Perseverance

Knowing when to Fight, Discerning when to Move on

Failed in business 22
Ran for Legislature--defeated 23
Again failed in business 24
Elected to Legislature 25
Sweetheart died 26
Had a nervous breakdown 27
Defeated for Speaker 29 Defeated for Elector 31 Defeated for Congress 34
Elected to Congress 37
Defeated for Congress 39 Defeated for Senate 46 Defeated for Vice President 47 Defeated for Senate 49
Elected President at 51 (Record of 3-8 in elections)

Transferred to Egypt in 1898 where he visited Luxor before joining an attachment of the 21st Lancers serving in Sudan
under the command of General Herbert Kitchener. While in the Sudan, He participated in what has been described as the
last meaningful British cavalry charge at the Battle of Omdurman in September 1898. He also served as a war
correspondent for the Morning Post. He stood for parliament in 1899 as a Conservative candidate in Oldham in a by-
election, which he lost, coming third.

He continued to lose elections, eventually running 22 times. He became the First Lord of the Admiralty (Navy)
At the beginning of WWI and under his leadership the once indomitable British Navy lost battles in the Mediterranean
and only managed a draw at the Battle of Jutland. He was the mastermind behind the disastrous
Invasion of Gallipoli and even when it was clear that the Battle was lost, he continued to order troops into the fight
causing thousands of unnecessary casualties. He ended up losing his government position as a minister in a cloud of
scandal.

Who was this failure? He is the man who said:

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm”

The battle of Gallipoli was fought from April 1915-December 1915.

By April 1915 the Western Front had become static. The French and British were in trenches across from the Germans
and fighting and dying by the hundreds over a few meters of land. Turkey (the Ottoman Empire) had entered the war on
the side of Germany and Austria and thus (by control of the Bosphorus) had cut off Russia from England and France (no
access to Black Sea Ports).

Churchill decided that if Istanbul could be attacked and conquered, the Russians could be supplied, Bulgaria and Romania
would join the war on the side of the Allies, and a second front could be opened on the Germans, alleviating the senseless
loss of life on the Western Front.

Initially it would be a naval attack alone. 16 ships tried to advance through the straight (at its most narrow only a mile
wide). 3 Battleships were sunk and two badly damaged. The British fleet turned back just as the Turks ran out of
ammunition. If they would have pressed on, they would have had free access to Istanbul.

So a land invasion was launched, based out of Egypt (no secrecy) the Turks knew exactly where the Allies were going to
attack and fortified themselves. Kitchener was at the time Secretary of War and he appointed Hamilton in charge of a
joint group of Australians, New Zealanders, British, and even 4 Senegalese battalions.

The British delayed for 6 weeks giving the Turks additional time to prepare and the landings on the beaches were terrible.
Of the first 200 men to embark, 179 were killed only 21 making it to the beach. On another beach 600 out of 1000 were
killed and on a third 70% were casualties. In one Irish brigade of 1,012 men, only 11 survived the campaign. 1,001 out of
1,012 were killed.
Three more British Battleships were torpedoed and by June 4th all hope of victory was gone, but Churchill and the British
War Cabinet continued to send men to their death until by the time of eventual retreat – with absolutely no gains or
accomplishment – 44,000 allied young men had needlessly been killed and 97,000 wounded. 141,000 men had been
needlessly lost with no gain to the war effort for their sacrifice.

And it was all Winston Churchill’s idea. The same Churchill who in 1940 in the darkest days of the War,
With England inches away from surrender, WILLED the people to fight on, to Never Give up….in this instance would
have been better served with an earlier withdrawal.

So…..how do we know when to press on and when to give up?

Principles for “Not Persevering”

1) Military Strategy: “You never feed troops to prolong an ultimate failure” (Jenkins)
Spiritual Strategy – Martyrs know they die for the winning side.
Sacrifice not synonymous with waste. General Lee and the Confederate strategy…
Gettysburg the fateful (and perhaps only?) mistake Lee made.

The Alamo is the exception; the Live to fight another day is the Rule.

2) “Do not doubt in the darkness what God has given you in the Light” (Benson).
Unless you have direct revelation, continue in original leading. When in doubt,
Hold steady until your orders clearly change.

Acts 9:15 “[Paul] a chosen vessel to bear my name before the Gentiles….”

Acts 16:6-7 “Now when they had gone through Phryigia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the
Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithinya bit the Spirit
did not permit them.”

Longevity in Sudan…..When is it time to leave? If God has clearly called you here, you must not budge unless
He just as clearly calls you elsewhere.

3) You never leave when things are going terrible. You leave when all is well.
You make your decisions when you are rested, prayed up, peaceful, and in good relationship with your
leaders….not when you are tired, weary, stretched thin, spiritually dry, and at enmity with colleagues and
authority. “Sometimes the will of God for you is to take a nap!” (Quoted by Cymbala).

4) You usually should chose constancy over pre-mature departure.

When in doubt, wait. Time is the best friend of the righteous.
(Patience and Indecision are two very different things).

5) Pay careful attention to your spouse and your authority figures

There is an anointing for leadership. I have seen it several times with Jerry Spain and Greg Beggs. Decisions that
I did not like or agree with at the time have been proved over time as the wise and correct one. A pattern
emerges, our leaders are being led – even when they do not know it sometimes.

6) Clarify in your own mind the things that are NEVER to be given up on

Hope – Love – Faith – Integrity – Purity – Honor – Personality – Effort (Trying) – Principle -