Some Evangelism Essentials

Some Evangelism Essentials

Theme: In evangelism, the Holy Spirit uses the Gospel shared by Believers.  

The Gospel is Vital. The “good news” of Jesus Christ is the message that the Son of God, died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day, offering eternal life to all who believe. It is a “grace” gift and is not earned by religious efforts. Such salvation is rooted in faith, repentance, and obedience to the gospel. Evangelism involves our presence as we win a hearing, our proclamation as we share the gospel message, and our persuasion as we convince others to place their trust in Christ.

The Holy Spirit is Vital. The gospel certainly is the “power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16), which God uses alongside the Holy Spirit to open repentant sinners’ hearts, rather than relying solely on human education, eloquence, or persuasion. The Holy Spirit is the driver of evangelism in that he brings about conviction (Jn. 16:8; 3:18; Rom. 3:23), conversion (Eph. 2:1; Jn. 3:3), and guidance into truth. Without His divine work, the sinner would never appreciate the gospel message nor become convinced of the simple message of salvation through Christ. While it is true the believer must witness and proclaim Christ, the work of saving a sinner—conversion—belongs to the Spirit of God using the gospel.

Believers are Vital. The ministry of evangelism is carried out through people as Paul stated in Romans 10:14, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” Believers are ordained as active instruments, in God’s hands for evangelism, tasked with sharing the message of reconciliation to make disciples. As ambassadors for Christ, we are responsible for sharing our faith in daily life, guided by the Holy Spirit, while relying on the power of the gospel itself to save, not just our personal talents, skills, or abilities. It is our responsibility to take the life-giving message to the lost encouraging them to turn to Christ in faith. As personal workers we may not be called to full time ministry, but we are called to win souls to Christ. The specific call of evangelism is for the specialist in gospel preaching and witnessing, but all believers are commissioned to proclaim the gospel on a person-to-person basis (Matt. 24:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48). People are important to this effort. It takes saved people to win other people to Christ.

Techniques are Not Vital. People are essential to evangelism while certain approaches, methods, and techniques are incidental. In the grand scope of God’s redemptive plan, people are the central conduits for the task of promoting the gospel. This viewpoint means that while practices (such as special programs, events, or approaches) are not fundamentally wrong, they are secondary to the foundation of the message itself and the work of the Holy Spirit through believers. Furthermore, evangelism should be an organic, spontaneous overflow of a believer’s life, rather than a fixed, mechanical, or overly managed program. God has no other means of sharing the hope of salvation through Christ except through born-again people. God primarily uses people as messengers of salvation and not merely techniques to communicate the gospel. With many modern methods there is pressure to get an immediate decision, in contrast true evangelism often involves a process of fostering the right conditions in the soul of a potential convert rather than a single event. The gospel message has been watered down, streamlined, rendered non-offensive, and sanitized to make it more palatable to the modern sensibilities. Also, different methods work for different personalities, and sticking to one “formula” can hinder individual, God-given motivations, gifts, and strengths. Method will vary with people and times, but the Holy Spirit uses the gospel of Christ proclaimed by believers as a standard.

Conclusion: Our function is to focus on the steps a person takes in becoming a believer. We must use our spiritual gifts, personality, and abilities to accomplish the task of evangelism–to bring people to the point of a decision for Christ. We are to share the gospel in such a way the unsaved can understand and are enabled to respond to Christ—we create an environment of receptivity and responsiveness to the message. Ultimately, Christ is really trusted for salvation, and this is a new beginning to an extraordinary journey of faith for the new believer. This is far more important than merely counting another pressurized ‘conversion’ at the end of a special event.

The Warning (Keep the Faith, Part 3)

 

Lesson Four

The Warning

Hebrews 3:7-11

 

Theme: Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is our Model of fidelity and is infinitely Superior to Moses. Therefore, hold firmly to your faith in Christ, God’s faithful Apostle and High Priest.

 

Reflection

Begin your study by sharing thoughts on this question.

 Think of a time when a Christian friend encouraged your faith. What did this person do to help you?

 

Bible Reading

Read carefully and thoughtfully Hebrews 3:1–19.

