I Will Persist Until I Succeed

I will persist until I succeed.

In the Orient, young bulls are tested for the fight arena in a certain manner. Each is brought to the ring and allowed to attack a picador who pricksthem with a lance. The bravery of each bull is then rated with care according to the number of times he demonstrates his willingness to charge in spite of the sting of the blade. Henceforth will I recognize that each day I am tested by life in like manner. If I persist, if I continue to try, if I continue to charge forward, I will succeed.

I will persist until I succeed.

I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.

I will persist until I succeed.

The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal. Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. Never will I know how close it lies unless I turn the corner.

Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult.

I will persist until I succeed.

Henceforth, I will consider each day's effort as but one blow of my blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may cause not a tremor in the wood, nor the second, nor the third. Each blow, of itself, may be trifling, and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So it will be with my efforts of today.

I will be liken to the rain drop which washes away the mountain; the ant who devours a tiger; the star which brightens the earth; the slave who builds a pyramid. I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking.

I will persist until I succeed.

I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they are the words of fools. I will avoid despair but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I will work on in despair. I will toil and I will endure. I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep mine eyes on the goals above my head, for I know that where dry desert ends, green grass grows.

I will persist until I succeed.

I will remember the ancient law of averages and I will bend it to my good. I will persist with knowledge that each failure to sell will increase my chance for success at the next attempt. Each nay I hear will bring me closer to the sound of yea. Each frown I meet only prepares me for the smile to come. Each misfortune I encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow's good luck. I must have the night to appreciate the day. I must fail often to succeed only once.

I will persist until I succeed.

I will try, and try, and try again. Each obstacle I will consider as a mere detour to my goal and a challenge to my profession. I will persist and develop my skills as the mariner develops his, by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm.

I will persist until I succeed.

Henceforth, I will learn and apply another secret of those who excel in my work. When each day is ended, not regarding whether it has been a success or a failure, I will attempt to achieve one more sale. When my thoughts beckon my tired body homeward I will resist the temptation to depart. I will try again. I will make one more attempt to close with victory, and if that fails I will make another. Never will I allow any day to end with a failure. Thus will I plant the seed of tomorrow's success and gain an insurmountable advantage over those who cease their labor at a prescribed time. When others cease their struggle, then mine will begin, and my harvest will be full.

I will persist until I succeed.

Nor will I allow yesterday's success to lull me into today's complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure. I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life.

So long as there is breath in me, that long will I persist. For now I know one of the greatest principles of success; if I persist long enough I will win.

I will persist.

I will win.

By: Og Mandino ("The Greatest Salesman in the World")

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The Georgia-Russia War Explained

Washington (AFP): Russian forces surged into the breakaway region last week after weeks of clashes, threats and warnings between Tblisi and Moscow which culminated August 6 in a two-day Georgian offensive into South Ossetia.

That the two countries were on a collision course was no surprise to anyone, but the devastating Russian response was not expected, officials said.

"We were tracking it earlier in that week and we knew that things were escalating," said a military official, who asked not to be identified. "I can tell you it moved quicker than we anticipated that first day."

But how it unfolded is still unclear, clouded by conflicting claims from both sides.

"I think a lot of what you're asking needs to be ironed out," said the official.

"Some of these little issues are definitely still big questions in this event -- What was the intent? Who started it? Why did they start it? And why weren't they prepared to defend what they started?"

President George W. Bush, who urged Moscow to cease fire and return to pre-August 6 positions, charged in a televised statement that Russia's intention appeared to be depose Georgia's democratically elected president.

But the extent of the Russian operation remained unclear to US officials on Monday.

Georgian officials said Russian troops had moved out of South Ossetia into Georgia proper, occupying the city of Gori while Georgian troops were retreating to the capital.

But US defense officials said they were unable to corroborate the Georgian claims.

"We don't see anything that supports they are in Gori," said a defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "I don't know why the Georgians are saying that."

"That assessment is ongoing," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman.

The United States has among the most powerful tools for monitoring brewing conflicts, from spy satellites to reconnaissance aircraft and drones capable of scooping up radio signals or capture real-time images of forces on the ground.

But the extent to which they were trained on this remote conflict before it turned violent is not known.

The Russians, however, warned on August 3 of a growing threat of "large scale military conflict" between Georgia and South Ossetia.

The State Department issued a mild statement on August 5 urging Moscow to refrain from provocative actions, but gave no hint that it was aware that military action either by Georgia or Russia was in the offing.

