December 15, 2025 • 14 mins
A steady heart can stand in the hottest fire. We open Jude 17–23 and Ephesians 6:10–13 to draw a clear map for real-world perseverance: put on the full armor of God, name the true enemy, and move toward the lost with mercy that refuses to quit. This isn’t a pep talk about trying harder; it’s a field guide for relying on the Spirit when the battle feels personal, the doubts get loud, and the path forward looks dim.
We start with a frank look at perseverance—why it matters, where it breaks down, and how strength rises only when rooted in God. From there, we walk piece by piece through the armor: truth that anchors, righteousness that covers, gospel shoes that steady, a shield of faith that quenches lies, a helmet that guards the mind, and the sword of the Spirit that cuts through confusion. You’ll hear why partial armor invites attack, how to spot “unarmored” gaps, and practical rhythms of Scripture, prayer, and worship that keep you standing firm.
Then we shift the lens to the real opponent. People aren’t your battlefield; spiritual forces are. That perspective transforms conflict into a mission of mercy. We talk about praying for the unsaved, showing compassion to doubters, and the courage it takes to “snatch others from the fire” without compromising holiness. Expect honest stories from ministry trenches, clear steps for engaging loved ones who resist the gospel, and a hopeful reminder that persistence can open doors no argument ever could.
If you’re weary, this conversation is your invitation to armor up, lift your shield, and keep moving. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs strength today, and leave a review to help others find this message of perseverance and mercy.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:05):
What's going on, everybody?
I am Lee Day, your host, pastorof Christ Family Outreach
Church, and I want to justwelcome you to another episode
of Beyond Sunday.
If you got your Bibles, we'regoing to get going in Jude,
beginning with the 17th verse,Jude 17 through 23.
And this is what it says,because it is a call to
(00:28):
persevere.
But you must remember, beloved,the predictions of the apostles
of our Lord Jesus Christ, theysaid to you, In the last time
there will be scoffers followingtheir own ungodly passions.
It is these who cause divisions,worldly people, devoid of the
(00:49):
spirit.
But you, beloved, buildingyourselves up in your most holy
faith and praying in the HolySpirit, keep yourselves in the
love of God, waiting for themercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
that leads to eternal life, andhave mercy on those who doubt.
Save others by snatching themout of the fire.
(01:13):
To others, show mercy with fear,hating even the garment stained
by the flesh.
You know, we're reminded in thispart of the text to persevere.
And to persevere, my friends, isto persist in anything that you
have undertaken.
It is to maintain a purpose inspite of difficulty, obstacles,
(01:38):
or even discouragement.
Our strength comes from one.
Amen.
Our strength comes from ourHeavenly Father, which means we
must be seeking God in order tobe strong in our faith.
Now, it has been documented thatthe Great Wall of China was
penetrated three different timesby an enemy.
(02:01):
However, each of the threetimes, the guards had been
bribed.
So listen to this, my friends.
A strong defense depends onstrong people, and strong people
must depend on God in order toremain strong.
Ephesians 6, 10 through 13 saysthis finally be strong in the
(02:27):
Lord and in the strength of hismight.
Put on the whole armor of God,that you may be able to stand
against the schemes of thedevil.
For we do not wrestle againstflesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities,against the cosmic powers over
this present darkness, againstthe spiritual forces of evil in
(02:49):
the heavenly places.
Therefore, take up the wholearmor of God that you may be
able to withstand in the evilday and having done all to stand
firm.
Paul calls us right there to bestrong in the Lord.
That means we've got to spendtime, real regular time in the
(03:09):
Word of God.
We've got to spend time inprayer.
We've got to spend time inworship and praising our Lord.
It's having a strongrelationship with Jesus Christ
that causes us to have strengthin Him.
The 11th verse tells us that wecan stand against the schemes of
the devil.
Did you hear that?
Because that should encourageyou.
(03:31):
We can stand against the schemesof the devil.
But the only way that we can doit is by putting on the entire
armor of God.
We've got to put on the entirearmor.
If you don't dress right for thebattle, then you won't make it
out unscathed.
Satan is looking for the areasof weakness in your life to
(03:54):
attack.
He's looking for the unarmoredareas.
