March 22, 2015 PM
Dr. Michael Catt – 1658
#8 in series
NOT ON MY WATCH
When the Leader Has to Stand Alone (Part 2)
Nehemiah
C)
"A leader must have an infectious optimism, and the determination to persevere in the face of difficulties. He must radiate confidence, relying on moral and spiritual principles and resources to work out rightly even when he himself is not too certain of the material outcome." – Bernard Montgomery
Discouragement is like termite damage. The real battles are won in your own heart before they are ever won on the field. Four causes of discouragement:
1)
2)
3)
4)
The keys to overcoming discouragement:
1)
2)
"Some will oppose (another person or work), because they stand to lose position or power or prestige politically, religiously, or socially. It would be easy to blame all of Nehemiah's difficulties on Satan's opposition, but that is too simplistic. . . . Satan merely needed to exploit already existing concerns..." – Howard Vos
3)
4)
5)
The devil's tactics are predictable.
D)
E)
F)
"We want everybody to know two things. First, when you came to Jerusalem, you had an evil motive. It was not just to rebuild the wall. You came for the express purpose of collecting a group of people around you so you could lead a revolution. Furthermore, your method is evil. You want to be the king and so you're spreading the prophets throughout the land to proclaim that Nehemiah will be the king, not Artaxerxes. So we're going to send the word back to the king in Persia. THEN, you'll come up and visit with us..." – Chuck Swindoll
Closing thoughts:
1) ___ goes with being a leader.
2) Don't let ___ God's plan for your life.
3) Die to the idea of ___.
4) Roll with ___.
"We know that nothing we do for Him will ever be wasted or lost. We can be steadfast in our service, unmovable in suffering, abounding in ministry to others because we know our labor is not in vain." – Warren Wiersbe
5) Remember what you're ___.
General Douglas MacArthur's strategy for winning:
6) Rely on God to ___.