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.Macy.It s all about proving naysayers wrong.Crippled with cerebral palsy, Bill was told that, because of his condition,he would never be able to hold a job.Nevertheless, he secured a territoryin Portland, Oregon, selling Watkins products door-to-door.He was toldhe would never be able to do all the walking that the job would require,yet he walked seven to ten miles a day for more than thirty years.He wastold it would be too difficult to deliver the products with no car, but hedevised a method to get them delivered.He was told people wouldn t buyfrom him, because they would be afraid of him or wouldn t be able to un-derstand his speech, but he has collected several awards from Watkins forbeing top salesman of the year.He persisted in spite of ridicule, thievery,injury, pain, the Oregon weather, and his own physical limitations.He wasdetermined to succeed, no matter what people told him, and today, at ageseventy-three, he runs a successful website business, still selling Watkins.In 1997 Bill was given  America s Award, which honors unsung heroes whopersonify the American character and spirit.DREAM LAUNCHERSSo, how do you overcome the dream killers of discouragement and criti-cism? With perseverance.In the case of Nehemiah, he demonstrates how topersevere over dream killers in three ways: by praying effectively, by recallingGod s past blessings, and by being prepared to fight for his dream.Cover Your Dream with PrayerNehemiah covered his entire project with prayer.Right from the momenthe heard about the broken-down walls, Nehemiah launched into a periodof fasting and praying about the problem (Nehemiah 1:4  11).Midwaythrough the project when the efforts were threatened, he prayed for protec-tion (4:9).And at the end of the project, he and Ezra reinstituted publicconfession and worship (8:1  9:3).There is even a recorded instance where282 Perseverance Day : Inspired by GodNehemiah prayed an emergency prayer  when the king put him on the spotfor a reply:The king said to me,  What is it you want? Then I prayed to the God ofheaven, 5and I answered the king.Nehemiah 2:4  5You ve got to bathe the entire project  from beginning to end  in deepprayer, a habit of prayer, and emergency prayers.Recall How God Has WorkedNehemiah didn t stop with prayer.When you are launching your dream,it can be a nerve-racking time of self-doubt and fear.Nehemiah s strategywas to draw strength from how God had already led him.In his rallyingspeech, he inspired people to attack the problem by telling them how Godprepared the heart of the king and provided their building materials to getthem started. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be indisgrace. 18I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me andwhat the king had said to me.They replied,  Let us start rebuilding.Nehemiah 2:17  18[Nehemiah] stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of thepeople,  Don t be afraid of them.Remember the Lord, who is great andawesome.Nehemiah 4:14So, to keep going when it s hard, remember how God has already comethrough for you.Have Courage to Fight for Your DreamNot only do prayer and remembrance help when your dreams are threat-ened, but some good old-fashioned  standing your ground comes inhandy.When Nehemiah came under attack, he did not cave in and questionwhether God really gave him his dream.He devised a plan for the people toprotect themselves and fight back, in God s strength..fight for your people, your sons and your daughters, your wives andyour homes..17Those who carried materials did their work with one handand held a weapon in the other.20 Wherever you hear the sound of thetrumpet, join us there.Our God will fight for us!Nehemiah 4:14, 17, 20283 Part : The Making of a Right Relationship to My FutureGod inspires you for a reason, yet he does not put you in a bubble andkeep you perfectly protected while you re working toward your goal.Beprepared to defend the dream and call upon God when you come underattack.In order to persevere, many of the character qualities we have discussedin this book come into play.Think about that as you take the followingself-test.Perseverance FactorsThe following factors play a key role in your ability to persevere.On a scale of1 to 10, with 1 being not at all and 10 being perfect, rate your level on each ofthese factors.__________.Clarity (Do you know your purpose in life and have clear goals?)__________.Humility (Are you honest with yourself about your dependence onGod?)__________.Confidence (Do you have faith in God  God-confidence?)__________.Courage (Can you keep going in the face of opposition?)__________.Self-control (Do you have healthy habits?)__________.Patience (Can you wait on God s timing?)__________ [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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