It has been my observation while reading the book of Hebrews, standing firm on a commitment to God is not easy (Hebrews 12:1). Why? We are mere humans who cringe at pain, loss, and try to avoid heartache. We are not comfortable with the unknown. We are unable to see into the future. Building and maintaining a steadfast heart (strong character) is not simple, but it is possible if we connect ourselves to God and strengthen our walk with God (Micah 6:8).

Creating a steadfast heart starts and ends with trust. We deepen our trust of God through experience. This is not a ‘thinking exercise’ it is a ‘doing exercise’.  We engage in life’s struggles to strengthen our relationship with God. We learn to trust others by doing things with friends and learning how they solve issues. We build trust by discovering how they think, what they do to meet life’s challenges. If we feel safe, we become willing to reveal our hearts and troubles to them (Ephesians 5:21). Sometimes, we discover that we cannot. Other times we discover that we can.

David Wilkerson tells us – “There are powerful forces at work today against every believer who would hold fast to his confident faith.…in the midst of all this anxiety and fear, we who trust in the Lord hear His Word telling us, ‘Be steadfast and confident to the end.’  The fact is, whenever there is mounting fear, God calls for greater steadfastness. Whenever there is great terror and falling away, He calls for greater confidence. Whenever there is gloom and despair, He calls us to increase our gladness and rejoicing. That is the nature of our heavenly Father. He has made provision for His people to hold fast and retain their joy in the severest of troubled times.” 

With God, we deploy prayer, worship, and attentiveness to his wisdom to build steadfastness. We enter into a long-term conversation with God to learn from him and recognize his presence all around us. This takes time. Yielding our life and heart toward God is a learned skill facilitated by the Holy Spirit. It takes attentiveness on our part as we investigate our past, locate those issues that are impeding progress, and then give those things to him. The more willing we are to trust, the deeper our relationship with God becomes, the more our hearts are steadfast in the storms (Ephesians 4:15). This takes time.

Paul continues in Ephesians 4:17-24 (paraphrased) — So I tell you this, and I insist on it in the Lord, that you must walk away from living as the Gentiles do, standing with your fist in the air, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance they are proclaiming and the gradual hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity to the things of God, they have given themselves over to sensuality, they indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned. You know how to walk with God. You were taught these things when you first heard about Christ. Clearly, you were taught about the things of God in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to allow the Holy Spirit to rebuild the attitude of your minds; and to ‘walk the walk’ in the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (NIV)

Paul tells us that ‘walking the walk’ strengthens the heart muscle, grows our reliance on faith, and nurtures our trust in God. Micah presented this notion eons ago. What did he say? What does the Lord desire of us? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humblywith your God (see Micah 6:8).

This approach of stepping away from our norms, pulls us out of the feral lifestyle and brings us close to God. As we are being transformed, we take risks – perhaps we allocate more of our financial resources to God only to notice we still have plenty left. Perhaps we find time for the service of others only to notice we still have time for ourselves and our family. Perhaps we pray for somebody who has hurt us causing our recoil from them only to discover we have been changed and reach out to them with forgiveness. Trusting God. Steadfast Hearts.

I have witnessed this first-hand in many of your lives. I have watched you face impossible choices and find a way to stay true for Jesus. I have seen you make choices that would cause others to give up. I have seen your steadfast heart clinging to God and discovering his peace. We encourage each other.

I choose Jesus.