18 Aug Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way (Because Tenacity is a Necessity to Fulfill your Destiny) Part 15

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Over the last number of weeks we have shared with you the following:  our key verse is found in II Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and of a sound mind.”

Then we began to teach on 10 Truths Towards Tenacity:

  1. Tenacious people don’t’ waste time feeling sorry for themselves (Rom. 8:31).
  2. Tenacious people don’t hand the reigns of their emotional well-being to another (Phil. 4:4)
  3. Tenacious people embrace change (Ps. 55:19)
  4. Tenacious people don’t waste energy on things they can’t control (Phil. 2:14)
  5. Tenacious people are not people pleasers (Prov. 29:25).

Here the Bible tells us, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”  We began sharing “8 Powerful People Pleaser Points”:

  1. You’ll never find peace in another man’s head!
  2. You’d be surprised how little people are actually thinking of you!
  3. If you compromise to keep a relationship, eventually you won’t recognize yourself.

Let us continue with…

    4.  People can be replaced…peace can’t!

    5. The easiest thing to be in the world…is you. The hardest thing to be in the world…is what others want you to be.

    6. Popularity is when you are liked by others. Security is when you are liked by yourself.

    7. I’m accepted by the Best…who cares about the rest! (Eph. 1:6)

You are accepted by God Almighty.  Don’t you think that’s pretty good company?  The Greek word translated “accepted” literally means “highly favored”.  You are highly favored by God Almighty!

    8. Don’t go from people pleaser to people pusher (I Cor. 9:19)

Here the Bible tells us, “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.”  Over the years I have watched people swing like a pendulum from one ditch to the other.  Here the Bible clearly tells us we are free from all men, but not free to be a jerk…free to serve.

I have seen more than a few people take the opposite side of about anything you say, simply to show how “free” they are.  Let me illustrate.  About a year after starting Joy Church we had eight people all come together to check out our church.  Initially they seemed to like it quite a bit.  One of the eight was a very gifted singer and guitarist.  He wanted very much so, to be a part of our praise team.  At the time (10 years ago), the style was a bit more formal and ties were required by the male team members.  This young man wanted nothing to do with wearing a tie.  To him, wearing a tie was putting him in “bondage” and robbing him of his “individuality”.  We endeavored to explain to him this was simply a matter of culture, style and preference…not bondage.  This was simply a matter of team unity not robbing him of his individuality.

This young man really liked hockey and Nashville has a professional hockey team.  We tried to explain to him that all the hockey players on his favorite team had on the same uniform and none of them considered it “bondage” or robbing them of their individuality…but simply was a reflection of their team culture and team identity.  The hockey player would understand if he wanted to play he had to have a team mentality, not to mention a team uniform.  That young man’s pride never allowed him to see the forest through the trees.

Jesus said it this way, “They strained at gnats and swallowed camels” (Matt. 23:24).  In other words, because of some little petty issue, he missed the main principle.  It wasn’t more than approximately two months after that young man left the church, that our church culture changed from ties to jeans and a shirt!

Remember this…at times our “freedom” can become our bondage!

Next week we’ll continue our series!