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According to Exodus 13:17, ” When Pharaoh let the people go, God didn’t lead them on the road through Philistine territory, although that was the shortest route. God said, “If they see that they have to fight a war, they may change their minds and go back to Egypt.”
I want to use this message to encourage somebody out there who’s thinking about quitting and giving up. Somebody who has been praying for years for things to turn around and they’re asking God, they’re questioning God. They are saying, Where and when will I get my breakthrough?
Many are asking God, “Send me a sign. Send me something to confirm that my hopes and my dreams and things that I want to accomplish are going to actually happen.” You’re thinking about quitting; you’re thinking about giving up. Don’t give up.
Somebody needs to know today you’re doing all right. You may not be what you ought to be, but you’re not what you used to be, and you’re going to get there by God’s grace. Don’t quit. And don’t you keep putting yourself down.
Brethren, one mistake you should not make is to quit following your lifelong goal. No matter how tough life gets, remember the words of Philippians 4.13: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me; challenges will come. But with faith, you can overcome them. Jesus didn’t quit on you, so never quit on yourself.
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. After all, Galatians 6:9 says that we should not get tired of doing what is good. for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not quit.
Have you ever been put in a position where you didn’t think that you have the strength to carry on?
You may have been overlooked, underrated, overshadowed, or underestimated. You may not have the money. You may not have the resources, the perfect genetics, or all the perfect past. But I tell you this, take heart, that is all you will ever need.
Do not be discouraged. You are the hero you have been waiting for. And see the hero cannot start at the top. The only way you can start at the top is if you dig in a hole, the greater the challenge, the greater the growth.
Let me tell you a story why you shouldn’t give up.
Around 1851, a preacher took the stage and said, if man was meant to fly, God would have given him wings. Then he went on to say that man would never fly because flying is reserved for angels and the audience clapped and agreed with him.
But in that audience that day, there were two boys sitting next to each other, who would come to be famously known as the wright brothers. But that’s not all. The preacher, the man who spoke that sermon, was Milton Wright, their very own father. What I’m trying to say is you will face doubters, probably in your own family. The bible says that, “… your worst enemies will be the members of your own family.” (Matthew 10:36).
For instance, we see in the bible how:
- Job’s wife never stood with Job in time of difficulty but still, Job never gave up (Job 2:9–10)
- David’s father almost seemed to forget his son David on the most important day but that never bothered David (1 Samuel 16:11)
- Joseph was loved by his father but hated by his brothers and hence they sold him but he never gave up his dream (Genesis 37:4)
In the Bible were see that all these were overlooked by their families but ended up becoming very great people during their time because they never gave up their dreams. You got a dream, you got to protect it. If people can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you how you can’t.
You know it’s amazing how many people in the world have done phenomenal things after having failed numerous times in their life. And so, failure doesn’t have to be the end. Making mistakes doesn’t have to be the end.
All these people have one thing in common they have eyes but they cannot see according to Matthew 13:13. They can only see with their eyes, not with their hearts. Did you know that on your way to your success, just right before you get what you always wanted to get every person will be tempted to give up.
As you get closer to your breakthrough, it may begin to look like everything is falling apart. This is the time that you must wake up and realize that giving up is not the option that you must take. You got to have that mindset that quitting is not an option.
Brethren, have you ever tried to shoot an arrow on a bow? It won’t go very far unless you pull the arrow back, Likewise, you must be pulled back in life. It is literally necessary to have haters, to be doubted and to be discouraged by the whole world.
People will try to ruin you. But if you don’t give up, and you dodge the bullets that they shoot at you. You can build a mansion with the bricks that they threw at you. Just make the decision now for the future. Some quit and turn around, these people should go back, You must understand that there will come a time in your life when circumstances are going to challenge you no matter what you do. The others stay committed and keep moving forward.
What’s interesting is that both people travel the same distance. One goes halfway back to where they started, the other goes halfway ahead and reaches their goal. This is your choice. You have a moment where you can go forward or you can give up.
Your life has a purpose beyond the pain you are experiencing right now. There is always an upgrade tied to your pain. Your tears have not been cried in vain. Your effort is not in vain. So, stay strong and keep moving forward.
