25 Aug Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way (Because Tenacity is a Necessity to Fulfill your Destiny) Part 16

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There is a professional boxer who goes to Joy Church.  He is even more competitive than I am!  A while back, we got into a pushup contest and how many pushups we could do throughout the day (it had to be intermittent as we are both kind of busy!).  I started with approximately 2500.  He then went to approximately 2800.  Not wanting to be defeated, I went to 3000.  He then went to 3100!  Your friendly neighborhood pastor went to 3200.  He then did me one better and went to 3300!  Well, when I did 3200 pushups in one day, towards the end, I forgot two things.  One that I was 53 and two that to keep good form while doing those pushups.  You see as I got tired I allowed my back to slouch a little and it threw out my back!  So I let him win at 3300…because there’s tenacity, and then there’s stupidity!

Over the last number of months, we have given you our key verse found in II Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and 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)
  1. Tenacious people don’t waste energy on things they can’t control (Phil. 2:14).
  1. Tenacious people are not people pleasers (Prov. 29:25).

We gave you “8 Powerful People Pleaser Points”:

  • You’ll never find peace in another man’s head!
  • You’d be surprised how little people are actually thinking of you!
  • If you compromise to keep a relationship, eventually you won’t recognize yourself.
  • People can be replaced…peace can’t!
  • 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.
  • Popularity is when you are liked by others. Security is when you are liked by yourself.
  • I’m accepted by the Best…who cares about the rest! (Eph. 1:6)
  • Don’t go from people pleaser to people pusher (I Cor. 9:19)

This week let’s continue…

  1. Tenacious people are courageous (Joshua 1:6-9).

Here the Bible tells us, “Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shall thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.  Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.  Have not I commanded thee?  Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.”

Please allow me to share 6 Courage Concepts:

     1. Anyone can see a problem. It takes courage to solve a problem.

All of the army of Israel saw Goliath.  It takes a courageous David to solve that problem.  I believe if you are anointed to see a problem, then you are anointed to solve that problem!

     2. Courage says publicly what everyone else is whispering privately.

Not every fight is your fight.  As a matter of fact, if you fight a battle you are not anointed to fight, you’ll bear a burden you are not anointed to bear!  That being said, there are some battles that we must be courageous enough to fight!

I remember a number of years ago I was preaching in another state and actually staying in the pastor’s home.  The night before I was to preach, he told me a joke and he started it with something like, “I probably shouldn’t tell you this but…”.  Any time you start with that statement…you probably shouldn’t tell me this!  He then went on to tell me a racially prejudice joke.  He expected me to laugh but when I rebuked him he was taken aback.  I was in his home, about to preach at his church, but he polluted my ears!  In some things you must simply be courageous!

 Next week we will continue our series!