The Temptation to Quit
One of my very favorite preachers and communicators is T.D. Jakes, I often listen to his podcasts, and really enjoy how he challenges his listeners with real struggles we face. This week, I was listening to a message of his entitled “Defying the Urge to Quit.”
He mentions that although quitting is a natural feeling that we all are tempted with, giving into it on a regular basis has terrible consequences. I couldn’t agree with him more.
James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
Being quick to quit isn’t a great practice in general, but it’s what we miss out on when we quit that I want to talk about today. I want to talk about the blessing that comes through perseverance.
There is a gift, a tangible deposit inside of us that is made when we persevere through adversity, through challenge, through doubt and through pain.
There are two primary parts to this, the first is the one I think we often miss.
When we persevere, we are leaning into God’s promises for us, rather than leaning into what we see, temporary challenges and struggles. Here is what I mean, God has promised all throughout His Word, that when the storms rage, when the battle seems lost, when the surroundings are bleak, He is present, and faithful.
Choosing to persevere, is a prophetic act of stepping into faith. It’s saying, “God, I may not see You, and I may not understand what You’re up to, but I’m not shaken, because I know You are here, You haven’t forgotten me.”
In contrast, when we quit, we are saying to our problems, “I trust what I understand and see about you, more than I trust who my God says He is”
It’s a sober thing, but it’s a real thing too.
The second part to this is, when we persevere, when we stay in it, through the storm, and come out the other side, we have a story, a victory, that we get to carry with us, the rest of our lives!
It’s a monument reminding us how God is faithful even when the season is challenging, and that with God in us, we can endure even the toughest of storms.
Here’s the best part, the next storm I come to, I get to carry that with me. So, I look at my new storm, and I get to say, “I’ve met storms like you before, and my God, and my God in me, is mightier than you!”
Friends, quitting could be an easy solution for today, but the choice to persevere will pay a far greater reward, one you are meant to receive!
Romans 8:37 says, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
God created us to be a conquerer, an overcomer, a victorious one! Not just so we aren’t quitters, but rather, so we can that victory around with us, helping us face our next obstacle, as well as helping others experience their victories!
Let’s go be victorious together!
Daniel Sabo