Profiles of Perseverance: Sustained by Hope in the Rough-and-Tumble of Real Life
A study of Joseph, David, Elijah, and Nehemiah
Book #2 in the “Fear to Faith” series.
11 Lessons with Podcasts and Discussion Guide—also in Spanish
Has something got you upset, nervous, or in a panic mode?
Do you feel like you’ll never make it through the difficulties you are facing? Here’s the truth: To survive the ups and downs of life, God wants you to have something called perseverance. In Profiles of Perseverance, you will:
- Get a glimpse into the lives of Joseph, David, Elijah, and Nehemiah who learned perseverance through many challenges.
- See that only a sustained hope rooted in the faithfulness of God enables you to persevere through your challenges.
- Follow 4 action steps to get there.
Are you ready to develop perseverance in your life? Don’t wait. Work through this study and fill your heart with hope in God’s faithfulness to you.
Get “Profiles of Perseverance” here.
Listen to podcasts.
- Book #1: Everyday Women, Ever-Faithful God (Old Testament women)
- Book #2: Profiles of Perseverance (Joseph, David, Elijah, Nehemiah)
- Book #3: Perspective (1 & 2 Thessalonians)
- Book #4: To Be Found Faithful (2 Timothy)
- Book #5: Reboot Renew Rejoice (1 & 2 Chronicles)
Related Resources
What women are saying about this study:
“Thank you so much for making your Bible studies available online for free. I am a missionary in India. I was in need of some good material because my schedule is FULL and I don’t have the talent to write studies of my own nor do I have the time. Funds are extremely limited so I couldn’t purchase a study. I have been personally touched by the Profiles of Perseverance study. Just very grateful to you and your ministry.” (Erin)
“THANK YOU. You have provided some amazing bible studies for free online, and I am so very grateful! I have been working with women in our county jail and walking through your Profiles of Perseverance. In the first three weeks, one girl has committed her life to Christ and 2 have re-dedicated their lives.” (Deanna)
“I want to thank you for making your Bible studies available to other groups. We used the Everyday Women and the Profiles of Perseverance studies for our church ladies’ Bible study this last year and were so blessed. The studies are well thought out, contain excellent, probing questions, presented in an easy to use format, fit our economic status, kept the focus on the Word and not on an author’s opinion, and have biblically sound content using good Bible study methods. Thus, we all grew in our walk with the Lord! ” (Bonnie)
Spanish Version of this study (no podcasts in Spanish):
“I live in Guatemala with my husband and daughter. We are full time missionaries living in a children’s home. Several of the ladies on staff meet every Tuesday evening for Bible study. We just finished your Profiles of Perseverance study. All of us really enjoyed it.” (Candy)
Jesus said to His followers that we will have trouble in this world (John 16:33). It doesn’t matter where you live or how much money you have or what kind of success you have gained. It doesn’t even matter how much faith you have or how faithful you have been to God in your daily life and work. Some troubles simply come from living in this fallen world and are common to everyone (illness and natural disasters). Other troubles like persecution and rejection are related to being a child of God living in an unbelieving world. Then there are those we inflict upon ourselves because of sin still present within us (our own bad choices) or troubles that others inflict upon us because of their bad choices. Either way, we get stuck with the results. Regardless of the cause of our struggles, in order to not only survive but also to thrive over a lifetime of ups and downs, you and I need to have something called perseverance, something the Bible says is good for us.
By definition, “perseverance” is holding to a course of action, belief, or purpose without giving way. Perseverance, like endurance, is the quality that enables a person to stand on her feet when facing a storm head-on. It refers to active staying power and tenacity to hold up under some long-term burden, not just getting stuck in traffic. It carries the idea of whole life experience. Sadly to say, we can’t learn perseverance from a book. We can only learn it through experiencing difficult times.
God’s way of developing perseverance in our lives is this: “Prepare by instruction; learn by experience.” Our instruction comes from the Bible, especially viewing the work of God in the lives of men and women during much of their lifetime. We can see God’s faithfulness to them and be confident in His faithfulness to us as well. He is the same God after all. Learn by experience is living out the truths we have learned. Perseverance involves a choice. And, there are rewards for choosing to persevere all the way to the finish.
Biblical hope is not wishful thinking but a confident, eager expectation of a coming certainty based on the character of God to back up His promises. Our hope is rooted in the faithfulness of God. That hope enables us to persevere through the rough-and-tumble of real life. Hope grows from trusting God with something. Read my blog “Two Aspects of Trusting God” to help you do this.
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