197 Quotes About Perseverance

It is defeat that turns bone to flint; it is defeat that turns gristle to muscle; it is defeat that makes men invincible. Do not then be afraid of defeat. You are never so near to victory as when defeated in a good cause.

We reach a certain stage of fellowship with Christ, in spiritual apprehension and moral attainment, and find great joy in it. But this seems to fade, until we become conscious that we are called to something higher. The Lord is gone before us to prepare the next resting-place. Then everything depends upon our response. We may stay where we are, becoming more and more torpid in spirit. Or we may, in Paul's phrase, "press on." If we do this, we find the Lord meeting us and leading us to the next resting-place.

You don't always win your battles, but it's good to know you fought.

Since the enemy focuses particular attention on the spirit, how necessary for spiritual believers to keep their own spirit in its normal state and frequently exercise it as well. Their mind must be kept perfectly calm without any disturbance; their physical senses too must be maintained in a quiet balance without agitation.

We fail to prevail with unconverted men because of our more fundamental failure to prevail with God in prayer.

We need to give our total focus to the business of reaching this world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and stop running down meaningless rabbit trails that get our focus off of our heavenly purpose.

Each stage of the believer's walk possesses its particular hazard. The new life within us wages a constant war against all which opposes its growth. During the physical stage, it is a war against sins; in the soulish phase, it is a battle against the natural life; and lastly, on the spiritual level, it is an onslaught against the supernatural enemy.

Tell your master that if there were as many devils at Worms as tiles on its roofs, I would enter.

The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of ordinary qualities. These may for the most part be summed up in these two-common sense and perseverance.

Help thyself, and God will help thee.

First I shake the whole Apple tree, that the ripest might fall. Then I climb the tree and shake each limb, and then each branch and then each twig, and then I look under each leaf.

God has given us much in these last days, and where much is given much will be required.

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.

'Tis not for man to trifle; life is brief, and sin is here. We have no time to sport away the hours; all must be earnest in a world like ours.

No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.

God loves importunate prayer so much that He will not give us much blessing without it.

Oh, how we should guard against whatever is extreme and guard against misunderstanding in spiritual doctrine. We need not fear being radical in obeying the Lord, that is for sure; nor do we need to guard against being extreme in denying the works of the flesh. But most vigilant must we be that we do not be led to any extremes through misconception.

Let a man begin with an earnest "I ought," and if he perseveres, by God's grace he will end in the free blessedness of "I will." Let him force himself to abound in small acts of duty, and he will, by and by, find them the joyous habit of his soul.

Energy, like the biblical grain of the mustard-seed, will remove mountains.

When we shoot an arrow, we look to the fall of it; when we send a ship to sea, we look for its return; and when we sow seed, we look for a harvest; so likewise when we sow our prayers, through Christ, in God's bosom, shall we not look for an answer and observe how we speed? It is a seed of atheism to pray and not to look how we speed. But a sincere Christian will pray and wait, and strengthen his heart with promises out of the Word, and never leave praying and looking up till God gives him a gracious answer.

America has, over the centuries, learned that respect for our country is garnered by firmness and resolve, not by tribute or obeisance (submission).

Dead fish go with the stream, living ones against it.

I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk about, when I lie down and when I rise up. And the answers are always coming. Thousands and tens of thousands of times have my prayers been answered. When once I am persuaded that a thing is right and for the glory of God, I go on praying for it until the answer comes. George Mueller never gives up!

The cross of Christ is the sweetest burden that I ever bore; it is such a burden as wings are to a bird, or sails to a ship, to carry me forward to my harbor.

Most true is it that what costs little is worth little! A religion which costs us nothing, and consist in nothing but hearing sermons, will always prove at last to be a useless thing.

The most damaging aspect of contemporary living is short-term thinking.

Nothing is yet in its true form.

In many things a comprehensive survey of a subject is the shortest way of getting at a precise knowledge of a particular division of it.

God uses the wicked to strengthen the resolve of the righteous.

