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Have you ever watched the movie Pleasantville? As a child, I must have watched this movie at least a dozen times.  Pleasantville was about a world that was black and white.  

Everything seemed perfect, and everyone lived comfortably on the surface.  That was until a visitor came in and disrupted the perfect world of Pleasantville.  Upon the arrival of this visitor, Pleasantville was changed forever. 

What was black and white suddenly became filled with color.

There are times in our lives when we encounter our own Pleasantville experiences.  Everything seems near perfection.  Life is simple until the unknown occurs.  

  • The money is simply not adding up.  
  • The relationship that felt like it would last forever ended. 
  • The door that was once opened quickly slammed shut.  
  • There was a sudden miscarriage or loss. 

Suddenly we are left trying to figure out how to cope with hardships and tests.

These types of experiences can feel earth-shattering and disrupt your entire world.  I know because I have also had these types of experiences.  (You can read about some of them here.)

Yet I have learned not to stay focused on trial, but the fruit that each trial will produce.  

Here are three reasons a Christian needs perseverance

Build Testimony

Behind heartache, tests, hurts, and disappointment, there is always great testimony if you hold on to faith and learn how to persevere.

While it may not feel like it, what you are walking through is not meant to destroy you. Your testimony carries great power and is intended to help someone else.  

Most Christians are familiar with the story of Shadrach, Meschach, and A Billy Goat (I’m sorry I had to ).  

They were also known as the three Hebrew Boys.  

These young men stood up to the King of their nation by refusing to worship a golden statue (Daniel 3).  As a result, they were thrown into a literal fire. Rather than rescue them from the fire, Jesus sat in the fire with them.  

It’s easy to read this story and think that it’s cute or cool that Jesus came down in a fire with these young men.  That is until you or I am thrown into our personal fires.  

Then humanly, we cry out for God to take us out. I’ll be honest; there were times when I was in my own fiery furnaces. 

 I cried and begged God to make it stop.  All I knew is I wanted to stop crying, quit being frustrated, stop hurting.

Just like the three Hebrew boys, God didn’t extinguish the fire, but God kept me through it. He sat with me.  

At the end of the Hebrew boys’ story came a great testimony. The King saw that the fire did not kill these men. It was a miracle to witness this. 

Due to this great testimony, this same unbelieving King changed the law of a whole nation so that they could worship the God that preserved these boys from death.  Pretty cool, huh?  

If these boys did not persevere, then an entire nation may not have heard about our great God.  Yes, the fire was hot, petrifying, and felt like near death.  

BUT there was great fruit on the other side of perseverance. 

Develop Maturity

One of the most significant fruits of Christian perseverance is maturity (James 1:4).  If you saw a baby that never grew, you would know instantly that something is not right.  

As we walk with God, we must also mature.  This process is filled with tests, lessons, and character building.  The end goal is for us to become a mirror image of Jesus Christ.

You may be asking God for financial freedom, a child, a marriage, or a home.

Whatever your requests are, there is one certainty.  The right character will allow you to properly maintain and steward all of the blessings that God intends to give you. 

It would make little sense for God to give you blessings you are just not mature enough to handle.

Gain Heavenly Rewards

Know that when it is all said and done, not only will you be rewarded on earth for the Christian perseverance, but you also have eternal rewards just for you (James 1:12). 

Yes. Eternity is real.

I’m not sure about you, but there is a level of excitement that hits my soul when I think of crowns in heaven that God is waiting to rest on the heads of His children as a  reward.

Congratulations from men may bring a sense of accomplishment, but when God is pleased, that’s another level of fulfillment. 

On the other side of your hardship, I encourage you to stand in hope.  God is one that preserves.  As you lean on Him, He will give you strength and teach you how to persevere.

While you are going through, know that it is not purposeless.  When it is all said and done, Christian perseverance builds testimony, develops maturity, and allows you the opportunity to gain heavenly rewards. 

As always, I will be praying for your strength!

Until Next Time,

Be Strong, Be Courageous, Serve God Wholeheartedly.

Gilberta Thompson