He's not looking to attack thestronger, more fortified areas
in your life.
He's looking to see if there isa hole or a weak spot in your
armor.
And wherever your armor has beencompromised, Satan is looking to
(04:14):
make a move in.
The 12th verse tells us that wedo not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against rulers,against authorities, against the
cosmic powers over this presentdarkness, against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenlyplaces.
So listen up, my friends.
Know who your enemy is.
That's right.
Know who your enemy is.
(04:38):
You may think it's yourneighbor.
You may think it's a familymember or coworker, but that's
not the case.
You've got to understand who thereal enemy is.
The real enemy is the power ofdarkness attacking the
individual that's tempting themto act like that.
The power of darkness that'stempting them and luring them to
(04:58):
act that way towards you.
So our prayers should be for theunsaved to be saved.
And even if they are consideredour enemy at the moment, we've
got to recognize who the largerenemy is working behind them the
entire time.
It's the spiritual forces ofdarkness working behind the
(05:19):
scenes.
And we've got to also rememberthat we too once were lost in
sin and on our way to hell untilJesus Christ stepped in.
We're going to jump back to Judeverses 18 and 19 for a moment,
my friends, because it says,They said to you, in the last
time there will be scoffersfollowing their own ungodly
(05:41):
passions.
It is these who cause divisions.
Worldly people devoid of thespirit.
A person is completely lost inlife until they accept Jesus
(06:04):
Christ as their own personalLord and Savior, and God's
Spirit comes in and lives withthem.
My friends, without Jesus Christas Lord, you lack the power of
God in your life.
You lack wisdom, you lackknowledge and understanding that
only God's Holy Spirit can teachyou.
(06:25):
Now think about this.
If you are not hearing from thevoice of the Lord, then who are
you hearing from?
If you do not have the HolySpirit inside of you guiding and
directing you, then who isleading you?
The truth is that God is willingto lead you.
God wants to guide his people,he wants to direct your path.
(06:46):
But you must accept his son,Jesus Christ, as Lord of your
life.
And as a Christian, you mustremain tuned into God daily.
You can have a radio in yourvehicle, but it does you no good
unless you turn it on.
Don't be satisfied with justhaving access to God.
(07:09):
Actually access Him throughprayer and allow Him to lead
you.
The 20th verse says that we areto build ourselves up in our
most holy faith and praying inthe Holy Spirit.
This is how you get stronger,how you are able to persevere.
(07:33):
Our faith is everything.
It's what pleases God.
Praying in the Spirit andallowing God to completely have
his way in our lives, myfriends.
We should want God's will in ourlives more than we do our own
plans.
And we should be willing to prayfor God's will for our lives and
be okay, right?
(07:54):
Be okay if that doesn't line upwith what we've asked God for.
There are going to be times whenyou will need to pray in the
spirit because you won't knowwhat to pray.
And remember, God always knowswhat needs to happen.
Verse 21 says this in Jude.
(08:14):
Keep yourselves in the love ofGod, waiting for the mercy of
our Lord Jesus Christ that leadsto eternal life, and have mercy
on those who doubt.
You see, as Christians, we areto keep ourselves in the love of
God and we are to show mercy tothose who doubt.
(08:35):
And I can tell you this it's alot easier to show mercy when
you walk in the love of God.
That's the way that you're goingto do it.
Because when you and I step outof that love, we can easily lose
track of what God is calling usto do, both to save and to
unsaved people in our lives.
(08:55):
And so we must continue to walkin mercy.
The 23rd verse says, save othersby snatching them out of the
fire.
To others, show mercy with fear,hating even the garment stained
by flesh.
(09:15):
Here's a little spiritualinventory question for you, my
friends.
How far are you willing to go tohelp show someone the love and
mercy of God through JesusChrist right now?
See, you cannot give up.
You must continue.
(09:35):
Let me encourage you, you cannotgive up.
You must continue to perseverein your faith so others can see
the example of Jesus Christliving on the inside of you.
My friend, right now, you've gotto keep pressing on.
Right now, you've got tocontinue sharing God's word with
(09:57):
the lost.
Right now, you've got to keepinviting them to your church
service.
Right now, you've got tocontinue to encourage them to
pray and read the word of GodAlmighty right now.
