For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term steadfast. It basically means to be stable. Our position as Christian’s should be fixed in Christ and in the work that he has for us to do. And if I may I will bring to your attention a scripture which says the following. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. And this my friend is exactly what we are addressing. A Christian is to be single minded and sober. And is to be busy doing the things which God has for him or her to do. Job chapter 11 and verse 14…If iniquity is in your hand put it away from you. And do not let wickedness remain in your house. For only then will you lift up your face without spot in the sight of God. And you will be steadfast and without fear. Notice how the scripture ends with the word fear.

Fear cannot gain a foothold in the life of a Christian who is walking with God. Fear can overcome those who are playing church and delving into the sins of the world. First Corinthians 15 and verse 38…Therefore my beloved brethren be steadfast and unmovable. Always abounding in the work of the Lord. Inasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in Christ. Galatians chapter 5 and verse 1…Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free. And do not become entangled again with the yoke and bondage of sin. The scripture says that those who sin are the slaves of sin. This is why the scripture refers to a yoke and bondage. It is sin and sin alone that holds the world in captivity apart from Christ.

Christ said that he had come to set the captives free. Sin is a dead end street. Christ also said that he came that we might have life and that it might be abundant. But that my friend would be your choice. Second Peter 3 and verse 17 says this…Therefore beloved seeing that you know these things beforehand. Beware that you are not lead away also with the ways of the wicked. And thereby fall from your own steadfastness. Keep in mind that we as Christian’s are in a race. And a marathon at that. And you will need to develop endurance if you are to succeed. Now endurance and perseverance go hand in glove. And so it is that God will develop both of these attributes within you as you walk with him.

It has been my experience in Christ that nothing happens or occurs quickly. That is to say for the most part. God is not in a hurry. He is long suffering with us and I do mean long.Hebrews chapter 12 verse 7…If you endure correction from God…He is dealing with you as he would a son. For what son is there whom a father does not correct. Job 17 verse 9…The righteous man will also hold fast in his ways. And he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger. If I may digress for a moment…I would like to make a comparison between Christian’s and trees. When you plant a tree…no matter what the size may be at the time. The growth process seems to take forever.

And yet you are seeing with your very own eyes the growth occurring as the months and years progress. And then one day you stand back and stare in utter amazement pondering the sheer immensity of what is now standing in front of you. Recalling how it was when you pulled it from the trunk of your car and planted it. A Christian’s growth very much occurs in the same fashion. It occurs slowly and deeply at the root level first. And then begins to push upward and outward. The book of Galatians chapter 6 verse 9 says this…And do not grow weary in doing well. For in due season you will reap your reward. May I pause with you for a moment’s reflection? For I believe it may be of great benefit to you. And perhaps myself as well. On the evening of my 55th birthday at 11:30 P.M….my telephone rang. The number on my televisions caller I.D. was the number of the nursing facility where my mother was. She started getting weak a couple of weeks before during a July heat wave. I brought her to the hospital via ambulance where the process of her diagnosis began. Her blood work soon revealed that she had suffered a heart attack and that her sodium levels where dangerously low from a medicine that she had been wrongly prescribed. And if that was not enough her heart had gone into an arrhythmia know as atrial fibrillation. This in and of itself can be fatal…for it can cause clots to develop which can move into the lungs and the brain.

As I answered the phone I was thinking that maybe my mom was up late and wanted to wish me a happy birthday. But the voice was not that of my mom but rather that of a nurse from the facility. She said we think your mom has had a stroke and we are rushing her to the hospital right now. In a moment of time all thing had changed for her and I as well. It is to those of you who believe that when you die it is not over…to whom I am speaking at this time. All of the pomp and circumstance of life becomes worthless and meaningless in the flash of an eye. When we got to her side she could not speak and did not know who my wife was. The right side of her body was limp as well. Let me say this to you my friend and listen up! You know what you are made out of at times like this. All of us will die. For some death will come without warning. And for others it will come in a slower more prolonged process.

But the fact is we will all go in the same way but to different locations. I know where I am going for I have received the promises of God through Jesus Christ. But what about you? An individual decision must be made for life or death. And it must be made by you and you alone. I stood by the bedside looking at my mom and crying uncontrollably. She was 89 and had seen allot. She and my grandparents had lived through the great depression. They lived through WW11 as Americans and had come out alive on the other side of the conflict. They saw every technological advance that was made.

Penicillin, radio, television…the Saturn 5 rocket and jet planes to name a few. But now she is the old one as you and I will be someday. When our skin is thin and sagging and our eyes grow cloudy as the day draws near .No man or woman lives forever in this life. Someone else will live in your home and be driving your car.Your clothes will be in a good will bin and your possessions will be disbursed. Jesus said that these things are written that you may know that you have eternal life. And that this life is in and through the Son of God. Do you have that life in you? Do have ownership of the promise of eternal life with Jesus and all the millions of saints that have gone before us? The scripture tells us that we who are in Christ are not our own. And that we have been bought with a great price.

God is the potter and we are the vessels which he has created. Some are to be honored and some are to be dishonored. But we are all his creation. We are not all his children. The book of Exodus chapter 19 verse 5…Now if you will obey my voice and indeed keep my covenant. Then you will be a peculiar treasure to me above all the people of the earth. First Corinthians 6 and verse 20 says this.

It is required as a steward that a man should be found faithful. Ezekiel 18 and verse 4…Behold all of the souls are mine. As the soul of the father so also the soul of the son is mine. The soul that sins will die… And in the book of Romans we read as follows in chapter 14 verse 12…So then every one of us will give an account to God….And exactly what will your account be my friend?…..To be continued