The Valley of Disappointment and the Work of Perseverance
And that is the place in the valley of disappointment, when things aren't measuring up to your view, that's the place where most people quit.
Valley of Disappointment
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Name the struggle
I'm excited to do my best to help, and so to start the year, we will talk about the process of goal achievement, the basic layout of the strategy beginning to end that can get you to where you want to go, that can help you become the kind of person that you really want to be. And I'm just really prayerful that today's episode and all of season four will be of benefit to you.
It's amazing to think back to January of 2019 when I took the encouragement of a friend and I went into the closet of my bedroom and sat down on the floor and recorded three episodes.
Understand what feeds it
When two teams play on the field, both of them have the goal of winning, but one of them loses. I would say in any sport or in anything, everyone's goal is to succeed, but most people do not.
Whatever you've identified is what you want to happen this year, whether it be in friendships or faith or fitness or finances or family, tons of people have the same goals.
Choose a steadier response
The people who press through those weeks end up seeing great change, exponential change, not because they did more in week four than they did in weeks two and three, but because they just didn't quit. And their body kind of stored up the energy and then exploded through that valley to new heights.
As I'm telling that story, it reminds me of the movie Fireproof, where the guy had a pornography problem, he was losing his marriage, divorce was coming, and his father suggested that he goes through these 40 days of service in this particular book.
Move forward with hope
Whatever it is that you've set out to do, a goal that you've determined, a change in yourself that you've prioritized, that you've laid out a plan for, and that you've started, please make sure it's important. The truth is a lot of resolutions fall by the wayside because they weren't really that important.
Maybe somebody else said it was supposed to be important, or it's one of those passing things that would be really nice if it happened.
Take the idea with you.
- 01Where do I see the problem or opportunity described in “The Valley of Disappointment and the Work of Perseverance” in my own life?
- 02What Scripture or spiritual principle in this study most needs my attention?
- 03What one specific change can I make this week to put this teaching into practice?
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