SPEAKER_00: Some temptations don't hit once and leave.
SPEAKER_00: They come back again and again until resisting starts to feel pointless and giving in almost feels like relief.
SPEAKER_00: If that's the kind of weariness you're carrying, hear how James reframes it.
SPEAKER_00: In James 1:12, he makes this promise.
SPEAKER_00: Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
SPEAKER_00: James reaches for an image his readers knew well.
SPEAKER_00: The crown.
SPEAKER_00: Not a king's crown, but the simple wreath placed on our runner who endured the entire grueling race and finished.
SPEAKER_00: That's the lens he wants us to see our struggle through.
SPEAKER_00: The temptation you keep facing isn't proof that you're failing.
SPEAKER_00: Standing under it again and again is the race itself.
SPEAKER_00: And every time you persevere, you're not just white knuckling your way through.
SPEAKER_00: You are loving God.
SPEAKER_00: And there is a crown of life waiting at the finish line that outlasts anything that temptation was ever offering.
SPEAKER_00: Let's begin by thanking God for where the finish line actually is.
SPEAKER_00: Thank him that the reward isn't earned by being perfect, but promised to those who love him.
SPEAKER_00: And thank him that he has already overcome the very thing that keeps pulling at you.
SPEAKER_00: Now, name the trial honestly, the temptation that keeps coming back, the one you're tired of fighting alone.
SPEAKER_00: Tell him where you feel closest to giving in, where the wearing down has gotten the loudest, and ask him for the strength to stand the test one more time.
SPEAKER_00: His strength, not just your own willpower.
SPEAKER_00: Picture yourself still in the race, not finished, not failing, just running.
SPEAKER_00: Tell him quietly, standing here is not losing.
SPEAKER_00: I'm still in it, and your strength is carrying me.
SPEAKER_00: Ask God to meet them with strength, to take the next step and the next.
SPEAKER_00: Carry us when we're weary, and hold the crown of life in front of us.
SPEAKER_00: We love you and we're staying in the race.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.