to progress in some area of your life, your old problems often come back to haunt you? The enemy uses his old trick of discouragement to get you off the path of success. He aims to discourage you.

I once found myself struggling with a series of setbacks, feeling so discouraged. I made some mistakes that left me wondering if I was a failure, and I couldn’t tell if these negative thoughts were coming from God, Satan, or just my own doubts. During tough times like these, it’s easy to give up and change course, but that’s when perseverance becomes crucial. We need to keep pushing forward even when things are difficult because only then can self-control fully develop.

If we don’t persevere, our efforts toward improvement fizzle out and leave us feeling like failures. This is a common trap many people fall into when faced with adversity. It’s important to remember that God gives us the desire and power to take control and live according to His plan. Let’s dare to live by God’s amazing promises (2 Pet 1:4)!

If we persevere in good and wholesome choices, we will change our lives for the good. In what areas of life is it difficult for you to persevere? Here are three crucial heart changes needed to be a persevering Christian.

1. Long-term Perspective

We might assume that perseverance is easy to do, but it is not. We will not persevere unless our hearts are prepared. We will not challenge those things that threaten our new habits and choices unless we are determined. We will need to fight ease and peer pressure to stand firm. Life’s pressures test the depth of our determined spirit.

To be persevering, we need to think in terms of long periods of time. Many of us lose the battle because we are never prepared to do it for a long time. We focus on the immediate rather than on long-term changes. If you do not look at these decisions as decisions that will affect your whole life, then you are only dealing with symptoms. You don’t want a genuine change but only seek a surface change that gets you out of a fix.

If there is a specific need that requires a change in your behavior, then it is vital that you keep doing it all your life or as long as the situation is relevant. Many people haven’t thought about life with such long-term perspectives. I am not speaking about issues that change, such as the decision to attend a meeting, but more about how I make decisions to attend extra meetings and activities. We should work on a deeper understanding of these things so our lives are not a list of irrelevant activities but controlled behavior, all focused on God's purpose for us in this life.

As a person grows, he begins to understand what he should be doing (i.e., knowledge). As he appropriately responds to these good things (i.e., self-control), he better understands why he is living. He can see beyond his activities and understands why he does these things. Young people search harder than others for a reason “why” because they are discovering life’s purpose. The more a person understands his/her purpose, the easier it is to implement self-control and maintain perseverance. It is like a backbone that gives overall strength and focus. It is harder for older people to change, not because they are older and more settled, but because they have lost focus on God’s purposes for them.

Can you distinguish between self-control and perseverance? Both involve managing one’s thoughts and actions while overcoming resistance to achieve a particular goal. However, the difference lies in their duration. Self-control alone is insufficient as it lacks the necessary determination; we must add staying power.

When we surrender to God’s will, we can resist the desires and impulses that control other people. Rather than following trends, we live by faith in Biblical principles and build our foundation on solid rock. Persevering individuals maintain a long-term perspective.

To achieve this perspective, we must ask ourselves the right questions and focus on fulfilling God’s plan for our lives rather than our own desires.

Can you distinguish between self-control and perseverance? Both involve managing one’s thoughts and actions while overcoming resistance to achieve a particular goal.

2. Thorough Analysis

Perseverance requires us to take as thorough a look at the issues involved as possible. Of course, we will only be able to fully understand some of the issues involved. For example, the scriptures instruct a young person about making a vow. The Lord will not hold him to that vow if the father says no upon first hearing of it (Num 30:2-5). This is a safeguard in the divine order.

The fool says a hasty word before God, but does not follow through.

“² Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. ³ For the dream comes through much effort, and the voice of a fool through many words. ⁴ When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it, for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! ⁵ It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.” (Ecclesiastes 5:2-5)

Where you sense God leading you to make a change, think about whether or not you are determined enough to make those changes, along with the many other little changes needed to support that change. If we make a hasty decision, we likely have not thought through the repercussions for our lives.

Solomon persevered in many matters, especially in projects and philosophical thinking. His gardens and building projects were well known. Verse 2 says to let your words be few. In other words, say only a few words, not to impress or please with words but doing what God leads. The secularist lives without the fear of God, drifting about in life. But when a person fears God, his words will not be empty. He will be thinking of the necessary changes he needs to make to be loyal to God. He will make those needed changes despite the obstacles.

Think back a few steps with me through this process. If God grants you knowledge, He has also given you grace to live it out. If we do not put this knowledge to use, it displays our foolishness. Self-control demands that we apply this knowledge to our lives. Self-control is the application of knowledge for the short-term. Perseverance applies knowledge for the long haul. Changes demand extraordinary courage and insight, but a thorough analysis of one’s life is required for the long term. Individuals must ready themselves to reach their destination, for they will face resistance.

Application

Perseverance starts by taking control of our early morning hours to get up for devotional time with God. But on the other hand, we need to exercise self-control to get to bed at a decent hour. If we go want to go to sleep earlier, we better not eat chocolate before bed, or start watching a movie that ends 30 minutes before going to bed.

One decision influences many other decisions. The more aware we are of the other changes that need to be made, the easier it will be to maintain this new way of life. Perseverance requires a thorough analysis.

Jesus says,

“Now great multitudes were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? "Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'” (Luke 14:25-35)

3. Committed Understanding

The third crucial step to making a lasting change is to truly believe in what we are doing. Many people make resolutions based on feelings of guilt to fix bad behavior. Let me give you two examples.

First, you may be holding back from spending money due to credit problems and cash flow issues. However, you enjoy receiving compliments on your clothes and fear being seen as unfashionable. You must deal with this insecurity to stick to your budget, or you will not persevere. To make a real change, you need to accept yourself and God’s love, find new friends who accept you for who you are, and develop a new mindset focused on simplicity, contentment, and godliness.

Second, you may be treating others to show off your success, but this behavior may lead to problems such as running out of money or giving in to vices like alcohol or drugs. You may be back in the same situation if you do not change your heart’s motivation.

We must agree with the temporary and deep-down changes in our hearts to make a real change. We must uncover the lies causing our wrong thoughts and replace them with truths from God’s Word.

Ultimately, we need to be excited about God’s great ways and see them as liberating, uncovering wrong thoughts and lies through the truth of God’s Word. After acknowledging the need for self-control in particular areas, we set up and maintain good habits.

Reflection Questions on Perseverance, 2 Peter 1:6

What area of life is difficult for you to persevere?
What kind of person are you? Do you have perseverance?

Summary

We need three heart changes to achieve perseverance.

Long-term perspective: Gets beyond the immediate needs
Analysis: Looks down the road at God’s plans
Commitment: deals with heart issues

Perseverance enforces self-control until it becomes a habit. By persevering through these changes, we can succeed and praise God for His great work in our lives.

“But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness” (1 Tim 6:11).

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Faithfulness is perseverance’s cousin. Listen to how Jesus admires perseverance:

To the church in Ephesus, He says, “and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. “ (Revelation 2:3).

To the church in Thyatira, “I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. “(Revelation 2:19).

To the church in Philadelphia, “To the church in Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10).

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“⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, ⁶ and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, ⁷ and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; ¹¹ for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you” (2 Peter 1:5-10).