Officials have suggested the fighting was not seen as an immediate threat, in part because there were only about 95 US troops and 35 civilian contractors in the country training Georgian troops for Iraq. And they were not near South Ossetia.

Some 1,650 US troops conducted a joint exercise with the Georgian military in mid-July. But they were out of the country when the hostilities flared.

At around the same time, the Russian military deployed 8,000 troops to the North Caucases for counter-terrorism exercises that Moscow said were unrelated to the tensions with its southern neighbor.

The US defense official said about 8,000 to 10,000 Russian troops have moved into South Ossetia. They also have flown SU-25, SU-24, SU-27 and TU-22 fighters and bombers during the campaign.

But the official said there was no obvious buildup of Russian forces along the border that signaled an intention to invade.

"Once it did happen they were able to get the forces quickly and it was just a matter of taking the roads in. So it's not as though they were building up forces on the border, waiting," the official said.

"What are their future intentions, I don't know. Obviously they could throw more troops at this if they wanted to," he said.

Source: Youtube

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Denying Jesus

"Now Peter sat outside, in the palace; and a damsel came unto him, saying, `Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.' But he denied before them all, saying, `I know not what thou sayest.' And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, `This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.' And again he denied with an oath, `I do not know the man.' And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, `Surely thou also art one of them, for thy speech betrayeth thee.' Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, `I know not the man.' And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, `Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.' And he went out, and wept bitterly." - Mt.26:69-75

In the pre-dawn chill, impetuous Peter warmed himself by the fire in the courtyard of the high priest's palace and vehemently denied knowing the Lord. Doubtless he made himself believe that doing so was his only escape. It will not stretch the imagination too far to suppose that in his dark hour of reasoning he was thinking, "If I am killed or thrown into prison, how can I help the Master?" He could even have been planning to rescue Jesus by organizing his friends. Whatever his thoughts were, they seemed logical to him; that is, until the cock crowed and "the Lord turned and looked at Peter." It was then that Peter for the first time saw himself as he really was: a poor, wilted, backslidden apostle.

Earlier that evening Peter, in the high optimism of faith, declared to Jesus, "Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee." Now, a few hours later, we find this same apostle to be of another persuasion, his faith gone, and he in the bondage of fear. It was when he began to chart his own course that he began to doubt and to become fearful of his enemies. The conclusion of a dying faith is fear. The heart that trusts in God has a shield through which neither fear nor doubt may pass.

As a fisherman, Peter had many times matched his courage against the winds and waves on the Sea of Galilee. He did not run from danger so long as he was familiar with the dangers which confronted him. How boldly he drew his sword to defend Jesus when the soldiers and servants of the high priest came to arrest him in the Garden of Gethsemene! But the little maids in the palace confronted Peter with another type of warfare - the uncertainties of a trial before the council and the bitter, merciless questions of the elders. How was he to fight these experienced rulers? How foolish they would make him appear before all the people! He would have died for his Master in a physical contest, but in a battle of spirits he fled before the probing questions of little girls. Peter was neither the first or the last to fail this test.

The only hope for Peter was that he had not lost faith in the forgiving love of his Master. What a change awaited this faint-hearted disciple! In only a few weeks, he possessed the spiritual strength to stand in Jerusalem and proclaim the gospel to the same angry mob that now was having his Lord sent to the cruel cross of Calvary. When the time came, thank God, he wasn't afraid. There is no room for anxiety in the heart which is filled with God's Spirit. Where there is faith, there cannot be fear. Peter's fear and unbelief had so dominated him that he disobeyed openly, and God had to refuse his service. Then Peter proved his sinful condition by denying the Lord outright. But, as we have stated, a few weeks later Peter was a completely different man.

On Pentecost morning, Peter was transformed by the grace of God which is greater than all sin, and he fearlessly proclaimed, "Let all the house of Israel assuredly know that God hath made that same Jesus both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). This apostle need weep no tears of remorse for his actions now. He could face danger and death joyously, for his works and words were in accord with Him who had restored to him the joy of his salvation.

Yes, men saw a new Simon Peter that day, no longer behind "locked doors for fear of the Jews", but boldly standing in the temple courtyard, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Twice he was brought before the council and warned to stop preaching. His boldness astonished the leaders of Israel, for even to them as they sat in their judgment seats he preached Christ as man's only hope of salvation (Acts 4:5-12). Neither prison nor the lash could stop this reclaimed apostle. Once, after being beaten, he departed from the council rejoicing that he was worthy to suffer shame for the sake of Jesus (Acts 5:40-41).


