Jan 20, 2023
It is so important as we walk through trials and suffering to remain steadfast in who Jesus says He is. We cannot lose focus on all that Jesus does for us and how He protects us in ways we cannot imagine or even see. When we face our giants, God wants us to lock eyes with Him to see His goodness and His faithfulness. Remaining steadfast in God is when we are firmly fixed on Him in all we do.
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Hello, this is Lisa Hathaway and I want to welcome you to Women World Leaders Celebrating God's Grace podcast. And today I want to talk to you about the word steadfast. Each year I just pray that God gives me a word that could center my life and the things that I do for that upcoming year. And as I was praying about the word for 2023, he so heavily put on my heart the word steadfast. And when we think of steadfast we think of something that is firmly fixed not subject to change, to be firm and believe, determination, loyal and faithful. And I know those are a lot of words mixed into what steadfast is. But when we think of our lives and the things that we go through the challenges that we face, you know, they're suffering, but this life is hard. And I don't know how 2023 is started for you all, but I do know that sometimes, it's there's a lot of questions of, you know, why is God allowing this why is there suffering? What's happening? Why is my life I have trials in it, but without the trials, we wouldn't be who God is creating us to be because we see ourselves through different lenses when we face trials. And we have to persevere so steadfast to me was something. As I've gone through some trials over the last couple of years, I was like, no matter what, in 2023, no matter what I face, I will remain steadfast, and remaining steadfast is where we look and seek only for God's approval. So many times it's so easy in the world to do things to seek approval of men to seek approval from our bosses or whatever the situation may be from even our parents and our friends. But we all have that innate need to have approval, but the only approval that matters is Jesus. That's the only one that matters. And so, I've really dug deep into looking at steadfast and truly what it looks like, and it looks like fixing our eyes when we fix our eyes on something we lock eyes with something we don't lose focus. We remained so fixed on that object. Sometimes my kids want to get in a staring contest and you just stay so fixated on their eyes like I'm not gonna let you win. That happens a lot with my boys now. Like I can beat you, mom. And I'm like, No, you can't. And you stay fixated. You don't blink. And so you have that, that look in your eye that I'm going to remain fixated and locked. And I love there's a song by Maverick city calls when I lock eyes with you. And I think that so many times is locking eyes is remaining steadfast, focused, fixed, determined on Jesus, the one who gets us through all of our struggles, all of our suffering all of our trials. And I wanted to read a verse today. First Peter 510. It says in the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. And if you think about that, who will restore you make you strong, firm and steadfast I mean, those are powerful words. When you think of restore when you think of making me strong and firm and steadfast. And so it talks about under if you read ahead of that, it talks about resisting him standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. So we know there is so much suffering in this world, we know that we face it on daily basis, we hear about it turn on the news. There's very rarely anything positive. And so when things are hard and challenging, you remain steadfast on the one true God on the one thing that is all sustaining to us day in and day out. In James 112 It says Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. So it stood the test, not past it, not, you know over not truly overcoming it, but you stood the test because Sometimes God allows us to go through the suffering and the test to allow ourselves to become stronger to prune us into who he wants us to be for us to see different sides of his character. So this life is not going to be easy, but when you go through, but when you go through, or if you go through, and I always love when I was going through my breast cancer journey in 2021. You know, I kept thinking, even if, even if, and it was the verse that a Habakkuk, which I love, even if you lost everything, even if yet I'll Rejoice in the Lord, and it's it's similar to the whole steadfast even if you face these persecutions and you face tribulations and you face trials and you think there's no end in sight. I will remain steadfast, because it there are some times in the valley. It looks like you're not going to see the mountaintop but sometimes in the valley is where God does his best work. God does His most amazing work on our lives. And so I've come to the point where I have really praised God for the valleys. I thanked him for the valleys because in those valleys I sit I feel the intimacy of God. It does not is in standing firm, when things get hard. And so I want you to remember that when we talk about looking through our circumstances looking through, seeing other people's circumstances, it will be firmly fixed, not subject to change, no matter what happens, not subject to change, to be firm and belief firm in our faith in what we believe who God is who God says He is. Who God says we are. Be firm in belief and determination. It's kind of digging deep and having that grit that comes from the Lord that we just we dig deep into our souls and say I can overcome this. The last couple of weeks I've been walking through something with a friend and it's like the David and Goliath where I keep telling her unlike girl we are David we are picking up those stones and we are throwing Goliath we are gonna remain steadfast are gonna say fixated and lock eyes with Jesus to get through this and that has been such a beautiful analogy for me. Something that's a visual for me to think about that we can pick up the tiniest rock that we have our eyes fixed on Jesus, because when that is happening, nothing can shake us. Is it hard? Absolutely. Are there going to be times where we just want to throw the rock down and say forget it. Absolutely. But then we have to take a deep breath regroup. Remember who God says He is and how he is going to overcome and remain steadfast. So I challenge you to find a word for 2023 It's not too late. And focus on that. I've done this for the last five or six years. And it's really really helped me change my mindset when things come but this word is at the forefront of my mind. So again, my word is steadfast and I hope that this has provided some hope for you that no matter what you're going through, just lock eyes with Jesus and remain steadfast in him.