Persistence: The Key to Success
How many people do you know that have stopped just short of reaching their goal? How many times have you stopped short of what you desired to see become a reality? Unfortunately, the number is greater than it should be. Many times just one more try would have meant victory instead of defeat.
Persistence is defined as “continued effort or tenacity.” It is not accepting defeat and continuing on inspite of the obstacles in your path. It is doing the right thing, the right way consistently.
Throughout scripture we are admonished to be people of persistence. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, “That you be not slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:12) The word patience could also be translated persistence. In this particular scripture, the word patience does not imply putting up with or coping with the circumstances at hand. Rather it means to continue doing what you are doing until the desired results are yours.
Scripture gives us Abraham as our example of a man who through faithful persistence received the fulfillment of God’s promises to him. (Hebrews 6:13-15) Abraham, the father of the faithful, had to persist in faith for twenty-five years before he saw the physical manifestation of God’s promise to him.
We live in an instant society. We tend to want everything, and we want it right now. When we don’t see what we are praying and believing for in a short period of time, we are apt to become discouraged and give up. Many times we give up just short of what God promised us becoming a reality.
If you are going to be successful at whatever it is that God has called you to do, you must become a person of persistence. You need bulldog faith. Bulldog faith is “faith that won’t let go!” Winston Churchill is reported to have said, “The reason a bulldogs nose is slanted backwards, is so that he can breathe without letting go.”
Here are some keys for developing persistence:
Keep your eyes on the goal.
You cannot lose sight of where you are going. It is imperative that you remain focused. Do not allow yourself to be distracted. God told Joshua “do not turn to the right hand or to the left. that you may prosper wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7)
Believe that you will meet with success.
There is nothing more powerful that positive faith. Jesus said, “All things are possible to him that believes.” (Mark 9:23) The great motivator and trainer Dale Carnegie said, “Believe that you will succeed. Believe it firmly, and you will then do what is necessary to bring success about.”
Maintain a positive attitude.
When the going gets tough sometimes it is easy to lose perspective. Your attitude, which is your perspective or how you see things, must remain positive if you are going to succeed. You must look past the negative circumstances and see the victory that is yours if you will but persist. Paul wrote, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal and the things which are not seen are eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:18) In other words, don’t look at what is, but rather at what can be. Keep the right attitude.
How many people do you know that have stopped just short of reaching their goal? How many times have you stopped short of what you desired to see become a reality? Unfortunately, the number is greater than it should be. Many times just one more try would have meant victory instead of defeat.
Persistence is defined as “continued effort or tenacity.” It is not accepting defeat and continuing on inspite of the obstacles in your path. It is doing the right thing, the right way consistently.
Throughout scripture we are admonished to be people of persistence. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, “That you be not slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:12) The word patience could also be translated persistence. In this particular scripture, the word patience does not imply putting up with or coping with the circumstances at hand. Rather it means to continue doing what you are doing until the desired results are yours.
Scripture gives us Abraham as our example of a man who through faithful persistence received the fulfillment of God’s promises to him. (Hebrews 6:13-15) Abraham, the father of the faithful, had to persist in faith for twenty-five years before he saw the physical manifestation of God’s promise to him.
We live in an instant society. We tend to want everything, and we want it right now. When we don’t see what we are praying and believing for in a short period of time, we are apt to become discouraged and give up. Many times we give up just short of what God promised us becoming a reality.
If you are going to be successful at whatever it is that God has called you to do, you must become a person of persistence. You need bulldog faith. Bulldog faith is “faith that won’t let go!” Winston Churchill is reported to have said, “The reason a bulldogs nose is slanted backwards, is so that he can breathe without letting go.”
Here are some keys for developing persistence:
Keep your eyes on the goal.
You cannot lose sight of where you are going. It is imperative that you remain focused. Do not allow yourself to be distracted. God told Joshua “do not turn to the right hand or to the left. that you may prosper wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7)
Believe that you will meet with success.
There is nothing more powerful that positive faith. Jesus said, “All things are possible to him that believes.” (Mark 9:23) The great motivator and trainer Dale Carnegie said, “Believe that you will succeed. Believe it firmly, and you will then do what is necessary to bring success about.”
Maintain a positive attitude.
When the going gets tough sometimes it is easy to lose perspective. Your attitude, which is your perspective or how you see things, must remain positive if you are going to succeed. You must look past the negative circumstances and see the victory that is yours if you will but persist. Paul wrote, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal and the things which are not seen are eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:18) In other words, don’t look at what is, but rather at what can be. Keep the right attitude.
Have a made up mind.
You must be determined. Determined people win in life because they don’t allow anything to break their focus. The great baseball manager Tommy Lasorda once said, “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.” Someone else said, “It was through persistence that the snail got to the ark!”
You must be determined. Determined people win in life because they don’t allow anything to break their focus. The great baseball manager Tommy Lasorda once said, “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.” Someone else said, “It was through persistence that the snail got to the ark!”
Find someone to stand in agreement with you.
“Two are better than one, and a threefold cord is not easily broke.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12) There is something powerful when you have others to stand with you on the path to success. There is strength in unity. You must understand that you cannot make it without the assistance of others. Successful people, regardless of their position in life, understand the value of teamwork. Together we stand, divided we fall.
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