Sometimes running the race and having endurance is not easy. Something comes out of left field and completely shatters your world and it’s hard to keep going.
You want to give up, throw in the towel, just quit.
Endurance is to keep going even when things ARE tough.
And God is faithful. He is so kind to always be there when we are ready to give up. When you begin praying in those tough times, He may be there instantly or take an hour, but He always shows up!
If you don’t feel like He’s there immediately, just keep praying and wait for Him. He will be there!
When He comes, He will give you exactly what you need to continue. Sometimes when I’m in that spot, I don’t even know what to pray for or what I need in order to keep going, so I’ll ask Him!
“Lord, you know what I need to make it through. Help me know what exactly I need and then grant it to me so I don’t give up. I want to please You. I want to keep going, but I’m just flat on my face right now and I desperately need help.”
There’s never been a time yet when He hasn’t shown me what I need and given whatever that is to me so that I can continue.
Endurance is not possible without the help of God. I have been in a massive heart-wrenching trial for 10 years and there’s no way I would have ever made it through without God helping me to stand, all along the way at every turn.
He is our biggest power and how we can safely make it through this life. He is the only thing that makes this life worth living. While there are many good things in life (your husband, family, friends, hobbies, nature, and so on), I fully agree with Paul that I would much rather be in Heaven but stay here for you (Philippians 1:21-26).
I stay to be used by God to further His kingdom and purposes. I stay here to help in the fight against the world system and to motivate YOU to keep going!
Endurance is definitely needed for that massive task and that endurance and strength only come from Christ (learning to rest and wait as needed: Isaiah 40:31).
So, let’s look at this topical Bible reading plan on endurance to help you keep going when things get tough in your life…
Topical Bible Reading Plan: Endurance
Day 1) Romans 5:3-4
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,”
Just as a diamond becomes beautiful and pure through pressure, so we too become beautiful and pure, sanctified, by pressure. We cannot endure something unless we go through something. We cannot be tested to persevere unless we are tempted to not persevere. Therefore, light pressure is for our good. It produces in us a beauty that we cannot get any other way. You are a diamond, babe, don’t forget that! ❤️
Day 2) James 1:12
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
Life is not easy. It is full of mountains and valleys, good times and bad, and the longer we are a believer, the more we ache to be with Jesus Christ in a place where it is perfect, knowing and seeing this world for what it truly is: bad. Satan’s domain. We long to be with God, we long to fellowship with Him without any hindrances or time constraints, we long to be fully and completely His. If we genuinely love Him, if our Christian faith is real, we WILL persevere and remain steadfast under trial and we WILL receive the crown of life: Heaven, Christianity, God, everything that He has promised for us to receive. He will give us the strength to endure and a peace to keep moving forward, even if we’re crawling forward, we’re still enduring!
Day 3) 1 Corinthians 15:58
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
Every seed that we sow, every good work that we do, everything that we say for His precious name is never in vain and never returns void. He gives us the fruit of our labor. Sometimes it may take a little while to see it, but just as the farmer sees his crop fully grown from a seed, so too are we a people who are planted, watered, growing, and we become something God can use for His kingdom and His purposes. If you think your life has no meaning, you’re wrong. As long as you have breath in your lungs, you are useful to God, a treasure in His sight, one He WILL sustain through it all (Matthew 6:26).
Day 4) Isaiah 40:31
“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Enduring for Christ doesn’t always mean running. Sometimes enduring means waiting, sitting still, resting, taking time to allow the Lord to work in the situation. You don’t always have to run to endure. Remember that!
Day 5) Colossians 1:11-12
“Being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
The inheritance of the saints is not only the crown of life, although it is that, it is also hardship. It is pain and suffering. God did not even spare His own Son (Himself) from suffering (Romans 8:32) and it is something in this life, that we must go through too. Why? Because we are of our Father and the world is not (John 15:18-19). We automatically have a target on our back. This must not surprise us, but God has given us strength, according to HIS might (which is vastly great!) to be able to endure in the faith and get through the problem currently presented to us. This is our inheritance from the Lord, to be His child and to suffer. For truly great things, do not come without cost.
Day 6) 1 Corinthians 9:24
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.”
