Hebrews 10:36 (NKJV)
“For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise”
What a remarkable statement and scripture for the times we are currently in!
The need for endurance is a vital key to the fulfilment of the secret mission that Lord has placed on you while you live on the earth!
Last time we learnt we all have Needs, and God wants it that way for two reasons, so we are aware of the needs we have (which builds the character of vulnerability and transparency in us) , and it is only Him who can Meet all our needs (Relationship). What an awesome Father.
The second part of this verse describes the need, it is Endurance. We all need endurance! Don’t you love it, that He is giving us the answer and the solution through giving us the need to ask for. We all need and are wired for Endurance.
The Lord does this often through His Spirit, scripture, or a person who will give an exact prayer to pray or words to declare to what I believe He is doing and knows we will require to succeed.
Remember Joshua as he was about to start the journey of leading God’s people into their promised land. God spoke the word “Courageous” to Him three times. The point was to highlight to Joshua His need and emphasise the importance of it!
The same is true for the verse we are looking at! The Lord is saying to us you need Endurance. The second thing about ‘endurance’ is it informs us of the length of the journey we are on. It’s not a quick fix, like tomorrow we finish journey, no it’s going to take a while.
Here’s a testimony, a few years ago I was very ill, and in this place of illness my prayer was like an ultimatum. Lord You either heal me or take me those are Your two chooses. But of course His thoughts were different to mine, and included the word Endurance, which was not the way my thoughts, understandings, or reasoning was going, at the time.
The point is sometimes we need to stop and take account of what He has done, so we can capture a glimpse of what He might be doing.
Here is the moment my prayers changed to praying: ‘So, where to from here Lord? (which was a previous message I recently wrote).
Here we also remember the entry point to the next thing the Lord highlighted in our verse: His Will, the full statement is “so that after you have done the will of God” Now did you see it? He has started at the end! He has declared you will be victorious in your mission and calling.
1 Corinthians 10:13
“We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously“.
I had this most interesting revelation one day. He showed me that as He asks us to do something, He is not standing beside us, but He in fact standing in front of us at the end of the journey, calling us to come and join Him.
From there He is calling out and directing you from the place you are, so that you will come to the place where He is! I love this, as if we see Him beside us and the victory in front of both of us, then we both need to try to get there and it takes works.
But if we see Him already there, calling us to come there, it increases our faith and belief of not only His goodness, but also that the journey is possible and doable.
The next word in this verse is essential to any journey, often it is the make or break as it sets the worth and hence the amount of effort you will give to the task: Receive, the statement “you may receive“. Did you see it starts with ‘you may’, as the Lord values so highly your free will and freedom of choice, because without this there is no basis for true Love and no way to evaluate the outcome or reward!
The LORD rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness 2 Samuel 26:23 in fact there are over 43 verses about the Lord rewarding His children in the bible. We as human are internally wired to be driven by reward. This is not bad in fact He created us with it.
What is the reward in this verse and context? The Promise, the word promise, finishes this incredible verse with the one thing that is at the centre of every word from Him in fact what the whole bible is centre in: Relationship.
The will of God or most parts of it, often looks quite different for people. To see this we just need to look at the writings of Paul, 1 Corinthians 12 he points out the Unity in Diversity ‘with different, roles and gifts’ and in verse 27 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. So your calling may be different than mine, but is just as important for unless every part of the body is doing its part, the body is not going to be fully effective”.
Since the Lord’s calling or mission to every person is different, wouldn’t His reward and promises be different too? Well the answer is yes and no. It is yes as they are on the journey and collect the same at the end (eternal life), but also no, as beyond that there may be differences, like in Heaven where we will each be given new roles, gifts and talents, and also when it is time to rule with Jesus on the new earth.
Ok let’s recap as we now have the knowledge, revelation and understanding to see what the Lord is saying in this verse. Hebrews 10:36 (NKJV)
“For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise”:
Here is the way out of where we are in these present times:
1. Recognise the importance of the need for endurance for ourselves, our family, business, ministry, community, nation and the nations and ask for God to give it.
2. Realise the Lord is at the end of these seasons we are in, calling us to come to Him, knowing we will be successful and succeed in these trials.
3. Ask Him for His will for you in this time and obey it, as now you will know your mission and along with, the direction and provision.
4. Awaiting you is the reward and prize in His hands at the finish line of your mission. And He has done everything He can to see that you will receive it.
5. Promise is based on your relationship with Him, and His end is non-negotiable! Yet, is your relationship with Him solid and He your ultimate end?
Father, thank You for the way out to apply knowledge, revelation and understanding of this verse to our lives. Jesus we recognise that You are calling us to come to You, for all we need, and we ask You for courage and vulnerability to do that. We say Yes Lord to Your will, and mission for us, and we look to You to lead us. We declare we love, You and You are the prize we run to and await. In Jesus name. Amen.
Craig and Winnie Patten.
Itinerate Pastor/Apostolic Leaders
Encounter Ministries
