When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit. Judges 8:4
The Bible is full of exceedingly great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:4). No matter what we face in today’s world, whether it be personal or corporate, you can be sure there is one or more promises found in the Word of God that covers every situation. Those promises are appropriated by faith, not by feelings. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, but without faith, it’s impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). 

…and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe… Ephesians 1:19.  

All of God’s power stands ready to enforce or provide whatever His promises are that we need to appropriate in our lives. But, that power is only for those who believe. That is, only for those who choose to trust God, take Him at His Word, and stand in faith and patience until the blessings manifest
(Hebrews 6:12). However, when the manifestation takes longer than we expect or desire, exhaustion can set in, spiritually as well as physically. This was the situation with Gideon and his three hundred soldiers. They had the enemy on the run, but they were exhausted with the pursuit. What did they do? Keep reading Judges chapter 8 and you’ll discover they just kept going through sheer grit and determination, even though they wanted to stop and rest in the worst way. 

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us… Ephesians 3:20
 
Do Christians really believe what this verse tells us? Do I? Do you? If we say we do, then we must be prepared to stand for our answers as long as necessary, no matter how exhausted we may be. It takes discipline to stay steady in prayer over extended periods of time. Frankly, most Christians give up too quickly, which is why they fail to receive what they set out to receive from the Lord. Then they get upset at God, claiming the “faith message” doesn’t work. I’ve met many like that, and perhaps you have too.   
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9
 
When you’re tired of the fight, and the temptation to quit and lay down your faith becomes great, don’t do it! Talk to yourself, like David did (Psalms 42:5,11). Our words of faith are where we start the race, but patience is what gets us to the finish line! 

…that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:12
 
When we become exhausted in our fights of faith, we become sluggish. We aren’t as sharp as we need to be, and that’s when the temptation to quit becomes great. How do we combat these tendencies? We follow the instructions in God’s Word. We pursue with praise! Of course, there is more to it than just that, but that one decision produces the power to recharge our confessions of faith and reinvigorates our high hopes and expectations. There are literally hundreds of verses that tell us this. As some examples, we’re told to bless and praise the Lord at all times (Psalms 34:1). We’re told to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4). We’re told to let everything that has breath praise the Lord (Psalms 145-150). In 2 Chronicles chapter 20, we have one of the most telling examples of what we’re talking about here. When King Jehoshaphat realized his armed forces were no match for the invading armies, he did several things in response, but one of those things was to have the praise team positioned on the battlefield in front of the soldiers. It was a Holy Spirit-inspired move, because it was their singing and praising that made the difference between victory and certain defeat.
Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, and they were defeated. For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. 
2 Chronicles 20:22-23
 
When the people of God did what they could, God did what they couldn’t. When they began to sing and praise the Lord, ambushments were set amongst the enemy and they killed each other off. Go read the whole of chapter 20! It’s wonderful! Today, we can do the same. Instead of giving up in a state of impatient exhaustion, do what they did way back then! As it says in
Hebrews 12:12, lift up your hands and begin praising God! Tell yourself to do it, and then do it. It may be difficult at first, especially if you’re exhausted in mind or body, but hang in there! It won’t be long before the joy of the Lord begins to rule the day, and that is where your strength is to be found to stay the course until victory is won (Nehemiah 8:10/James 1:2-4)
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’” Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:1-8

In this parable, what is the stated lesson to learn? That we should always pray and never lose heart. Jesus compares what people think about God to what they think about an unjust judge. God is not an unjust judge, but because people don’t see answers to their prayers quickly enough, they accuse God of being unjust and uncaring. He isn’t! Jesus told us to hear what the unjust judge said. What did he say? I don’t fear God or man, but because this woman keeps badgering me, I will quickly take care of her situation once and for all. God doesn’t fear anyone or anything. He answers to no one. He is God – period. He is the eternal judge of all men for all time – no other. But sometimes it seems like He doesn’t care about our personal problems, or those of a nation like the USA, because it seems like nothing is happening with regards to our petitions put forth. But never fear my friend! He will avenge His children and do it speedily. The Lord has His timetable for things, and in many cases that doesn’t match up with ours. But never forget – God can do in a moment of time what it takes us a lifetime to accomplish, if ever. Think on that and pursue His promises with praise!  

Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 10:36-39
 
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. Psalms 145:18-19
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THE RADICAL REMNANT
Since the devil’s COVID-19 Fear Virus has made our ministry travels much more difficult, the Lord has enabled me to maximize my time through the writing of more faith-building books. In 2020, we produced DETERMINED FAITH, which is being sold out wherever we make it available. Now for 2021, we have just produced THE RADICAL REMNANT, another book designed to inspire, instruct and exhort the true warriors for Christ Jesus in these last days.

Order your copy today. You can also do what many are doing - ordering additional copies for others they care about. Go online at www.mkmi.org to order, or call our Tucson office to place your order directly.
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