Never Give Up--You're Stronger Than You Think , livre ebook

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2017 by John Mason
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2017
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-0596-1
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotation labeled AMP-CE is from the Amplified® Bible, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations labeled MSG are from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Scripture quotations labeled NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotation labeled NLV is from the New Life Version © 1969 by Christian Literature International.
Scripture quotations labeled TLB are from The Living Bible © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Dedication
I am proud to dedicate this book to my beautiful wife, Linda; our four wonderful children, Michelle, Greg, Mike, and Dave; my two daughters-in-law, Brittany and Kelley; and my three grandchildren, Emma, Olivia, and Beckett.
To Linda, for your steadfastness and love.
To Michelle, for your smarts and ability to organize a mess like me.
To Greg, for your faith and patient perseverance.
To Mike, for your resourcefulness and fearless approach to life.
To Dave, for that contagious smile and how we love to watch sports together.
To Brittany and Kelley, for your love for my sons and your love for the Lord.
To Emma, Olivia, and Beckett, for the sweetness, laughter, and abundance of love you’ve brought to our family.
Your support, help, encouragement, sense of humor, and prayers sustain and bless me every day.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Dedication 5
Introduction 11
Part 1: Looking Inward 13
NUGGETT #1: When God Sees Someone Who Doesn’t Quit, He Says, “There’s a Person I Can Use” 15
NUGGETT #2: No Gift from God Is Insignificant 18
NUGGETT #3: Persistence Is a Habit—So Is Quitting 21
NUGGETT #4: We Can Grow by Our Questions as Well as by Our Answers 23
NUGGETT #5: “Give Me Six Hours to Chop Down a Tree and I Will Spend the First Four Sharpening the Axe” 27
NUGGETT #6: For Every Reason There Is to Lie, There’s a Better Reason to Tell the Truth 30
NUGGETT #7: Be Decisive, Even If It Means You’ll Sometimes Be Wrong 33
NUGGETT #8: Focus on What to Do Next Instead of Thinking about What Went Wrong 36
NUGGETT #9: Some People Wait Their Entire Lives for Their Ship to Come In, Not Realizing They Are Standing in an Airport 40
NUGGETT #10: Fear Isn’t Reality 43
NUGGETT #11: Our Words Create Our Worlds 46
NUGGETT #12: Choices Bring Increase or Decrease 49
NUGGETT #13: Never Start Your Day in Neutral 51
NUGGETT #14: A Goal Changes Everything 53
NUGGETT #15: Bark Less, Wag More 56
NUGGETT #16: Alibis Are Lies Gift Wrapped in Explanations 58
NUGGETT #17: Don’t Quit after a Victory 61
NUGGETT #18: The Price of Greatness Is Responsibility 64
NUGGETT #19: A Mistake Is Temporary—Quitting Is Forever 67
NUGGETT #20: Take a Chance—It Might Give You a Brand-New Life 71
NUGGETT #21: Faith Has Feet and Hands 75
Part 2: Looking Outward 79
NUGGETT #22: Find Yourself by Giving Yourself to Others 81
NUGGETT #23: It’s Better to Be Alone Than in the Wrong Company 84
NUGGETT #24: Why Fit In When You Were Born to Stand Out? 86
NUGGETT #25: Go Through What You’ve Been Going Through 89
NUGGETT #26: Say No to Many Good Ideas 92
NUGGETT #27: There Are No Shortcuts to Anyplace Worth Going 95
NUGGETT #28: Change the Way You Look at Things and You Yourself Will Change 97
NUGGETT #29: Sometimes the Smallest Step in the Right Direction Is the Biggest Step of Your Life 100
NUGGETT #30: Forgive Your Enemies—Nothing Will Annoy Them More 103
NUGGETT #31: Sticks and Stones Are Thrown Only at Fruit-Bearing Trees 106
NUGGETT #32: The Struggle Today Builds Strength for Tomorrow 109
NUGGETT #33: It Takes Little to Follow the Crowd—It Takes Everything to Stand Alone 111
NUGGETT #34: Rise by Lifting Others 114
NUGGETT #35: Some People Can Live an Entire Month from a Pat on the Back or an Encouraging Word 116
NUGGETT #36: Don’t Change So People Will Like You—Be Yourself So the Right People Will Love You 119
NUGGETT #37: Ten Truisms That Aren’t True 122
Part 3: Looking Upward 127
NUGGETT #38: Stop Every Day and Look at the Size of God 129
NUGGETT #39: Ideas Go Away, but Direction Stays 133
NUGGETT #40: Go Away to Get Ahead 135
NUGGETT #41: Knowing What God Cannot Do Reveals What He Can Do 137
