PERSEVERANCE

James 1: 1 – 8
Perseverance is; A steady persistence in adhering to a course of action, a belief, or a purpose; steadfastness.
According to the book of James, this is a good thing being a blessing when we face many trials.
I really dislike the prospect of many trials, heck, I'm lazy and don't like the idea of even one trial. It's going to hurt at least for a little while whether physically or emotionally, and at first it is very discouraging. It takes me a while to realize that whatever I am going through is going to be good for me in the long run.
I can only remember one time when the first thing that came to mind was to praise God and give him glory. (I was running a prayer group at a transitional facility for those in recovery which was well attended, getting @ 30% of the population.)
as I was waking up from my mornings sleep (I worked the graveyard shift) I got a call from a fellow worker saying that he had gotten suspended and that I was probably going to be too, when I got a call from work telling my that I was suspended for running the prayer group.
Oh, how I praised God that day. I called my co-worker and told him not to worry but to rejoice for we had been put on trial for God's sake. (He didn't get it and was not comforted by this knowledge)
My co-worker had reason to worry because when I wasn't on shift,he had been laying on hands in an inappropriate way on female clients,and that's why we were suspended. I walked into the bosses office on the day I was called in to face the charges against me with my head raised and praising God for his presence in my life, and walked out restored to my position with back pay for the days of work I had missed. The other guy got his job back without any back pay, and was soon fired for his actions.
4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
My co-worker was double minded, using his position and prayer to satisfy his fleshly desires, while I became blessed for standing on my belief in God and that what I was doing was for the greater good of those I served.
All we need is a sincere desire to follow God’s direction and faith that His way is best. Because the Lord gives generously to all men without making them feel foolish or guilty.