5. Expect opposition
In the midst of the excitement of pursuing your vision, you have to be sober minded enough to expect opposition. Nehemiah was not spared of criticism and opposition. The Bible says, 'But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish— stones that are burned?” '(Nehemiah 4:1-2 NKJV).
The fact that you are acting within God's will for your life does not make you immune to opposition. The fact of life is that not everybody likes you. There will be criticisms, opposition and competition. The road in pursuit of your purpose is not filled with rose petals. Sometimes praise singers will be few and far between, while your doubters will seem to abound.
Joseph the dreamer
In Genesis 37 - 50 we find the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob. In essence the story of Joseph is one of fulfilling a dream amidst great opposition and obstacles. Joseph had to pay a great price and endure hardships in achieving his dreams. Questions we need to ask in this journey are the following; Will you still continue on your vision if people hate you, betray you, wants to kill you ? Will you still continue when people accuse you falsely? Will you still continue when people you have helped have now forgotten you when you need them the most? Joseph remained committed to his cause through thick and thin. Moreover, when the dream was now fulfilled, he shared the fruits of his dream with his detractors. The achievement of the dream did not produce a bitter man but a fulfilled man. This is what he said,' But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good. (Genesis 50:20 NKJV)'
Overcoming the fear of people
Therefore if criticism are unavoidable, one needs to be delivered from 'the fear of people'. If you are still saying to yourself, 'what will people say?, then you are not yet free. You must understand that you can not please everybody. Pleasing everybody is an impossible feat. If you manage to please everybody you will be the first one in history. Bill Cosby is generally quoted that pleasing everybody is a sure recipe of failure.
When Joshua took over the leadership reins from Moses, God commanded him to be strong and courageous ( Joshua 1 v 7). Brothers and sisters, we need courage to pursue our dreams. Without courage, fear of people will cripple us and halt our forward mobility. Nelson Mandela once said, ' courage is not the absence of fear, but moving forward in the midst of fear.' Do not let the fear of people hold you hostage. At this point I will echo the Nike motto, Just Do It!
The Bible says, the fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111 v 10 ). I therefore contend that the opposite of that verse is true. The fear of people is the beginning of folly. Please understand that the work of following your dreams, vision or calling is not a popularity contest. It is all about discharging God's call for you in this generation.
How do we handle criticism?
A. Learn to encourage yourself
One scripture comes to mind, ' And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. (1 Samuel 30:6 KJV). ' Sometimes when no one believes in you, you need to learn to encourage yourself in The Lord. You need to be ready with the Word on your mouth. You need to say the Word until it changes your consciousness. God commanded Joshua Saying 'The book of the law shall not depart from your mouth... (Joshua 1 v 8). When praise singers have departed and nay Sayers are everywhere, your best response is to encourage yourself with the promises of the Word. When all you hear is that you won't make it, say ' I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' (Philipians 4 v13). Be fortified through the Word.
B. Remain humble and teachable
In truth not all criticisms are bad. They can be necessary for our improvement and growth. Learn to take what is good and throw away what is bad. You cannot always surround yourself with 'yes-men'. You also need people who will be courageous enough to warn you when you gravitate towards error. It is not easy to see your own mistakes. Paul says to Timothy, ' Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:16 ).' Sometimes criticism can help you avoid error.
C. Be on the side of the truth
Peter says, ' For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. (I Peter 3:17 NKJV) . When you are persecuted it should be for good not evil done. If the persecution is for good, if it is for serving Jesus, then the Bible says, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. (Matthew 5:11 NKJV)". So make sure that when the 'curtain of criticism' comes down that you are on the right side. Criticism and opposition are unavoidable. The only way to avoid them is this, do nothing, say nothing and be nothing.
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