Pray, Hustle, Repeat

Life is good, sometimes. It seems we all have moments of perfect joy and then we have moments of intense frustration. Have you been there? None of us are exempt as it’s a part of our journey. Jesus said, “in this life we will have trouble”(John 16:33). I think it’s important we understand that our faith does not give us a care-free life, but rather a victorious life in Christ. Yet, have you noticed that victories only come when there are battles? In fact, there isn’t a miracle without a problem and it’s our weaknesses that attracts His power. We don’t like this, but it’s true and Jesus is faithful through the joys and frustrations of our lives. Jesus is not our ATM machine, He’s our savior, healer, life-giver, king and more. He’s worth living for and the valleys give lush growth and mountain tops give us great conquest. Both are needed.

So, how do we navigate the day to day grind of life?

This is huge as we guard our hearts from bitterness, unforgiveness, disappointment, unfulfilled expectations and more. Every Christ-follower will face these temptations and what we do with them will determine so much in our faith. So many Christians are crushed by life’s punches that it changes their outlook. What they once believed in is now unbelief. What they once hoped for is now given up on, and what they once were holding onto, has been let go. These are the stories for so many people and yet God has better for us. However, we must navigate the troubled waters of daily life so our hearts and faith remain fresh. I believe Jesus has amazing things for us which is why we must, “Pray, Hustle, Repeat.” With Christ we won’t stop. We’ll get back up. We’ll keep on going and we won’t be denied. God is with us and the best is ahead!

So why should we Pray, Hustle, Repeat?

James 2:17-18 gives an insight to this.

“17. you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. 18 Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds.’ But I say, ‘How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds’ I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

James 2:17-18

Notice it’s our faith and works that make a complete picture. Both are needed. Did know that most miracles in the Bible involved someone obeying God, doing something for God and taking a chance on God? We have a part to play which is why I’ll explain, Pray, Hustle, Repeat.

First, we have Prayer. This is how we talk to God and it’s how He invades our lives. We have not because we ask not (James 4:2) which shows us how important prayer is. This is a part of our faith and when we do this daily, we get close to God and we’ll see Him answer our prayers. I say daily because the more we pray the better we become. This is an attitude of not giving up and wanting more of God no matter how we feel. When we pray God begins to move, which is why we’re distracted from praying more times than not. Have you noticed? It seems we get too busy, too tired and too overwhelmed to talk to the One who solves it all. The ancient strategy of our enemy is to clutter our lives with trivial things so we don’t invest in the important things around us. This includes God, family, friends, community, making an impact and leaving a legacy. The only part of our lives that last forever is our faith and our relationships. Yet, these often get the leftovers of a cluttered life, leaving us unfulfilled in purpose; therefore, we must pray and not stop. I believe God is waiting on our prayers so He can move. In fact, He’s anxiously waiting to move on our behalf so our part is to keep on praying. Don’t give up. Don’t let delay rob your promise. You keep going. Keep reaching because our Father in Heaven is moving toward you today!

Second, we have Hustle. This is how we live our lives. We’re not robots and God has no interest in having one. What He wants is a willing heart and a person who does their best. This means we work like it depends on us and we pray like it depends on God. Our part is to be faithful on a daily basis with both the big and small things. Meaning, we choose to make Him first, we choose life daily and we choose to grow and do our best. This speaks to our work ethic, our financial stewardship, our integrity, our consistency and more. When we do these things, it gives God a platform to do miracles on through our lives. When we do the natural, He will do the supernatural. However, His supernatural power most of the time, follows our natural efforts. This goes back to how most miracles require our obedience and participation. So I encourage you to Hustle and don’t stop. Do your best. Grow as a person. Give God something to work with so He can do a miracle through you! Your best days are ahead!

Third, we have Repeat. This is determination to not quit and it’s easier said than done. Many days we feel like quitting and Jesus did too. Yet, God gave Him strength and He kept going. Sometimes the best thing we can do is keep going! We keep praying, we keep hustling, we keep going no matter what, giving our all to God. This in itself is powerful and it gives Jesus something to use for our good. There’s something to be said about today’s faithfulness that sets the stage for our tomorrow’s fruitfulness so keep going, something good is going to happen for you.

Many times when it’s toughest, our Repeat is compromised. We get out of rhythm, we stop praying, we stop reading the bible and we stop going to church. This is our enemy’s agenda but God is greater. In fact, through Jesus, we have more power than the devil and he must flee from us (James 4:7-8). I encourage you today to keep Repeating the right things daily. Keep doing what He said to do. Keep moving forward one step at a time and if you’re out of rhythm, get back in the flow today. It’s your moment to Pray, Hustle, Repeat and watch God do a miracle in you.

Wherever you’re at in your faith please know, God knows you and He feels what you feel. His compassion toward you is abounding; therefore, you can arise and begin to Pray, Hustle, Repeat! Today is new mercy for you and today is the beginning of a new thing through Christ!

Love you and the best is yet to come,
PD