Don't put it off any longer.
And if you've been doing it butyou're just tired, I want to
encourage you to press on.
(10:17):
I want to encourage you to keeppressing on.
Remain steadfast.
Remain persistent.
You must persevere.
Let this be a call ofencouragement.
Let this be the hour where youare encouraged to persevere, to
not give up, no matter how longthis journey has been, no matter
(10:38):
how rough the road has been.
Persevere, my friends.
Persevere.
Your persistence just may bewhat God Almighty uses to lead
the person to accept JesusChrist as Lord and Savior, that
is watching you live your life,that is watching you shine the
light of Jesus.
So here's a spiritual inventoryquestion right now.
(11:00):
How far?
How far are you willing to go?
How far are you willing to go?
Are you willing to snatch themout of the flames?
Because the 23rd verse says,save others by snatching them
out of the fire.
(11:21):
Wow.
That is so powerful.
Save other people by snatchingthem out of the fire.
Who are those people?
Who are those people that we'vegot to save out of the fire?
That's the unsafe folks.
That's the people that are notliving daily with Jesus Christ
(11:41):
in their lives as Lord andSavior.
And the word of God just tellsus in Jude, the 23rd verse, that
it's our job as brothers andsisters in Christ, you and me,
it's our job to be firesnatchers.
It's our job to go in and savethese people that are lost and
dying and on their way to hell.
(12:03):
And this is a message, this is acall in Jude verses 17 through
23.
This is a call to persevere.
And we are fire snatchers.
What a role! What a hugeresponsibility.
We're fire snatchers.
So not only is the question, howfar are you willing to go?
(12:25):
But there's an additionalquestion.
Are you willing to snatch themout of the flames?
Do you have?
Do you have your armor on?
You know, one thing I've learnedin many years of ministry, I've
come to realize that some peopleare easier to win to the Lord
(12:45):
than others.
Some people are just gonna bedifficult.
Some people are gonna cause youto go the extra mile, while
others will cause you to go anextra 10 miles.
But either way, the desiredoutcome should be the same, my
friends.
(13:06):
We've got to be willing to dowhatever it takes through the
love of God.
We've got to be willing to dowhatever it takes to show these
people the love of God and offerthe mercy that it takes that
brings a lost soul to JesusChrist.
(13:28):
Persevere, remain strong, andlet God strengthen you right now
so that He can use you rightnow.
And I just want to encourageyou, my friends, do not wait any
longer.
I want to remind you today tomake sure that you've got that
(13:50):
armor on.
Make sure that it's not justpartial armor.
Make sure that it is the fullarmor of God because you're
gonna need every piece of it.
Keep pressing on, my friends.
Continue seeking the Father,continue praying to him,
continue in the Word so that youknow the way that you should go.
(14:16):
Persevere.
Do not give up.
Go out there today and snatchsomebody from the flames.
What's going on, everybody?
I am Lee Day, your host, pastorof Christ Family Outreach
Church, and I want to justwelcome you to another episode
of Beyond Sunday.
If you got your Bibles, we'regoing to get going in Jude,
beginning with the 17th verse,Jude 17 through 23.
And this is what it says,because it is a call to
(00:28):
persevere.
But you must remember, beloved,the predictions of the apostles
of our Lord Jesus Christ, theysaid to you, In the last time
there will be scoffers followingtheir own ungodly passions.
It is these who cause divisions,worldly people, devoid of the
(00:49):
spirit.
But you, beloved, buildingyourselves up in your most holy
faith and praying in the HolySpirit, keep yourselves in the
love of God, waiting for themercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
that leads to eternal life, andhave mercy on those who doubt.
Save others by snatching themout of the fire.
(01:13):
To others, show mercy with fear,hating even the garment stained
by the flesh.
You know, we're reminded in thispart of the text to persevere.
And to persevere, my friends, isto persist in anything that you
have undertaken.
It is to maintain a purpose inspite of difficulty, obstacles,
(01:38):
or even discouragement.
Our strength comes from one.
Amen.
Our strength comes from ourHeavenly Father, which means we
must be seeking God in order tobe strong in our faith.
Now, it has been documented thatthe Great Wall of China was
penetrated three different timesby an enemy.
