These verses are some of my most favorite in all of Scripture. One reason for this is that praying and standing on the promises of God - expecting Him to fulfill them on my behalf - has radically changed every area of my life, including my prayer life.

But reaping the rewards of God's promises isn't always easy. In fact, most of the time, it's downright difficult. In order to "receive what was promised," we have to "do the will of God." And in order to do God's will, we "have need of endurance." And this is where we often miss it.

Biblical "endurance" is not passively exercising patience in a situation. But this kind of endurance is active, energetic, and even aggressive. One definition of scriptural endurance is "an energetic resistance to defeat." Think about that. In order to receive the fulfillment of God's promise in a situation, we often have to aggressively resist the defeat that the devil has planned for us, and to forcefully lay hold of the victory that the Lord has in store.

There are many ways that we can resist defeat in a situation. We can come against defeat with prayer, especially prayer based on the Word and promises of God. We can also speak God's Word and promises in the form of declarations of faith. We can worship the Lord, because the enemy despises hearing us praise our God. And we can thank God in advance for fighting, and winning, the battle for us.

What we have to remember is that Satan is aggressive, so we must be aggressive, too. Passivity will rob us of the blessings, opportunities, and rewards that God has for us. But resisting defeat through Spirit-led strategies will lead us to victory. Ask the Lord for His battle plan today, and pray that He will help you to do your part!

Prayer: Lord, teach me how to resist defeat in every situation and circumstance that I encounter. When I am tempted or inclined to take a passive stance, remind me of what it could cost me. Teach me how to pray bold prayers, how to claim Your promises, and how to praise You in the midst of my trials. Thank You that as I aggressively exercise endurance in every battle, I will always emerge victorious!