Never Ever Give Up — You're Closer Than You Think!

Dec 03, 2020

Never Ever, I Mean Never Ever, Give Up!

Are you tired? The kind of sick and tired, that's sick and tired — of being sick and tired? I'm talking about the when-Lord-when kind of exhaustion?

Let me tell you from much experience, HANG ON, you are closer to your breakthrough than you think.

Even though ...

  • Things aren't working out.
  • Progress is too slow.
  • Lack of revenue.
  • Lack of results.
  • Feelings of failure.

First, let me SAY something to the enemy on your behalf. SHUT UP, DEVIL! You foul-mouthed liar.

And Lord, can you please please hurry! We're tired of waiting. Did I get that right?

Look, someplace between your dream and your destiny is a mountain climb. And there are many stages of the climb.

  1. The initial dream.
  2. The decision to go after it.
  3. The continuous delays.
  4. The difficulty of the treacherous mountain.
  5. The dead-ends, that without a miracle, you're screwed! 
  6. And then finally after waiting and more waiting, the destiny, and the amazing view from the mountain top!

You can watch the 6 Predictable Stages of Pursuing Your Dream video here. ( 3 min)

**(Ironically, we pray for miracles and then are surprised when we need them) 

3 Mountain Moving Steps

Many times when I get to a place where I think things are taking way too long, I ask, who's causing the delay? Me, God, or Satan? 

I take my questions to God asking Him, "Lord, what's going on here?" And then I look to the Word of God, the Bible, for answers. Many times I'll fast during this period. I expect the Holy Spirit to speak. I know His voice. It's familiar. He always shows up. After all, He lives inside me.

So I go back and check these 3 areas of my life.

Here they are:

  1. My Vision and Diligence

    I always start by examining my own vision and diligence. I check my own personal success formula, am I doing it, practicing what I preach (click to read The { 4 + 10 =100x} Formula)? Have I planned and prepared properly for the mountain climb? Measure twice, cut once.

    Many times, it's when I go back and remeasure, that God shows me something innovative I missed during my initial (sometimes rushed) planning and prep. What God reveals is always a game-changer.

    So I take the time and re-examine my game plan. After all, since it's God who will establish my steps, I ask Him to show me if there are any errors in my plans. And I recommit my plans to The Lord.

    Proverbs 13:4 AMP - The soul (appetite) of the lazy person craves and gets nothing [for lethargy overcomes ambition], But the soul (appetite) of the diligent [who works willingly] is rich and abundantly supplied.

    Proverbs 16:3, 9, 20 AMP - Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].

    vs 9 - A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the Lord directs his steps and establishes them.

    vs 20 - He who pays attention to the word [of God] will find good, And blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is he who trusts [confidently] in the Lord.

  2. Satan's Attack Strategy

    I never lose sight of the fact that the enemy, satan, has launched an attack against me. How do I know? The Bible says so. So what can you do? Learn how to fight, God's way.

    You actually have more power and authority than you think.

    1 Peter 5:8AMP - Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.

    Ephesians 6:12 AMP - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.

    John 10:10 AMP - The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].

    I start with making sure I've put on The Armour of God. The WHOLE thing! (see Eph 6)

    Belt of truth: 6000 plus Biblical promises for me, including Isa 54:17 "no weapon formed against me shall prosper."

    Breastplate of righteousness: I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. (see 2 Cor 5:31)

    Feet of readiness in peace: I won't freeze up when I have the joy and peace of Jesus in me. (see John 14:17)

    Shield of faith: My faith in God's Word (the 6000 plus promises) is what moves God into action. No room for doubt here.

    Helmet of salvation: We are redeemed from the curse of sin. We are forgiven for every past, present, and future sin. The Blessing of Adam, Noah, and Abraham is in full effect.

    Sword of the Spirit: This is us using the Word of God against the enemy. We have a delegated power and authority from Jesus wrapped into us, all powered by the Word of God. We have the power to bind and loose. (see Matt 18:18)

    Pray in the spirit: We have the power of prayer. (See John 14:13)

    Every morning I spend a generous amount of time learning what the Word says about my situation. I meditate (visualize it) the Word, I pray and declare (speak) it over my life.

    This is the fight of faith. And there is never a victory without a battle. I stand wearing the Armour of God, but it is God who does the fighting for me. (see Deut 20:4)

  3.  Our Father's Discipline

    The 3rd mountain moving step is to inquire of God if I am doing anything that displeases Him. Or am I doing anything that is sabotaging my own efforts? Many times I've discovered that God is disciplining me. While we won't be punished as our sins deserve, God will prune and discipline us so that we can reach our full potential.

    Psalm 139:23-24 - Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

    Hebrews 12:4-11 NIV - In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

    Recently, I was asking God this very thing. He showed a few areas in my life that needed to align better with the Word. One of the areas was taking a full Sabbath day of rest. 

    At first, I didn't take His request seriously. And then everywhere I turned, I ran into this subject of Rest. A friend even mailed me a book on rest. That's how I know the Holy Spirit is showing me something.

    In fact, keeping the Sabbath is one of the 10 Commandments.

    In the Old Testament, the penalty for not keeping the Sabbath was death. During the time of Moses, they found a man who was gathering wood on the Sabbath.

    Numbers 15: 32-36 (NASB) - Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 

    Now I realize that I am under the new covenant of grace, thank you Jesus, but I also realize that God was telling me that I needed to rest. And if I want to be successful in my assignment from Him, I need to obey Him, so that I can experience His full blessing over my life.

    So I committed to trust and obey, in rest, and in all the other things that He showed me. When God prunes or disciples me, it's not punishment, it's out of His love for me. Here's the pattern:

    Expose: He exposes something displeasing or something that will eventually sabotage my success.

    Eradicate: Once I commit to obedience, He shows me how to eradicate it out of my life. He does the heavy lifting.

    Educate: Through His Word, He always takes the time to educate me as to why this is for my good.

    Encourage: And then He is faithful to encourage me, showcasing the amazing results awaiting me.

So there you have it. These are the three things I check when things seem to be taking too long. Much of the time I find that God has been waiting on me.

Folks, I mean it when I say to you ... NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

When you approach God, be bold with shameless audacity, when you ask Him to answer your prayers. (Read Luke 11:1-13)

I'll leave you with this final promise from GOD.

Isaiah 40:31 AMP - But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and Hang On. Never let go of your dream!

-Gerald

 


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