Sometimes life will try to bring you down, but always remember that,” … a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again…” according to Proverbs 24:16 so the true victory lies in how many times you rise back up after your fall. The man who can get up one more time than the time he’s knocked down is going to be the winner. Being knocked down is not a problem. But staying down is a problem. Get up because success begins by getting up one more time than you’ve been knocked down.
You’re not a failure for falling down. You’re a failure for staying down.
Successful brethren keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit. After all Ecclesiastes chapter 3 gives 28 times and seasons in life. It’s 28 different times in life. The one time I can’t find in there is the time to quit. There is no time to quit in your life. God did not create us to give up when it gets hard. He didn’t create us to get discouraged when we face obstacles.
He made us as more than conquerors. You have victory in your DNA. That means you can outlast every attack. You’ve been anointed to make it through difficult times.
Quitting first starts as a thought. We all get that thought in our minds. You see, quitting is a mindset. It is a mentality. if you quit all the time, you build a reputation to quit it. And people get confidence in your track record, and they will bet against you they begin saying “He won’t finish. We know him. He always quits.”
But we need to take these thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). So, talk yourself out of quitting. Quitting requires patience and endurance because it often comes packaged in the form of pain. You know, it’s easy to smile and feel excited about your future when everything is going the way you want it to go.
But your endurance is not tested on the mountain. It’s tested in the valley. So how do you handle dark moments? when you start to feel that you’re drained, when you start to feel that you are depleted, never give up.
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. So don’t let the obstacles discourage you and make you believe that it’s not meant to be. Pursue that thing even harder. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Yes, you are going to face some challenges. But you are an overcomer. It always seems impossible until it’s done. Remember that winners never quit, and quitters never win.
You have got to find the inner peace within you because it has yet to be awakened. Remember when you finish or achieve that thing you will be celebrated and even rewarded. Always remember that your prize is waiting on you. Your fans are waiting on you. Your respect and admiration are waiting on you. Remember that the race is not given to the swift or the strong, but those who endure to the end (Ecclesiastes 9:11)
Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying. Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, this time wiser than before. Let me tell you a story of a man called Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to ever climb to the top of Mount Everest, but he didn’t make it on his first attempt, but always remember, every setback is a setup for a greater comeback.
That difficulty was never meant to destroy you. It was meant to strengthen you. If you will stay in faith, God will turn every battlefield into a blessing field.
Sir Edmund had tried once before and not only failed, but he lost one of his men, one of his team members was killed. And after this failed expedition, he was in London talking with a group of reporters. There was a big picture of Mount Everest right beside him. He turned and looked at it and said, Mount Everest, you have defeated me, but I will return and defeat you, because you can’t get any bigger, but I can.
You may be facing obstacles today that look huge. Maybe you too have tried and failed. I can’t promise you that the obstacle will get any smaller, but I can promise you, you can get bigger. You have the power of the Most High God on the inside of you right now.
Our attitude should be, this thing may have defeated me before, but it is not going to defeat me again. I know who I am, a child of the Most High God. I am anointed, equipped, empowered. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
You may have tried and failed before, but God is saying, go again. This time it’s going to be different. No, the obstacle didn’t get smaller. You got bigger. God enlarged you. He increased you. You’ve got more faith, more confidence, more determination.
This is to show you that committed people can outlast the difficulty and reach the fullness of their destinies, they stick with a relationship even though they have a right to walk away. They chose to go the extra mile and do more than they have to, it’s possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.
The people that succeed are not necessarily the most talented. They are the most determined and persevering. When they fail, they don’t see that as final. They learn from it and try again. When they face obstacles, they don’t shrink back and get discouraged. Instead, they fight the good fight of faith.
And in life, there’s always something coming against us. Disappointments, setbacks, unfair situations. Too many people just give up and think, well, it just wasn’t meant to be. You want something, go get it. Don’t be afraid to fail. You can’t always win, but don’t be afraid of making decisions.
You have to believe that something different can happen. He who says he can and he who says he can’t are both right. Most of you say you want to be successful, but you don’t want it bad enough. Most of you don’t want success as much as you want to sleep.
