turnipg05

                Thus we turn to the original scripture reference mentioned in this manual, and also the second part of it.
              
                Hebrews 11:6 (NIV and KJ)

                "Without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists

                "AND THAT He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

                According to the writer of Hebrews, it is not just enough to believe that God exists, but also that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.

                It is this diligence that is actually a testimony to our faith. The Canaanite woman continually pleaded with Jesus to heal her possessed daughter. Even though Jesus ignored her and then told her "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs", she continued to press Him and He granted her request.

                It must be noted here that Jesus did not say to her "Woman, you have great persistence", but rather, "Woman, you have great faith"! Even though this woman was NOT a partaker of the covenant, even though she did NOT have a promise of God to stand on, even though the Lord Himself was ignoring her; she continued to press through to obtain an answer to her prayer.
              
                She was able to receive by FAITH what she could not receive by promise!
              
                And that faith manifested itself through her persistence. Her persistence, therefore, was a testimony to her faith.

                Somewhere within us all, there is the potential to believe God. Somewhere within us, we have that initial "gift" of faith (Eph 2:8). Somewhere within us, that faith is longing to sprout, grow, and bring forth fruit in our lives. Just as in the natural, diligence shall always bring forth a harvest and a profit. (Proverbs 21:5)

                Many times, or even in most situations, many of us do not "diligently" seek the Lord. We have lost that fire, that assurity, that steadfast perseverence. There may be many reasons for this, but in this manual, we will only be covering one.