Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."—Jeremiah 1:4-5

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.—Psalm 139:16

As with Jeremiah and David whose call came before entering into their mother's womb, so it is with every man and woman born. However, through the provision of free will, God has left it to each one's choosing as to whether or not that call will be lived out. Jesus said it Himself:

For many are called, but few are chosen.—Matthew 22:14

The choosing comes by the decisions we make along the way as to whether or not we are able to be a resting place for the fullness of His glory. He will not put on us that which we are not prepared to carry, lest it destroy us. Destiny calls each one of us, and it is the exercising of our free will that determines the outcome of that calling. As our hearts continually respond to the voice of our Creator, "I choose You! Above all else, I choose You!" we navigate our way through our destiny.

If we are to succeed spiritually, among all the other necessary virtues we especially will need perseverance. We will need to learn not only how to fight but how to keep going in the fight until God brings the breakthrough. I am not talking about becoming carnal in our warfare or fleshly in our aggression. I am speaking about a combination of discernment, authority and unwavering faith that needs to live within us, even while other virtues and gifts develop.

It is not enough, you see, to know about God's Kingdom – we are called to possess it. Yes, when we are born again, we are born into God's Kingdom. But the reality of being born of the Spirit means that a whole new realm of possibilities, challenges and obstacles now unfolds before us. In other words, we must overcome many things in order to function as sons and daughters of God.

The idea that the only relationship we have with Heaven is the one we experience at death is simply contrary to the Word of God. When Jesus came, He proclaimed, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). At hand means that God's Kingdom is close enough to touch from where we are. Yet it must be fought for aggressively and attained with perseverance. "The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence," Jesus taught, "and violent men take it by force" (Matthew 11:12).