If young converts wish to maintain their religious life strong, fresh, and secure, they must throw the whole of themselves into it; they must hold nothing back.

The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew.

The hungry man needs no help to teach him how to beg.

Are you still diligently living for God and serving Him, even in these last days? Now is not the time to ease up, but to charge forward and continue living for the Lord.

Just as in prayer it is not we who momentarily catch His attention, but He ours, so when we fail to hear His voice, it is not because He is not speaking so much as that we are not listening. We must recognize that all things are in God and that God is in all things, and we must learn to be very attentive, in order to bear God speaking in His ordinary tone without any special accent.

There is neither encouragement nor room in Bible religion for feeble desires, listless efforts, lazy attitudes; all must be strenuous, urgent, ardent. Flamed desires, impassioned, unwearied insistence delight heaven. God would have His children incorrigibly in earnest and persistently bold in their efforts. Heaven is too busy to listen to half-hearted prayers or to respond to pop-calls. Our whole being must be in our praying.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

There is a Sense of Sight in the religious nature. Neglect this, leave it undeveloped, and you never miss it. You simply see nothing. But develop it and you see God.

I thought of a passage from the book of Jeremiah 29:11-13: "'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord." It irked me that too often women are made to feel guilty for seeking the next open door.

If you bear the cross unwillingly, you make it a burden, and load yourself more heavily; but you must bear it.

That will be the position I will be in as long as I'm on earth--that is, seeking the right path that God would have laid out for me.

A wise and good man will turn examples of all sorts to his own advantage. The good he will make his patterns, and strive to equal or excel them. The bad he will by all means avoid.

When you get to the top, raise the top and climb some more.

Jesus, as He was going up the hill, fell beneath the load. Loss of blood, breaking of heart, weary in body, blind from his own blood that came from a crown of thorns. And Jesus said "I can't make it any further." Yet He climbed on up to Calvary and stretched out his arms as he hung on the cross, and said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." He went on when He couldn't go on. He finished it when He couldn't, but He did.

The choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business all their days to [put to death] the indwelling power of sin.

Do not wait; the time will never be "just right." Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.

We can catch the Spirit of Christ and zealously and enthusiastically go out each day determined to serve God and be what we ought to be! Stay on the firing line!

A prepared person will always have his opportunity.

Why should I ever resist any delay or disappointment, any affliction or oppression or humiliation - when I know God will use it in my life to make me like Jesus and to prepare me for heaven?

The resolved mind hath no cares.

When we want to know God's will, there are three things which always concur: the inward impulse, the Word of God and the trend of circumstances. Never act until these three things agree.

Even the tired horse, when he comes near home, mends pace: be good always, without weariness, but best at last; that the nearer thou comest to the end of thy days, the nearer thou mayest be to the end of thy hopes, the salvation of thy soul.

This is a sane, wholesome, practical, working faith: That it is a man's business to do the will of God; second, that God himself takes on the care of that man; and third, that therefore that man ought never to be afraid of anything.

Your state is not at all to be measured by the opposition that sin makes to you, but by the opposition you make to it.

Keep your eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when you wake in the morning look to Him; when thou lie down at night look to Him. Oh! let not your hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail you.

Actions are based on priorities and priorities are based on faith.

It's better to be ablaze for Jesus than smolder in quietness.

I have one desire now - to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it.

Nothing earthly will make me give up my work in despair.

One who faces his own failures is steadily advancing on the pilgrim's way.

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.

To continual watchfulness and prayer ought to be added continual employment. For grace flies a vacuum as well as nature; and the devil fills whatever God does not fill.

True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice.

The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came. Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory.

With the possible exception of the equator, everything begins somewhere.

If there is a secret in my life it is this: I do everything by schedule.

We must not confide in the armor of God, but in the God of this armor, because all our weapons are only 'mighty through God.'

Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.

