Passion to Persevere [Part 1]

Alan Y using pastor Bible teacher and author of his latest book, the power to bless. What's important determines what you will endure, and what cost. You will pay and what you and so you just look at your life and you go well how I know what my priorities, I will just look at your life and you just instantly know it's just that simple. So instead of just committed to say I need to persevere more dues just become more attuned what's important. I think that's a big part of what you my excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series 2nd wind is presented with an old church in North Carolina not able to disrupt the entire to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. A copy of Pastor Alan's book lover of my soul. This can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastoralan.org that's pastor and.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is good news where God has called you to do is greatly important and the more you see it's importance.

The more power you'll have to persevere and to have something important doesn't mean that it is about wealth and fame and prestige. It just means that every single person in Christ, you, you know, from God's word that he's given you very important things in your life is to be about and differs for each of us and as we are in new series on call second wind all about about persevering enduring on finding renewed energy.

When when you when you've been through a lot.

Just like we been through this very severe pandemic and today we want to dig down to this kind of sense of the fuel it's underneath perseverance, and that is understanding the importance of your life and and all that God's doing and you and a great place to learn is from the story of Nehemiah who really is the last piece of historical narrative in the Old Testament before we get to Christ. This scene is set.

Of these, these, these chapters are taking place in the fifth century BC from 445 BC, and Nehemiah is part of what we call the third wave of exiles that if been able to return from their exile in Babylon back to Jerusalem because of the Persian Empire's policy that they let let people go back to their own their own home, and Ezra went before Nehemiah start rebuilding the temple and then Nehemiah.

It's a sense of a call from the Lord to go and rebuild the broken down walls and all along the way. Throughout the book of Nehemiah. You see not only leadership principles and Nehemiah, but you also see that he faces opposition and their many lessons to be learned from this and ultimately of course may, as we see in every page of the old there is something that points us to the new and to Jesus who is the better Nehemiah Solis looked at first it Nehemiah chapter 6 verse verse one now when some a lot antibiotic and Gresham the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and there is no breach left in it. Although up to that time I not set up the doors and the gates. Some a lot and Gresham sent to me saying come, let us meet together. It kept for me in the plain of Ono. Now that I tell you something right there. Don't meet anybody in the plane of oh no, just say oh no they intended to do me harm a was going on with this anniversary. I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave and come down to you and they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner four times I'm doing great work and can't come down. I'm doing great work. I can't come down.

I'm doing great work again come down.

I'm doing a great work.

I cannot come now, you say that with me.

I'm in good response to the devil and in every way the devil manifests in all the spiritual battle that we that there's something that you get in touch with how great the work as a God has going on in and through you that lesser things can be put aside more easily and you can keep on going.

Think of a time in your life when you stuck with something despite obstacles and the temptation to quit what was at the Ticket going. What made you this not throw in the town something and you thought it was important enough. Bottom line, I love all the stories of the people that just stuck with it. I think of a boy that was born in Chicago in 1901, raised in Missouri for son among five siblings. Father was allegedly abusive. The brothers ran off one by one, and he found solace in drawing pictures he lied about his age to become an ambulance driver during world one and after the war became an apprentice at a Kansas City commercial art studio, but he was fired for a quote lack of creativity.

His brother Roy and he lost a cartoon business last gram studios. It went bankrupt. A couple years later I'm talking about Walt Disney and his whole life is just full all fees for these failures and they keep coming back after he had gone bankrupt in his last gram studios Disney packed up his bags with $40 to his name. Went to Los Angeles to try acting, but he failed he can miss his brother Roy to join him out West to set up shop again and created a character called Oswald the Lucky rabbit Oswald the Lucky rabbit was successful character in a one real film that did well and look like things were really looking for the Disney brothers but he went to New York to meet with producers they are and renegotiate his contract and when he got there he realized the producer had pretty much stolen all of his animators and had stolen the rights to Oswald the Lucky rabbit and so he had to get on the train and drive and and ride the long ride back to the West Coast disappointed and literally back to the drawing board and it was all that long, disappointed train ride that Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse who is eerily similar to Oswald the Lucky rabbit if you can notice he was originally called Mortimer but is his wife; Mickey, I'm really glad that that Oswald the Lucky rabbit got stolen away because it just wouldn't worry I have millions of kids from all over the world come and wanted their picture taken with Oswald. It just done just on work as good as Mickey. After years of eating beans and driving up dad's seeking bankers 300 times to get some funding to do a feature film with Mickey. Finally, one bank said yes and they started feature film will Mickey Mouse and somewhere along the way Disney buys own admission had something of a nervous breakdown. He took some time off return to work and decided he would do a full-length animation film that would be a new a new creation, a new thing about Don Snow White and the seven, and even his own family said don't do it thereby said it will fail. Everybody nobody encouraged him to do it but he went ahead and did it and it became a huge success, and so I made other films after that, though now there well there. There beloved Pinocchio fantasia and Bambi were terrible failures at the box office and once again Disney's is running out of money says big dream was to build an amusement park Disneyland and when he stuck with it. Amazingly, and when it opened July 17, 1955 there were more forest tickets than there were real tickets that day, like a stampede. They were expecting 11,000 people in 28,000 people came and it happened to be 100° day in Los Angeles. They said the asphalt was melting the women's heels, water fountains didn't work. Most of the riots broke down and critics called it black Sunday. Nobody thought it would work and the rest is history. You know I I guess I tell that story because it just is inspirational to think about someone that sticks with something just because they think they got a great idea and what I want to just talk to you about is that is part of building the kingdom of God in advancing the kingdom of God. If there's a man who could stick with it because he is a vision of a magic kingdom.

