Handling Rumors in an Uncommon Way

How to Handle Rumors in an Uncommon Way

Giving Your Prayer the Defense It Needs – Part 6

Don’t be fooled; rumors are attacks that can derail you. You can not give that stuff the time of day. I’ve heard it said that the best way to defend yourself, have a defense for your opponents, is to be successful. Let your achievements, progress, and momentum do the speaking for you. It’s the only defense you have against rumors.

After four times of denying his opposition the pleasure to derail him, Nehemiah’s opposition took it up a notch. In the fifth round, they decided to trip Nehemiah up and get him off his game by threatening to start a serious rumor that had the potential to destroy him, his reputation, and his momentum.

Rumors are attacks on you as well.
Let me stop here for a second and ask you a question. What would you or will you do when your opposition begins to start rumors that could ruin you?

Here it is…

you’re trying to overcome an addiction in your personal life and those out to get you are sabotaging you by telling those helping you that you’re failing the program,
you’re working hard to put yourself in the best position to get a promotion, but your opposition is spreading rumors that you’re stealing from the company,
you’ve accepted the call to minister the gospel, but your opposition is spreading rumors that you’ve been caught in a scandal,
you’ve gotten involved in a political campaign to change your city, but your opposition is spreading rumors that you’re a part of the problem,
you’ve found the love of your life, but your opposition is spreading rumors that you’re playing the field.

What will you do when your goals, your dreams, and your thirty-thousand-foot prayer is attacked in these ways?

You don’t stop for a rumor.
Let’s take a note from Nehemiah. What did he do when the rumors attacked? Think about this for a second before we review the four actions Nehemiah took. A rumor is what we call “noise”. We call it noise and it’s known by another name “distractions”. It’s like pollution that’s intended to drown out what should be seen or heard. If you’re normal, it’s the noise that will become a distraction and keep you from making progress.

Stay with the truth.
When a rumor strikes at your life, the normal response is to get upset, aggravated, and even frustrated. Then we get consumed with the lie that’s been told on us. Our attention gets sucked into what’s said and how we think that will impact us. That’s the normal approach.
Can I say that Nehemiah isn’t normal and would not have made the mistake of leaving the truth? Stay with the truth. In other words, don’t turn your attention away from what you know to be true. Don’t allow what’s false to take the space in your mind that you need to succeed in reaching your goals. Whatever you think is what you become. If you begin to think on the lie, then the lie will make its way into your life. If you continue thinking of the truth more of that truth will come your way.
Don’t lose courage.
I like this one. Practical thinking would have you to lose courage by focusing on the fear that the rumor will take root in the minds of those that matter most to your success. If the rumor wasn’t much of a threat, it would be nothing to be concerned about.
Nehemiah decided to not lose courage. In his words, he wouldn’t allow them to intimidate us or discourage us [cause us to lose courage]. Up until the threat the rumors started, you were courageously moving forward, making progress. What changed? Nothing, keep your courage and don’t allow a threat to cause you to lose courage.
Don’t stop the work.
When ordinary behavior kicks in, a person will say enough is enough. I can’t handle it any more and they quit. Here it is, they’ve put their all into the work, the mission, the dream, and now there’s a dream-killing threat that’s attacking. This is a good reason to quit, give up, and even cave in.
Not Nehemiah. Not an uncommon person. Not a person who’s determined to see their thirty-thousand-foot prayer through to the end. You don’t stop for a rumor because stopping for a rumor says that the rumor is true. You keep working at all costs.
Continue with greater determination.
So you’ve decided to continue the work, it would seem like the right thing to keep the current pace and project timelines. This is a normal approach as well. Normal doesn’t work, so we need a different approach.
Coach Nick Saban says this after a rare defeat or close football game, that maybe after this experience the guys will wake up and this is what they need to inspire them to improve their game to a new level. He hopes that this experience will create a drive for greater determination. Like coach Saban, don’t waste this opportunity, it might be the thing that’s needed to take you to greater heights. So continue with greater determination.

Have you begun to see a pattern to Nehemiah’s thirty-thousand-foot prayer. It’s work. He’s been fighting to defend the work that his prayer has led him to accomplish. Likewise, that’s what your prayer will do for you. Are you ready to defend your dream? Are you ready to defend that God-inspired ambition? Are ready to defend your thirty-thousand-foot prayer? Defend yourself against the rumors that rise against you by continuing your work. Let your work fend off the rumors.

Question: what rumors have you worried and distracted from your work?

Until next Sunday, remain uncommon by continuing your work in the midst of the rumor. Thanks for visiting nolongercommon.com and share this message with a friend.

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