Staying The Course Series

Last week we saw how becoming tired of incessant battle can lead to becoming impatient and attempting to rush what God is wanting to do in His way and His timing. It can also lead a person to feeling defeated and abandoning the fight. David boldly declared in Psalm 119, “I will run the course of Your commandments . . . and I shall keep it to the end” (Psalm 119:32a, 33b). We must be determined to run the course of God’s calling in wholehearted obedience, and overcome our fatigue, or perhaps our discouragement, if we ever hope to gain new spiritual territory.

David’s use of the phrase “run the course” is similar to our expression “stay the course,” which is a term “used in the context of a war or battle, meaning to pursue a goal regardless of any obstacles or criticism.”(1) An example of this usage can be seen in the movie “The Patriot” starring Mel Gibson as Benjamin Martin, a fictitious Revolutionary War hero.

Benjamin Martin’s 18-year-old son, Gabriel, enlisted in the conflict and tragically became a casualty of war. Martin, as he was grieving beside his dead son, was ready to quit the cause. Colonel Harry Burwell, a Continental officer, tried to persuade him not to give up; for he recognized how Martin had great influence on the soldiers and that his departure would demoralize the troops.

As the scene opened, the Colonel said, “Stay the course, Martin. Stay the course.” This was the same thing that Benjamin Martin’s wife, who had died years earlier, had told him whenever life became difficult. And always, her admonition to stay the course would provide him the necessary courage to continue, whatever the obstacle.(2)

David not only declared that he would run the course, but in Psalm 19:5 of the NIV, he stated that the person who “rejoices” in running is the true champion. The Christian singer Carmen, in his song “Heart of a Champion,” stated, “I can feel the pressure coming down on me. People say that I’m not destined to succeed; but I have the faith I need to carry on . . . knowing that the dream can still survive.”(3) If we want the dream or calling that God’s placed on our heart to survive, then we must have the heart of a champion and be determined to stay the course.

Becoming Discouraged from Fighting (vv. 16-18)

16 Thus Joshua took all this land: the mountain country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan plain - the mountains of Israel and its lowlands, 17 from Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, even as far as Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings, and struck them down and killed them. 18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

In just two verses Joshua and the Israelites are portrayed to have conquered seven different regions, capturing and killing all their kings. The Israelites witnessed a lot of battle in possessing Canaan, revealing that fighting is unavoidable in claiming the Promised Land. Joshua and the Israelites “fought high” in the mountains, they “fought low” in the lowlands, and they even “fought in between” in the plains. They fought every which way they possibly could, and verse 18 summarizes their efforts by stating, “Joshua made war a long time” (v. 18).

We might presently feel like we’ve been fighting for our Promised Land a long time, and fighting will wear us out emotionally and physically and lead to discouragement. Battle is not a pretty sight, and as we tire of spiritual confrontation, we might be tempted to ask ourselves, “Why am I fighting? What is this really accomplishing? Why not just live at peace with everyone, and let them believe what they want to believe?” And we contend with constant resistance to our message, we might feel like giving up, shaking the dust off our feet and moving on.

This is the state of mind in which many believers find themselves today. As our country moves further along the slippery slope to becoming a post-Christian nation, and as more and more people become hostile towards those who actually do believe in Christ, we find ourselves growing weary in sharing our faith. Our words are often met with resistance and even minor persecution; so, instead of waging spiritual battle, we ask, “Why can’t we all just get along?” and thus, we resolve to seal our lips in the presence of unbelievers.

In the name of tolerance, we cry out for peace, and peace is definitely something to desired; but unfortunately, in this present life, peace is just a novel idea. The Bible teaches that as long as this world exists there will always be a clash between good and evil. Believers will always be at war with the forces of darkness, and there will always be spiritual conflict (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). We will always meet with resistance when we share the message of salvation in Christ alone; for even Jesus said in Matthew 10:33-38: