Acts 14:19-23

Acts 14:19-23 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  How do you know how determined you are to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit?
  With Paul, he was stoned by crowds in Lystra who then left him for dead, but instead of taking the hint and heading off somewhere that might be a little more welcoming, he gets on his feet and goes right back into the city, continuing on after that, determined to proclaim the Word of God.
  It's easy to become frustrated when one meets resistance.  Maybe you're unsure of what God wants from you, or maybe you're certain that God is leading you in one direction but nothing seems to be affirming that.  Maybe it feels like everything around you is falling apart.
  God's work often moves forward in uncertain stages.  From the outside, it may not seem like progress, but God is always at work, even in the hardest and most uncertain chapters of life.  Even when the church was being persecuted and seemed like it was shrinking, God was at work, growing disciples and preparing the church for something new.  God is always at work, and our responsibility is to faithfully endure, trusting in God, focused on the long-term Kingdom of God.