Luke 21:19 IBS

Tuesday August 5^th, 2014

Luke 21:19 “By your patience possess your souls.”

Can I be the first to say what? To be honest doing these IBS’s can be frustrating sometimes. After reading the chapter and surrounding verses a few times, hearing other versions, remembering perseverance is the theme for this week, and tuning into my worship music on my iPod I think I got it! Or at least what it is God is trying to show me.

“Patience” in this verse can also mean to stand firm and “possess your souls” can mean to win over souls. So in standing firm your soul will be won over. Standing firm in what though? Well standing firm in the Lord of course. Verses 12-18 of this chapter speak of persecution and basically bad things that will happen to you for being a believer. Through all of that God will be with you though. Use all of the bad things that come your way as a testimony; spread the gospel to all. He is with you always, He is your rock to lean on. Psalm 31:3 says, “For you are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.” This verse kind of reminds me of the song “Oceans”, especially the line that says “Your sovereign hand, will be my guide.” I need to allow God to be in total control and stand firm in Him. I have to remember the salvation God has given me through Jesus Christ. Who am I to be stuck in my own ways? Standing firm in Him will win over my soul; I will be with Him in heaven for eternity!

But what exactly does this have to do with perseverance? Well perseverance means to be diligent; to press on. I need to be diligently seeking the Lord and stick with what He knows and not what I know. I need to seek Him daily. Mark 8:34 says, “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow Me.” God always seems to connect other IBS’s to each other to get the point across to me. I need to deny myself daily and stand firm in Him. Picking up my cross allows me to follow God and not myself.

Application: To remember to deny myself and stand firm in Him, I will draw a cross on my hand with arrows pointing up in representation of picking up my cross.