All You Need to Know About Persistence
by Olga Hermans
There is another principle that you must know how to apply when you go after your dreams and goals and purpose for your life. When you give up, you invite defeat in your life. When you regularly make a choice to give up, you create a defeat mentality.
If you keep giving up then it won’t take near as much pressure the next time for you to give up because you have created a habit in your life. Sometimes habits are hard to break, but they can be broken, however it will take the Word of God to do it.
The act of continuing creates a habit. Anything you continue to do is going to become habitual to you. Well, you can create the habit of winning. You can create the habit of being persistent. You can create the habit of setting goals and achieving each and every one of them.
I am here to help you to be free to be yourself and to be the person God made you to be. Obviously satan will not just roll over; play dead, and let you accomplish this without a fight. He doesn’t want your life story or your life’s experiences to encourage anyone else. Why? Because it proves he is defeated.
So how can he stop you? By getting you to doubt yourself, your calling, your uniqueness, your forgiveness, and ultimately try to get you to just give up!
Determine in your heart that you will become the winner that God has called you to be. When you determine that that quitting is no longer an option in your life, then you are going to develop a winning lifestyle.
You may have setbacks but those setbacks are temporary. They are not permanent. Every successful person has had setbacks, but the difference between them and others is that successful people do not quit.
You are not a loser. You are a winner. Learn to be persistent. You are going to accomplish all God has for you, but you will not if you are going to quit every time there is pressure. You have what it takes to win. Keep telling yourself that. Stick with it and refuse to give up. It’s well worth it. Persistence is always rewarded.
Persistence is the key to being all God made you to be.
The reason why so many Christians don’t win is because it takes discipline to be a winner; most people don’t like that word. I used to be one of them. So, ask me how I know. You have to make some rules for yourself that perhaps the average Christian would not make.
A lot of Christians see other Christians winning and they wish they could have what they have, but they will not do whatever is necessary to win. It’s only when you get desperate to win that you will finally be willing to do whatever it takes.
Discipline is what makes a winner out of you. I frequently hear people say, “I am just not a disciplined person,” or something like it. It is time to start renewing your mind by meditating this thought: “I am disciplined and selfcontrolled.” You will never arise above what you believe and as long as you believe you are not a disciplined person, then you won’t be one.
You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (The Message)
Go for the above and beyond. Don’t be satisfied with being average. Determine that you will excel in everything you do. Too many times we are too quick to give in and to give up. Persistence is what it takes to be victorious in every adversity. Determine today that “turning back” is no longer an option in your life.
Kenneth E.Hagin used to say that if you will prepare to stand forever; then it will not take very long. Make up your mind that regardless of how long it takes, you are not going to give in.
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I enjoyed that I needed to read that it was very,very encouraging to my heart.I praise God for people like you who are spirit led.At the time I have been feeling alittile weary in my well doing,but after reading this I feel just a little more streangth to go on .Thank you for those words of life.I ask your prayers for my family and I thank you.
Tanya, thank you so much for your comment. I will be praying for you and your family!
Persistence allows you to keep taking action even when you don’t feel motivated to do so, and therefore you keep accumulating results.
The other day I read this Japanese quote “Money grows on the tree of persistence”.
Loved reading this post Olga!!
We can help our children develop a sense of persistence by focusing on their efforts along the way to achieving a goal. Praising for effort will motivate them to continue trying. This is a wonderful article Olga with an important message for all of us. Thanks for the important work you are doing 🙂
denny hagel recently posted..3 Top Tips For Raising Co-operative Kids
In order to achieve our goals, we must continue even if we feel like quitting. As long as we continue to take action, we will eventually obtain the results we desire. How do you determine when you should quit what you are doing? We are sometimes placed in “interesting” situations so that we can gain experience for something much greater. Napoleon Hill says: “Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.”
Question… I’ve been here a while. About 18 years. When I look back, I see a divorce, 3 or 4 failed businesses. I see gain, but only temporary. I can make this a long list, but you get the idea. I’ve worked 70 hour weeks and I’ve worked 20 hour weeks, in the end nothing seems to have changed. I don’t think persistence is my problem, but I can’t figure out what is. I keep searching and asking God. The good thing is that I finally recommitted to Him last year. Still, the struggle seems to eventually come back and it’s depressing to say the least. Anyone care to comment? Anyone been here who dug themselves out of the hole to never look back? Thanks. – Roy
Roy, it took a lot of years to get into the hole, like you say here. It will take time to get out of it of course. God always look at our motives why we walk with him in the things that we have invited Him in. You know, sometimes we think that we are very persistent, BUT what was the reason behind it? Were we persistent because we wanted to prove something to ourselves or to other people and we have lost ourselves in the process. Could be isn’t it?
It’s all about healthy heartsearch and I know that, that takes courage! I hope this helps!!
Yes, courage is key for me right now. The willingness to keep going, despite fear of failure. After I posted that last post I read a bunch of your other posts, they were actually very encouraging, so much that I decided to log some of the verses you quoted in a ‘affirmations journal’. Often I can offset the feelings of depression by simply getting outside of my mind, being thankful, and realizing the truth – that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. At the same time it feels like (and I don’t know why, I don’t have a biblical basis for this yet) I just have to go through those feelings and not distract myself by watching a movie etc. Not to say I should dwell in that place, but I guess a surgeon usually has to cut open a wound to remove the bad stuff inside, right? I guess His scriptures are the painkillers:) as long as I am willing to submit to Him what’s in my heart.
I think that part of my challenge is actually a question I have. This one is on goals and dreams. My teenage years were spent in the Amway environment, which is very strong on goals. And I know that I can find scriptures on having plans, recording the vision, etc but I also know that often the goals can be a source of frustration when it doesn’t seem like you’re moving forward. So you question your goals, and for me it means I drive towards my calling in life – What is it and what does it look like? What should I actually be striving for?
The good thing is that in the end I realize this: I’m still here, by His strength. More so by His strength than my own. It’s taken all these years to break down ‘me’. It’s become much easier to submit, to let go, to give it all to Him. And I realize that when God is trying to teach me something, I might as well listen and learn quickly, because He’s not gonna stop until He’s done:)
Anyway… Just thinking out loud:) Feel free to comment..
Roy, I have been thinking and talking to the Lord. What would you think of going to a bible school for a year or so. I can recommend you one; this way you are around peers who want to seek the Lord and the plan that God has for you, plus you will submerge yourslef with the Word of God. I think that, that would be a great transition for you right now. You could go a bibleschoolwehere you could work alongside…plus you can find out if God wants you to go to the missionfield….