5.  What is the overall scope of this warning section in the chapter? (Heb. 3:7-19)

 

I.                 In the first exhortation (Heb. 2:1–4), the writer pointed out the danger of drifting from the Word because of neglect. In this exhortation, he explains the danger of doubting and disbelieving the Word because of hardness of heart. It is important that we understand the background of this section, which is the Exodus of Israel from Egypt and their experiences of unbelief in the wilderness.

II.               To begin with, we must understand that there are spiritual lessons in the geography of Israel’s experiences. The nation’s bondage in Egypt is an illustration of a sinner’s bondage in this world. Much as Israel was delivered from Egypt by the blood of lambs and the power of God, so a sinner who believes on Christ is delivered from the bondage of sin (Col. 1:13–14). Jesus Christ is “the Lamb of God” whose death and resurrection have made our deliverance from sin a reality.

III.             It was not God’s will that Israel remain either in Egypt or in the wilderness. His desire was that the people enter their glorious inheritance in the land of Canaan. But when Israel got to the border of their inheritance, they delayed because they doubted the promise of God (Num. 13–14). “We are not able” wept the ten spies and the people. “We are able with God’s help!” said Moses, Joshua, and Caleb. Because the people went backward in unbelief instead of forward by faith, they missed their inheritance and died in the wilderness. It was the new generation that possessed the land and entered into their rest.

IV.            What does Canaan represent to us as Christians today? It represents our spiritual inheritance in Christ (Eph. 1:3, 11, 15–23). It is unfortunate that some of our hymns and Gospel songs use Canaan as a picture of heaven, and “crossing the Jordan” as a picture of death. Since Canaan was a place of battles, and even of defeats, it is not a good illustration of heaven! Israel had to cross the river by faith (a picture of the believer as he dies to self and the world, Rom. 6) and claim the inheritance by faith. They had to “step out by faith” (Josh. 1:3) and claim the land for themselves, just as believers today must do.

V.              Now we can understand what the wilderness wanderings represent: the experiences of believers who will not claim their spiritual inheritance in Christ, who doubt God’s Word and live in restless unbelief. To be sure, God is with them, as He was with Israel; but they do not enjoy the fullness of God’s blessing. They are “out of Egypt” but they are not yet “in Canaan.”

6.  What warning does the Holy Spirit give to us? (Heb. 3:7-11)

To drive home God’s call to faithfulness and to warn of the consequences of stubborn disbelief, the classic failure of Israel at Kadesh Barnea which led to their 40-year detour in the wilderness is presented. That generation of Israel that came out of Egypt doubted God; therefore, they never entered the land of Canaan. Paul quotes from Psalm 95:7–11, which records God’s response to Israel’s tragic spiritual condition.

 

I.                 The Spirit’s Warning Issues a Command (3:7-8a).

a.      “Hear His Voice,” whenever God speaks, we should be swift to hear. To doubt His word is to call Him a liar and to incur His wrath.

b.      Israel put God to the test—“temptation in the wilderness”—by asking, “Is the Lord among us, or not?” (Ex. 17:7)  Instead of trusting God in the midst of adverse circumstances, they demanded that He show His hand in order to demonstrate to them that He was in their midst to help them.

c.      The phrase “harden not your hearts,” forbids the continuance of an action already going on. These Hebrews were already hardening their hearts. Paul exhorts them to stop doing so.

d.      In view of the fact that Messiah is better than the prophets, the angels, and Moses, the warning is, not to harden their hearts in renouncing their professed faith in Messiah and returning to the sacrifices. —Wuest, Kenneth S.

II.               The Spirit’s Warning Illustrates a Calamity (3:8b-9).

a.      The “provocation in the day of temptation” refers to the murmuring of Israel against the Lord at Rephidim because of the lack of water (Ex 17:1–7).

b.      God had delivered His people from Egypt and had cared for them, revealing His power in many signs and wonders (Heb. 3:9). Israel saw all of this and benefited from it!

c.      But the experience did not bring them closer to God or make them trust Him more. This is an extraordinary calamity! All that God did for them did not benefit them spiritually. In fact, just the opposite took place: they hardened their hearts against God! They put God to the test—“proved”—and He did not fail them; yet they failed Him.

