62-A-Step-Of-Faith-Criticism-Pt-4

When offering advice or criticism to someone taking a step of faith, it's important to be supportive and offer solutions. Negative critics often have little regard for your plans and may attack with hurtful words. Ignore them and stay focused on your goals. Use your success to silence them and let your results speak for themselves. Visit gregalabee.com for more messages. Hello and welcome to join this chariot for a 5-minute Bible study. This 60-second episode on A Step of Faith is titled Criticism, Part 4. My name is Greg Alabi and I'm inviting you to come let us study the Bible together. Before we quickly start to pass judgment on anybody for not listening to our advice when they want to start up or take a step of faith to accomplish something significant, we the advisors must evaluate our approach if we come across as supportive or judgmental, if we sound like fault finders, prophets of doom, condemning the entire idea and dream killers. But if you have a genuine concern wanting to address the gaps and shortcomings because you want to see the person truly successful in life, then come across as genuine supporters not only identifying the problems but willing to offer solutions and be a part of the take-off, directly or indirectly. If you do this, your concerns and your advice will most likely be welcome but standing outside the fence and pointing fingers at what is not right, what may go wrong and not be part of the solution may likely affect how our message may be received. Waiting to see the person fail and saying, I knew it, I said so, that does not make you a hero. Heroes are people who jump in to rescue and prevent things from going wrong. Nobody gets an award for telling us what may go wrong but you get an award for preventing things from going wrong. My point, approach matters. Now, let us learn some valuable lessons in this episode from what Goliath said to David. It will help us to understand how to handle negative criticisms from enemies. Yes, from those who oppose us, who want to see us defeated, who confront and challenge us to draw us down or see us fail. 1 Samuel 17 verse 41 to 50. First lesson is in verse 41. Goliath, with his personal assistant ahead of him, walks towards David. The lesson, sometimes uninvited negative critics who want to see you defeated and unsuccessful are the ones who will walk towards you. They show up uninvited just to prove a point. Does that sound familiar? My advice, stand your ground and keep doing what you are doing. Second lesson here is in verse 42. The New International Version says, Goliath looked at David and despised him. The lesson, one of the characteristics of a negative critic or an enemy of your success is that they have little or no regard or no respect for you and your wonderful plans. My point, not those who laugh at you. They are not your true friends. Friends do not ridicule friends. Third lesson is in verse 43 to 44. Goliath asked David, why did David come to fight the battle with sticks or with staves and vowed to kill David? The lesson, negative critics, your enemies who don't want to see you succeed do not see how you can be victorious with that ordinary tool and that your methods that you have. All they see is your sad ending and the death of your plans. Fourth lesson is in verse 45. Goliath came to attack David with swords and spears. The lesson, negative critics often attack with sharp piercing instruments. Most often, preferably, they use their words and their tongue, the sword and the spear, anything to inflict deep cuts piercing through your soul and spirit just to demoralize you, anything to hack you down, to cut down your wonderful plans into pieces. Mark those who talk bad about you and your plans. In conclusion, negative critics come uninvited, giving unsolicited negative comments, showing little or no respect or no regard for you and your plan, mocking and laughing at your tools and your strategy and wanting to see you destroyed or kill your entire dream with their sharp piercing words. My advice, use your massive success to silence them. Face your work, become successful, let your results wipe away your insults and God will give you the victory. I pray that the Lord will bless your effort and silence your critics and your enemies and raise supporters for you in Jesus name. Amen. I invite you to visit our website gregalabee.com, look for the podcast, listen to the current and previous messages. God bless you.