(02:01):
However, each of the threetimes, the guards had been
bribed.
So listen to this, my friends.
A strong defense depends onstrong people, and strong people
must depend on God in order toremain strong.
Ephesians 6, 10 through 13 saysthis finally be strong in the
(02:27):
Lord and in the strength of hismight.
Put on the whole armor of God,that you may be able to stand
against the schemes of thedevil.
For we do not wrestle againstflesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities,against the cosmic powers over
this present darkness, againstthe spiritual forces of evil in
(02:49):
the heavenly places.
Therefore, take up the wholearmor of God that you may be
able to withstand in the evilday and having done all to stand
firm.
Paul calls us right there to bestrong in the Lord.
That means we've got to spendtime, real regular time in the
(03:09):
Word of God.
We've got to spend time inprayer.
We've got to spend time inworship and praising our Lord.
It's having a strongrelationship with Jesus Christ
that causes us to have strengthin Him.
The 11th verse tells us that wecan stand against the schemes of
the devil.
Did you hear that?
Because that should encourageyou.
(03:31):
We can stand against the schemesof the devil.
But the only way that we can doit is by putting on the entire
armor of God.
We've got to put on the entirearmor.
If you don't dress right for thebattle, then you won't make it
out unscathed.
Satan is looking for the areasof weakness in your life to
(03:54):
attack.
He's looking for the unarmoredareas.
He's not looking to attack thestronger, more fortified areas
in your life.
He's looking to see if there isa hole or a weak spot in your
armor.
And wherever your armor has beencompromised, Satan is looking to
(04:14):
make a move in.
The 12th verse tells us that wedo not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against rulers,against authorities, against the
cosmic powers over this presentdarkness, against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenlyplaces.
So listen up, my friends.
Know who your enemy is.
That's right.
Know who your enemy is.
(04:38):
You may think it's yourneighbor.
You may think it's a familymember or coworker, but that's
not the case.
You've got to understand who thereal enemy is.
The real enemy is the power ofdarkness attacking the
individual that's tempting themto act like that.
The power of darkness that'stempting them and luring them to
(04:58):
act that way towards you.
So our prayers should be for theunsaved to be saved.
And even if they are consideredour enemy at the moment, we've
got to recognize who the largerenemy is working behind them the
entire time.
It's the spiritual forces ofdarkness working behind the
(05:19):
scenes.
And we've got to also rememberthat we too once were lost in
sin and on our way to hell untilJesus Christ stepped in.
We're going to jump back to Judeverses 18 and 19 for a moment,
my friends, because it says,They said to you, in the last
time there will be scoffersfollowing their own ungodly
(05:41):
passions.
It is these who cause divisions.
Worldly people devoid of thespirit.
A person is completely lost inlife until they accept Jesus
(06:04):
Christ as their own personalLord and Savior, and God's
Spirit comes in and lives withthem.
My friends, without Jesus Christas Lord, you lack the power of
God in your life.
You lack wisdom, you lackknowledge and understanding that
only God's Holy Spirit can teachyou.
(06:25):
Now think about this.
If you are not hearing from thevoice of the Lord, then who are
you hearing from?
If you do not have the HolySpirit inside of you guiding and
directing you, then who isleading you?
The truth is that God is willingto lead you.
God wants to guide his people,he wants to direct your path.
(06:46):
But you must accept his son,Jesus Christ, as Lord of your
life.
And as a Christian, you mustremain tuned into God daily.
You can have a radio in yourvehicle, but it does you no good
unless you turn it on.
Don't be satisfied with justhaving access to God.
(07:09):
Actually access Him throughprayer and allow Him to lead
you.
The 20th verse says that we areto build ourselves up in our
most holy faith and praying inthe Holy Spirit.
This is how you get stronger,how you are able to persevere.
(07:33):
Our faith is everything.
It's what pleases God.
Praying in the Spirit andallowing God to completely have
his way in our lives, myfriends.
We should want God's will in ourlives more than we do our own
plans.
And we should be willing to prayfor God's will for our lives and
be okay, right?
(07:54):
Be okay if that doesn't line upwith what we've asked God for.
There are going to be times whenyou will need to pray in the
spirit because you won't knowwhat to pray.
And remember, God always knowswhat needs to happen.
