Wilson In the Crosshairs

Real Life Solutions Discovered in the Line of Fire
1. Auflage 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9969601-4-4
Verlag: Metro World Child
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 200 Seiten

In the Crosshairs will help you to avoid the many tantalizing shortcuts that appear along life's way as you seek to minimize costs, increase energy, and save time. You will learn how to: Walk in faith as you face impossible situations, remain faithful when other abandon the cause, persevere in the midst of challenging situations, enter into your own destiny and make your dreams come true, overcome doubt and despair in the midst of hopeless circumstances. Tested in the fires of life, these truths are not peppered with religious rhetoric but are living principles that will encourage, motivate, and hopefully provoke you into action as you stand in the crosshairs of the enemy who seeks to destroy your dream.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wilson, Bill

Leseproben

Chapter 1 A FAITH THAT FORTIFIES Once, while I was speaking at a conference in Singapore, a young man approached me. I could tell that he wanted to talk. After introducing himself, he told me this sad story that is all too common: “I really feel like I can make a difference in this city. I’ve watched you in New York, I’ve read the books, I’ve watched you on television, and I’ve seen all the videos. The last time when you were here, I felt that I needed to sell out and be completely dedicated to what I’m doing for God. When I got home, I was very excited, but my family looked at me and said, ‘Oh, no! You can’t do that! We have other plans for your life.’” Several years later in the United States, I was speaking at another conference. One of the people in attendance at that conference, a leader in his church, went back all excited about soul winning and reaching his city for God. He enthusiastically submitted a proposal at one of his church board meetings—a plan that included reaching out to the lost kids in his town. At the end of his presentation, the board members promptly shot down his proposal. The horrified board members declared, “Oh, no. We’re not going to have those kinds of kids in our church.” While speaking at a convention on missions, I met another young man who had felt the call of God on his life. He told me that he sensed the need to go to the mission field. He felt confident that his life was going to move in that direction. When he went back home and excitedly shared his vision with his wife, she forcefully protested, “Oh, no. We’re not moving to the mission field—not me, not our two kids, and not you.” Confronting the Enemy of “Oh no” Three people, three stories—people very close to them had rejected the call of God on their lives. That rejection led to abandoning the call. Sometimes, even our most intimate friends are transformed into a voice that contradicts the Voice. How many people every day reject God’s call because of the poison of misdirected influence? Those who have influence in our lives—fathers, mothers, wives, pastors, friends—these are the ones who should be encouraging the divine call on our life, not exterminating it. The above scenario isn’t a new one. It’s been happening ever since Adam and Eve first listened to the “other voice” in the Garden—the voice of the serpent. There will always be many voices competing with the sound of the one Voice. A wise man or woman will learn to discern the sound of other voices and reject them in favor of listening to and obeying the voice of Father. When we choose to listen to the other voices rather than doing what is right, we reduce ourselves to the “minimum rather than the maximum” and we will never be able to rise to the heights of the high calling of God on our lives. If you are ever going to make something significant of life, then you must learn how to face down your enemies. But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?” Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.”… Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.”— Nehemiah 4:1–3; 6:1–2, NKJV Nehemiah 6:2 holds the key: “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.” The response of the young man’s family in Singapore was, “Oh no, we have other plans for your life.” One of the board members said, “Oh no, we’re not going to have those kinds of kids in our church.” When the young man’s wife learned he was thinking about going on the mission field she declared, “Oh no, you’re not going to do that.” Some things never change, do they? Man will always be troubled by the voices from the land of Oh, no! Any time you begin building something—a home, a family, a church, or a life, whatever it is that you decide to build—people (usually well-meaning people) will come against you for a variety of reasons. No one likes change and when someone comes around with a vision that will disturb their comfortable, secure life, they will automatically respond, “Oh no”! Since you are reading this, you are probably aware of some well-meaning people who have discouraged you and spoken negative, hurtful words about your vision and call. You are not alone. Everyone who stands up to resist the flow of normal life will face opposition. That is the nature of swimming upstream. When you face these discouraging and critical words, what should you do? Well-Meaning Dragons I learned a long time ago that there are many well-intentioned dragons that periodically rear up their ugly heads creating problems for people. When I first went to New York City and started the Sunday school, some of these dragons decided that what I was doing wasn’t worthy of support. These detached bureaucrats decided that Sunday school wasn’t necessary in the inner city, so they did their best to shoot down my vision. I find it amazing that those who sit on the sidelines seem to be so qualified to make decisions for those risking their lives as they play the game. It is so much easier to tell people what they should or should not be doing as opposed to getting out there and doing it yourself. These Monday morning quarterbacks might feel secure and smug in the advice they dish out to others, but one thing is clear: they will never know the sense of joy and fulfillment that comes from getting your hands dirty as you work to fulfill the dream God has given you. These armchair colonels are all gone now. They’ve retired, put on their Bermuda shorts and are playing shuffleboard somewhere in Florida. That’s how the careers of bureaucrats usually end. Imagine what could have happened had they lived their lives differently. I don’t respect people simply because of the position they occupy. I respect them for who they are and what they’ve done and the principles for which they stand. From my own life, I know that who you are dramatically influences what you do. Your inner values will determine your outward victories. When you commit your life to change, entrusting yourself to build God’s kingdom wherever you are, people will come against you. I know that firsthand, having faced many a “Doubting Thomas” and “Gloomy Gus” in my day. In the face of these detractors, I’ve dedicated my life to making a difference in some very unusual parts of the world—parts that most of us would not choose. The conflicts we face never seem to change. Whether it’s in a small group or a large ministry, individually or collectively, opposition always rises up against the work of God. Here is a key that I have discovered. When facing opposition, you either become more dedicated or more discouraged. It’s your choice. You can let resistance pull you down or you can face it straight on and rise above its toothless growl. Robert C. Savage, the famed surgeon, said, “You can measure a man by the opposition it takes to discourage him.”1 Cynics and skeptics will always be around. I know that it’s easy to let discouraging words and criticism hurt you and destroy your ministry. These gangs of troublemakers will never disappear; so, if you think they will, think again. Someone else will always reappear to criticize either you or the ministry that you’re doing. The choice is yours—will you take your stand publicly on behalf of God’s purposes, or shrink back into a web of anonymity and disgrace? Voices of Mockery Nehemiah’s hecklers mocked both him and the Jews as they questioned them, insinuating the wall could never be restored. The shrewdly formulated questions were directed straight at Nehemiah and his companions’ ability to get the job done. They hoped that this seed of doubt, shrewdly placed in their minds, would reduce their confidence in themselves. Those who have opposed me in the past have used this same devious way of attempting to break down my confidence and convictions. It is an old trick that has been used many, many times. Likewise, your critics will question your ability not only to do the work but even your ability to hear God! I fought brutal criticism and censuring when I first went to New York: “You’re not able to do that; nobody else has ever done it.” In light of these caustic words, I find it interesting that nobody else in the history of the United States has been able to do what’s been done in New York. It’s never happened before and nothing like it has happened...