What Will Make You Quit?

One of my favorite quotes from Rev. Jerry Falwell is this: "You don't determine a man's greatness by his talents or wealth like the world does, but by what it takes to discourage him."

I pose this question: What does it take to make you throw in the towel and quit? Are you easily swayed by intimidation? Do you quickly retreat at the first sign of opposition? Are you soundly defeated when it appears you're outnumbered by the opposition? Do you quickly become silent and refuse to speak up when it becomes evident you are the minority amongst a vocal majority?

It has always been said that "The greatest way for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing." It is time for us, as Christians, to guard ourselves against cowering in fear and allowing the godless to run all over us. Of course we don't literally "fight back" or become rude, obnoxious, and hateful in actions or words. We always maintain our composure, our testimony, our godly example.

We must understand that fear is but the ammunition of the terrorist, the chord in which evil uses to choke our message and the noise Satan uses to drown out the truth. When you are tempted to succumb to the fear of threats, opposition, and intimidation of others, remember it is not your battle to fight! As 2 Chronicles 20:15 says, "This is what the Lord says to you, 'do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.'"

Give God room (and time) to deal with those who cause trouble in your life. As God commanded Joshua following the death of Moses in Joshua 1:9, "This is my command -- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

We can stand our ground and make our point and even state our position, but we must do so with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). We must stay grounded in the truth, know our Scriptures, and stay close to Jesus in a loving, personal and intimate relationship. And, as we do so, don't ever quit...never!! Now, take your towel, fold it, and put it back in the linen closet where it belongs!

Learn from Lydia

There are a lot of interesting mentions of women in the Bible. Whether it is the Old Testament or New Testament, there are many strong, yet oddly missed, lessons from women that we can familiarize ourselves with to strengthen our faith. One such woman is named Lydia. She provides a very powerful lesson for us. We find one particular mention of her in the book of Acts. Acts 16:14 , says that Lydia “reverenced God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying.” Lydia is actually a significant person in the New Testament. She is described as “a dealer in purple goods” (Acts 16:14). Pointing that out is quite a clue. Dealing in “purple goods” was considered a luxury in the ancient world. It is probably safe to say that she was both a woman of great financial means and able to deal successfully with the influential people of her time. She was also noted as having a great gift of persuasion. I think she might have been the only perso...

Tetelestai!

Just before Jesus gives up His spirit on the cross, He utters a very powerful word. The word that He cries out is “ tetelestai” (tih-tellis-tie). When literally translated, this word means, “It is finished.” It can also refer to something completed or accomplished. The word occurs in John 19:28 and 19:30 and these are the only two places in all of the New Testament where it is found. In the John19:28 passage, it is translated, “After this, when Jesus knew that all things were now completed , in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, ‘I thirst.’” Two verses later, he utters the word himself: “Then when he received the sour wine Jesus said, ‘ It is finished ,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” Did you know that the word tetelestai was also written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to show indicating that a bill had been paid in full? The Greek-English lexicon (by Moulton and Milligan) sa...

The Power of Words

We’ve probably have all heard the little tune “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” I learned this as a child, but as I grew older over the years, it became more and more apparent that this small jingle is far from the truth. Words can hurt me. Words can be deadly and even life-threatening. I have concluded that the only form of homicide that goes unpunished in the world today is “verbal homicide.” We can use words to “kill” the self-esteem of another person. We can “kill” their potential or "kill" their momentum and ability to grow and learn. All by the words we use. Proverbs 18:20 (NLT) tells us, “Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction.” Proverbs 11:9 (NLT) also says “With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous.” We need to seriously consider the choice of words we use when speaking to others. We must formulate in our minds, before speaking, wo...

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