Verse 21 says this in Jude.
(08:14):
Keep yourselves in the love ofGod, waiting for the mercy of
our Lord Jesus Christ that leadsto eternal life, and have mercy
on those who doubt.
You see, as Christians, we areto keep ourselves in the love of
God and we are to show mercy tothose who doubt.
(08:35):
And I can tell you this it's alot easier to show mercy when
you walk in the love of God.
That's the way that you're goingto do it.
Because when you and I step outof that love, we can easily lose
track of what God is calling usto do, both to save and to
unsaved people in our lives.
(08:55):
And so we must continue to walkin mercy.
The 23rd verse says, save othersby snatching them out of the
fire.
To others, show mercy with fear,hating even the garment stained
by flesh.
(09:15):
Here's a little spiritualinventory question for you, my
friends.
How far are you willing to go tohelp show someone the love and
mercy of God through JesusChrist right now?
See, you cannot give up.
You must continue.
(09:35):
Let me encourage you, you cannotgive up.
You must continue to perseverein your faith so others can see
the example of Jesus Christliving on the inside of you.
My friend, right now, you've gotto keep pressing on.
Right now, you've got tocontinue sharing God's word with
(09:57):
the lost.
Right now, you've got to keepinviting them to your church
service.
Right now, you've got tocontinue to encourage them to
pray and read the word of GodAlmighty right now.
Don't put it off any longer.
And if you've been doing it butyou're just tired, I want to
encourage you to press on.
(10:17):
I want to encourage you to keeppressing on.
Remain steadfast.
Remain persistent.
You must persevere.
Let this be a call ofencouragement.
Let this be the hour where youare encouraged to persevere, to
not give up, no matter how longthis journey has been, no matter
(10:38):
how rough the road has been.
Persevere, my friends.
Persevere.
Your persistence just may bewhat God Almighty uses to lead
the person to accept JesusChrist as Lord and Savior, that
is watching you live your life,that is watching you shine the
light of Jesus.
So here's a spiritual inventoryquestion right now.
(11:00):
How far?
How far are you willing to go?
How far are you willing to go?
Are you willing to snatch themout of the flames?
Because the 23rd verse says,save others by snatching them
out of the fire.
(11:21):
Wow.
That is so powerful.
Save other people by snatchingthem out of the fire.
Who are those people?
Who are those people that we'vegot to save out of the fire?
That's the unsafe folks.
That's the people that are notliving daily with Jesus Christ
(11:41):
in their lives as Lord andSavior.
And the word of God just tellsus in Jude, the 23rd verse, that
it's our job as brothers andsisters in Christ, you and me,
it's our job to be firesnatchers.
It's our job to go in and savethese people that are lost and
dying and on their way to hell.
(12:03):
And this is a message, this is acall in Jude verses 17 through
23.
This is a call to persevere.
And we are fire snatchers.
What a role! What a hugeresponsibility.
We're fire snatchers.
So not only is the question, howfar are you willing to go?
(12:25):
But there's an additionalquestion.
Are you willing to snatch themout of the flames?
Do you have?
Do you have your armor on?
You know, one thing I've learnedin many years of ministry, I've
come to realize that some peopleare easier to win to the Lord
(12:45):
than others.
Some people are just gonna bedifficult.
Some people are gonna cause youto go the extra mile, while
others will cause you to go anextra 10 miles.
But either way, the desiredoutcome should be the same, my
friends.
(13:06):
We've got to be willing to dowhatever it takes through the
love of God.
We've got to be willing to dowhatever it takes to show these
people the love of God and offerthe mercy that it takes that
brings a lost soul to JesusChrist.
(13:28):
Persevere, remain strong, andlet God strengthen you right now
so that He can use you rightnow.
And I just want to encourageyou, my friends, do not wait any
longer.
I want to remind you today tomake sure that you've got that
(13:50):
armor on.
Make sure that it's not justpartial armor.
Make sure that it is the fullarmor of God because you're
gonna need every piece of it.
Keep pressing on, my friends.
Continue seeking the Father,continue praying to him,
continue in the Word so that youknow the way that you should go.
(14:16):
Persevere.
Do not give up.
Go out there today and snatchsomebody from the flames.
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