Don’t Give Up
Read these stories of 7 people in the Bible who could have given up but didn’t. They were called with a purpose and persevered through difficulties and trials. They were people just like you and me! God wants you to know that whatever you are going through, don’t give up. He is using you for something good!
If you think your family has problems, you should hear about a man named Joseph. He had eleven brothers from four different moms. He was the favorite, so all his siblings hated him. When he was 17 years old, his brothers pretended he was eaten by a wild animal and sold him into slavery in Egypt. While there, he was falsely accused of trying to have an affair with his master’s wife, thrown into prison, and forgotten about. He should have been bitter, angry, and unforgiving, but he wasn’t. The Lord blessed him abundantly and not only allowed him to eventually get out of prison but also to become one of the top leaders in Egypt. Joseph ended up forgiving his family and helping them survive during a terrible famine – giving them food, land, and a second chance. This is such a great story of trust, mercy, and grace. I encourage you to read the whole story, which is in Genesis 37-50.
Don’t Give Up.
Is there conflict in your family? Those three simple words are for you. Don’t give up. People are going to hurt you. They are going to disappoint you, dislike you, and accuse you. I have three pieces of advice as you go through these difficult trials. First, do not defend yourself. Allow the Lord to fight the battles for you. Second, do not go to others with your problems. The Lord wants to use this time to grow closer to you, so go to Him in your pain. Third, pray for the people who hurt you. Scripture tells us all battles are spiritual and you do not know what demons those people might be dealing with. Just like Joseph, do not become bitter, angry, or unforgiving. View these challenges as opportunities to grow spiritually and trust the Lord to deliver you.
Before meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul hated anyone who believed Jesus was the Messiah. He arrested them, persecuted them, and approved of their deaths.
After discovering the truth, he gave his life to spread the gospel. I would love to tell you everything becomes easy when you give your life to the Lord but that is just not the case. During his life, Paul was whipped five times by the Jews, beaten with rods three times, stoned once, shipwrecked three times, was in danger from bandits, went hungry, was in the cold with no clothing, was bitten by a snake, was arrested multiple times and was chained to a guard around the clock. He wrote in one of his letters to the Corinthians that he worked harder, had been in prison more often, been flogged more severely, and was exposed to death more times than anyone there. Regardless of the tremendous pain and misery he went through, Paul never gave up. He depended on Christ’s power to get him through his trials.
Don’t Give Up.
Are you in the middle of a trial and it just seems too difficult to continue? Those three simple words are for you. Don’t give up. There are going to be days in life where the storm seems too powerful. There are going to be days when you do not know if you can take one more step. Lean on God in these moments. You might think God will not give you more than you can handle but that is not true. What He will give you is the strength to keep going, the power to overcome, and the grace to bring you to everlasting glory. God does not promise there will be no storms, but He does promise to walk through those storms with His arms wrapped tightly around you.
Simon Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples. Even though he walked daily with the Lord, he messed up a lot. He misinterpreted the parables, tried to keep children away from Jesus, argued about which disciple was the greatest, tried to walk on water but started to sink because of fear, failed to stay awake and pray with Jesus in the garden, cut off a man’s ear, and denied even knowing Jesus after His arrest. You would think Jesus would have completely rejected him, especially because he was supposed to be one of His very best friends. I don’t know about you, but if it were me, at some point I would get tired of showing him grace. I am so incredibly thankful that Jesus is not me! He never gets tired of forgiving us and his mercy is everlasting.
Simon Peter was shown grace, even though he did not deserve it. He was the first of the twelve disciples that Jesus appeared to, and he was lovingly restored to his position as a disciple during a meeting with Jesus on the Sea of Galilee. He went on to become the leader of the disciples, he preached the first evangelical message where 3,000 people were saved, and he played a vital role in the formation of the early church. It is amazing what God can do through broken, messed-up people.
Don’t Give Up.
Have you ever messed up? Do you feel like God can’t use you because of the wrong you’ve done? Those three simple words are for you. Don’t give up. There is nothing you have done that is greater than the sacrifice Jesus made for you. His death on the cross provided forgiveness for all your sins. Go to Him, repent, and believe. Then just wait because He is going to use you in mighty ways. Just like Simon Peter, He has a plan and a purpose for your life…and it is good!
