When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. (Harriet Beecher Stowe)
back it up with bible
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised.)
Job 17:9 The righteous also shall hold on His way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
2 Timothy 4:7,8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Revelation 3:11 Behold, I [Jesus] come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
core christianity
Hold the fort, Jesus is coming!
Luke 19:12-13 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
During the American Civil War in the 1860’s, a fierce battle took place at Altoona Pass. It was a key supply point for the Union Army, so the Confederate Army led by General Hood sought to take Altoona Pass which held over a million and a half rations. When Union General Sherman realized Hood’s plans, he dispatched General Corse along with 1,500 men to hold the city.
As the battle ensued, General Corse and his forces were forced into a small fort on a crest of a hill. The Northern army was being overwhelmed, with nearly half the men either killed or wounded in the battle. Things were looking extremely bleak, when in the distance from a mountain top twenty miles away a while flag was being waved, and those in the fort knew the message being sent, “Hold the fort; I am coming. W.T. Sherman.”
This sign gave the beleaguered army renewed strength to continue fighting the battle for another three hours until reinforcements finally arrived.
From this battle, a famous Christian song was written and its chorus is so eloquent for us today, “Hold the fort, for I am coming, Jesus signals still; Wave the answer back to heaven, By thy grace we will!”
In the midst of spiritual battles we can often feel besieged on every side – but HOLD THE FORT! Renew your strength in the Lord for the victory is already won – we just need to continue fighting because He is coming! (Worthy Devotions)
previously published
(Maria:) I think if I could sum it up in one phrase, it would be: Hold on! I know that sounds simplistic, but it’s the truth! That’s what Dad has taught us throughout the Letters, what he showed us by his example, and what the Lord has been saying for thousands of years! Take the Apostle Paul, for example, who really had to hold on through a lot! Talk about ups and downs, dear Paul really went through it!--From being looked upon with skepticism by his own brethren, to being booed out of cities where he tried to witness--persecuted, whipped, jailed, physically afflicted, nearly stoned to death! Now maybe you don’t feel like it relates so much to you, since that was 2,000 years ago… But just like you, there were times when Paul, as great a man of God as he was, was pretty discouraged and felt like giving up. On one occasion he wrote, “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life” (2Cor.1:8). Can you relate to that?
But here’s the important part: Despite Paul’s trials and tribulations--both in the form of outward persecution and in the form of inward despair, discouragement and doubt--he held on, declaring that, “None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Now that’s a good one for us to remember: “None of these things move me!” In other words, “I’m going to keep holding on no matter what happens! I’m not going to let it deter me from the high calling that the Lord has given me!” That’s the kind of determination that kept Paul going, so that even though he was “perplexed,” he was “not in despair” (2Cor.4:8). “Be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1Cor.15:58). How can you be unmoveable? By holding on to the Rock--Jesus! (See Psa.62:6.) Everything else is unstable and can get washed away when the waves of life toss you to and fro. The only thing that’ll stay right there and won’t budge an inch is Jesus! So if you want to remain “steadfast and unmoveable,” there’s only one way: Hold on to the Lord! And if you do, your labors won’t be in vain, as the Scripture promises. (Hold on to Your Crown!)
make it personal
Think about 1 time in your life where you really had to hold on in spite of everything around you or that you were going through, and how the Lord came through for you in the end. Thank Him for the blessings of that time and some of the things you gained through it.
