Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. Hosea 7:11
The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; Psalm 78:9
I like characters with "heart" I like people with "heart." Something about having heart strengthens the soul. I can't give up on so many things because I want God to know I have "heart."
I tell myself that God is aware of my fighting the good fight. Jesus has given us weapons for this spiritual warfare. We are armed with songs of praise which route the enemy. We are armed with the blood of Jesus. We are armed with a great high priest. We are armed with the helmet of the hope of salvation, the shield of faith, the belt of truth, the sword of the spirit, the sandals of readiness to preach salvation, the breastplace of righteousness. We are armed with the word of God and the prophecies through which we fight the good fight. Yet sometimes we turn around and flee in the day of battle.
Wrestling is a hard fight. It's a personal fight. But we are called to wrestle against principalities, and to allow God to war against the evils in our own souls.
Man is born in trouble and the day has enough trouble of its own...but we must not be silly and without heart. So many Christians have no heart. They can fight a little while but then they cannot endure. And it's by endurance that we achieve the promises. How many Christians have walked about saying God did not answer their great prayer when they learned early in life to give up on their small prayers? If we run with the footmen and they wearied us, no wonder that when we run with the horses we flee. We must train ourselves to have heart .... no matter what, to hold to God and to never give up.
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