III.             The Spirit’s Warning Illuminates a Condition (3:10).

God’s keen displeasure with Israel in the wilderness brought forth this stern denunciation. He accused them of a perpetual proneness to wander away from Him, and of a willful ignorance of His ways. —MacDonald, William; Farstad, Arthur: Believer's Bible Commentary

a.      They Consistently Erred in Heart (Heb. 3:10).

                                                    i.     The heart of every problem is a problem in the heart. The people of Israel (except Moses, Joshua, and Caleb) erred in their hearts (Heb. 3:10).

1.      Their hearts wandered from God and His Word.

2.      They also had evil hearts of unbelief (Heb. 3:12); they did not believe that God would give them victory in Canaan. They had seen God perform great signs in Egypt. Yet they doubted He was adequate for the challenge of Canaan.

                                                  ii.     When a person has an erring heart and a disbelieving heart, the result will also be a hard heart. (Wiersbe, W. W. 1996, c1989. The Bible Exposition Commentary)

1.      This is a heart that is insensitive to the Word and work of God. So hard was the heart of Israel that the people even wanted to return to Egypt! Imagine wanting to exchange their freedom under God for slavery in Egypt!

2.      Of course, all this history spoke to the hearts of the readers of this letter because they were in danger of “going back” themselves.

                                                 iii.     Why was God grieved? (Heb. 3:10, 17)

1.      God was grieved according to Hebrews 3:9, which says, “When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.” But, why was He grieved? The two words “tempted” and “prove” hold the reason why God was so grieved with Israel. According to Wuest, “tempted” means “to put to the test to see what good or evil may be in a person.”  The nation of Israel was in affect saying ‘Can He provide and protect as He said?’  The people kept ‘testing’ God!  Then the word “prove” means “to put to the test for the purpose of approving the person if he meets the test.”  Israel was saying, ‘Is He really God?’ They were demanding more proof while ignoring a mountain of evidence. This is continuous unbelief. This is what grieved the heart of Jehovah. But note also what Carson said, Those who left Egypt with Moses had God’s words of promise and warning ringing in their ears, but they hardened their hearts and would not respond with faith and obedience. Rebellion and testing are translations of the Hebrew names Meribah and Massah (Ex. 17:1–7; cf. Nu. 20:1–13). At the beginning and end of their desert wanderings, the Israelites showed themselves to be particularly unbelieving at these places. They tested and tried God in the sense that they went as far as they could in provoking him to judge them (9). –Carson, D. A.1994. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition

2.      The latter phrase of verse 9 says, “and saw my works forty years.”  This affords us the third reason why God was grieved with Israel. The forty-year period in the wilderness was an expression of God’s anger with that generation, but it was also an opportunity for them to experience his gracious ways, again and again (10). Since they refused to repent and trust him, he declared on oath in his anger that such people could not enter his rest in the land that he had promised to their forefathers as an inheritance (11; cf. Nu. 14). That privilege would only be extended to their children. –Carson, D. A.1994. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition

3.      Israel’s behavior can only be described as continuous rebellion and unbelief. This grieved God greatly because He had given them so much evidence to persuade them to trust and obey Him implicitly. Although God had miraculously rescued them from Egypt and had demonstrated his power and care over his people, the people disobeyed God, complained against him, and refused to take possession of the land God had given them. They tested him, tried him, and saw him work both for and against them during their forty years of wandering. They tested his patience and challenged his authority. Despite seeing God's works for forty years, the people continually rebelled against him. –The Life Application Commentary Series copyright (C) 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000

4.      God’s keen displeasure with Israel in the wilderness brought forth this stern denunciation. He accused them of a perpetual proneness to wander away from Him, and of a willful ignorance of His ways. –MacDonald, W. 1997, c1995. Believer's Bible Commentary

5.      Wuest highlights the fact that their proneness to was due to their general ignorance of God—they had little experience with Him and His ways because they neglected Him.