Ruth was a beautiful young woman who lost her husband. She decided to go with her widowed mother-in-law to another country and promised to care for her. She loved her deeply, but this does not mean her journey was easy. They walked for over seven days on rugged and steep terrain, and when they finally reached their destination, they arrived with no inheritance, no way of supporting themselves, and Ruth, because she was from Moab, was likely viewed as a threat. On top of all this, her mother-in-law was bitter and depressed. Ruth needed to provide food for them, so she went to work picking up grain that was dropped by the harvesters of a field. She was exhausted, hungry, and alone. The outlook on her life did not look very promising.
Ruth trusted God and ended up finding favor with the owner of the field. Not only did they get married, but she gave birth to Obed, who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David. Ruth ended up being in the lineage of Jesus himself! How incredible is that!?
Don’t Give Up.
Are you in a season of being tired or worn out? These three simple words are for you – don’t give up. Scripture is filled with stories of men and women who were spiritual giants but faced seasons of depression or fatigue. Open your heart to the Lord and tell Him how you are feeling. He already knows your weariness, and He desires to give you rest. You may feel tempted to isolate, but instead, surround yourself with other believers who can offer encouragement and love. Even though it may not seem like it at the moment, the outlook for your life is promising! The Lord will strengthen you and bring rest to your soul.
Moses had a lot of excuses as to why he wasn’t good enough to fulfill God’s calling. He was slow to speak, he didn’t know what to say, the people probably wouldn’t listen to him, and there had to be someone better. God told him to go anyway and tell the Pharoah to let God’s people go. He finally obeyed and the Pharoah said no. Over and over again! Then when Pharoah finally agreed, the Israelites found themselves standing in front of the Red Sea with an army coming up behind them trying to capture them. The people are crying, certain they’re going to die, and I’m sure Moses considers himself a complete failure.
Then God did the greatest miracle of all time – a miracle that 3,000 years later would still be talked about. A miracle even non-Christians know about! But do you know God wouldn’t have done this miracle if Moses hadn’t failed?
Because He wouldn’t have needed to.
If Pharaoh had just let the people go the first time, there would be no need for a miracle.
Moses had to fail, according to the world’s description of failure, for God’s true glory to be displayed.
Sometimes the Lord calls you to something but that doesn’t mean it is going to be successful – at least in your own eyes. He has a plan, and it is good. What He’s going to do in the end will be worth all these failures.
Don’t Give Up.
Have you ever felt like someone was coming against you? Those three simple words are for you. Don’t give up. The Lord has a plan and a purpose for your life. He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose. You might not understand. It might be difficult. People might come against you. It might feel like everyone is blaming you. It might feel like you have failed. Keep trusting God and wait because God is using your trial for something amazing.
Isaiah answered God’s call and for 60 years prophesied to the Israelites. Not one person that we know of turned from their ways. In fact, history tells us that they got so tired of listening to him they eventually sawed him in half to shut him up. He died believing he was a failure…but you and I know him as one of the greatest prophets of all time.
Don’t Give Up.
Do you ever feel like no one cares, like no one is listening? These three simple words are for you: Don’t Give Up. In God’s perfect timing, if you remain obedient to His Word, you are going to reach exactly who He intends for you to reach, and lives are going to be changed. God does not judge success the same way the world does. God desires your obedience, even when it looks like no one is being affected. Keep listening to the Lord and, in His perfect timing, you will reap a harvest. Until then, remember 1 Peter 5:6-7 which says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
God called Gideon a mighty warrior before he did anything brave at all. Despite those amazing words, he struggled to believe in God and saw himself as the weakest person in his clan and the weakest in all of Israel. Because of this uncertainty, when God gave him a job, he questioned God, doubted his calling, complained and demanded multiple signs. God is so full of mercy and grace that He gave Gideon everything he asked for.
After beginning to trust God in a few small areas, Gideon was told to fight the Midianites, who had been oppressing the Israelites for years. Gideon brought 32,000 men with him, determined to beat the Midianites, but God told him it was too many. He repeatedly sent men away until there were only 300 left to fight. With such a small battalion, they needed a miracle to survive. God promised to give them victory, and He did. Not only was this battle won by Gideon with 300 men, but it was won using only trumpets and jars with torches in them. Never forget that God is powerful, and He brings victory!
Don’t Give Up.
Are you doubting your ability to be used by God? These three simple words are for you – don’t give up. The Lord does not need you to be the strongest or the smartest, and He does not need you to be qualified for the job. He does not depend on you to get the job done. He needs you to be a willing vessel so He can get the job done. Too often, we depend on ourselves and our abilities, but the Lord calls you to step aside and let Him bring you victory. He calls you to stand firm, be still, and let Him do the fighting.