Dave’s Monday Blast – December 29 2025
Well…2025 is about spent! It has been an interesting year in our country and around the world. The chaos is everywhere and seems to be spreading like a bad virus. What are we in store for in 2026? More of the same, and likely worse, for those who choose to follow in the steps of the Master. To that end, I would simply say ENDURE – PERSEVERE!
The word persevere can be found many times in both the Old and New Testament. It is translated in two ways;
1. In the Old Testament it is used to speak of God’s permanence in contrast to the mutability of human beings and the world. The idea is that we are to have confidence in, or have a tense expectation of “waiting on” the power or faithfulness of God, because He is our deliverer (Psalms 37:9; Isaiah 51:5; Micah 7:7; Zephaniah 3:8). It is closely linked with the idea of hope (Psalm 5:11; 7:1; 16:7).
2. In the New Testament this idea is best understood as “faith and hope” in the God we have seen in the form of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament the idea of “waiting and expecting” for the coming Messiah; in either case we persevere and find our ultimate salvation in God.
We must energetically resist the frontal assaults from our enemy (Satan), resolve to be steadfast under pressure from the world to doubt His faithfulness, and endure in the face of trials. Perseverance is a strange tension in the life of faith, but INTENTIONAL men of God know that we are called to trust God’s will. Yet we’re also called to keep praying, to keep knocking on the door even when nothing seems to be changing for the better.
Jesus tells a story in Luke about a man pounding on his friend’s door at midnight, refusing to walk away empty handed. There is something bold about that kind of persistence. Something almost unreasonable…as if we were trying to convince God or change His mind. But Jesus praises it. Read the account in Luke 11:1 – 10.
Authentic Manhood Ministries comments: “Perseverance is rooted in the things we can control. It’s when God gives us a vision, and we don’t back down even when we encounter obstacles. It’s clinging to the truth about God’s character even when life doesn’t make sense. It refusing to abandon the process just because we don’t see progress.
This is different from willpower, where we cling to specific outcomes, strive from a place of fear, and try to bend the universe towards our will because we ‘know what’s best.”
Striving comes from fear. “If I don’t make this happen, everything will fall apart.” But Perseverance comes from trust. “I’m doing what I can, and I believe God is doing what I can’t.”
As we enter into 2026 I just wanted to encourage you to endure. Put on the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10 – 18) each and every day to protect you from Satan’s chaos virus. And remember James 1:12: “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