You keep being casual. You will end up a casualty. Death is not the greatest tragedy of our time. The greatest tragedy is what dies inside of us while we’re still alive, But not trusting your gift is sinful. Because God, it was put in you. Make a choice. Like, just decide what it’s going to be, who you’re going to be, how you’re going to do it. Just decide.
The talent you have naturally, skill, is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft. You may be in various spiritual bondages, but you’re still blessed. When you come into a season of struggle like you’re in right now, do not be defeated because if you’re breathing then God has a purpose for you.
This season will come to an end, and a new season will begin. A new season in my health, a new season in my finances, a new season with my family. A new season is coming your way. The scripture puts it like this, weeping may endure for a night, but joy is coming in the morning. Psalm 30:5. Things are difficult. A brighter season is right around the corner.
Don’t give up on a marriage because you hit a few bumps in the road. Don’t give up on a child that’s off course and been that way a long time. There’s another season coming. You don’t know it may be right around the corner. What happened? The season changed. Looked like it was never worked out, but you stepped in to a new season.
I love how the scripture talks about how our latter days will be better than our former days.(Haggai 2:9). You may have had some great seasons in years past, but you haven’t seen anything yet. God has seasons of promotion, blessing, and favor. In your future, you’ve never seen before.
Here’s the key. You’ve got to learn to walk by faith and not by sight. But perhaps today I can see something that you cannot see. Through my eyes of faith, I can see a new season coming your way. You may be sick, but I can see you healthy and whole.
You may be struggling in your finances, but I can see you blessed and prosperous with more than you can ask or think. You may be lonely and discouraged, but I can see you happy and fulfilled with the person of your dreams.
Now, you’ve got to do your part and get an agreement with God. Anybody can quit. Anybody can get discouraged because it’s taken a long time.
Life may have treated me unfairly, but I know God will pay me back for every injustice. I love the promise God gives us in Isaiah 61:7. Because you’ve got a double dose of trouble and more than your share of contempt, your inheritance in the land will be double, and your joy will go on forever.
When trouble comes your way, instead of getting down, discouraged, and giving up. Have this attitude that this trouble just qualified me for double. It was meant for my harm, but I know God’s going to use it to my advantage. I know a new season is coming my way, and it’s not going to be an average season. It’s going to be a season of increase.
Double the benefits, double the friends, double the income. I heard somebody say losers focus on what they’re going through, but winners focus on where they’re going. In other words, if somebody did me wrong, I’m not going to focus on that. I’m going to forgive them and focus on where God has taken me. I’m going to focus on the double that God has promised me.
Many times, what we’re going through is simply transportation to get us to our destination. That’s the kind of people God’s looking for, people that have a never say die attitude. You’re still alive, so therefore God is not done with you. You’re still here. God has a plan for your life. God has things in mind for you beyond anything you could ever imagine.
Shake off feeling sorry for yourself. Shake off, the thoughts that nobody loves you. Shake off all of that talk of being a victim. It’s time to encourage yourself in the Lord. Stand up to this challenge and encourage yourself in the Lord. You need to understand that the greater your challenge, the greater your future. If you have a big obstacle today, that just tells me you’ve got a big future backed by a big God so Keep pressing forward. You might have had an unfair past, but you don’t have to have an unfair future.
The Bible declares in Proverbs 24-16, listen to this, for the righteous man falls seven times. He rises again. For the righteous man falls seven times. He rises again. Therefore again, I say You’re not a failure for falling down. You’re a failure for staying down.
You know it’s amazing how many people in the world have done phenomenal things after having failed numerous times in their life. And so failure doesn’t have to be the end. Making mistakes doesn’t have to be the end.
But we have to remember that there’s always a way out. And those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ know that He said in John 14:6, I am the way. We may not know the way, and He may not be telling us the way, but He wants us to believe that He is the way maker. God will make a way for you, but He does require you to never give up.
If you invite Jesus in, if you passionately get on your knees and pray, if you invite Him in, He will show up. And He will literally make a way out of no way. He’s always there. Sometimes you don’t feel His there. Sometimes you wonder where in the world God is. He’s always there.
Remember that verse? I will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:8). You cannot walk through one moment of adversity as a child of God without His presence. A child of God is always in the company, in the presence of Almighty God through His Son, Jesus Christ, who lives on the inside of us for an awesome assurance.
Pastor Nathaniel
