Your perseverance matters more than your performance.

The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong... (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

Enough small steps in the same direction will take you to places you never thought possible.

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” (Joshua 5:13-14a)

The question isn't "whose side is God on?", the question is, "whose side are you on?"

Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” (Joshua 5:14b)

Perseverance depends on seeing our problems from God's perspective.

What problem is challenging your perseverance right now?

Worship puts the size of the city in the shadow of the greatness of God.

6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.”7 And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD.” 8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. (Joshua 6:6-11a)

Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there. 12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. (Joshua 6:11b-14)

Perseverance is the choice to keep doing what's right, even though it hasn't produced the results we're looking for.

Quick results don’t produce lasting character.

15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times.16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! (Joshua 6:15-16)

Perseverance gives us clarity about Who's responsible for the victory.

17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.” (Jos 6:17)

18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.” (Joshua 6:18-19)

Sometimes our greatest danger isn't defeat, it's victory.

Perseverance won’t just get you to the victory, it will get you through the victory.

20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; (Joshua 6:20a)

So everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. (Joshua 6:20b)

Perseverance is often the bridge between God’s promises and our possession of them.

Which of God's promises are you pursuing for your children?

What does it look like to persevere in that pursuit?