There was some contention in the church over
circumcision, and heavy persecutions from without, and many were being
moved from the true faith. Barnabas exhorted that with purpose of heart
they cleave to the Lord. Steadfastness is a firm, fixed purpose of the
heart to cleave unto God, to attend strictly and promptly to every
Christian duty. It is a decided, unchangeable, unshaken purpose of the
heart to obey implicitly the teachings of the Savior, regardless of the
feelings.
You will find that, if you attend to every Christian duty, you will often
have to go contrary to your feelings. How often the enemy of your soul
will, if he can, cast indifferent feelings over you concerning prayer.
That is the time to show your Christian fortitude and steadfastness. It is
weakness and laziness to neglect prayer simply because we do not feel
inclined to pray. To yield to indifferent feelings is to encourage them,
and they will grow stronger and stronger, so that we shall feel less and
less inclined to pray. The more we pray, the more prayerful we feel;
likewise, the less we pray, the less prayerful we feel.
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