Whether at school or while playing games, you cannot simply move from one level to the next without testing your knowledge and skills. Similarly, you cannot progress to the next grade without achieving good grades in the previous one. Spiritual growth follows the same principle—there are no shortcuts or skipping ahead. It is a step-by-step process designed to strengthen you and bring you closer to God. Each step earns you a piece of God’s armor, allowing you to defend yourself. Just like in gaming and school, patience is required throughout this process.
“Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:3-4).
Patience is a test of your willpower. It tests how much you need God and how much you desire to escape the darkness that surrounds you. Therefore, Jesus said:
“By your patience, possess your souls” (Luke 21:19).
It would have been easy for Jesus to come down from the cross and prove to everyone that He is the Son of God. However, He endured all the pain to save us:
“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).
My fellow fighter, this is another level of our battle. It begins with your decision to escape, then run away without stopping. Finally, you escape to the hills. You may think you’ve gotten away from the Enemy, but you are still in this flesh. The Bible says that the flesh wages war against the spirit, so you are still in danger of slipping.
You need to exercise patience with God, just as you do when you fall sick and require treatment. Healing doesn’t happen overnight but requires a complete course of antibiotics, painkillers, and sometimes additional medication to help you cope with the trauma you’ve experienced. It takes time. It’s tempting to give in and return to old habits, as I have done many times. Once I managed to escape for a few days or weeks, I often found myself slipping back into old patterns. I lacked patience. But I kept hearing Jesus’ voice echoing the words found in Revelation 2:3-4:
“I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first” (ESV).
That voice encouraged me to keep going. I just needed to begin again—redoing the tasks I once did and returning to the prayers I had neglected. I will recite them once more and resume reading the Bible, drawing guidance from God’s words.
If you plant a flower as a seed, you patiently wait for it to grow. You ensure the ground is suitable, and it receives all the nutrients it needs. You protect it from the wind and hail, and one day you will be delighted to see the flower bloom. Similarly, knowing what’s right and being willing to follow Jesus is like planting a seed and watching it grow. Your heart serves as the good ground. It’s like Jesus says to you, “Be patient with me.”
“But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).
“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4).
If you patiently walk with Jesus through the narrow door of repentance, you will eventually reach a point where you desire nothing and experience true freedom.
“If we endure, we shall also reign with Him” (2 Timothy 2:12).
St. Augustine experienced this after going through the narrow door of repentance. He said: “I sat on top of the world when I came to fear nothing and desire nothing but You.”
When we discuss the idea of leaving behind our old habits and moving forward, it’s like sailing against the wind every day. You know that with each passing day, you’re getting closer to the shore. However, our weak faith often causes us to focus only on what surrounds us—the waves, the dark nights, and the fragility of our boat. The only thing that keeps us going is His promise that He will lead us to a better land. He knows that by sailing with Him, we are fulfilling God’s will. Yet, He asks us to keep pushing a little further and to be patient, for His promise is real.
“For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:36).
In the beginning of our battle against pornography, we all seek to overcome this habit. But we often overlook the blessings that come into our lives once we break free from it. Our minds have become accustomed to wielding a weapon and moving aimlessly, hoping to strike our enemy. However, our enemy is highly skilled in this fight, having engaged in it for a long time and often emerging victorious.
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9).
We shall gain His blessings. Do not focus on the wounds this habit causes. Run to Jesus with patience. If you lack patience, ask God to give it to you. Seek, and you shall be given. He will direct your heart and help you. God loves nothing more than a heart seeking closeness to Him.
“ Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5).
Do not faint. Do not let Satan deceive you into thinking that your entire life will be filled with suffering and constant battles. Once you overcome this current challenge, things will become easier. Satan blinds your eyes, preventing you from seeing the glory and happiness that await you beyond this struggle. I am not referring to happiness in heaven, but the joy and contentment that will come into your life in just a few weeks or months, once you successfully push through this hardship. It is like a woman giving birth—the moment of pain and suffering is temporary, and once she holds her baby in her arms, her suffering transforms into pure joy and happiness. The same principle applies here.
Do not allow Satan to convince you that this life of struggle you are experiencing now defines your entire journey with Jesus. This is his tactic to bring you down. Instead, have faith in what you cannot yet see. Soon you will taste it.
“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:25 ESV).
“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14).
With your patience, win your soul. Keep Praying
WinThisBattle!