As a baby, I crawled as a baby. I was not wanting to receive a prize. I was crawling for the sake of crawling, something I wanted to do in order to move around. As a mature believer, I no longer crawl as in my former days of being a baby, but rather I run. I beat my breast in order to run, I sacrifice, I am self-controlled, I take away hindrances and take the race very seriously in order to be the best Christian I can be. I am running for the prize of being godly, a treasure to my King and Father. We run for Him. We run for the prize: God.
Day 7) Psalm 100:5
“For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
Day 8) Galatians 6:9
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
When we are completely exhausted through life’s trials, it’s easy to want to give up. We have grown weary. The point of this verse here is to not allow ourselves to reach that point of becoming weary. Rest, take breaks, take a small vacation from the things that you’re working on if you’re able to. If you’re not able to take a complete vacation, scale back as much as you can for a short period of time. As humans, we all need rest or we become tired, weary. Don’t let that happen. Know that in due time, we WILL reap what we’ve sown, but only if we stay the course and do not give up!
Day 9) Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
God never gives us so much that we cannot handle it. He never puts more on our plate than we can carry. He never asks us to do something we cannot do. Sometimes, when we are going through an extremely horrific trial, it’s tempting to think we can’t make it through, and perhaps it’s true. We cannot make it through in our own physical strength, but as a believer in Christ, we don’t just rely on our own strength, but God’s, and if He wants us to do something or calls us to do it, He will surely equip up and sustain us to make it through anything that comes our way that tries to knock us down. You can be sure of that!
Day 10) James 1:2-4
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
There’s something to be said about the quality trait, steadfastness, itself. Endurance. In our microwave-everything-is-super-fast culture, God may be trying to slow you down a little bit and help you to understand that you’re in this for the long haul. Enduring is all about patience and the only way to have this quality is to be tested. Slow down a little bit, take a deep breath, and try your best to learn exactly what it is God is trying to teach you in order that you may have a more excellent character.
Day 11) Romans 15:4-6
“That through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Here the Bible is reminding us that endurance and encouragement go hand in hand. What is the encouragement they are referring to? Hope. Without hope, we CANNOT endure life’s trials. But WITH hope, we can endure it. We know that at the end of the dark tunnel we’re in, there’s hope. There’s something waiting for us on the other side and so we go through the tunnel of life, knowing that when we’re through, when we reach the end of our life, we will have the Lord Jesus Christ by our side. Every tunnel that is thrown our way, we continue on in our hope, looking toward the future, looking toward making it through to the other side of things. Want to endure? Don’t lose your hope! Remember that this trial is just for a season. It’s not your life. It will be over soon. That gives you the hope to carry on.
Day 12) Revelation 3:10
“Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.”
Day 13) Philippians 3:13-14
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Day 14) Matthew 24:13
“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
As a blogger, I understand that over 80% of blogs will fail within the next 18 months. That’s over 50 million blogs! In fact, as I started this blog over 11 years ago, I have seen many of my friends, many good blogs shut down, more of them stop producing information. They are left for dead on the side of the internet highway. Would those same blogs who give up and walk away, make it if they continued? Maybe, maybe not. But it IS certain that they won’t make it if they DO give up! Whatever you do in life, if it’s something that is truly important to you, don’t give up. Don’t call it quits. Through the thick and the thin, no matter how hard it gets, if you feel led to do it, continue on the path because those who endure to the end, will be saved. Being tested along the way, weeds out the fake Christians from the real. For it is only the genuine believer who WILL endure to the end!
Day 15) 2 Corinthians 6:4
“But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,”
Day 16) Hebrews 12:1-3
“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”
Day 17) Revelation 2:19
“I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.”
Day 18) 1 Peter 2:20
“For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.”
Day 19) Hebrews 10:32
“But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,”
Day 20) 1 Timothy 6:11
“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”
Day 21) Mark 13:13
“And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
Day 22) Psalm 138:8
“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Day 23) Hebrews 10:35-36
“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”
Day 24) 2 Timothy 2:12
“If we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;”
Day 25) James 5:11
“Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”
Day 26) Hebrews 12:7
“It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”
Day 27) Luke 21:36
“But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Day 28) James 5:7-8
“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Day 29) Hebrews 6:11-12
“And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
Day 30) 2 Corinthians 1:6
“If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.”
