Isaac the Son of Abraham’s Story:
The story of Isaac in Genesis 26:14-22 is a perfect example of how persistence can help to weary and overcome your adversary:
- In v14, the Philistines envied Isaac because of God’s blessing upon his life.
- In v15, the philistines, because of envy stopped the wells that Isaac’s father Abraham had dug. They filled the wells with sand. Here, I asked myself, why would a sane person close and fill up wells with sand instead of using the water in the wells?
- In v 18, Isaac digged again the wells of water and reopened the wells which the philistines had filled with sand.
- In v 19, the same envious Philistines came and strove with Isaac for the well saying “the water is ours.”
- In v 21, Isaac digged another well and the same philistines strove with him.
- In v 22, Isaac moved to another location, and digged another well and the philistines did not strive with him anymore because they had run out of steam. Isaac called the name of the well Rehoboth; and he said, For the Lord hath made a room for us and we shall be fruitful in the land.
In what areas are your adversaries striving with you? Is it in your health, marriage, your spouse, your children, your career, your business, your spiritual life? Don’t give up, it is your enemies and adversaries that will give up on you when they have ran out of steam and are wearied and drained because of your persistence and perseverance. It is your turn to call your own well Rehoboth because God has made room for you and you shall be fruitful in the land of your dream. This is a good time and reason to say a loud amen.
The Story of STONE CUTTER
What type of stone are you cutting now and how many more times are you prepared to hit the stone?
The story of the stone cutter shared by many motivational speakers is very apt to drive home the need of persistence. How does a stone cutter break open a large stone? He starts out with his big hammer and whacks the large stone. Don’t forget the stone cutter does this as hard as he can. The first time he hits the stone, there is no scratch, in fact, there is no sign and nothing happens to the stone. The stone cutter does not get discouraged, but pulls back his hammer and hits the stone again and again up to 10, 20, 30, 50, 80 or even 100 times, without the faintest physical evidence that the stone will break.
Passersby may pity the stone cutter or laugh at him for persisting when even a blind person can see his past efforts are having no effect. Has anybody laughed at you for persisting on achieving your dreams? Don’t be discouraged.
But the stone cutter is very intelligent. He has and sees with the eyes of faith: he knows that something is happening inside the stone. He knows that with God, all things are possible and that the expectation of the righteous shall not be denied. The stone cutter is a man who does not walk by sight but by faith; he does not go by public opinion but by his conviction. The stone cutter keeps hitting at different points on the stone over and over again, and at some point, maybe the 150th or 200th hit, the stone does not just crack, but literally splits in half.
A Million–Dollar Question
The question is: was it the last hit that broke the stone open? Of course not! It was the persistent, constant and consistent hitting on the stone by the stone cutter. At this point, I declare that you will reach the goals you set out to achieve earlier than you expect, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
The Story of Emperor Tamerlane, the Asian Army General.
The ant is known for its persistence and perseverance. Uju Onyechere wrote about what the ant taught an army general in his book entitled, How To Fire Your Boss: It happened in southwest Asia in the 14th century. The army of an Asian conqueror, Emperor Tamerlane (a descendant of Ghengis Khan) had been routed and dispersed by a powerful enemy. Tamerlane himself lay hidden in a deserted manger while enemy troops scoured the countryside.
As he lay there, desperate and dejected, Tamerlane watched an ant trying to carry a grain of corn over a perpendicular wall. The kernel was larger than the ant itself. As the emperor counted, he noted that the ant tried to carry the grain up the wall 69 times, and 69 times, it fell back.
On the 70th try, he pushed the grain of corn over the top. Tamerlane leaped to his feet with a shout! He, too, would triumph in the end! And he did, reorganising his forces and putting the enemy to flight.
The lesson here is that both the ant and Emperor Tamerlane refused to give up. They persisted and persevered. So you too should not give up on your dream. Persist and persevere and you will succeed.
A Million–Dollar Question
The question is: was it the last push on the grain that rolled over? Of course not! It was the constant and consistent and persistent push by the ant that pushed the grain of corn over the top.
The Advice of Harold Sherman
How many times are you willing to try again regardless of your past failures?
Copy out the advice of Harold Sherman on how to overcome giving up too easily and paste it on your mirror:
Prescription for Those Who Give Up Too Easily
For such people, the prescription given by Harold Sherman in his book entitled, How to Turn Failure into Success, will be very helpful. Sherman advised:
“If you give up too easily, write this down and read it daily:
- I will never give up so long as I know I am right.
- I will believe that all things will work for me if I hang on until the end.
- I will be courageous and undismayed in the face of odds.
- I will not permit anyone to intimidate me or deter me from my goals.
- I will fight to overcome all physical handicaps and setbacks.
- I will try again and yet again to accomplish what I desire.
- I will take new faith and resolution in the knowledge that all successful men and women have had to fight defeat and adversity.
- I will never surrender to discouragement or despair, no matter what seeming obstacles may confront me.”
DON’T QUIT by Mrs. O. A. Lewis
The timeless poem on courage by Mrs. O. A. Lewis is a very powerful the lesson on persistence and perseverance. This poem has helped so many people, who ordinarily would have abandoned and quit their dreams, to hang on to success. It is now your turn to use this poem and refuse to give up on your dream until you become a success, thereby putting smiles on the face of God, yourself and your generation.
DON’T QUIT!!!
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and its turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about,
When he might have won, if he’d stuck it out
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than it seems,
To a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit!
– O. A. LEWIS (MRS.)
“Be like a postage stamp; stick to it until you get there.”
–Harvey Mackay.
“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” – Napoleon Hill
BEFORE YOU QUIT AND GIVE UP ON THAT YOUR LIFE DREAM
Answer the following questions?
Q1) How many times did Isaac reopen the wells after the Philistines closed them with sand?
A1) ……………………….
Your Commitment:
How many times will you reopen the wells of your dream after the enemies of your have closed them if ever they can? ……………………
Q2) How many times did the stone cutter hit the stone with his hammer before it split open?
A2) ……………………….
Your Commitment:
How many times are you prepared to hit the stone of your dream to achieve it ? ……………………
Q2) How many times did the stone cutter hit the stone with his hammer before it split open?
A2) ……………………….
Your Commitment:
How many times are you prepared to hit the stone of your dream to achieve it ? ……………………
Q3) How many times did the ant attempt to push the grain of corn over the top?
A3) ……………………….
Your Commitment:
How many times more after your previous attempts are you prepared to push yourself to work on your dream to achieve it ? ……………………
Then like general watched the ant try 70 times; count how many times you have tried without succeeding? Subtract it from 70 and then try the balance. I bet you will succeed. For instance, if you have tried for 6 times without success; subtract 6 from 70 and then try for 64 times more before you quit.
Q4) How many times did the Harold Sherman advise you never to give?
A4) ……………………….
Your Commitment:
How many times are you prepare to try before you give up your dream? ……………………
Q5) How many lines are in Mrs O.A.Lewis poem?
A5) ……………………….
Your Commitment:
Write out the 24 reasons why you give up and 24 reasons why you should not to give up your dream? …………………… Weigh both of them and go with the one that weighs more.
Anytime you think you should quit on any dream, please read the timeless poem of Mrs O. A. Lewis 7 times. The poem has 24 lines, so try and write out 24 reasons why you should quit and 24 reasons why you should not before you finally quit if you must.