How much more so we really have the spiritual truth of what really matters most in life and each one of us has a part of it. And so if you can discover how great the work is that you're doing. Then, the fuel for persevering is going to is going to come along to Ellen right will have more teaching moment from today's important series. Glad you've heard about it with your use of the leading mind experience in the hypothalamus, the left book lover of myself as a love story from beginning to and spiritual bride of Christ, the perfect bike. The Bible tells of his kind in March and the links to walk with her anymore and it's gonna member the woman tasted the sweetness of God's love for you this night pretty woman who searched for 254 can only be found fully by Dr. the five love languages size incredible reality that God pursues us in life comes to an lover of myself. Ancient biblical accounts explode in the heart except Christ proposal and showing his embrace of gravel in his love. After the match made in lover of my soul right. The gospel is shared when you get to Alan Wright Ministries.

This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer.

We are happy to send this to you as I thanked him Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor hour and got work. Today's teaching here once again is Alan running. You often hear us and we do what we want to analyze and and a lot of that is true. I mean, and less and less you're under some sort of slavery are being forced to do something mean we we we prioritize all the time, whether we realize that our night and it's amazing how easily we can reorder our priorities. If something comes along that we think is more important than that's what we do whatever we think is more important, we just we reprioritize and we do that thing and I remember some years ago was happening in my life.

I guess my favorite sporting event of the year is the Masters play the guessing national and Augustine Georgia for golfers it's it's like a if I go. It's like a magic kingdom.

It is ever been on the ground because nationalist is just a beautiful place. I mean, you go get the places where you you trawl through you know and get your concessions or go to the restaurant the grass there is is nicer than any of the most manicured lawns. We got and are in our town and all the best, often small the world come to just compete for this coveted green jacket that in it and it it is in in the famous words of Jim Nance, a tradition unlike any other is just I just love the mess I when I was in seminary in Atlanta back in that day you could go over and just by taking go to practice rounds. That's what people just warming up there nodding plan real around now even the practice rounds calls over thousand dollars in ticket just go practice round and is very hard to get a ticket in this.

In fact, there's really only only two ways you can get it unless you spend a zillion dollars and and and that is one that you you enter a lottery and it is such a small chance of winning in the lottery number W can enter a lottery and few people get to write about ticket or you have badges that are tickets du jour have an EA you can you can if you're a surviving spouse, you can inherit your deceased spouse's badges, but other than that they go back in the pot, you can't. You can't get the St. and so when some years ago, dear friend said I got some Masters badges in the one to see if you want to go. I do think you could make room in your calendar have to look at my calendar is something you don't have to look in your counter executive is also in the death and it wasn't Easterday them only conflict is like the master Sunday is only Easterday might not be a real dilemma for me.regional Easterday I don't have the isn't it funny how you can just just reorganize your life like that it's it's amazing when something is important and sometimes it comes because there's a crisis and you like I need to act in the neck. Now, everything else falls away and sometimes is because of a great joy but but everyday life we were making were making priority decisions and and so the key is is doing is getting those priorities lined up with what really we are matters and taking some time to evaluate what is some some years ago I was going to go and do a conference in Tyler Texas and other plant was asked to speak at a fund-raising bank for counseling center on Friday night and then Saturday is called a shame.

A few conference and I've been interacting you know with the head of that ministry for a long time and and you and would set this up, you many months in advance. On the day of my get to the Charlotte airport along with Jeff Deaton who was traveling with me and there was very clearly a lot of chaos that was going on and I and our world. We realize also looking at the screen.

Our flights had been had been essentially canceled and postponed like 7 to 8 hours.

