Evotional.com - Mark Batterson

I admire people who have "staying power." I think longevity is one keep to success. And that usually involves "toughing it out" when the going gets tough! I think most of us have a tendency to jump ship when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances. So the circumstances that could cause the greatest amount of spiritual growth and devlopment are effectively avoided by us over and over again. I think lots of Christians practice avoidance spiritaulity. I know Jesus taught us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation." But that is exactly what the Holy Spirit did when He led Jesus into the Wilderness for forty days! We are always trying to avoid adversity and confrontation and difficulty. And then we wonder why they aren't growing.

Pastor Joel shared a Scripture at our Ethiopia meeting tonight that resonated with my spirit. In Genesis 26 there is a famine, but God says to Isaac, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live." Verse 6 says, "So Isaac stayed in Gerar."

I think we need more of a "go down with the ship mentality" instead of a "jump ship" mentality. I think our consumer culture has affected the way people view church. They have a consumer mentality. If something happens that they don't like they "jump ship" because there are so many other options out there. Instead of growing through confrontation or discipline, they take the easy way out.

I met a pastor a few months ago who felt called to "stay in a situation" that he didn't really enjoy. But he felt like the Lord wanted to teach him some things by keeping him there. I was so impressed with his submissive spirit. Sometimes submission means staying we we feel like running away as far and as fast as we can.

Too often we are tempted to run to Egypt. But sometimes the Lord doesn't want us to do what is easiest or most logical. Sometimes we need to stay in a relationship or in a job or in a place even when there is a famine! Sometimes we need to stick it out or gut it out.