When You Want to Quit

Everyone at one time or another has wanted to give up! Even Jesus wanted to give up when He faced the cross. Knowing His footsteps would soon lead Him to agony and shame, He asked the Father “‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me'” (Matt. 26:39, NKJV).

In essence, He was saying, If there is another way to accomplish Your will, Father, could we go with plan B? Jesus was faced with the choice of giving up or pressing on.

It is the same choice we have all faced when circumstances have brought us to a place of giving up. We know that if we give up, we will be relieved of the pressure of the moment. And if we press on, we will continue to face all the obstacles that brought us to that point.

The problem with giving up is that you have already chosen the outcome of your situation. Failure is always the result of quitting. You trade possible victory for momentary relief.

Successful people are those who have learned to turn crisis moments into stepping stones to future victory. Thomas Edison is a good example.

On his quest to invent the light bulb, Edison tried more than 3,000 theories and tested more than 6,000 elements to find the perfect filament. Think of it this way: If he had tried one theory a day and was able to work every day of the year, it would have taken him around nine years to come up with the best and final solution to his problem.

What if he had stopped the fifth time things didn’t work? What about the 100th? What about the 1,000th?

Seemingly impossible situations face each and every one of us. The question is: How will you deal with yours?

What impossible situation are you facing right now? Is it your marriage? A doctor’s diagnosis? Your finances? Your children? Giving up may seem to be your only solution, but I believe God’s plans for you are for prosperity and success.

UNRESOLVABLE SITUATIONS
It is often the tedious, day-to-day situations that seem to never change that make you want to give up. The Bible says that hope deferred makes the heart sick. Discouragement develops into despair, and we lose our hope.

The loss of hope is a deadly condition for the believer. Without hope faith cannot operate. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1, emphasis added).

The nature of faith is to believe the impossible and see the invisible. We give up because we put our faith in what we know and see in the natural.

Think about the situations in your life that make you want to quit. Do you use words such as “never” and “always” when you describe your circumstances?

Sometimes we believe we will never be able to overcome because of words spoken over our lives for a prolonged period of time. I had this experience.

Being overweight was common on both sides of my family. As a child, I was constantly reminded of my size through comments about my weight. During those early years, I believed I would “never” be the right size and I would “always” struggle with my weight.

I continually tried to diet but would give up because I could not see a permanent solution. Finally, with the Lord’s help, I realized that dealing with my weight issues would require an ongoing commitment to good health–and for the last five years I have lost about 10 pounds a year.

Don’t give up because there seems to be no answer. If you truly believe that “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Rom. 8:28) then you know that the situations you face are resolvable with God’s help.

WRONG PERCEPTION
The Bible says that “as [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). If you do not see yourself as victorious in a given situation you will inevitably give up.

You know the Old Testament story about the spies who went into the Promised Land. The land was full of great blessing and abundance, but it was also full of giants.

Ten of the 12 spies were fixed on the enemy’s size. When they compared themselves to the giants they perceived themselves to be grasshoppers. Their perception caused them to believe they could not be victorious so they gave up.

Two of the spies fixed their eyes on the abundant fruit and determined that they were well able to take the land (see Num. 13:30). Because Joshua and Caleb saw themselves as victors, they received their promises.