To say prayers in a decent, delicate way is not heavy work. But to pray really, to pray till hell feels the ponderous stroke, to pray till the iron gates of difficulty are opened, till the mountains of obstacles are removed, till the mists are exhaled and the clouds are lifted, and the sunshine of a cloudless day brightens-this is hard work, but it is God's work, and man's best labor.

"I will" is no word for man. There is a far diviner one, "I ought." Bow passion to reason, reason to conscience, and conscience to God, and then be as resolute and determined as you choose.

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.

So many times we say that we can't serve God because we aren't whatever is needed. We're not talented enough or smart enough or whatever. But if you are in covenant with Jesus Christ, He is responsible for covering your weaknesses, for being your strength. He will give you His abilities for your disabilities!

Do you wish to become rich? You may become so if you desire it in no half-way, but thoroughly. Do you wish to master any science or accomplishment? Give yourself to it and it lies beneath your feet. This world is given as the prize for the men in earnest; and that which is true of this world, is truer still of the world to come.

What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step.

All things are difficult before they are easy.

Prayer time must be kept up as duly as meal-time.

Prevailing prayer is prayer that pushes right through all difficulties and obstacles, drives back all the opposing forces of Satan, and secures the will of God. Its purpose is to accomplish God's will on earth. Prevailing prayer is prayer that not only takes the initiative but continues on the offensive for God until spiritual victory is won. - Wesley L. Duewel

Put your nose into the Bible every day. It is your spiritual food. And then share it. Make a vow not to be a lukewarm Christian.

We must take ourselves in hand, and school ourselves, especially our wills, into a greater fitness for the serious business of living as Christian workers, of being ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

Do everything in its own time; do everything in earnest; if it is worth doing, then do it with all your might. Above all, keep much in the presence of God. Never see the face of man until you have seen his face, who is our light, our all.

Life, like war, is a series of mistakes, and he is not the best Christian nor the best general who makes the fewest false steps. Poor mediocrity may secure that, but he is best who wins the most splendid victories by the retrieval of mistakes.

No matter what the ruin of any life may be there is always a place to start. There is a place where you must begin. You need to apologize to someone. You need to go to somebody and straighten something out. You need to stop some practice that is wrong. You need to open yourself up to counsel. You need to seek advice. You need to get some guidance. There is always a first step. That is where you must begin.

All the dark, intricate, puzzling providences at which we were sometimes so offended... we shall [one day] see to be to us, as the difficult passage through the wilderness was to Israel, "the right way to the city of habitation".

Faint not; the miles to heaven are but few and short.

We must never despair; our situation has been compromising before, and it has changed for the better; so I trust it will again. If difficulties arise, we must put forth new exertion and proportion our efforts to the exigencies of the times.

Jesus taught that perseverance is the essential element of prayer. Men must be in earnest when they kneel at God's footstool. Too often we get faint-hearted and quit praying at the point where we ought to begin. We let go at the very point where we should hold on strongest. Our prayers are weak because they are not impassioned by an unfailing and resistless will.

Command thy servant advisably with few plain words, fully, freely, and positively, with a grave countenance, and settled carriage: These will procure obedience, gain respect, and maintain authority.

My mother said, 'Son, it's the I CAN that makes a great man.'

Any man can work when every stroke of his hands brings down the fruit rattling from the tree but to labor in season and out of season, under every discouragement... that requires a heroism which is transcendent.

To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it.

You must lose a fly to catch a trout.

It is never too late to start growing.

When we are foiled, let us believe we shall overcome; when we have fallen, let us believe we shall rise again. Jacob, after he received a blow which made him lame, yet would not give over wrestling (Gen. 32:25) till he had obtained the blessing. So let us never give up, but, in our thoughts knit the beginning, progress and end together, and then we shall see ourselves in heaven out of the reach of all enemies.

By perseverance the snail reached the ark.

To do common things perfectly is far better worth our endeavor than to do uncommon things respectably.

A good marksman may miss.

Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go.

I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward. I determined never to stop until I had come to the end and achieved my purpose.

