Are You Tenacious in Your Spiritual Life?
I was recently challenged by an assignment in a ladies Bible Study. We’re studying Relentless by John Bevere, and in chapter one we were asked this question: What would be a fitting epitaph on your tombstone—a statement to sum up your life right now?
I thought about it briefly and wrote my answer in the study guide: Faithful Wife, Mother, God-Seeker, Pray-er. Appropriate Christian qualities to aim for I guess. But driving home from the study that day, a random word grabbed my attention: DOG!
That was the word. So random and yet it stuck in my mind. I began wondering about what breed of dog had the worst bite, so when I got home I went looking for the answer. I discovered it was the pit bulldog. This dog is selectively bred for its traits of robust jaw strength, a deadly bite style, tenacity (gameness), and a high tolerance to pain that make it the dog with the strongest bite. Amazingly, a true pit bulldog will continue fighting on “two stumps”—two or more broken legs or even worse. Tenacity is simply a part of their genetic makeup.
Perhaps we don’t see ourselves as tenacious or relentless in our spiritual lives, but when we are born again spiritually, we receive a new genetic code. We have all the power and authority of God the Father abiding in our new nature through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. We are given supernatural strength to meet our trials and life’s battles head on without fear.
Don’t we all want that ability in our lives? To win our earthly battles with God’s empowerment and to hang on to our faith through it all? I’ve now come up with a new moniker for the type of Christian I want to be—It’s a “pit bulldog Christian.”
And, I have revised my desired epitaph to read: She was 100% pit bulldog, holding on to God tenaciously to the end!
© 2014 Sandra Chambers
PrayWaves.com 
I need some people who can be tenaciously praying for me.
Greetings. I would like you to pray for me for healing of mind and restoration of my spirit. I would want healing for my memory/intelliect and I want to feel God’s presence and joy again, and that every area/aspect of my life would have a resurrection and healing. This includes being able to bicycle and exercise, do jewelry and other art creation, and spending time with family and friends again. For work, I want to find a good school with good teachers/students, a happy work enviroment, and close to home as i am a substitute teacher looking for a suitable place for on-going work Two, Pray for salvation for two friends Israel and melinda and that God would bless our friendship and cause it to grow and prosper in communcation and sharing. . if you could pray this in a long term fashion, (6 months) I would be very thankful. I really want God’s presence and sense of peace and his direction again. Restoration for my health and life.
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Thank you for sharing so intimately about your need. I believe it is crucial to have a relationship with someone close to you– in your church or a small group where you can share prayer needs and pray for one another. God definitely wants for you to seek out this type of committed and accountable relationship in prayer. In my book on prayer I talk about finding your sphere or responsibility of prayer which includes those near to you in family, church, work, small group, etc. I hope you will do this.
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