NUGGETT #42: Just Say Yes 139
NUGGETT #43: The Bible Is a Book of Directions, Not Suggestions 142
NUGGETT #44: To Listen to God’s Voice, Turn Down the World’s Volume 145
NUGGETT #45: A Moment in God’s Presence Can Change a Whole Story 147
NUGGETT #46: You Can Buy an Education but Wisdom Comes from God 149
NUGGETT #47: Prayer—The World’s Greatest Wireless Communication 153
NUGGETT #48: God Speaks—Are You Listening? 156
NUGGETT #49: God Is Not Your Problem—He’s Your Answer 159
NUGGETT #50: Learn the Alphabet for Success 161
NUGGETT #51: Develop a Holy Curiosity That God Is Always Up to Something in Your Life 162
NUGGETT #52: God Will Use You Right Where You Are Today 164
About the Author 167
Books by John Mason 169
Back Ads 170
Back Cover 175
Introduction
Giving up is a region bound on the north by compromise, on the south by indecision, on the east by fear, and on the west by a lack of vision.
T his book is written for people who want to quit . . . so they won’t. And for people who want to go to another level . . . so they can!
Each of us has been given a certain mixture of abilities and opportunities that make us unique. No mixture is insignificant. Those matchless qualities that God has placed within all of us cause us to yearn to be above average and extraordinary.
In Genesis 3:9, God asks Adam, “Where are you?” He is still asking that question of each of us today. Where are we regarding God’s plan for our lives? Where are we concerning the gifts and talents He has given us?
Is God finished with you? No!
Don’t leave this earth letting everyone but God use you.
It is my prayer that as you read this book, you will allow the Holy Spirit to encourage you to stay the course. Ask for God’s help and never give up.
Part 1 Looking Inward
Nugget # 1 When God Sees Someone Who Doesn’t Quit, He Says, “There’s a Person I Can Use”
G od does not quit. It’s impossible for Him to do so. In Philippians 1:6 the apostle Paul wrote about “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” There are several important points in this verse. The most crucial is the fact that God doesn’t quit. Therefore, we can have great confidence that He will complete the good work He has begun in us. He will see us through every step until we reach our ultimate destination.
The majority of people quit. And that’s where they stay, in the majority. The massive majority. Successful people want to be a part of the minority who would not quit. Before any success comes, there will be opportunities to give up too soon.
Luke 18 records the story Jesus told about a persistent widow. Verse 1 says, “Jesus told his disciples [this] parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” The psalmist David tells us, “Commit your way to the L ORD , trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (Ps. 37:5 NKJV). In Galatians 6:9 we are told, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” What an incredible promise.
One of the best scriptural examples of a person who did not quit is Joseph. He had many reasons to justify giving up. When he was trapped in the pit where his jealous brothers had thrown him, I’m sure he said to himself, “This isn’t the way I dreamed my life would work out!”
Later, when he was thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit, he had an enormous opportunity to become discouraged and quit. Again he could have said to himself, “This is not right! I’m not supposed to be here.” Although Joseph did not understand the steps the Lord led him through, he remained faithful to his God. Despite the trials he faced, he did not quit. Eventually, the dream that God had given him became reality. Joseph was elevated from a prisoner to a prime minister in one day!
Keep your feet on the rock when you reach the end of your rope. The only way we can lose is to quit. Quitting is a decision we make that can keep us from reaching God’s goals in our lives.
It isn’t always easy, but there’s no greater life than that of following the Word and the will of God. Most people quit when they’re on the verge of success, often when fulfillment is at their fingertips. There is only one degree of difference between hot water and steam. Don’t stop one degree from your destiny. Hang on, press on, and never give up!
Nugget #2 No Gift from God Is Insignificant
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