KEEP ON KEEPING ON!.
What have you been believing for that so far hasn't come to fruition ? Maybe a financial breakthrough, job, promotion, relationship, family members to get saved? Whatever it was – you need to know it's not over until it's over! Whatever hasn't happened can still happen if you're still living and breathing today! The odds might not look good, but God is! God is an “against all odds” God. And even though we didn't chose most of the challenges we face, we can choose how we deal with them. A lot of people make the choice to give up or quit but I don't believe that's the choice we should be making if God is still in something. The choice we should be making is to keep on keeping on! Keep on believing, keep on pursuing, keep on expecting – keep on keeping on!
It's time for the church to be persistent. Persistency is going to build the church – people who will not give up in the face of adversity, who will bring about breakthrough not breakdown, who will breakout not break up! People for whom the phrase “enough is enough” is never enough! I'm talking about never giving up – never quitting! Because a quitter never wins and a winner never quits! Successful people are those who refuse to allow failure to determine their future. Successful people are failures who keep getting up, moving on, reaching out and trying again. Thomas Edison said “I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work”.
Let me ask you a question: the last time you failed did you stop trying because you failed, or did you fail because you stopped trying? If at first you don't succeed TRY, TRY again! Give something another shot!
I believe there are 3 keys to breakthrough - 3 things every person needs to be …and we know this from the story in Luke 18:1-8 (NLT). The first key that we've already been talking about is to be…
1. PERSISTENT...
PERSIST means "to continue to exist or do something in spite of obstacles" The first word we read about the widow's action was "repeatedly". If we are to see a breakthrough we must repeatedly pursue what will bring about that breakthrough. So many people think one prayer is all it takes and then wonder why God hasn't brought the breakthrough! Jesus is teaching here specifically about being persistent in your asking – it says in v.1 that He taught this in order to show them they must never give up! Winston Churchill said the same thing. You see never giving up is about repeating what you know will work until you see it working. Aggressively pursuing success. The widow kept appearing in the courtroom - she wanted justice! She proved how much she wanted it, by how much she pursued it. Anything worth having is worth waiting for, and anything worth waiting for is worth pursuing. You see she was propelled by the solution, rather than prevented by the problem. You'll prove how much you want the solution by how much you'll pursue the problem. The bible says you receive by continual asking, continual seeking and continual knocking. Continual is an ongoing action not a one-off activity! If you're not prepared to persist, you're not positioned to prevail. Someone said “Failure is the path of the least persistent” So don't settle for anything less than what you are believing for. Just because something doesn't materialize in 12 months shouldn't mean you change your vision to accommodate it…
The 2nd key to breakthrough is to be…
2. CONSISTENT...
CONSISTENT means "not contradictory, constant to same principles and vision". The secret to success is consistency of purpose. The widow's appeal remained the same. Consistency is one key that most Christians fail in. Doing what it takes & doing what it takes & doing what it takes & doing what it takes!… Constant in what we do. In v.5 we see the widow got what she wanted because her requests were constant.The judge said "she is wearing me out " - this is the same meaning that describes the wounds and bruises caused by boxers. The judge was effectively saying "I'm going to see that she gets justice otherwise she'll give me a black eye". You see she got what she wanted because she wanted what she got! In order to get your breakthrough you have to keep doing what it takes! Persistent requests require consistent faith. Inconsistency means you are wavering & could be persuaded to change your mind. Eph 4:14 says "...Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth." (NLT). When consistent you prove your persuasion. You prove how much you're convinced of the breakthrough. The Apostle Paul had that kind of conviction - he said in 2 Tim 1:12 "For I know , perceive and have knowledge of, & am aquatinted with, Him whom I have believed, adhered to, & trusted in, and relied on, and I am positively persuaded that He is able ..." (AMP). It's about standing true. If you don't stand for something you're likely to fall for anything! Stand true to your dream, stand true to what hasn't come to fruition. Standing true disables compromise & disallows deception. Standing true keeps you focused on what you're believing for rather than what you're going through. Someone said "Many of life's failures are men who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up”. I want to encourage you today – hold out another day, another week, another month, another year! - you will see breakthrough!
Ok – the last key to breakthrough is being…
3. RESISTANT...
RESIST means "refusal to comply, keep out " In v.4 it says that she was "ignored for a while" ...but she didn't give up & she wasn't put off. You have to resist the temptation to give up. Don't quit! – why? Because a quitter never wins and a winner never quits! She resisted negative thinking - she could have thought it wasn't worth challenging. She resisted optional attitudes - she had the option to give up and believe the lie of the enemy. She resisted subtle put downs - she could have been put off by the lack of attention. She didn't allow the actions of others to stop her and she didn't allow the words of others to hinder her. There's got to be a resistance level in order to build a persistence level. You'll never persist if you never resist. James 4:7 says "So be subject to God, resist the devil, stand firm against him and he will flee from you". You've gotta know – the enemy is out to get you to give up. Giving up is never a good idea when you feel like quitting! Resist! When you're tempted to give up decide to step up! Take another shot! You never know when your opportunity to succeed is going to happen. So resist the temptation to give up because you've come to far to go back, give up, or quit!
Keep on keeping on!
© XL Leadership 2006
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