"In Works They Deny Him"
Thousands are today denying their acquaintance with this same Lord that Peter once denied. Their denial may not be as obvious as Peter's was, perhaps, for he denied our Lord in both works and words. But notice that the works came first. On the night of Jesus's betrayal and arrest, Peter attacked the high priest's servant with a sword. This was not the behavior of a faithful follower of the meek Son of God. Later that same night, Peter's verbal denial of Jesus was no greater a denial of the Lord than was his attack on those who arrested Jesus; it was merely another way of denying him.

It would be difficult to find anyone who has been forgiven of sin by Christ who has backslidden so far as to verbally deny him; at the same time, there are many who deny Jesus by the way they try to do him service, just as Peter denied him by taking up the sword in the garden. Paul speaks of such brothers by saying, "They profess that they know God, but in works they deny him" (Tit.1:16). May God give us grace to see that if we fail to obey His Word, we are already denying Him in works, our continued lip-service notwithstanding. "Faith without works," wrote James, "is dead" (Jas.2:17). Worship without obedience is nothing more than flattery.

Yes, indeed, my reader, we can by our works deny the Lord we claim to serve and be just as far from God's approval as Peter ever was. For instance, Paul declared, "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel" (1Tim.5:8).

As we view this generation of pleasure-loving believers we are made to recall Paul's description of them: "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." He further warns us, "From such turn away" (2Tim.3:5). Peter, in describing this same class of unholy believers says, "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them" (2Pet.2:1). Jude comments on this same group by telling us, "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness [lustfulness], and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved [rescued] the people out of the Land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not" (Jude 4,5). Please note that none of these verses refer to believers who verbally deny Jesus; on the contrary, they claimed to speak for him. Nevertheless, their denial of the Lord was real.

Reader, are you among the multitude of those who worship the Lord, but deny Jesus by your works? Having found many such worshippers among His Old Testament people, the Lord lamented, "This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me", adding the dreadful statement, "In vain do they worship Me" (Mt.15:8-9). Jesus was referring to more than a verbal denial when he said, "Whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven" (Mt.10:33). This warning was repeated by Paul in his second letter to Timothy, when he wrote, "If we deny him, he will also deny us" (2:12).

Do you have the witness of the holy Ghost that your life is free from sin? Or does your life proclaim, "I know him not"? Are you uncertain - this very moment - that your heart is free from evil? If you are not sure, it is time for you to realize that as long as you remain in this condition you are denying the Son of God openly.

When all sin is confessed, and all doubt is removed from our lives, when we submit to the divine will instead of following our own, when the love of God rules our hearts, and when we wholly submit to the Word of Truth, then - and not before - we do no longer deny the Lord, the one who bought us with his own blood. The true followers of Jesus Christ are distinguished not merely by their speaking well of Jesus, but also by their submission to his will. For this reason Jesus said, "By their fruits [works] ye shall know them."

Source: Isaiah 58 Broadcast and Tracts

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An Issue of Trust

Trust isn’t what it used to be. Employers require background checks, stores and street corners are peppered with security cameras, passwords and secret codes protect many aspects of professional and personal life.

Even sending a romantic e-card to a partner may no longer be as sweet or innocent a gesture--technology has afforded leery lovers a new way to prove their mate’s virtual faithfulness.

An online company offers suspicious significant others and jealous spouses a secret way to observe their lover’s on-line habits. In the form of an unassuming e-card, the recipient unknowingly downloads onto their computer a program that tracks every movement they make--including all keystrokes, emails, passwords, visited sites and screen shots. The software then forwards all collected information to the spying company, which in turn sends it to the mistrustful mate.

While this tactic is an illegal form of information gathering, for a mere $89, a person can bug up to five computers and have the resulting information sent their way--all the while, their lover having no idea they are being watched.

Proverbs 31 outlines the attributes of a good wife. While some of the specifics may seem dated, the overall theme hasn’t changed throughout the ages. Above, and perhaps because of all her other noble characteristics, this spectacular example of a woman is trusted. “Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life” (Proverbs 31:11,12).

Aren’t we lucky that our God--a God who numbers the hairs on our heads (Matt. 10:30) and is familiar with everything we do (Psalm 139:3)--loves us in a way that honors our best interests? Although powerful enough to decipher our very thoughts, our God doesn’t have to resort to crude tactics to scrutinize our every action. Instead, He lovingly watches our steps and leads us in paths that will bless and prosper us even if we aren’t faithful to Him. Although God knows more about us than we know about ourselves, we needn’t fear our Maker. Far from a suspicious and spying lover, God is a trustworthy Friend who has only our best interests in mind.

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