Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me.
The word steadfast means strong, firm, or determined. Pretty important words in our journey with Jesus Christ when you stop and think of all the things that come barreling our way in an effort to knock us off course. Seeking a relationship with God that is all He wants it to be is not something we come by easily or by accident. We must be strong, firm, and determined to make it happen.
Several years ago I took a group of youth backpacking in the mountains near Santa Fe, New Mexico. I really thought the path we had planned was going to be easy, but it was apparent early on we faced a very steep climb. One of the young men in our group had shoes that were too small and a backpack that broke early in our trek. There were several times in our journey that I really thought we were going to have to turn around. But, this young man would hear nothing of it. His strength and determination helped him get up the hill!
There are going to be times when it looks like life is going to defeat you. There will be things that come your way that seem to overwhelm you and lead you off the path. When we rely on God and gain our strength and determination from Him, those things will be much easier to deal with. That doesn’t mean that all will be easy, but they will be overcome! A firm faith in Jesus Christ comes through prayer, study, and worship.