There's no way that we will make that make it that night so I had to go get an landline at the ticket counter and that the line was too long. I was moving so slow answer, realizing I got to do something I never miss a speaking engagement in my whole life and I was like I'm I am is one now. I mean, this is not fair to these people, you know the people at this banquet tonight on the only will you live, there they want and I don't have a plan B as I had to get there and I'm not proud of this but a broken line line line I doubt I'm sure soil to something more important to get to, but I just kind of sneak around broken. I got up to the to look to the judge.

And I said listen, my flights been canceled, so I need to put your different point and Jeff is there. Thankfully, you know, trying to keep me calm because I was there, I was getting that matter and she said well we didn't cancel we postponed it and therefore we we can't give you another ticket and I would Enjoy another airline. I said no you effectively cancel this and I said that I get enough anyway. I don't think I was that bad but since he did say am I need to call security is mad. I was mad as I had to go over in and steal my phone looking for them flights over different a different airline if the in and and try to make a flight that was get ready go out and and in the only way I could do it was to to spend $700 so is similar don't know why would you do that. I've never miss a speaking engagement.

I will miss it.

That night when fair than I was.

Get there see you take. What what's important determines what you will endure, and what cost you pay and what you and so you just look at your life and you go well how I know what my priorities, I will just look at your life and you just instantly know it's just that simple. So instead of just getting more committed to say I need to persevere more overruling to do just become more attuned what's important. I think that's a big part of what Nehemiah is all about variety ways in which we decide what's important to me. Some people decide on things that are important in God's point of view. There does not mean a thing about a lot of the ministry of Jesus was in conflict with the Pharisees and the conflict was what they thought was important.

Jesus saying this is not important. The Pharisees thought was really really important. For example, to not dissipate any jot or tittle of the law, which included not eating unclean animals.

Animals that have been declared to be unclean, which in that list of Jewish law was the Nat and so what Pharisees would do is they take their wine and they pour through a very fine filter before they would drink it to make sure that they didn't accidentally have a Nat they got into their wine of the accidentally swallowed, and all while they're missing out on loving people and pointing people to the truth which is Jesus himself, and showing kindness and mercy. And so Jesus said blind guides. Did you strain that you swallow camels you ear to ear to ear obeying the little Johnson tittles of the law is not important in your missing what really is important so people can devote their whole lives to something and persevere with it something that just really was an important actually in God's eyes so so the key is not just finding some. This important finding. The thing that really should be important something is worthwhile to evaluate that what was important to me.

How does it know and I like to think about that. We don't just let it just fall into place in the week we talk about that right and not just in terms of just what you do with your financial budget which is what you do with your life and now there's a something as important as we design our families important to us for a lot of different reasons. We just love family love her extended family week, make a lot of decisions a lot of sacrifices to to do things with family, but we think because a long-term no benefits of that enjoy of that and then also the design of God. This is something we think Jerry by five think you think are important. I think what I'm saying is that to say am doing great work and I can't come down is to say that I have found some tremendous importance and what I'm doing and so other things become less important in that part of how we persevere. Helen right.

Today's good news message passion to persevere in our series. Second with Esther Allen is back with us in the studio as he shares his party. Good news thought for the day. Just a moment, glad you've heard about it with you. You believed in mind while experiencing the left but lover of myself as a love story from beginning to and spiritual bride of Christ, the perfect bike. The Bible tells my mom's in the links to walk with her anymore and it's gonna mother the woman tasted the sweetness of God's love for you is like pretty woman who searched for 254 can only be found fully my doctor the five love languages size incredible reality that God pursues us in life comes to an lover of myself.

Ancient biblical accounts exploding the heart except Christ proposal and showing his embrace of gravel in his love. After the match made in heaven.

It's lover of my soul right. The gospel is shared when you get Allen right ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I thanked him. Allen right ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor and got a whack with Pascarella and reporting good news thought for the day. In that phrase you do what you want. The passion is driving that what they say if if you are doing what you love will never work a day in your life and I can to keep you going part of the passion to persevere is simply rooted in a deep sense of clarity and call that this is what I'm supposed to be doing and therefore my heart takes great delight in it. Nehemiah when he felt called to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem that were so torn down.

He lead that effort against all obstacles against all odds because it was so deep within him. It was that it wasn't something them to think about. She knew how important it was and when you have that then the perseverance part. It almost takes care of itself doesn't annualize like I think the things I really persevered and is not so much like okay I don't really want to be doing this but just all doggedly somehow dutifully persevere was much more like I got a great passion for this and like Nehemiah, we can say to all of hell I'm doing a great work. This is a great work.

This is a work of God.

This is important to do and I cannot come down half of this wall so maybe listeners as a best thing for you to say when you start getting discouraged week here cells big to speak to the to the negative voices that government attempting boys and say output a great work in Jesus name I can't come down today's good production Allen right ministries