How Determined Are You To Win?

Originally posted 2016-10-17 13:22:23.

Hi!

It’s been more than three weeks since I’ve written on this blog.  Those weeks were so full of everything.  We had family debacles, other ministry responsibilities, personal health problems and challenging life situations.  Yet, there were still a lot of questions that came in my spirit along the way.  As they came, I just asked Siri to, “Take a note.”

The questions born out of experiences and contemplations were:

• Why is tenacity so crucial for success?
• How determined are you to win?
• How many reasons do you find a way to say thank you?
• Uh oh; What happened to you?
• Why should you try to do things better?
• Why does your past pain become your present problem?
• Can you relate?
• What drives you?
• How do you think like a winner?
• Are you a leader, a follower, or both?
• Do you model the behavior you seek?
• When and where did your moment arrive?
• Are you a friend or a foe?
• Why is life so complicated?
• Does the rebel without a cause really have a cause?
• Are you doing what you love to do?
• How candid are you?
• Why now?  Why this?
• Why do you go back for more?
• Who is the secret to your success?
• Can you stay the course?
• How real are you?
• How do you handle a germ carrier?
• Who are you investing in?
• How did it happen?  …When did you get off?
• Why is positive thinking so positive?
• Are you living or existing?
• Do you learn from success and failure?
• Who do you think you are?
• Are you ready for your suddenly?
• Is there room for the unexpected in your life?
• How do you find beauty in the midst of ashes?
• How many reasons do you have to celebrate?
• What three things are consistent about you?
• Why is it so important for you to prove your point?

Today’s pressing question is, “How determined are you to win?”

This morning, my answer to that question is; “I’M EXTREMELY DETERMINED!”  But, three days ago, my answer wavered.  It was a difficult time for me and my two sons. I cried and said to one of my sons, “Justin, I try my best to serve the Lord as best I can.  So why do we have to go through so much pain?”  He said, “Mama, keep going.  What we do is not your fault.  We have choices to make.  You can’t own our choices.”  Wow!  In the midst of my pity party; my twenty-nine year old son spoke a relevant, comforting, yoke breaking word to me.

My friends, have you ever experienced so many tumultuous situations until you just went into a temporary state of retreat?  Have you ever gotten so tired of being tired and sick of being sick until you went into a state of isolation?  You were around other people; but you were yet isolated.  Yes?  Well, sometimes, that’s a good thing.  Because, it is in those cages of sulking, questioning God, questioning your failures, analyzing your circumstances and even thinking about quitting; when you hear a still small voice.  It is when tears have covered your face and snot has overloaded your nose; when suddenly you hear, “Defeat is not an option.”  Has that ever happened to you? 

How do you handle the illusion of defeat?

• Don’t stop:  Sometimes hardships happen, and the enemy will tell you to stay home from church.  The enemy will prod you by saying that going to church is a waste of time.  But it is on those days when you press your way to assemble yourself in the house of God with the people of God, when there is a word just for you.  Friday was a heart wrenching day.  But I went on to Friday night evangelistic service.  We had a guest preacher on that night.  He preached from Revelation 4:1 and titled the sermon, “Your Door Has just opened.”  The Lord shook me with that sermon, it’s title and the text.  Revelation 4:1 says, “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven:  and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”  Two word combinations in this text; ‘after this,’ and ‘a door was opened’ caught my attention.  My friends, there is an, after this for those of us who don’t stop.  And, our door is open NOW!  All we have to do is move past the false idea of defeat and walk on in the door that God has opened for us.

• Keep going:  Don’t allow what looks like a set back to set you back.  Keep walking in your assignments from the Lord.  I teach the ministerial staff at my church on Sunday mornings during the Sunday School hour.  This past Sunday, in the Essentials of Ministry class for those who have newly acknowledged their call to ministry, we discussed the cost of ministry.  One of our talking points was, “Why Gethsemane?”  As we discussed Gethsemane meaning oil press; I said that it’s a place for squeezing oil from olives.  We discussed how in Biblical days, a winepress was a cement apparatus with a solid surface; grapes were set on the surface, and a heavy cement wheel was used to roll across the grapes to crush them.  In order for us to be anointed; there is a crushing that takes place.  At Gethsemane, the will of the flesh is crushed.  It’s a place of indecision.  It’s a place where pain occurs while in the process of serving diverse people.  …As I talked to them; the Lord said to me; “Rochelle, you are going through that crushing now; with what you are dealing with.  You’re being anointed to go to the next phase in your life and ministry”   Yes Lord!

My friends, when you are at a place of prevailing through agony and are experiencing the strain of surrender; defeat is not an option.  Just keep going.  I presume Paul was experiencing the tempters’ taunting of defeat when he coined Philippians 3:13-14.  It says, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:  but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” …Stay determined to win; no matter what comes.  If it is someone trying to undermine you, stay determined to win.  If it is a financial or heath setback, stay determined to win.  Stay in prayer.  If you have to write questions to ask God and yourself; do it and stay determined to win.

T.O.’s perspective:

A few weeks ago, I asked one of my sisters in ministry, “How determined are you to win?”  She said, “Very!”  I said, “How so?”  She said, “Being defeated is not an option.”  I asked, “Why?”  She said, Because, I was born to succeed, to overcome, to conquer.  Before Christ, I was just existing; not really living; not knowing truly who I was.  I was living based on other’s opinions.  Now that I know who God says I am, I don’t base who I am upon what others say I am.”  I asked, “What does that do for you?”  She said, “It pushes me to be the best person that I can be.  It’s just a drive knowing that mediocrity is not an option.  A lot of people only go so far; because they are basing it upon their own ability.  When it’s God in you; He’s pushing you; and thrusting you to go places.  He’s driving you to be more of what He has for you.”    Well, that says it.

My friends, thank you for joining me today.   I’ll leave you with, “How determined are you to win?” and “Which of the questions in the above list resonate with you?”  We’ll talk soon.

Blessings!

Rochelle