STEADY IN THE STRETCH
Deep Dive 9/7/2025
ENDURANCE: STAYING PUT WHEN YOU WANT TO QUIT
Hebrews 10:32-29
“Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ.[j]Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering.33 Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. 34 You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. 35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. 37 “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. 38 And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” 39 But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.”
God allows us to encounter seasons of pressure to refine us so we look less like us and more like Him. The times when we want to quit are times that we need to rely on God’s strength to see us through and to ask ourselves if we are seeking God’s will or our own desires. It is when we hold fast and do not give up that we receive the promise and the reward.
Psalm 37:7
Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.
Be still. Stillness is walked out in surrender. It is in the quiet waiting that we can hear the whisper of God. We can trust that God will move on our behalf, in His timing. God often allows distractions in our lives to test whether our eyes are truly on Him or on circumstances.
Romans 12:1-2
And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
It is when we are squeezed that we encounter the greatest opportunity for growth. Transformation comes from pressure. It is unrealistic to think that change will happen when we are comfortable. It is in the discomfort, in the stretching and squeezing, that we discover the truth of God’s will for us. These times are where He gets our attention to change our thought process and help us learn to choose His will over our own.
WHERE DO YOU NEED TO STAY PUT INSTEAD OF QUIT, TO STAND FIRM WHERE GOD HAS PLANTED YOU? WHAT WOULD YOUR ANSWER BE IF GOD ASKED YOU, “ARE YOU THERE FOR YOU, OR ARE YOU THERE FOR ME?”
1 Peter 5:6-10
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers[b] all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.
God calls His people to be steadfast because He knows that after the suffering comes the restoration. Peter reminds us of the importance of godly community who experiences similar suffering and can help us as we seek to remain steadfast in our faith.
Matthew 24:13
But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Jesus encourages the disciples and all of us, that our endurance to the end will lead to eternal salvation. This is a reminder to look at life through an eternal lens of faith. What we face today when compared to spending eternity without Jesus… it is but a blip on the screen. Let us commit today to stop focusing on our feelings and put on our faith when thoughts of wanting to quit hit us in the future.
PUTTING THIS INTO PRACTICE
We have all been refined in one way or another. Reflect on a past refining process. How can you thank God today not just for the past refining, but for the present and the future, knowing that is for your good and His glory?
Read Zechariah 13.
Re-read verse 9. Now consider the refining you reflected on above. Can you see how God used that to purify your life and faith?
Write out verse 9 and share an area of your life where you want to quit, rather than stay put. Now, take 5 minutes to pray (individually or as a group) and encourage each other to stay put.
List two different ways God has refined your character when you stayed put under pressure.
Read Psalm 66.
In how many verses does the Psalmist speak of praising or glorifying God?
What verse or verses resonate with you the most in this passage? Why? Now write them out and post them where you will see them daily.
Remembering from the message that faith produces fruit, so what might that look like for you today?
Write out two areas of your life where your faith has resulted in the fruit of the spirit. Share them with a trusted friend or your small group.
Read Jeremiah 17:5-10. What are the two main differences in this passage? We see what happens when we have deep roots. What is one thing that you can start today to develop deep roots of faith?
Write out Jeremiah 17:7-8 in the form of a prayer with your name inserted into the passage. Read it over each day for the next week and think about how making The Lord your “hope and confidence” will give you what you need to stay put when you want to quit.
