Perseverance of the saints is not just a theological idea—it’s a powerful reminder that true saving faith always endures. Learn what it means to persevere as a believer, even in the face of trials and failures. The perseverance of the saints is a work of Christ in us. Though we may stumble, true believers rise again and walk in repentance, proving the genuineness of their faith.
https://youtu.be/6iMawZ59C7o
Table of contentsJesus Is the Founder and Perfecter of Our FaithJesus Already Prayed for Our PerseveranceEncouraged When We DoubtJesus Doesn’t Pray Exactly Like UsA Saint’s Faith PerseveresEternal Security and Once Saved Always SavedTrials Reveal the Genuineness of Our FaithJob Is the Premier Example of a Persevering SaintPeter and Job Demonstrate That Perseverance Does Not Require PerfectionPeter and Job Demonstrate That Perseverance Does Involve Repentance
A long-time friend of mine shared a testimony with me. He was one of my closest friends when we were in California, and I knew him to be a committed Christian. Around 2015, he relocated to Los Angeles and began working for a large, well-known company. He didn’t want me to mention the company’s name. I knew this friend as a responsible and hard worker, so I wasn’t surprised when he told me that he had advanced to upper management in the company.
He said he regularly worked 12 to 20-hour days. When I asked how you work 20-hour days consistently, he said, and I quote, “That’s what I want to talk to you about. A select group of senior-level management chose to use cocaine, and I started using it too, and became addicted. I would use it throughout the day to keep going, and when I returned home, I would drink half a gallon of whiskey and take sleeping pills to come off the cocaine so I could fall asleep. Then I would wake up four or five hours later and use more cocaine to have the energy to make it through the day. This went on for years.
I knew I was going to kill myself and leave my wife and children without a husband and father, so one night, God heavily convicted me, and I called a Christian rehab facility and said they had to come pick me up. My wife knew something was wrong with me, but she didn’t know what it was. She never gave up praying for me or loving me, and before I left the house, I confessed to her what was happening and informed her that she wouldn’t be able to communicate with me while I was in the facility. I also told her where she could find the stashes of cocaine around the house, because I didn’t want to stumble upon them when I returned home.
When I left the facility, I went to work one more time, and that was to quit. I didn’t give them two weeks' notice because I didn’t want to create further temptation. I have been sober since then. I moved my family to Wyoming, where we found healing, and the Lord redeemed our family. We experienced this victory because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The cross can help us defeat anything.” End quote.
It blessed me to hear this because I’m sure there were many sacrifices and much suffering on his part to see the positive changes in his life and family. Most of you know our familiarity with addiction: my brother died of a drug overdose, my dad was an alcoholic, and Katie’s mother died of alcoholism. Sadly, there are not many success stories in the addiction world. Some of you know this firsthand. But instead of looking at what he had done, he looked at what Christ had done for him.
I don’t think my friend became a Christian during this time. I knew him from 2005 through 2010, and I was confident in his salvation. I believe Christ was with him through this season, praying for him and strengthening his faith, just as He described doing for Peter:
Luke 22:32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus said He would pray for Peter’s faith so that it would not fail. Just as He did so with Peter,