The Broken Road to Purpose and The Power of Persistence – Purity 1812
Purity 1812 11/12/2025 Purity 1812 Audio Podcast
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Good morning,
Today’s photo of a street lamp and a peak of electric lights over the Oswego-Bridge Street Bridge comes to us from yours truly as I captured this nighttime sidewalk pathway scene while visiting the city of my alma mater back on November 9th, 2022.
Well, it’s Wednesday and I share today’s “peak photo” to visually represent our arrival to another midweek summit, happy hump day, and to encourage us all to periodically take pilgrimages to the old familiar places that we fondly recall from our pasts to back in the joy of the memories we have and to mark how our lives have changed since then.
I just went back to Oswego this past summer and brought my wife along for the ride and it was a nice little trip down memory lane and it was a first of sorts because although I have returned there on a few occasions it was the first time I did it with someone else in my company. Although I had lots of friends while I went to college there, Oswego was a place that I always traveled to by myself. During this latest trip with TammyLyn, I simultaneously encountered joy and sorrow as I enjoyed the sights with my wife, but really grieved over the changes to the city and the choices I had made there in my youth.
At 18 to 21 years old, I had all the potential in the world but because I was insecure and heavily involved with drugs and alcohol, I didn’t accomplish all that I could have. Instead of preparing for my post graduate future, I didn’t take the steps that should have been obvious for my major (go to graduate school and a masters degree, at least) instead like the prodigal I was I retreated back to my hometown with addiction, confusion, and absolutely no clue what to do next. I fancied myself a writer but had no discipline or confidence to write. I had no faith, so I had no hope. And even though I abandoned the idea of further education, I didn’t have any idea what to do for a career. Without a thought out direction, I followed what I thought would be the best path and became a residential counselor for the psychiatrically disable to utilize my major in psychology but because of my failure to go graduate school, I made poverty wages and eventually decided to go corporate with telecommunications company where I find myself 28 years later.
But I can’t honestly say that I regret anything because I eventually found my way into God’s kingdom on that path of brokenness and have learned just how persistent the Lord is in chasing after us with His grace. If God wants you in His kingdom, He is going to get you there. And if He has a purpose for your life, be sure that He does, He will help you to accomplish it, if you choose to follow it persistently.
Speaking of persistence, the In Touch with Dr, Charles Stanley from the other day spoke about the power of persistence, and I am sharing it on the blog today to encourage us to never quit seeking the Lord’s will for our lives.
“The Power of Persistence
Though we may encounter obstacles, the Lord will help us fulfill His plans—if we persevere.
Philippians 3:10-14
Everyone enjoys feeling successful. Simply wanting certain outcomes, however, doesn’t guarantee they will come to pass.
So let’s discuss one characteristic needed to accomplish what we set out to do: persistence. Paul was passionate about sharing the gospel and exemplified the capacity to stay on course in the face of difficulty. In Acts 20:24, he stated his greatest goal was to “finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” Though he encountered tremendous obstacles like shipwreck, prison, and punishment, he never quit (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).
What motivated Paul to persevere? He had a clear God-given goal and trusted that the Lord would enable him to achieve it. The apostle also felt burdened to share the life-changing truth of salvation. Paul had his eyes fixed on his purpose, which he so valued that no circumstance could deter him. And ultimately, he achieved what Almighty God had ordained.
The Father has great goals for each of His children. And striving to fulfill what He’s planned for us will always be a source of joy and encouragement. Once God’s direction is clear, may we wholeheartedly pursue His purposes in the Holy Spirit’s strength and guidance—especially when obstacles arise. – Charles Stanley
Amen. Although the Lord is with us, we each have to do our part to accomplish His will for our lives.
Each of us has the freedom to choose to pursue the Lord’s purpose for our lives but our choices and decisions will determine whether we move closer to God’s plan for our lives or further away from His perfect will.
When we wish to accomplish what the Lord has put into our hearts to do, we have to choose to do all we can to get it done, pray, and leave the results up to God.
Not all of the plans and blessings that God has for us will be easily to obtain. Often we are put on a path with no guarantee that we will be successful and with no definite end date in sight. It’s at moments like these that we have choose to persevere and to persistently work with God to move toward our goals.
Getting free of drugs and alcohol was a road that I had to walk down, one day at a time. Even though I prayed for the Lord to take the cravings away, I still had to “work my recovery”. Each day I had to get strength from God’s word. Each day, I had to turn my thoughts away from temptations. Each week, I had to go to my recovery meeting. Each week, I had to go to church to worship the Lord and to be renewed in my faith by the fellowship of the saints. Each day, I had to remind myself that I was a Christian – a new creation in Christ- and that I was living out my new life. Each day, I had to say goodbye to my old life. Each day, I had to choose to follow the way of Jesus.
At first I wasn’t sure if I would succeed, but because I persisted in renewing my mind with God’s word, prayed, and followed the Lord, I could eventually see that the Lord was blessing my path with increasing freedom and victory. The Lord blessed me because I never quit following Him.
Similarly, the Lord calls each of us to follow Him into His purpose for our lives. While the outcomes are uncertain, we can trust that God is for us and will help us to accomplish His will for our lives, although it might not be easy.
So, persist in doing what the Lord calls you to. Commit yourself to taking the long road even if you can’t see the end because the Lord is at the end of it waiting for you to celebrate your success. When we don’t quit and do all that we can to reach our goals, the Lord will move all things together to give us the victory and to accomplish His plan.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling By John G. Kruis on Amazon )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Persecution.
2 Timothy 2:8–10 (ESV) Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
Today’s verses are the second of two passages of scripture that fall under the tenth point of our counseling reference guide resource section on Persecution.
10. Do not be ashamed of the gospel. Testify boldly and be ready to suffer persecution.
Today’s Bible verses encourage us to do everything we can for the sake of the elect and to trust that God will help us through our sufferings and utilize our efforts to help others to find their salvation and freedom in Christ.
Freedom ministry can have its ups and downs. When you commit to helping the broken to find healing, you have to suffer the demands of showing up faithfully for those who may be less than faithful in seeking God’s righteousness. I have suffered lost time, money, and relationships in the pursuit of setting the captives free but I do it all because someone, Pastor Bob Costello, did it for me and the Lord blessed my efforts to follow Him abundantly. I, like Paul, will never stop preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and proclaiming the goodness of God to change lives because I, like Paul, was an enemy to the Lord but received His mercy and grace in spite of my sin and rebellion.
Yesterday, I led a man through the Steps to Freedom in Christ and he had a break through that only the Lord could deliver and its times like that that make all the “suffering” I have to go through worth it. To see the joy of someone experiencing their freedom in Christ, reminds me that although my pathway has been a strange one, I somehow found my purpose in God’s kingdom. I will never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ and will endure whatever suffering I may have to face for the sake of the elect.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “Day by Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Adams’ books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 311
Before His coming John had preached a baptism of repentance … – Acts 13:24
That was God’s purpose for John the Baptist. And he served it well. He was sent to warn Israel of the coming Savior Who would come in redemption and in judgment. He faithfully pointed to the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, but he also warned of the wrath about to come. His two-fold message was received by many who came in repentance, and were saved from the terrible judgment of Jerusalem during the time when the Roman armies surrounded the city in 70 ad. God’s people, who believed His Word, fled the city for safety in the hills of Pella. Those who believed in the Savior that He proclaimed not only escaped the Roman slaughter, but have also been saved from the greater judgment that is to come. The majority of those who heard him, however, returned to their old ways. Have you heard God’s warnings? Believe and be saved. Then, demonstrate your new-found faith by being baptized into the membership of the church of God.[1]
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[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 319.
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