Perseverance: Part I
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom. (Isaiah 35)
We do not rejoice in victories. We rejoice when a new kind of cotton is grown and when strawberries bloom in Israel. (Golda Meir)
Abram was born in Europe in 1938 and moved to Israel in 1949. As an adult he became an officer in the Israeli army followed by a career in business. After retirement he became a tour guide. In 2009 he picked our family up from the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem and we spent the next ten days riding around Israel in a mini-van. At the end of the first day he said, “I see you are open-minded: I can give you the Catholic tour, the Protestant tour, or I can show you Israel” (along with most of the major biblical sites). Abram told us a great deal about his country, but a subject that came up daily was Israel’s agriculture. I could understand his enthusiasm. One afternoon, as we stared at crops in the desert, Abram said, “this is what Isaiah prophesied; there will be ‘flowers in the desert’“.
Teresa teaches us perseverance is essential in the Second Mansions because the devil is waging a “fierce war” against us. She gives three ways to develop perseverance. The first of these is to pray for divine aid. These prayers are rooted in two important beliefs:
- Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil.” (I John 3)
- Jesus came to bring renewal (grow “flowers in the desert”).
When we pray, God’s goodness breaks into our life. We begin to see the destruction of the devil’s works and “flowers in the desert”. As we notice His divine aid we are more likely to persevere through spiritual warfare, temptation, and difficult times. But remember — we must pray.
For Perseverance Part II: Click Here
For Perseverance Part III: Click Here
Follow on Twitter: @Dave_Small
Contact Information: teresaofavilaturns500@gmail.com
Jesus Follower, Blogger, Public Speaker. Teresaofavilaturns500.wordpress.com
Teresa of Avila Turns 500 
You forgot to mention “we spent ten days in a minivan and chasing Moshe through Israel, as he – at 75 years old – seemed to be training for Olympic Race Walking.”
He was a challenge to keep up with. While we learned a great deal from him — I always wondered what he was saying when he was 30 yards ahead of us.
[…] in doing good and continue your progress through the Interior Castle. You can do this by seeking divine aid, finding the right mentors, and having fixed determination not to be […]
Hmm. I like this in theory but when I think about actually applying this to my life, I have to admit there are areas where I don’t want to persevere. I like serving myself. So I had to sit with this and ask myself, “Am I a Christian in theory or in practice?” Which led to prayer, repentance and thanksgiving for those who help us persevere. Thanks, Dave!