6.      God was offended at the actions of Israel. … Israel was led astray with respect to the heart, the seat of one’s personal character and of one’s moral and spiritual life. The Hebrew has it, “They are a people of wanderers in heart.” … Israel’s ignorance of the ways of Jehovah preceded and was the cause of their being led astray. Their ignorance was due to their neglect of Jehovah, for the knowledge they lacked was experiential knowledge which was to be acquired through experience with the ways and character of God. –Wuest, K. S. 1997, c1984. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament

b.      They were Ignorant of God’s Way (Heb. 3:10b).

                                                    i.     In spite of God’s works and loving patience the Israelites failed to understand the ways He would have had them go to reach His Canaan rest (Ex 18:20).

1.      Yes, the forty-year period in the wilderness was an expression of God’s anger with that generation, but it was also an opportunity for them to experience his gracious ways, again and again.

2.      Instead they challenged God’s sovereign authority by their rebellion in the wilderness (Num 20).They cared not to take God’s road! 

                                                  ii.     Are we any better? Obedience from the heart goes beyond merely receiving instructions. One must respond to God’s wisdom with complete surrender and compliance.  That generation of Israelites perished because they willfully rebelled in spite of a full revelation at Mount Sinai.

                                                 iii.     When one despises the preachers of the gospel they are at the same time despising the message of Christ. Christ continued to speak through his apostles, and buy his Spirit. The general rule is that we should diligently attend unto him, and we are not to refuse any who speak unto us in the name and authority of Christ. This may be applied to all the faithful preachers of the gospel, but they may be despised in this world.

IV.            The Spirit’s Warning Issues a Condemnation (3:11).

a.      God’s judgment fell on Israel in the wilderness at Kadesh Barnea. That entire generation was condemned to die, and only the new generation would enter the land.

b.      God said, “They shall not enter into My rest” (Heb. 3:11).

c.      Dr. Newell made the following observations regarding this same matter.

                                                    i.     The wicked say to God, “We desire not the knowledge of Thy ways” (Job 21:14). The angel said to Daniel, “The people that know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”  Since not knowing God’s ways is shown as the vital lack in Israel of old, and assured their failing to enter God’s rest, let us ask How shall we know the ways of God?  Mark it well: do as Moses did.  Ask and seek to have His ways shown to you.  Or, with David, plead Psalm 27:11, and the like. We must know our God and His ways. Otherwise, we shall be mere “professing” Christians.

                                                  ii.     From all of these observations regarding the text, it can be concluded men dislike the ways of God because of ignorance, like of experience, spiritual laziness, and they simply did not pursue a knowledge of Jehovah and His ways.  Therefore, despite the abundance of evidence presented by God, Israel still did not know His ways.

Response 

Use these questions to share more deeply with each other.

 

 

11.  Why should believers distinguish between faith and feelings?

 

 

Question 7. Be careful to maintain balance here. It's easy to get into a gender-related discussion about emotions. Because a person is emotional doesn't mean his/her faith is not real. Faith can lead to emotion. It just can't be based on emotion.

 

 

 

12.  How can you determine if your faith is real?

 

 

Question 8. Read James 2:14–17 (read through verse 26 if you don't mind a longer passage). Discuss current examples of faith without works.

 

 

 

13.  What can you do to ensure that your faith will endure?

 

Prayer

 

Father, we ask you to deepen our faith in you. Give us the strength to withstand temptation, overcome doubt, and remain loyal to you. At the end of our lives, may we hear your words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

 

Journaling

 

Take a few moments to record your personal insights from this lesson.

 

 

What steps can I take this week to strengthen my faith in God?

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Questions

 

 

14.  How can you avoid hardening your heart against God?

 

 

 

15.  What is the danger for Christians who neglect the fellowship of other believers?

 

 

Question 11. If you can, offer some examples of how your own life is different in proportion to the time you spend in fellowship with believers.

 

 

 

16.  What Christian friend can you encourage in spiritual matters? How?

 

For more Bible passages about remaining faithful, see Deuteronomy 11:13–18; 1 Samuel 12:24; 2 Samuel 22:26; 1 Kings 2:3,4; 2 Chronicles 19:9; Psalm 97:10; Proverbs 28:20; Matthew 25:19–23; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 10:12, 13; 3 John 3–5; Revelation 2:10; 17:14.