How you think when you lose determines how long it will be until you win.

We cannot all be great, but we can always attach ourselves to something that is great.

Go forth today, by the help of God's Spirit, vowing and declaring that in life - come poverty, come wealth, in death - come pain or come what may, you are and ever must be the Lord's. For this is written on your heart, 'We love Him because He first loved us.'

God's children improve all advantages to advance their grand end; they labor to grow better by blessings and crosses, and to make sanctified use of all things.

Our motto must continue to be perseverance. And ultimately I trust the Almighty will crown our efforts with success.

From morning to night keep Jesus in thy heart, long for nothing, desire nothing, hope for nothing but to have all that is within thee changed into the spirit and temper of the holy Jesus.

God loves importunate prayer so much that He will not give us much blessing without it.

I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.

Two types of voices command your attention today. Negative ones fill your mind with doubt, bitterness, and fear. Positive ones purvey hope and strength. Which one will you choose to heed?

No horse gets anywhere until he is harnessed. No stream or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined.

Believers must persevere in prayer that they may see clearly their own pitiful state and understand the indwelling, working, and demands of the Holy Spirit.

Never ask God to provide for you what you can provide for yourself. Get up and go get it because God will only provide what you can't.

When a house is being built which is to be made as strong as possible, the building takes place in fine weather and in calm, so that nothing may hinder the structure from acquiring the needed solidity.

To keep the faith, run with the right crowd.

Now the true soldiers of Christ must always be prepared to do battle for the truth, and must never, so far as lies with them, allow false convictions to creep in.

To persevere in one's duty and be silent is the best answer to calumny.

The best preparation for the future is the present well seen to, and the last duty done.

A great ship asks deep water.

If physical death is the price that I must pay to free my white brothers and sisters from a permanent death of the spirit, then nothing can be more redemptive.

To persevere in one's duty, and be silent, is the best answer to calumny.

Prayer is a trade to be learned. We must be apprentices and serve our time at it. Painstaking care, much thought, practice and labor are required to be a skillful tradesman in praying. Practice in this, as well as in all other trades, makes perfect.

I believe in what John Wesley used to say, "All at it, and always at it," and that is what the Church wants to-day.

Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to count the times, but to gain the prayer. We cannot quit praying because heart and soul are in it. We pray "with all perseverance." We hang to our prayers because by them we live. We press our pleas because we must have them, or die.

The real difference between men is energy. A strong will, a settled purpose, an invincible determination, can accomplish almost anything; and in this lies the distinction between great men and little men.

A constant attention to the work which God entrusts us with is a mark of solid piety.

He that would have fruit must climb the tree.

Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.

The rougher the file--the less the rust.

The weapons with which the ill dispositions of the world are to be combated are moderation, gentleness, a little indulgence of others, and a great distrust of ourselves.

Well is it known that ambition can creep as well as soar.

Only a sweet and virtuous soul, like seasoned timber, never gives.

No man can become a saint in his sleep.

The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't.

To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.

It is not the going out of port, but the coming in, that determines the success of a voyage.

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!

All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.

If I did not believe the doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints, I think I should be of all men the most miserable, because I should lack any ground for comfort.

Therefore keep in the midst of life. Do not isolate yourself. Be among men and things, and among troubles, and difficulties, and obstacles.

It's when ordinary people rise above the expectations and seize the opportunity that milestones truly are reached.

The drop of rain maketh a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by oft falling.

Beginning well is a momentary thing; finishing well is a lifelong thing.

Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth.

Learn to say 'no' to the good so you can say 'yes' to the best.

Never, never will we desist till we extinguish every trace of this bloody traffic, of which our posterity, looking back to the history of these enlightened times will scarce believe that it has been suffered to exist so long a disgrace and dishonor to this country.

While I have no problem with the church adapting to the culture, we must ensure that we remain painstakingly true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that we remain obedient servants to His truths.

I shall never ask, never refuse, nor ever resign an office.