Don’t let others rob you of your joy. Some people love to put others down so they can feel better about their own self and actions.
If a man can rob you of your joy, he can rob you of your usefulness. -William Wilberforce-
William Wilberforce fought 46 years in order to end slavery in England in the 1700s.
God passionately laid it on his heart. So he had no other choice but to continue the fight until there was victory. You are not always called to do something that is quick and easy.
There was much opposition to ending slavery. So he probably had plenty of chances for people to rob him of his joy and keep him feeling defeated.
I’m sure he thought of giving up numerous times, but God had specifically chosen him for this important job and he kept plodding day after day until the victory was achieved.
There are far too many times in my life that I have let the words or actions of others deflate me as quickly as sticking a pin in a balloon.
You have absolutely no control over many things that may happen to you. But you do have control over how you allow others to make you feel.
They may try to inflict wounds by the words they use. But you don’t have to let those words pierce you to the point of making you give up what God has told you to do.
There is always someone who will gladly stick a pin in your balloon to watch it deflate.
God can see the whole picture, so He usually works in a way that most of us haven’t imagined. We plan things in a way that is logical to us. But He usually doesn’t follow our plans because His are so much better.
Problems can develop with others when they either can’t see or don’t want to see how God is blessing what you are doing. They may not be capable of seeing it because of their own spiritual immaturity.
FIRST, you must “know that you know that you know” (my words for being absolutely, positively sure) about something. THEN follow what God tells you to do. Don’t let others make you give up no matter how persuasive they may try to be.
The key words here are KNOW and GOD. But I don’t mean that you know what YOU want to do. You know what GOD wants you to do. It is only then that you will have his power, strength and anointing to carry out the task.
We would have so much more power to win the world for Christ if every believer in Christ would simply ask God what HE wants them to do. Then proceed with the business of doing it no matter what anyone thinks or says.
What God tells you to do may not be easy. But at the end of the day you will know that your actions have made a difference for the Kingdom of God.
