Victory!

My Dan at Parris Island, 2004

"but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers (and sisters) be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord!" 
(1 Cor. 15:57-58)

           If you asked me who I look to as my mentor, I'd quickly answer, "Evelyn Baskin!" My Miss Evelyn is a beautiful, wise, African-American lady about one generation ahead of me in age.
          Yesterday, I asked, "Miss Evelyn, what is God telling you these days?"
          Without hesitation, she said, "God is talking to me about the young women. So many of them are not strong in the Lord as they should be. And when things get hard, they want to quit. They're not willing to go through the struggle. Even Jesus Himself learned obedience from the things He suffered (Heb. 5:8). So I tell them, 'Don't pray for easy; pray for victory!' Because, if you commit your battle to prayer, God will move! It may not be today or tomorrow. It may not be next year or the next. But God will give the victory!"

          Amen and amen! What's become hard in your life - your marriage? your job? your kids? Don't give up! Be willing to go through the struggle. Learn obedience. Commit that hard place to God in prayer. And thanks be to God who will give you the victory through Jesus!