To complete the book of Hebrews during this twelve-part study, read Hebrews 3:1–19.

 

Laying Aside Guile

 

1 PETER 2:1-2

SUBJECT: GROWTH THROUGH PERSEVERANCE

THEME: because God is always in control and our hope is in Christ, we are admonished to never despair or backslide due to difficult and unfair circumstances. We should rather strive to grow spiritually and persevere in practical righteousness. We must lay aside wrong attitudes because they hinder our spiritual appetite and growth.

INTRODUCTION: How should I conduct myself when life seems to fall apart?  What does God expect of us when things are unkind, unfair, and filled with unwanted pressures? 1 Peter 1:6-7, Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: [7] That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Pursuing the will of God despite our pressures is God’s answer, but how do we do that?

1) There is a tendency to quite living for God resorting to the world’s way of handling hurts, troubles, and unfair treatments. In such times we need to refocus ourselves and adjust our perspective to live more completely up to God’s expectations in the realm of our emotional life. 

2)  Instead of becoming cold towards God in our trials, we must maintain a correct attitude and spirit toward Him and others. Sometimes it is very easy to put on a smile and go through the motions, but to be real in our spirit, attitude, and heart is a different matter. Trials can be real opportunities to grow spiritually but we will have to be especially attentive to the purpose of living for God during these hard times.

When you come to the point of quitting draw on God’s strength, you’ll build endurance in your life.

MESSAGE: 

STRIVE TO GROW IN THE LORD BY LAYING ASIDE HARMFUL ATTITUDES  1Pet. 2:1

There is a great temptation to take on non-Christian attitudes and to assume a hostile spirit when difficulties come our way.  Sometimes extreme adjustments, out of the ordinary pressures, and unfamiliar challenges can generate negative energies that will eventuate into hostility, irritability, and shortness of patience with others. In such times the child of God must resist the temptation to revert back to the old sin nature and actually take off the “Old Man.”

     B.  WE MUST LAY ASIDE ALL GUILE “And all Guile,” (1Pet. 2:1) 

         1. This is Any Form of Deceit, Dishonesty and Trickery.  Guile, or deceit in words and the ability to cunningly mislead innocent people. This type of person would cleverly play on the gullibility of others or manipulate people for personal gain. They are crafty, duplicitous, insidiously cunning; they have very little, or no integrity and they are not worthy of trust. Rom 1:29, Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

DECEPTION: Trickery, fraud, double-dealing, lying, cheating, are all the practices of one who deliberately deceives. This is the practice of deceiving people or using other dishonest methods to achieve one’s aims, or the ability to deceive people for this purpose.

ILLUSTRATION: These are the people who will falsely income tax returns, cheat on exams, lie about their age, bribe government officials, manipulate people out of their savings, pull shady business deals, falsely a report, misuse allocated funds, and lie about their past accomplishments. Keep the extra change from the cashier, or who will shortchange a customer. God says take this mentality off like a filthy garment because it defiles the character of the Child of God.

              i) The Deceit of Flattery.  Ps. 55:21

They sometimes will approach people with words of Flattery. 

Psalm 55:21, The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.

Psalm 34:13, Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

              ii) The Deceit of False Promises.

They will make False Promises, they will tell half-truths and use suggestive language to mislead people. They carefully select their words to shroud or cover their true meaning.

             iii) The Deceit of Falsehoods.

They comprehend falsehoods and deception, which is a crafty imposing upon another's ignorance or weakness, to his manipulations.

             iv) Deceitful Living Has Serious Consequences.

Psalm 36:3, The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.

                   a)  The Most Devastating Loss Associated with Deceit Is the Dulling of Spiritual Awareness and Sensitivity.

                  b)  Guilt Associated with a Known Deception Will Cause the Christian to Withdraw from God's Presence. (They quit church, stop reading the Bible and praying, they avoid Christian fellowship, and dissolve spiritual obligations.)

                 c) Deception Becomes Easier. Once withdrawn, subsequent deceptions become easier, less conviction is felt, and life is eventually full of defeat and frustration.

                 d) Deception Destroys Trust and Leads to Hypocrisy and a Critical Spirit.

