With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. – 1 Cor 15:58 (The Message)

Ever been through seasons that knock you to the ground and leave you going “What on earth is happening?”. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a tragic or heartbreaking situation… it can be anything – feeling tired, dry and burned, losing passion and joy, feeling like the dream is a 100 million years away and will probably never ever come to pass.

I have dreams in my heart, as you do, and sometimes they seem so impossible and out of reach, I’m left thinking to myself “why bother?” But if God has given you a dream and purpose – and He has – hold onto it with everything you have! You were created on purpose for purpose – your life matters and your destiny is intrinsic to the Kingdom.

In the previous verse (1 Cor 15:57) it says “It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three — sin, guilt, death — are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God!” And we can and should be so thankful for that.

In every season, in good times, bad times, mediocre times, nothing that we do for Jesus is a waste of time. In those moments where the dream seems a million miles away and you’re just going through the motions, keep on going – stand your ground and don’t, whatever you do, hold yourself back from His love, purpose and grace.

This is not an aggressive, angry ‘stand your ground’ verse… it’s a humble confidence that when you stand on the word of God and you don’t hold your heart back from Him, He will work all things together for your good… (Romans 8:28). So whatever season you find yourself in today (I know you have it in you, because Christ lives in you) stand your ground, don’t hold back and know by faith that in Christ nothing is wasted and there is always hope