Be determined to obey God-- 1 Samuel 7:3 (NLT) 3 Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you are really serious about wanting to return to the LORD, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Determine to obey only the LORD; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”
Determine not to sin-- Job 31:1 (NLT) 1 “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman.
Determine to stand firm --Isaiah 7:9 (NLT) 9 Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria, and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah. Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.”
God helps us be determined--Isaiah 50:7 (NLT) 7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame.
Determine to follow Christ--Mark 8:34-38 (NLT) 34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? 37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Never tell anyone it can't be done . . . God may have been waiting for centuries for somebody ignorant enough of the impossible to do that very thing. J. A. Holmes Illustrations Unlimited.