No one is immune to the temptation to deceive, particularly when money is concerned. God's Word gives us guidelines for making decisions despite our normal reactions.

Proverbs 4:24, Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.

Psalm 120:2, Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.

        2. The Scripture Teaches That Internal Reality is Much Greater Than External Images. A camera commercial states, “Image is everything.” Our culture boldly emphasizes image over substance! (Consider movies, TV shows, music, and politics.)

            i) Words Are Important—Immensely Important.

What we say and the way we say it expresses what is most personal and intimate in us. But mindlessly repeating holy words no more creates a relationship than saying “I love you” twenty times a day makes us skilled lovers.

      ii) The Outside Is a Lot Easier to Reform than the Inside.

Going to the right church and saying the right words is a lot easier than working out a life of fair treatment, honesty, integrity, and love among the people you work and live with. Showing up at church once a week and saying a hearty amen is a lot easier than engaging in a life of daily prayer and Scripture meditation that develops into concern for souls, holiness, and injustice.

      iii)  Are the People Who Do this Deliberately Trying to Pull the Wool over the Eyes of Their Neighbors and Fake God into Blessing Them? Some are, but for most I don't think so. I don't think they are trying to get by with anything. I think they have lived for so long based on outward appearances that they have no feel for inward reality.

We live in a culture where a new beginning is far more attractive than a long follow–through. Images are important. Beginnings are important. We Say, “A first Impression is a lasting impression.” 

      iv) But an Image Without Substance Is a Lie.

A beginning without continuation is a lie. This is the important message true Christians must grasp, or we are living in guile and deceit. We must learn to recognize the importance of internal substance and reality and put away images that deceive.

1 Thess 2:3-4, For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: (4)   But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

2 Cor 8:20-21, Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us: (21) Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

Yes, reality is more important than shame because pretense involves deceiving on purpose including actions and appearances that look real but are fake fabrications. Many live in denial to avoid dealing with the realism of their emotional pain. Nevertheless, God still calls believers to live without hoaxes because this is a more truthful, more honest, and more compassionate way to live.

CONCLUSION: How does God expect me to conduct myself in troubled times? We must lay aside wrong attitudes of the heart because they hinder our spiritual appetite and growth. Let Us Lay Aside Wrong Attitudes!

1. God expects us to take off some things. He expects us to grow spiritually even in hard and unfair situations. 1 Peter 2:1-2, Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, [2] As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: Certainly, there is great concern for living to please the Lord among His people!

2. We must not resort to the world’s way of handling hurts, troubles, and unfair treatments.  We no longer allow anger, revenge, backbiting, and resentment to prompt us to vent our frustrations. We do not have to relinquish our fellowship with the Lord. We must not stray away falling behind harboring wrong attitudes that hinder our spiritual progress. In such times we can refocus and adjust our perspective to live more completely up to God’s expectations choosing the power of the Spirit and refusing to be controlled by our emotions!        

3. When life seems to fall apart we find the strength to live Godly, Pure and Clean inwardly in this polluted unfair world by submitting to the control of the Holy Spirit (Temperance). Galatians 5:22-25, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. [24] And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. [25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  

Temperance is the ability to harness and control our passions, attitudes, feelings, and desires, and is also known as spiritual self-control. 

4. Thank God for trials instead of spending your energy avoiding them because he uses them. Adversity helps us develop endurance, and endurance is a powerful weapon to have in our character arsenal. Romans 5:3-5 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience (Perseverance/Endurance); [4] And patience, experience; and experience, hope: [5] And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 

Endurance Sustains Courage. A burst of courage for fifteen minutes is good, but it is not enough to carry you through. Endurance gives staying power to discipline. It is important to understand delayed gratification (Self Discipline) and to make advance decisions, but these are not one-time actions. Endurance turns your vision into reality. Without it, visions are no more than pipe dreams.

If you are at a quitting point right now, count the cost very carefully before throwing in the towel. Quitting is not glamorous. It does not develop your character. God does not call it blessed. In most cases, you will regret it for the rest of your life. But when you come to the quitting point and then, drawing on God’s strength, you build endurance in your life.